by Sherri Bryan
“Anyway, fast forward about a year and a half and I bumped into him again at that commerce and music festival that was held in the park. D’you remember it? He was there as a guest of the mayor at the time. He was always looking for something to invest his money in and he was quite involved in supporting local businesses and local people he saw something special in. ‘That special quality’ he called it.
“Anyway, we were both there on our own and he caught my eye. He was definitely on the lookout for a bit of fun—you can just tell with some people. I was single by then but he was obviously still married. We did a bit of eye-flirting during the afternoon and at the end of the festival, he slipped me his card with his private number on it.”
She shrugged. “And that was that. We started seeing each other. He told me I had ‘that special quality’ and it was great at the beginning. Sneaking around trying to find places to meet so Ruby didn’t catch us out was a real thrill. But then he bought me an apartment and everything changed. And not for the better, either.” She paused and rubbed her forehead.
“I know that sounds terribly ungrateful but it was too much. He said it would make it easier to get together but I didn’t want to make it easier—I liked the effort of trying to find the time and the place to see each other. It added to the excitement.
“Anyway, it kind of all went flat after he did that. And it made me realise how serious he was, which I definitely wasn’t. I just wanted a bit of fun—no strings attached. I kept seeing him because I felt obliged, what with the apartment and the gifts; I didn’t feel like I could break it off. But a couple of months ago, I just had to tell him straight.
“He’d started following me and videoing me coming and going from the apartment when I wasn’t with him. He was paranoid about security, see, so he had a camera set up outside the building that had a feed straight back to his laptop. Whenever I went out, he’d call me as soon as I got home to ask me where I’d been. It got so creepy, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you here. I only really go back to the apartment to pick up stuff these days—I spend as little time as possible there recently. That’s why I’m staying back at Penny’s. Mind you, I might stay at my place a bit more often now Adam’s not around any more. I know it sounds harsh, but now the initial shock’s worn off, I have to say, it’s actually quite a relief. That said, I didn’t kill him…just to make it clear.”
Nathan and Fiona glanced at each other briefly.
“And do you know who might have wanted to see him dead?”
Amy took a tube of lip gloss from her pocket. “No, I don’t. I mean, he told me he’d really upset some people over the years but I have no idea who. He must have really upset someone for them to have bumped him off, though. Don’t you think?” She applied some gloss and blotted her lips on a tissue.
“And what about blackmail? Do you know anything about that?”
She frowned. “Blackmail? Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“Someone was blackmailing Adam Pitt.”
“Really? No, I had no idea. What were they blackmailing him for?”
Nathan shook his head. “That’s what we’re trying to find out. Well, thank you for sparing us the time on a Sunday morning, Miss Baker; it was most informative. PC Farrell will see you out…oh, I’m sorry, two more questions. Does the name Jill Travis mean anything to you?”
Amy shook her head, her long hair swinging behind her. “No. Why? Who is she?”
“Just someone we’re interested in speaking to. And my final question: was Mr Pitt jealous of your relationship with Frankie Ingram?”
Amy smiled. “Chief Inspector, Adam was jealous of my relationships with everyone.”
As Nathan watched her leave the room, he leaned back and thought about her story. She’d made Adam Pitt sound like the guilty party.
A minute later, he heard Fiona’s returning footsteps and bet himself he couldn’t count to three in his head before the onslaught began. He also knew exactly what her reaction to Amy’s story would be. He was right on both counts.
“Good grief! I know we’re supposed to stay impartial but women like that make my blood boil. How someone could carry on like that with a friend’s husband behind her back is beyond me. Well, she calls Ruby Pitt a friend but she obviously isn’t if she treats her like that—it’s disgraceful!
“And to talk so inappropriately about Adam Pitt when he only died yesterday! Regardless of how he may have conducted himself, he was still a person. My God, I’d queue up to give that husband-stealing, disrespectful, cold-hearted hussy a piece of my mind, I really would!”
