by Rachel Green
“You fought, I believe?”
“I wouldn’t call it a fight. We had a bit of a tussle and knocked over an ice sculpture. Lady Shadow was livid, though more with him than with me.”
“But you remained friends.”
“Of course. Once I explained Lady Antonia was my ex-wife he calmed right down. We had a laugh about it afterward.”
“And a week later he was dead.”
“The two things aren’t related, I assure you. I loved John”
“Really?” Jimmy spoke again. “Then why were there no pictures of you? Not at the house nor the flat. I found one of you on his computer but other than that, nothing.”
“There should have been.” Richard leaned forward to put his cup down and used the motion to stand. “Come with me into the study.”
With a glance at Meinwen, Jimmy rose, then put out a hand to help her up as well. They followed Richard out of the sitting room and across the hall when he took a bunch of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the study door.
“I thought I saw the Witch of the West.” Mary’s voice rang out in the hallway and Meinwen looked up to see the young woman leaning over the stairwell.
Meinwen narrowed her eyes. “Do you mean me?”
“No, silly. Lady High And Mighty. Catherine. Assistant cook and scullery maid.”
Richard held up his hand. “Please don’t, Mary. You’re as bad as each other.”
“At least I don’t have airs above my station.” She turned to Meinwen. “Obviously I won’t be needing your services now that Richard is alive and well. Not that I’d be able to pay you anyway, finances being as they are. Someone...” She looked pointedly at Richard. “Didn’t die after all.”
He laughed. “I said I’m sorry but hey, according to the police I might still be next on the killer’s list so keep the policy running.”
Mary came further down the stairs until the angle of the walls revealed Jimmy. “And who’s this?”
“This is John’s brother, Jimmy. Jimmy, this is Mary Markhew.” Meinwen performed introductions.
“And are you gay as well, or do you prefer a woman’s touch?” Mary ran a finger down his arm. “I do like your tattoos.” She looked at Meinwen. “He’s not spoken for, is he?”
“Not by me.” Meinwen smiled at him, watching his eyes in case he wanted to deny it.
“Straight as a die, me.” Jimmy’s eyes twinkled in a way they hadn’t at Meinwen. “And no, I’m my own man, thanks very much.”
Meinwen tried not to reveal how much that hurt. Honestly, she could understand not being Jimmy’s type but to be cast aside for this little madam? She suddenly felt in need of one of Sergeant Wilde’s martial arts workout classes.
“And I’m my own woman.” Mary wrapped one of his arms in both of her own. “I shall call you James.”
“Mary, stop manhandling the guests.” Richard grinned. “I apologize for my cousin. She can get carried away sometimes.”
“And I bet you’re just the sort to do it.” Mary felt Jimmy’s muscles. “You’re the strong, silent type, I can tell.”
Richard pushed open the study door and held it open for them. “Wouldn’t Peter be upset if he saw you throwing yourself at another man?”
“Peter? Pfft.” Mary made a dismissive gesture. “I’ve hardly seen him the last few days. He’s out until all hours. I think he’s got someone else on the side. Someone he won’t share.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me. He was always more into the men than the girls. I was surprised when you took him on and he accepted, to be truthful. You know your mum made a play for him?”
“He refused, though. She was too old for him.”
“She’s nearer his age than you are.”
“Men mature differently don’t they, James?” She squeezed his arm again.
“If you say so.” Jimmy turned to Richard. “What was it you wanted to show us?”
“This picture.” Richard closed the door and gestured to a photograph printed on canvas. It hung on the wall behind the door and was hidden when the door was open. It showed Richard and John in an embrace, shot in monochrome against a dark background.
“Wow.” Meinwen stood in front of it. It was printed life-size and it was the first time she’d seen a real photograph of Jimmy’s brother other than the wallet-sized one he carried. “He really was the looker, wasn’t he?”
“He was that.” Richard smiled, seemingly lost among his memories, then shook his head. “I know John had a copy of this one in his flat because I gave it him. He hung it in the main room next to the spiral staircase.”
