by Pamela Pope
'Mrs Galmain, I'm so sorry,' said Meredith. 'Won't you come through to his room?'
'Is he there?'
'I'm afraid not, but perhaps I can explain....'
'If he's not there, what is the point?'
She reminded Meredith of the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland and she wondered how she was going to find the patience to deal with her, but she had to be placated somehow. At length she explained that Mr Hamblyn had been unfortunately called out by the police to a very urgent and involved case this morning, though she didn't say how early, and that only something of such importance would account for his absence. As she had made it sound so completely unavoidable, Mrs Galmain stopped drumming her fingers and consented to make another appointment, extracting a solemn promise that it would not happen again.
'Phew!' exclaimed Betty, coming in on the tale end of the harangue. 'You handled that old battle axe beautifully. Congratulations!'
'Thanks,' said Meredith. 'I'm feeling a bit like her myself this morning, which didn't make it any easier.'
'I must say you look a bit devastated. Have the children given you a rough time?' Betty asked, with unflattering candour. So the half hour at home sorting out her most attractive dress and making sure her make-up covered all trace of strain had been a wasted effort. 'Shall I make you some coffee?
Betty followed her into Joss's room and bustled round opening the window and testing if the pot plants wanted water. Her grey hair, newly set and blue-rinsed, was immaculate, and if the grey shoes and shirtwaister dress rendered her somewhat colourless at least she looked every inch a competent secretary.
'Can't stop for coffee,' said Meredith. 'I'm late as it is. It's going to be one of those days.'
She wished Betty would stop fussing and let her get on with her work. There was a letter from the solicitor acting on behalf of Sid Frank's late daughter-in-law. Joss would want to see that first. She put it ready to draw to his attention as soon as he came in and clipped the rest of the mail together. The 'In' tray was piled ominously high. Betty continued to chatter, anxious to find out whether Meredith knew any more details of the murder, but when she could glean nothing she finally left. But even when she had gone it was impossible to concentrate properly.
At ten o'clock Joss phoned in. The Frank affair had blown sky-high and he had to deal with a new development. Would she please cancel the rest of his morning appointments.
'But, Joss, there are two important ones. . ..'
'You'll have to fit them in for tomorrow.'
'You're heavily committed then, too,' she said. 'I've already dealt with an irate Mrs Galmain. What would you like me to say to the others?'
He was impatient to be going. 'Use some of that damned initiative you're so fond of telling me about. I'm late already.'
'That doesn't surprise me. Corinne can be very demanding.'
Now what on earth had made her say that? There was a brief silence at the other end of the line and she knew his temper would be rising. She had noticed how touchy he was where Corinne was concerned.
'There were one or two misunderstandings to clear up,' he said icily.
'Which I hope you did to her satisfaction.' The frost in Meredith's tone matched his.
'Of course,' he said. 'And I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that she has no other engagements at present and is happy to stay on and look after the children until Ellen comes home. So now you can give the work in hand your full attention, and anything else can be discussed later. I shall be at Malvern Cottages for the next hour at least.'
He slammed down the phone before she could utter a rejoinder, but she muttered 'How nice for you' into the deaf receiver before putting it back on the rest.
There was a peculiar sinking feeling in her stomach. She tried to diagnose it and decided that anger at the way Joss had spoken to her had made it worse, so it must be due to temper. She had to calm down because it was obviously going to be one of those mornings. She didn't care twopence about his passion for Corinne Loring, she told herself sternly. If he wanted to court disaster it was his own lookout, and no doubt he was overjoyed that she was staying on, but he needn't have made his relief so plain when he told her, as if another night under the same roof as Meredith Paxton would have been quite intolerable. That was all the thanks you got for trying to help someone. Rude, ungrateful beast! She detested him.
