Detectives Merry & Neal Books 1-3

by JANICE FROST

  “I’ll ask him but I’m not sure I like the idea of it. He’s already a bit off at the moment.”

  “Off?” Neal asked.

  “I think this whole murder thing’s got him spooked. And he’s not the only one. His friend, Rowan, Rhona and David Pine’s eldest daughter, has been having nightmares ever since it happened.”

  Neal glanced at Ava, wondering if she was thinking the same thing.

  “Jean Bryce is always complaining about something, Inspector, and she probably sleeps a lot more soundly than she claims to. I think you’re wasting your time with this line of enquiry.”

  Neal decided to wrap things up. “Thanks for your time, Mrs Darby.”

  Olivia saw them to the door. “That’s a good lock you’ve got on there,” Neal observed. “Have you had it fitted recently?”

  “Yes. Bran Gallagher did it for me. He was concerned about me being here by myself with Zak.”

  “I’ve met Mr Gallagher. He’s one of the rangers, isn’t he?” Ava remarked.

  Olivia Darby’s face lit up. “He’s a good man, Bran. It’s a shame that Zak’s taken a sudden dislike to him, he used to like him well enough. I think he might be jealous. He’s had me all to himself since his dad left. Zak walked in when Bran was here fitting the lock and I think he read a bit too much into the situation.”

  On the way back to the car, Neal said to Ava, “I take it we were of the same mind back there when Mrs Darby mentioned that Zak was friends with the Pines’ daughter?”

  Ava nodded. “All roads lead back to the Pines. Rowan Pine could be the girl Mrs Bryce heard in the lane that night.”

  “Yes, assuming Mrs Bryce really did hear something. Next stop, the Pines — and Laura Cameron.”

  “Yeah. Is it just me or is it kind of strange that she’s staying with two people who are potential suspects in her husband’s murder?” Ava said. She shrugged. “I suppose she probably doesn’t look on them the same way we do. What I do find extremely odd is that she was obviously really close to Rhona once, and gave up that friendship so readily. It was their husbands who fell out, as far as I can gather, not them. It’s a bit pathetic that the women let that ruin their friendship. I know what I’d say if my partner tried to stop me seeing my best mate.”

  Neal could well imagine. “Well, there was also geography,” he pointed out.

  “Huh? Oh, you mean they were separated by distance, the Pines down here, the Camerons in Scotland? Yeah, but even so . . .”

  Ava was a confident, assertive person. It wasn’t easy for her to accept weakness in others. It wasn’t that she lacked empathy, Neal knew, just that it made her angry to think that there were people who exploited vulnerable individuals. Her brother Ollie had been bullied at his last school and Ava was encouraging him to take up martial arts training. Ava was a strong-minded woman who would accept nothing less than complete equality in a relationship. It was a trait he admired in her. Myrna had been strong-minded too. He’d never blamed or judged her for walking away from a life she didn’t want.

  “She struck me as being a person who doesn’t seem very sure of herself,” Ava continued. “She told you Ewan Cameron begged her to marry him, which suggests to me that he preyed on her passive nature. Maybe she would be a different person today if she’d never agreed to marry him. Anyway, she did want to be in the area until we release her husband’s body. I warned her that’s not likely to be any time soon.”

  As they belted themselves in, Neal wondered if Ava was still dating Dr Agard. He didn’t have the courage to ask, so he kept pondering it all the way to the Pines’ converted barn. She hadn’t mentioned him, but Neal had hardly been back a day. He’d have to find some casual way of finding out without asking her directly. Not that it was any concern of his. Yet . . .

  “You’ve just passed the turn-off, sir.”

  “Shit!” Neal took a left into the village hall car park. He drove out the other side and took the turning Ava pointed to. Another bloody dirt track. Didn’t people believe in proper roads in these parts? It was like stepping back in time.

  Finally the Pines’ property came into view. “Nice place,” he said. “He’s some kind of consultant. Must pay well. She doesn’t work, does she?”

  “Stay-at-home mum,” Ava replied non-judgementally. “They’ve got three kids. Youngest’s only three or four months old, I think. Rather her than me.”