Nathan grimaced. “You know what? I’d be right behind you.”
ººººººº
“So, who’s your prime suspect? Please tell me you’ve got one.”
Charlotte had waited for Nathan to come home, Pippin and a cozy mystery book keeping her company until he’d arrived.
“No one, at the moment, I’m afraid. Although we now know that Adam was killed between midday and one o’clock, which is something to go on, at least.”
Nathan told her about the events of the day; about his interviews with Penny and Amy, the discovery of the video on Adam’s laptop, and the fact that no one was admitting to knowing anything about the email containing the blackmail attempt.
“You know, if only he’d told me about the email. If only he’d said something about it, I would have taken his concerns more seriously, but all he said was that he had a feeling something wasn’t right. He had nothing to back it up with—nothing which made me believe he was under any threat. I wasn’t about to go putting men on security detail on a whim.”
Charlotte held his hand. “Don’t feel guilty about it—he had the opportunity to tell you about the email but he chose not to. There was no way you could have known what was going on so don’t beat yourself up about it. Incidentally, have you spoken to Ruby yet? She might be able to shed some light on it.”
“No, not yet. She’s been on sedatives so I doubt she’ll be in any fit state to talk to us for a day or two. Fiona and I are going to see the first Mrs Pitt on Tuesday afternoon, though.”
“What? His ex-wife?”
“Yep.”
“I thought you said she was his ex-wife.”
“She is. She obviously kept his name.”
“You’re hoping she may be able to tell you who this Jill Travis woman is?”
“Amongst other things, yes. And, maybe, give us some clue as to why someone would have been blackmailing Adam in the first place.”
“Well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she’ll be a help, sweetie.” Charlotte turned off her e-reader and put Pippin in his basket.
“I hope to God something is soon,” said Nathan before switching off the light.
Chapter 9
“Do you feel up to speaking to us, Mrs Pitt?” Ben Dillon’s tone was sympathetic. “We appreciate you’ve had the most terrible shock but it’s quite possible that something you tell us could help us find whoever killed your husband.”
Ruby lay at one end of the corner couch in Penny’s living room with Beau, the Labrador, stretched out at the other. She shrugged. “I suppose so, although I’m not sure anything I can tell you will be of any use.” She took off her dark glasses and rubbed her puffy, bloodshot eyes. “Oh, I’m so tired, all I want to do is go back to sleep.” Her eyes fixed on nothing in particular as she appeared to go into a semi-trance.
“Mrs Pitt, are you okay?” Fiona Farrell touched her on the shoulder.
Ruby dragged her eyes away and, with great effort, fixed them on Fiona. “Yes, I’m okay. Can we get this over with, please? I want to go back to bed.” She picked up a glass of water and shook a pill into her palm from a bottle of prescription medication.
“Yes, of course.” Fiona sat down on a nearby chair. “Can you tell me about the last time you saw your husband?”
Ruby tilted her head back to wash down the pill and wiped her hand across her mouth. �
��It was at home, just before I left for the baby shower. I don’t know the exact time but it was around ten-to twelve, I think. I left early because I wanted to call in at the florist on the way to get Charlotte a plant. Adam was in his study on the phone so I just blew him a kiss and left…that was the last time I saw him and I didn’t even say goodbye properly.” She scrunched a handful of hair into a fist. “If only I’d stayed at home. You know, the ironic thing is, I didn’t even want to go to the baby shower. I haven’t been very good company since Frankie died—I don’t think any of us have, really. But Adam told me to go. He said it would do me good to get out. And, you know what? He was right. I was having a lovely time until Chief Inspector Costello turned up.”
She simultaneously yawned and burst into tears, her howls prompting the rest of the household to rush to her aid, and the dogs to rush from the room.
As Penny comforted her, Owen and Zac disappeared into the garden.
“I doubt you’ll get any more out of her this evening. Once she starts crying, she can’t stop—I expect she’ll cry herself to sleep. She’s still exhausted and those pills the doctor gave her knock her out.”