Interruptions followed one on top of the other, but the next one of significance was announced by a' commotion in the outer office which Meredith tried to ignore. She was in no mood to soothe any more disgruntled clients. But a moment later she heard her father's door open and a burst of excited laughter come from across the hall. Her own door was slightly ajar and when she peeped out she saw Corinne with Kirsty and the baby, greeting Howard as if he was a very close friend indeed, and Howard was lapping it up. Her shoulder-length blonde hair hung provocatively over one eye and she flicked it casually aside as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. She wore a safari-type pants suit which accentuated her willowy figure, poor little Oliver having a job to perch on her narrow hip. She lifted him more comfortably into her arms and took his sticky fingers away from her collar with only the merest hint of irritation. The charming maternal picture she made would alone have melted the stoniest heart, but mixed with her particular brand of sex appeal which she could turn on as soon as a presentable male was sighted, its potency was lethal. Meredith had no wish to see her father swallow the bait, and after the first effusive greetings she went out purposely and joined them.
'Isn't this a lovely surprise?' her father smiled. 'We weren't expecting Corinne back for another fortnight.'
'Yes, isn't it?' said Meredith, hoping her tone sounded convincing.
'I've been telling Howard I shall be absolutely in my element looking after this adorable little family,' Corinne cooed. 'And Howard, I think it's divine of you to want to adopt those poor wee mites up at the house. Luckily I brought back enough presents for all of them.'
'I beg your pardon?' said Howard.
'Adopt, darling. Meredith was telling us if it was possible to adopt the two boys you would do so. I think it's positively magnanimous of you.'
'Er—yes.' With diplomacy born of experience Howard decided not to pursue the subject just then, much to Meredith's relief. She felt like strangling the other girl. 'You'll be here to help Julia and Meredith with the barbecue. They'll be pleased about that.'
'Oh, I just love barbecues!' gushed Corinne.
Meredith said: 'It's a fund-raising effort. There'll be plenty of hard work to do.'
'But of course, the holiday centre for deprived children. I think it's a simply heavenly idea to have your stables converted for the purpose. You really are a great asset to the village, Howard. You do so much for everyone.'
Howard gave his daughter a very strange look, something between humour and perplexity, but once more declined to comment.
'The stables need extensive renovations and I haven't decided yet what I shall do with them,' he said. 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I've some rather more important property to see.'
Corinne was smiling sweetly, a picture of innocence. If ever there was a born trouble-maker she was it. The ring in her tone told just how much she had enjoyed stirring things, for she must have known both Meredith's earlier statements had been made on the spur of the moment.
'Was there someone else you wanted to see, Corinne?' asked Meredith, when her father had gone.
'Yes, darling. You!' Corinne turned to Kirsty. 'I'd like you to wait with the girl in the other office while I have a talk with Meredith. We have a few things to put straight.'
Kirsty wailed, but was bundled into reception regardless of whether anyone could spare the time to look after her, and before Meredith could protest she found herself being propelled back into Joss's room. Corinne shut the door firmly and dumped Oliver in the armchair.
'What I have to say to you, Meredith, isn't fit for young ears. In short, keep your hands off Joss. You may have had Piers ea
ting out of them, but Joss is a different matter, and I won't stand by while you blatantly try to seduce him.'
Meredith laughed outright. The description was so funny she almost wished Joss was around to hear it.
'I don't have to explain my actions to you, Corinne,' she said. 'Joss has explained why I was, at Eden Farm this morning.'
'In night clothes, and looking as if you hadn't had much sleep! You expect me to believe you had separate beds!'
'I really don't care what you believe. You're not married to him.'
'Not yet,' said Corinne, 'but I will be. So you can find yourself another weak charmer like Piers to get your hooks into and leave off bothering Joss.'
For a moment Meredith let the reference to marriage pass. She didn't want to give it substance, and she was too incensed by the insulting remark about Piers to worry about anything else. 'You're not fit to discuss Piers!' she flared. 'He had your measure, and he didn't have a good word to say for you.'
'And I sure had his, too. Piers loved Piers, full stop. He was a selfish, greedy little toad, and you must have been blind not to see it.'