  Ava was in her mid-twenties and clearly not feeling broody. Sometimes Neal felt that the half dozen or so years between them was a real chasm. He couldn’t imagine his life without his son, but sometimes he wondered what he would be doing now if he hadn’t become a father when he was barely out of his teens. His friend Jock Dodds was the same age as him and had had a fair few relationships. He was fond of Maggie, Neal knew, and nothing would make Neal happier than for the two of them to get together. Maggie was eight years younger than Jock and she was a bit flighty. God knows, he’d dropped enough hints on Jock’s behalf, but Maggie never revealed what she felt about Jock. He couldn’t be expected to wait forever. The trouble was, Neal thought, they were perfect for each other.

  “You coming, sir?”

  Neal realised that Ava was already out of the car and he was still strapped in. He made a bit of a show of looking for something in his jacket pocket, then got out of the car. A shiny MPV was parked outside a double garage which looked as though it was a converted stables. A beige Porsche was parked alongside it. “Nice,” Ava commented as she passed it. Her remark suggested no hint of envy. Ava wasn’t a flash car kind of person, Neal knew. She owned a modest Ford Fiesta and he’d overheard her telling PJ once that she wasn’t interested in cars. What was Ava interested in? Should he know more about her? Did he want to? Jock had teased him about working with a looker like Ava — Archie had shown him a picture on his phone — and seeming to know so little about her. “We’re colleagues, that’s all,” Neal had assured his friend. So what? Jock’s shrug had seemed to say.

  Ava rang the Pines’ doorbell. Neal cleared his throat. He was finding it difficult to concentrate today, but that was a positive sign. Before his week in Scotland, his thoughts had run on a loop between Maggie’s injury and their blues and twos dash to Stromford central. It was refreshing to find that he could be distracted by random thoughts again.

  To Neal’s surprise it was Laura Cameron who answered the door. “Rhona’s just putting the baby down for a nap and David’s working in his study. I’ll give him a shout.”

  But there was no need, for David appeared in the hall at that moment and led them into an open-plan kitchen that contrasted sharply with Olivia Darby’s. It was all clean lines and high-tech gadgets and one wall was made entirely of glass, giving the illusion that the kitchen was part of the countryside outside.

  “We designed the whole place ourselves — with the help of an architect, of course.”

  “It’s awesome,” Ava said. She had made a similar comment on her previous visit with Saunders.

  David smiled, obviously pleased. “I thought it would be easier if we all sat around the table,” he said. When Rhona arrived, she offered them drinks and when everyone declined, she sat down next to Laura. To Neal it felt as though they had come for a dinner party. David placed his hands on the table, palms up, and said, “Let the interrogation begin.” He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest.

  His slightly sardonic tone irritated Neal. “Hardly an interrogation, Mr Pine. My sergeant and I would just like to run some questions by you.”

  Next to him, Ava turned over a page in her notebook and crossed her legs, wriggling in her seat as she did so. “Don’t mind me,” she said. “I’ll just jot down a few notes as we go along.” She smiled at the assembled group.

  Neal admired how she had neatly asserted their authority over David without seeming to. “Excuse me if my next question causes you distress, Mrs Cameron,” he began. “We are aware that your husband and Mr Pine fell out ten years ago. When questioned about this by Sergeant Merry, Mr Pine
alleged that it had been because he’d discovered that Mr Cameron had slept with his fiancée, now Mrs Pine. Were you aware of this?”

  “Inspector! I hardly think you should be asking Laura such a question at a time like this,” David said.

  “For god’s sake, David. I knew all about that at the time,” Laura said calmly.

  Rhona stared at her open-mouthed. “How?”

  “Oh come on, Rhona. It was bloody obvious. You flirted with him relentlessly. He probably did it to get you off his back.”

  “You aren’t angry?” Rhona said, glancing nervously at David. He had uncrossed his arms and was leaning forward, arms outstretched in front of him.

  “It was during the time of our arrangement, remember? You must do. We told each other about our affairs. The minute Ewan asked me to marry him we both turned a page on all that sleeping around. And out of us all, David was the one with the biggest grievance. He and Rhona didn’t have the kind of arrangement Ewan and I had.” Then Laura gasped. I’m sorry, David. I didn’t mean for that to sound like you had a reason to murder Ewan.” David gave a tight-lipped smile.

  “You never forgave Ewan Cameron his affair with your wife?” Neal asked David Pine.

  “No. He betrayed our friendship,” David mumbled.