Jimmy shook his head. “It’s not there now and I certainly didn’t move it.”
“Then who did?” Meinwen turned to Richard. “There were no pictures of you anywhere at either house. It seems to me someone had systematically removed them. I thought John himself, if he’d really committed suicide but since he didn’t we can only assume the killer took them away himself.”
“Or herself.” Mary let go of Jimmy to toy with one of the daggers on display. “You always said not to rule out possibilities.”
“True, but whoever the murderer is had to be strong enough to hoist John’s body into the loft at Ashgate Street.” She frowned. “Or murderers, of course. The two deaths could be unrelated.”
“Or know enough about mechanical engineering.” Mary put the blade down and turned to face them. “Come on. How many people in our line of...recreation...don’t know how pulleys work? I’m no contender for Miss Strongarm, but I could hoist a two hundred pound man ten feet in the air with an anchor point and a long enough piece of rope.” She crossed to Jimmy again. “How much do you weigh, James? One eighty?”
Richard nodded slowly. “She has a point. It could be a woman if she was conversant with ropes. A good bondage top, say, or a sailor.”
“Wouldn’t you need pulleys?”
“Not necessarily. Pulleys make the job easier, of course but it’s all a matter of how you loop the ropes. The more loops you use the easier it gets, barring friction, and that depends on the rope you use.”
Meinwen looked at Jimmy. “What rope was used to hang John?”
He shook his head. “I never asked.”
“I can ask the inspector.” Meinwen put a hand in her pocket. “If I hadn’t lost my phone.”
“Here. Use mine.” Jimmy gave her his and she turned away from them as she dialed. She couldn’t remember the inspector’s number but she could the sergeant’s.
She listened to the others talking as she waited for him to pick up.
“Who would take down all the pictures though?” Jimmy had been thrust into a situation he was unfamiliar with but was coping admirably.
Mary was still determined to pint the blame in one direction. “Someone jealous of the relationship? A spurned wife?”
“Catherine?” Richard’s nasal chuckle was as endearing now as it had been when she first heard it. “Don’t be daft. She hasn’t got a bad bone in her body.”
Jimmy voice was lower. “A religious nut, then? There were enough of them in...where I used to live. Them as would rather stone someone than let them live their own life.”
“You don’t have to be a religious nut to be homophobic. I know perfectly nice people who go into a frenzy if they see two blokes just holding hands.” Mary glanced at him and winked.
Meinwen’s attention went to the phone as Sergeant Peters answered. “What sort of rope was used to hang John Fenstone?”
“I beg your pardon? Who is this? How did you get this number?”
“Sorry, sergeant. It’s Meinwen. I had my phone stolen, remember?”
“Right. Sorry.” His voice softened as he spoke away from the phone. “It’s Meinwen. Wants to know what sort of rope Fenstone hanged himself with.”
“Washing line. That plastic-covered steel stuff.”
“Plastic-coated washing line. Anything else?”
“Not yet. Thank you, sergeant.” Meinwen closed the connection and turned ba
ck to the others. “I think Mary was bang on. Plastic coated washing line. Strong and slips easily across surfaces. Just the thing for hoisting dead weight.” She caught Jimmy’s grimace. “Sorry. I just meant...”
“Never mind.” Jimmy shook his head and swallowed volubly. He put his hand out for the phone and Meinwen was in the process of giving it back when there was a sudden commotion in the hallway. Richard pulled open the door to find Jennifer using the house phone. “What’s going on?”
She put the phone to her chest. “It’s Peter. There’s been an accident in the garage.” She put it back to her ear. “Ambulance please.”
Richard glanced back at the others and dashed out, Meinwen, Mary and Jimmy following, though Jimmy soon over took and caught up with Richard. They headed through the kitchen into the garden then left to the garage where Susan was kneeling on the concrete, pressing a folded cardigan to Peter’s left leg. He was sitting on the floor, his back against an open-top silver Mercedes.