“Okay, we’ll leave it for now.”
Before Fiona and Ben had left the room, Ruby was snoring softly.
ººººººº
“The trouble with studio apartments is that everything’s in the same room.”
Ava, Harriett, and Betty were enjoying afternoon tea at ‘Charlotte’s Plaice’. “Your bed, your TV, your armchairs, your kitchen…I’m not sure I’m keen on that set-up although Derek’s trying to talk me round.”
“What’s wrong with it? It means that everything’s closer to hand.” Harriett filled her teacup with Earl Grey before dropping a sugar cube into the delicately perfumed brew.
“I agree with you, Harriett.” Betty took a prawn and dill mayonnaise sandwich from the three-tier stand on the table. “It’s like the difference between living in a two-storey house and a bungalow. Everything’s so much easier since I moved into the bungalow, mainly because I don’t have to keep trudging up and down stairs but also because all the rooms are so much closer together.”
“Hmm, well I’m not sure I could ever downsize to that extent.” Ava pursed her lips as she stirred her tea, little finger extended at an absurd angle.
“Everything alright, ladies?” Charlotte joined them as she took a break from the kitchen.
“Lovely dear, thank you,” said Ava. “We were just discussing retirement apartments. Derek’s been trying to persuade me that we’d be better off in one but I’m not so sure. I remember my Grandma Doris moving into one. She just couldn’t get used to having everything in the same room.
“I shall never forget the first time we went to visit her after she’d moved in—she’d driven herself to distraction, trying to get BBC1 on the microwave oven. She’d sat down on the bench seat in the kitchen and thought it was the TV. She was terribly confused, bless her.”
“I don’t know why you have this idea stuck in your head that you have to buy a studio apartment—you could get a lovely little place with one or two bedrooms and a separate kitchen that would be perfect for you and Derek. Like Betty’s place, for example,” said Harriett. “You should go and look at one—I’ll come with you, if you like. Might be an option for Leo and me in a couple of years’ time. Since we got together we’ve both been living in separate houses, but it would make much more sense to pool our resources and live somewhere smaller.”
“And a lot of them have wonderful social opportunities,” said Betty. “You know… a communal room on-site where you can get together and meet the other residents. Not that I’ve ever bothered with that because I’ve got you two.” She beamed at her two friends.
“Hmm, maybe I’ll think about it.” Lost in her thoughts Ava stared into space, suddenly realising she was looking straight into the face of a woman who’d just sat down at another table.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry! You must think me terribly rude. I wasn’t staring at you—I was staring past you, if you know what I mean. I was in a world of my own. My apologies.” Ava raised her teacup to the woman, who nodded back at her.
“Don’t worry, although I must say I was beginning to wonder if I’d left one of my rollers in. I’ve done that before now!” The woman laughed.
Sorry, I didn’t see you sit down,” said Charlotte. “Can I get you something?”
“It’s okay, I’ve just given my order to the other girl. I remembered her from the last time I was here. It’s nice to go back to a place and find the same people still there—so many places change hands so quickly these days.”
“And it’s equally nice when customers like it here enough to come back again—we never tire of seeing the same faces over and over. Are you here with friends, or family?”
“Well, I’ve come to see my son for the day. He brought me to the marina a few years ago when I came to visit and we stopped here for Sunday lunch. We spent a wonderful afternoon and this is such a beautiful location—I love marinas.
“Anyway, I got the earlier train so I’ve got a lot of time to kill before he comes to collect me. I had to come back here again—I have such fond memories of this place.”
“Well, thank you, that’s very nice of you to say. Um, you’re probably going to think I’m very nosy but are you Eddie’s mum?”
The woman’s face lit up. “Yes, I am! How on earth did you know?”
“Because he happened to mention recently that he’d brought his mum here for Sunday lunch a long time ago, and that she liked marinas, and I just made the connection.”