  Neal noticed Laura give David a sardonic look and wondered what it meant. David went on. “Doesn’t mean I wanted to kill him, for heavens’ sake. Surely I’d have bumped him off years ago if that had been my inclination.”

  Neal nodded. “But you forgave Rhona?”

  “I loved Rhona. She was expecting our child.”

  Throughout this exchange, Rhona had been gazing down at the polished surface of the kitchen table. She seemed absent, as though her mind were elsewhere. Only at the mention of their child, did her face show a flicker of interest.

  “Mrs Pine? Are you alright?” Ava asked.

  “I just don’t see why we’re bringing all this up now. It has no relevance to Ewan’s death. I don’t understand the need for all these questions about the past. Surely whatever happened in the past has been—”

  David interrupted. “They’re just doing their job, Rhona. Don’t upset yourself.”

  Neal wanted to ask Rhona what she had been about to say. She appeared to be unravelling in front of them, and by the looks of him, David was working himself into a temper. Only Laura Cameron seemed unaffected. Her expression was inscrutable.

  David said, “Seems to me that you’d be far better off out in the field — literally — than sitting around a table hinting to innocent people that they’ve done something evil.”

  Then Ava pitched in. “Mr and Mrs Pine. We’ve just been speaking with Olivia Darby. She’s a friend of yours, isn’t she?” Rhona nodded. “Mrs Darby’s neighbour thinks she heard children’s voices in the lane beside her cottage sometime after midnight on Monday. She thinks one of the voices belonged to Zak and that the other voice sounded like a girl’s. Olivia Darby’s just been telling us that Rowan is friends with Zak. Has she mentioned any late night adventures to you?”

  The Pines exchanged puzzled glances. Neal wondered if they were genuine.

  “Both our girls were fast asleep at that time of night,” David said. He gave a mocking laugh. “Are our children suspects now, Sergeant?”

  Ava smiled, humouring him. “No, it’s just that if they were out at that time, they might have seen or heard something.”

  David was irate again. “Look, do you have to keep worrying my wife like this? She’s been suffering from post-natal depression and this kind of thing isn’t helpful.”

  It was Laura Cameron’s turn to express surprise. “You didn’t mention anything, Rhone. How bad is it?” She leaned over and touched her friend’s hand.

  So she could, after all, express emotion, thought Neal.

  “I’m all right. It’s not that bad. The medication’s working.”

  Ava apologised. “I’m sorry for any upset. It’s just that in a murder investigation we can’t afford to be too considerate of people’s feelings. Our priority has to be finding out who took another person’s life.”

  Neal was pleased with Ava’s response. He added, “I expect that finding out who killed Mr Cameron is important to everyone in this room.”

  Neal saw Laura nudge Rhona. “Did you want to say something, Mrs Cameron?”

  Laura hesitated. “I . . . I just wondered if there was any point in mentioning Rowan’s nightmares.” She looked at Rhona.

  “Ah, yes. Mrs Darby mentioned those. The first one occurred the night after Mr Cameron’s death, didn’t it?”

  “So what?” David Pine said scornfully. “Ewan’s murder has been the talk of the village. The kids have probably been scaring one another silly over it at school. It’s no wonder if she’s having nightmares about it.”

  Neal studied the Pines through narrowed eyes. “I’d be grateful if you’d ask Rowan about it anyway. Probably better coming from you than us.”

  David Pine’s face was puce and Rhona looked worried. Laura Cameron stared down at the table.

  Finally David said, “We’ll speak with our daughter — for all the good it will do.” He looked at his watch. “If there’s nothing else, I have work to do.”

  Neal nodded. “That’s all for now.”

  David stood up immediately and made for the door. Rhona muttered something about the baby crying and went upstairs. It was left to Laura to see Neal and Ava to the door.

  “Are you alright staying here with Mr and Mrs Pine?” Ava asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I be? Unlike you, I’m certain that David and Rhona had nothing to do with Ewan’s death. I know they might be suspects, given David and Ewan’s past history, but I know them and I know they aren’t capable of harming anyone.”

  Neal said nothing.

  * * *

  It was late morning now and once Neal and Ava turned back onto the main road to Stromford, the countryside around them unfolded for miles in all directions. Acres of farmland, sporadic woodland, gentle hills, all resting under a troubled sky.

  “Looks like rain,” Ava commented.