“Oh my God. What happened?” Mary pushed Susan to one side and pulled the cloth away. She stared at the item protruding from his leg. “What on earth? Is than an arrow?”
“A crossbow bolt, I think.” Meinwen bent over the wound but avoided getting too close. “He was lucky. It doesn’t look serious. It missed the artery. Another inch and it would have missed the leg altogether.”
“What were you doing? Where were you?” Richard looked around the garage and pointed at a spot above the door. “There! There’s a crossbow on the door jamb.”
“I was going to valet your car for you, sir. You can never be too careful about keeping the paintwork clean.” Peter groaned. “I thought I’d just wipe the windscreen before I open the doors to take it outside to wash but I leaned on the bonnet and that’s when I felt the pain. It was like being hit with a hammer.”
“I can imagine.” Richard knelt on one knee. “Meinwen’s right. It looks worse than it is. You’ll live.” He leaned forward to clap Peter twice on the shoulder.
“It’s a crossbow all right.” Jimmy stood below the overhead rail for the up-and-over doors. Looks to me like it was rigged to go off with the weight of a person in the car.” He stood in front of the Mercedes.
Meinwen put up a hand in alarm. “Careful!”
“Nah, it’s okay. Crossbows are one-shot beasties. See? The string is relaxed?” He pointed. Looks to be aimed at the driver.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a second crossbow, though there was only one stolen from the manor.”
“I didn’t think of that.” Jimmy glanced about the garage. His gaze ended on Peter and his eyebrows creased together. “Have we met?”
Peter glanced up, then back to his wound. “Don’t think so. Excuse me for not shaking hands.”
“That’s fine. Sorry.” Jimmy shook his head. “Shall I get the crossbow down?”
Meinwen beckoned him back. “No. Let the police do that. It’s evidence of an attempted murder.”
“You mean that was meant for me?” Richard looked up at the weapon. “It’s a bit hit-and-miss, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, look at it. Someone kills Kevin by stabbing him twice. They kill John by hanging him with a rope but then they rig up a crossbow that may hit me if I’m the first person to get in this car and happen to be in just the right spot when it goes off? It doesn’t seem like a certain kill, does it? Not like the other two.”
“But if Peter hadn’t come in to clean your car you might well be dead now.”
“True.” Richard bit his lip. “What if Catherine had come in, though? She often drives the Merc. It could easily have been her instead of me.”
“Perhaps that’s what the killer intended.”
They looked up as flashing lights showed under the garage door. “The ambulance.” Richard went to press the button that would lift the doors but Meinwen stopped him.
“Open the door, please.” Jennifer sounded distraught.
“It would damage the scene. Let them come around the side.” Meinwen raised her voice to convey it to Jennifer and a few seconds later to men in green overalls appeared at the rear entrance.
“Is it a party?” The first smiled at them as he opened his case. “What have we got here then?”
Richard pointed. “It’s a crossbow bolt in his leg.”
“I can see that, sir. Did you not know it’s illegal to shoot your servants now?”
“I didn’t shoot him. Someone tried to kill me.”
“Jumped in the way to save you, did he?” He tore away part of Peter’s trousers and tutted. “Looks worse than it is, actually. There’s a lot of blood but nothing vital damaged.”
“That’s a relief.” Peter was ashen faced.
“Yeah. No worries, mate. We’ll take you back to A and E and get you patched up. You up to date with your tetanus jabs?”
Peter grimaced. “I...er...I’m not sure. Will it be in my records?”
“Maybe. We’ll give you one to be on the safe side.” The paramedic took a roll of gauze and dressed the wound with the bolt still protruding from it. The second medic went back to the ambulance.
“Aren’t you going to take the bolt out?” Mary placed a hand lightly on his arm. “He’s in terrible pain.”
“No, love.” He smiled at her. “They’ll remove that at the hospital. We’d only take it out if it was a bigger risk to leave it in.”
The second paramedic returned with a stretcher and they lifted Peter onto it. “Someone want to come with him to A and E?”