“Well, that’s very astute of you. I do hope I’ll be able to cheer him up. I don’t know if you’re aware but he’s had some terrible news and I’ve come down to give him a little support. He’s dreadfully upset…oh, here’s my cappuccino.”
“Yes, I know—it was terrible news.” Charlotte shuddered. “Do wish him well from all of us here, won’t you?”
The woman smiled. “Thank you, that’s kind. What’s your name? I’ll tell him you send your regards.”
“It’s Charlotte.”
The woman held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Charlotte, and I’m Georgina. Georgina Lewis.”
ººººººº
“I met Eddie’s mum today.” Charlotte tied a knot in the bag of tomatoes she’d just weighed and put them in the shopping trolley.
“Did you? Was he with her?” asked Nathan as he examined the label of a bottle of blue wine. “What on earth do they put in wine to make it blue? Sorry, so, was he?”
“No, but she’d come to visit him for the day. He obviously told her what happened to Adam and she’d come to give him some motherly love, by the sound of it. She seemed like a nice lady.”
“Well, perhaps she’ll be able to see him a bit more often now that he won’t be working 24/7 anymore. He’s going to have a lot of free time on his hands until he gets himself another job.”
“Yeah, maybe. Mind you, he’s worked that way for so long now I bet he doesn’t know what to do with himself. It can’t be easy to make the adjustment. Anyway, I hope she’ll be able to comfort him…he was in such a state after you told him. He took it so badly—he must have been fonder of Adam than anyone realised.”
Nathan nodded. “Yes, I was surprised at how badly he took the news. I only wanted him to be there when I told Ruby because I thought he’d be a support to her, but it almost turned out to be the other way round.
“You know, you never know what’s going on under the surface with some people.”
ººººººº
“Pippin, catch!” Charlotte threw a ball across the sand and Pippin raced after it, ears back and tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.
Nathan had left early to call in at the station before he and Fiona set off to visit Adam’s ex-wife and, rather than turn over and have another hour under the covers after he’d left, Charlotte had got out of bed and taken Pippin for an early walk.
Th
e sea was rough and she kept a careful eye on the little dog to make sure he didn’t pick up anything the surf had washed onto the shore. She was so intent on watching him she didn’t see the person running towards her until they were almost at her side.
“I thought it was you!”
She looked up. “Amy! Hi. What brings you down to this end of town at this time of day?”
Amy removed her headphones. “I always run when I want to clear my head—clear it of all the negative stuff that’s going around—and once I started running, I couldn’t stop and ended up here. How are you?”
“Oh, okay. You know, still trying to forget about what happened on Saturday but apart from that everything’s okay. You?”
“Well, we’re all just trying to get on with stuff. Sometimes I’m okay and sometimes I can’t stop crying. I felt really low when I woke up this morning—thinking about Frankie, you know?”
They walked along the beach, a gust of wind blowing sand in their faces every now and then.
“How’s Ruby?”
“Hmmm, not good. Now I know how worried Penny must have been about me right after Frankie died. It’s like she’s turned into a zombie. All she does is sleep, and when she wakes up she takes another sleeping pill, and so it goes on. She doesn’t know it, but we’ve made an appointment for her to see the doctor tomorrow morning. She can’t carry on the way she is. She won’t be fit for Frankie’s memorial if she does, and I know she really wants to be. Will you be coming, do you think?”
They stopped to sit on the wall that ran the length of the seafront.
“I think so but I’ll confirm nearer the time. Nathan won’t be, I know that for sure, but I’ll confirm with you by Thursday. Is that okay?”
“That’ll be fine. Give either me or Penny a call. Right, I’d better head back.” Amy took off her tracksuit jacket. “Phew, that’s better. Funny how you get warmer when you stop running, instead of cooling down, isn’t it?”
Tying the jacket around her waist, she settled the deep-scooped neckline of the support top she was wearing underneath.
Charlotte couldn’t believe what she was seeing.