'Stop it, Corinne! He's dead.'
'And you soon got over it, judging by the speed you've been working. I warn you, keep away from Joss. He's mine.'
The baby was crying, objecting to the raised voices, and Meredith scooped him out of the chair, rocking him gently against her shoulder. Her hand encountered a very wet patch at the seat of his baby-grow suit.
'As you've suddenly become so maternal, has it occurred to you to change this adorable baby's nappy since first thing this morning?' she asked, inevitably remembering how Joss had demanded the same thing of her not long ago. She was learning fast. 'Now if you don't mind, I'd like to catch up on my work. One thing Joss doesn't like is inefficiency.'
Corinne snatched the baby from her. 'Did you hear what I said, Meredith?'
'Oh, yes, I heard. But it's not worth entering into an argument with you. As far as I'm concerned you're more than welcome to Joss Hamblyn. He and I have a precarious relationship based on mutual dislike.'
'Well, it didn't look much like it this morning.' said Corinne, giving her hair another flick. 'Just remember I intend to marry Joss as soon as his sister gets back, so stay away from Eden Farm.'
'Oh, I will.' Meredith needed no persuading. 'I should hate to break up the love-nest. Perhaps you'd like me to take the children home with me so that you can have the house to yourselves. It might help my father to get used to the new ideas you've been putting into his head.'
It was a catty, sarcastic remark, quite unworthy of her, but she felt the need to show her claws. It did little to ease the anger boiling up in her, or the peculiar pain in her throat that made it seem as if she had to swallow over a brick.
'I don't need any help from you,' said Corinne, equally seething.
She marched from the room, chin raised aggressively as she went to fetch Kirsty. The little girl was waiting for her rebelliously and Meredith managed a wry smile.
So Corinne was going to look after the children until Ellen got back! She would give her two days at the outside before she threw in the towel; that was providing the children could stand her that long.
The confrontation with Corinne left Meredith more angry than she would have thought possible. So her father had been right, and marriage was definitely on the cards. She pressed her palms against her temples where anger was making them throb. She almost wished she had slept with Joss last night, though it would have been against her moral code. It would have served that supercilious Corinne Loring damn well right!
How Piers would have laughed to see Corinne behaving as if she was cut out for motherhood. Mac, too. It was quite incredible the show she could put on when she wanted to impress. Meredith couldn't bear to think of her married to Joss and living in that lovely house, ruining the warm, peaceful atmosphere just with her presence. She couldn't bear to think of her married to Joss at all, though if she didn't want him herself she had no right to be upset by his choice for a wife. It was none of her business, and she wished the wretched man luck. He'd need it!
For a few minutes she tried to concentrate on Piers, seeking to blame her unhappiness on to the cruelty of Corinne's spiteful words, but for the first time Piers seemed to have drifted beyond recall.
The phone rang while she was still trying to reassemble her thoughts, and she reached out for it automatically, not giving immediate attention to the voice at the other end. It was the police, and they wanted Joss very urgently. She told them he was out and asked if he could phone back, but that wouldn't do.
'Can you give me a number where we can contact him?' the policeman asked. 'He's needed at the New Inn straight away.'
The New Inn. Colin Frank. With customary discretion no other information was given, but it was enough for Meredith to know just how urgent the summons was, and her own problems were forgotten.
'He's at a house where there's no phone,' she said. 'But I'll drive round there now.'
'That's good of you, miss.' The policeman hesitated, then volunteered a little more. 'Tell him our elusive friend has turned up here, and he's armed. He'll know what that means.'
Meredith lost no time. Malvern Cottages, where Joss had said he would be, were down a stony track by the river, and she bumped down it in her car, her heartbeats becoming more irregular with every jolt. There had never been such a dramatic case in Edencombe before, and for the sake of the family she hoped it could be cleared up before it reached the ears of the press.
Joss was just leaving the cottage, and when he saw her his eyebrows shot up in surprise.