  Neal glanced in the rear-view mirror and glimpsed the pewter clouds massing over the retreating Wolds. “Should outrun it,” he replied.

  “Did you get the impression that they’re all hiding something?” Ava asked.

  “I got the impression that the Pines were wary. And did you see the look Laura gave David when he mentioned that Ewan had betrayed their friendship? It all but screamed ‘hypocrite.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if those two have a history as well. I suspect there was more behind the rift between Ewan and David than simple sexual jealousy. And I think we’re going to have the devil of a time finding out what, unless we stumble upon something.”

  Unfortunately, stumbling upon something was not a valid strategy in investigative police work.

  Chapter 10

  Laura was wondering whether to go into Stromford for a couple of hours. She might bump into Gabe North. She could take the bus to town and arrive around lunchtime when he would be more likely to be out of the office. Except she didn’t really want to leave things to chance. She picked up her phone.

  Laura had fingered the folded note with North’s contact details until it was creased and almost illegible. Not that it would matter. She had already memorised them.

  After the two detectives departed, she had sat alone in the kitchen for a while. David’s study door had slammed shut. Rhona was still upstairs seeing to Shaun. Laura had the feeling that she would be left to her own devices for a while.

  “I was hoping you’d call,” Gabe said. His voice sounded strained, raised against the din of some background noise, traffic perhaps. “Can you meet me?”

  “I don’t know if I should.”

  “Then why are you calling?” A pause. “In an hour then? Can you manage that? There’s a Café Nero on the top end of the High Street.”

  A longer pause. “Alright.”

  “Good. See you then.”
<
br />   Laura’s anxiety felt like it was constricting her throat. Should she call back? Say that she’d never meant to agree to the meeting, that she’d felt pressured into it? But Gabe had not pressed. As usual, she had been passive, too eager to do what somebody else wanted, too happy to drift. Laura gave a sigh. She would meet him. Rhona and David would probably be relieved if she went out for a bit.

  She knocked on Rhona’s bedroom door and found her lying on her bed, Shaun asleep by her side. “I have a headache,” Rhona said. It was a poor excuse. When Laura explained that she wanted to go to Stromford, Rhona immediately offered her car.

  Driving into town, Laura questioned her feelings about Ewan’s death. She didn’t understand them. Why was she feeling so little emotion? Surely she should be overwhelmed with sorrow. Then again, people did speak of being numb with grief. Perhaps that was it. She wondered what others thought of her when they were confronted by her apparent sang froid. Obviously they would think that she had not loved her husband — but she had. Once. Things change.

  Laura also wondered about David’s revelation that Rhona suffered from post-natal depression. It surprised her that Rhona hadn’t told her. Laura hoped that all the upset had not made her friend’s condition worse.

  She reached the outskirts of Stromford too early for her rendezvous with Gabe North. After parking the car in a multi-storey in the centre of town, Laura drifted around town, killing time. The city’s mood seemed as sombre as her own. When she was tired of window-shopping, she sat in a tearoom on the Long Hill drinking hot chocolate and eavesdropping on a conversation between two elderly women at a nearby table. One of them was saying that she was disappointed with what the city had become. “Isn’t it annoying when you want to take a trip down memory lane and nothing’s the same anymore?”

  Her words echoed in Laura’s mind. For her, nothing would ever be the same again. With a jolt, she realised that Ewan was not just off on one of his benders. This time he was gone for good. She wondered if her lack of emotion arose from the frequency of his absences — both physical and emotional. The truth was he had turned increasingly inwards after their hasty wedding. The drinking had started almost immediately and alcohol made Ewan morose. Once, when she dared to ask him why he drank, he had stared at her as if he expected her to know the answer. For a while, she had worried that it was something to do with her, and that he regretted the marriage. Later, she became convinced that this was only partly the truth. Ewan was consumed with self-loathing. He spent hours hidden away in the spare room, supposedly drawing or painting but never seeming to produce anything. He had had so much talent, so much promise, it was as though he was deliberately squandering his gift. Punishing himself. Laura sat bolt upright. She was reminded of Rhona saying the word ‘atonement.’ It struck her that both her husband and her friend had given up on the lives they were meant to lead. She thought of Ewan, pleading with her to marry him and wondered for the first time if he had been begging, not for her love, but for the punishment he felt he deserved.