“I will.” Mary held Peter’s hand as they raised the stretcher to waist height and wheeled him out of the garage. Susan and Jennifer followed them out.
Richard whistled. “Poor Peter, eh? He was lucky not to have been killed.”
“Yes, wasn’t he?” Meinwen went around to the other side of the car. “He dropped the sponge here. It must have rolled off the bonnet onto the floor.”
“The sponge?”
“For washing the windscreen? That’s what Peter said he was doing when he got shot.”
“Right. With you now.” Richard leaned over the bonnet. “Sort of like this? Does the crossbow line up with my thigh?”
Jimmy stood under the weapon. “Aye. Near enough it does.”
“Fair enough then. He’s lucky it didn’t hit his head.”
Meinwen left the sponge where it lay. “Has anyone called the police?”
“I don’t know. I sort of thought they came automatically when you dialed nine-nine-nine.”
“I thought they did too, but I expected them before now. I feel like a young girl waiting for her beau.”
Jimmy laughed. “I doubt you’ll be left on the shelf, love. Somebody will mark your card.”
Richard frowned. “Mark her card?”
“That’s what our mam used to say. From the old dance cards, you know? I suppose they don’t have them any more. It’s all raves and alcopops these days.”
“I really wouldn’t know.” Richard sighed. “I should have gone out more while I was still young and free.”
Jimmy laughed. “You’re joking, aren’t you? What are you? Midtwenties? Hardly ready to push up the daisies yet.”
“I know but I feel I missed out on the–what do they call it on television? The youth scene. I was studying when I could be going clubbing and getting rat-arsed.”
“Oh aye?” Jimmy pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. “Mind if I smoke?”
“Not really, no.”
“Best go outside.” Meinwen jerked her head toward the open doorway. “Technically this is a crime scene. We’ve already contaminated it by just standing in there talking. It’d be better not to smoke in there as well.”
“Right. If you say so.” Jimmy went out, followed by Richard. Meinwen took a last look at the blood on the floor where Peter had lain. It was the shape of a dumbbell and showed Peter had lain on the ground for several minutes before being helped to a seated position. Why would he just lie there
? If she’d been injured, she would have crawled or dragged herself to the door to get help.
She checked the bonnet of the car, careful not to actually touch it. It was clean. She couldn’t see the slightest drop of blood. Was it possible that Peter’s jeans had absorbed it all without smearing any?
She shook her head. Perhaps the car had already been wet with soapy water and any blood had run off. There was no evidence of that, either and besides, who washed their car inside the garage?
She went outside to where the boys stood. Richard was pointing out various features of the garden and relating small anecdotes about John when he’d been here. Meinwen could tell he was glossing over certain aspects of John’s activities by the way he faltered over places she was acquainted with from her previous visits. The whipping post, for example, had nothing to do with horse racing and everything to do with Joan’s particular skill with a nine-foot single tail.
Jimmy, if he noticed the omissions, chose to let them pass. He probably guessed their content was related to the erotic games John had been a part of. They were quite complimentary, in a way. The young man with a lot of experience but all of it very focused on the lucrative business of erotica and the older man with a broad experience of the world but knowing almost nothing about sex.
Meinwen waited for a pause in Richard’s anecdotes. “Where did Catherine go?”
“I’m sorry?”
“After your argument in the house. Where did she go?”
“Oh.” Richard shrugged. “I’ve no idea. I assumed she’d gone upstairs. Would you like me to check?”
“If you wouldn’t mind. She wouldn’t have left, would she?”
“No. She’d have taken the Merc if she’d gone back to the hotel.”
“Where are the keys kept?”
“On a hook by the back door. Just to the left as you go inside.”
“Would you check they’re there, please?”
“If you like.” Richard clapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “Back in a tick.” He sauntered off, one hand in his pocket and looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world
Meinwen watched him go, then turned to Jimmy. “Did you see the car keys on the hook as we came out to see the commotion?”