'I'm sorry, Joss,' she said. 'You're needed immediately at the New Inn.' She told him about the phone call from the police. 'It sounded a matter of life and death.'
'You could be more right than you realise,' said Joss. 'Thanks.'
He was in his car instantly, not stopping to explain, but he couldn't get it to start and he swore colourfully.
'You'd better let me drive you,' said Meredith, opening the door for him. 'The state this road's in anything could be wrong.'
Joss folded himself impatiently into the low seat beside her, still cursing. She drove back over the potholes, hoping nothing would approach from the opposite direction because he wouldn't take kindly to the manoeuvring that would be necessary in order to pass, and drew a sigh of relief when they reached the main road.
'I'd better put you in the picture,' he said, with some reluctance. The vital need for haste had communicated itself to her without explanation, but as his secretary she was entitled to know what had happened. 'Last night,' he went on, 'Colin Frank was taken into custody, as you know, and he made a statement denying that he was guilty of murder. He claimed extreme provocation and insisted the blame should be put entirely on his wife's lover. He was quite irrational and threatened to take his own life at the first opportunity because he said he couldn't live without her. This morning he had managed somehow to give them the slip, which was why I was not in the best of tempers when I phoned earlier. The old chap in that cottage seems to have been the only person Colin ever confided in, for some reason, and I needed to speak to him to see what light he could shed on Colin's character. It sounds like he's pretty mixed up, and if he's armed I'd say he's certainly a danger to himself if not to anyone else.'
Meredith drove through the village, impatient at the amount of traffic that caused delay. She felt like someone in a film, a sense of unreality lending extra confidence to her driving, but there was a strange knot of fear in her stomach that she couldn't account for. The Frank family were nothing to do with her, yet she had a premonition that she was about to become involved in this affair more deeply than she could have anticipated.
'What do you think he'll do?' she asked.
'I don't know,' said Joss. 'But if they're asking for me to go up there it sounds as if he's trying to make some sort of bargain. I don't like the sound of it.'
As they approached the New Inn it was plain
to see that his fears were well founded. There were two police cars parked at the side of the road and a police van stationed among the trees, from which a handful of uniformed men emerged carrying radio equipment. One signalled to Meredith to pass, his official manner bristling when she pulled into the car park.
'I'm afraid I shall have to ask you to move on,' he began.
Joss got out of the car. 'It's ail right, officer. I'm Joss Hamblyn, and this is my secretary. You wanted me up here straight away. What can I do for you?'
'Ah, you're the Frank's solicitor.' He drew Joss to one side and Meredith watched them talking, judging the seriousness of the situation by their expressions. Presently Joss came back.
'Colin Frank has barricaded himself in a bedroom at the back with a shotgun and he's threatening to use it if anyone goes near. The only person he says he'll speak to is me, so I've got to see if I can talk some sense into him. I think you'd better get back to the office.'
'No, Joss.' Meredith's reply was emphatic. Suddenly there was a tearing pain through her chest and her lips tightened with fear that bit too deep for mere concern. He was prepared to face an armed man, with no thought for his own safety, and she was terrified. 'You can't go in there! Please, don't go!'
He raised an eloquent eyebrow, resenting her timidity. He had a job to do, and no time to argue with an anxious female.
'I'm following instructions,' he said, 'and if you're waiting for me that's what you'll do, too. Obey the police implicitly, you understand, and stay well clear.'
He went off in the direction of the back entrance to the inn, and Meredith got out of the car, poised as if she would follow him. A police sergeant came over immediately, and she became aware that the area was ringed with them, unobtrusively watching every move.
'You'd better come over to the van, miss,' the man said, leading her firmly by the arm so that she was aware she had no choice.
The van had become a temporary communications centre and she could hear indistinct voices relaying messages and instructions from headquarters, current progress being related back with decisive brevity. To them it was part of a routine. To Meredith it was rapidly becoming a nightmare that made her encounter with the bat pale almost to insignificance.