by Anita Waller
The lights were flashing on her answerphone, and she walked across the room to press the button. The first one made her heart flutter a little. It was from Rosie, one of the village residents, who went on to explain that the vet had three kittens in his care, kittens that had been found dumped in the village. She knew Doris wanted one, and the vet was waiting for her call.
Doris dialled it immediately, already trying to work out in her head how she could handle having a kitten when she was going away overnight on Sunday. It was irrelevant. The vet explained they were three grey calicos, virtually identical, and available from the following Wednesday. Two boys and a girl were the choices, and Doris said she would love the little girl. He said he needed to check they were all fine, give them their injections and flea treatment, so if she could call around on Wednesday, the little girl was hers, subject to payment of their expenses.
‘Put my name against her, please,’ she said, smiling broadly, and put down the receiver. She then pressed the button to listen to other messages. There was only one.
Hi, Mrs Lester. It’s Keeley, Keeley Roy, in Hope. I wanted to speak with you away from Connection, but… erm… I guess you’re there. I’ll maybe ring later – no, I’ll write something down and pop it through your letterbox when I do the school run. I’m taking Henry straight up to Pam’s for the weekend. Sorry for waffling, my mind’s a bit… Thank you, Mrs Lester.
Immediately Doris’s mind went back eighteen months or so to her first meeting with Keeley, and the subsequent case they had been involved with. So much good had come out of that time for Keeley, and they had all enjoyed her company. Now it seemed she needed help.
Letter. Doris touched the envelope in her pocket, and took it out. It simply said Mrs Lester on the front, so she decided to read it before contacting Keeley.
She slid out the piece of paper, a lined sheet that had clearly come from a reporter’s notebook, and smoothed it on her knee.
Dear Mrs Lester
A few weeks ago I met somebody. We have had a few dates, and now I have let him meet Henry. I’ve also told Pam about him; I don’t want anybody to think I am hiding anything. Pam and Henry, by the way, get on wonderfully well, it is lovely to see the relationship between them, a true nanny for him and he loves her.
I saw my new friend a couple of days ago, and we went for a walk with Henry, just around the village, and called at the pub to have our evening meal. He insisted on paying, as he has done every time (this was our third time), but when he came back from the bar after placing our order, he jokingly said something about me paying, considering everything that I have.
I have never said anything about my wealth. I don’t flaunt it in any way, although I did have to get a new car when mine fell to bits. Other than that we moved next door (as you expected). He doesn’t know we once lived in the smaller house attached to this one. He certainly doesn’t know I own this one.
It has unsettled me. I thought of you, Kat and Mouse and your kindness towards me, but I don’t want to make this into a big thing. I need to know who he is, and was it just a throwaway remark, or does he actually know what I’m worth, and he’d like some of it.
Can you help me, Mrs Lester, please? I’m worried.
24
Doris put the letter to one side, and closed her eyes for a moment. She knew this would be very easy to check, once she had the details of the man from Keeley, but she also realised that Keeley was being very naïve if she thought that her newfound wealth was a secret.
A definite source of that knowledge would be her neighbours on the tiny street where she had lived for a few years. Possibly another source would be speculative – the other mums at school, who would see the change in her, a young mum who no longer needed to work, who had acquired an extremely wealthy nan for Henry in Pam Bird. And after all that was taken into account, the man might be totally genuine, and it had been a throwaway remark based on little bits of her life he had gleaned from seeing her for a few weeks.
But Doris wanted to make it an official investigation. Working off the books wasn’t the Connection way. She would have to make that very clear to Keeley – a contract, or you’re on your own.
The stew was delicious, made all the more so by splashes of Henderson’s Relish added to it. A Sheffield lass might leave Henderson’s land, but the relish went with her, Doris mused, as she cleared her plate. She loaded everything into the dishwasher, switched it on and headed back to the snug. This was going to be a different evening to the one she had planned, but an idea was forming in her head, and it was time to put it into action.
‘Luke. You busy?’
‘I’m knocking Man U out of the FA cup.’
‘Who are they playing?’
‘Accrington Stanley.’
‘Can they be taken off the pitch because of a sudden snowfall?’
‘They can. You need me?’
‘How would you feel about taking on a small case of your own? I’ll supervise, obviously, and any searches you make will be surface ones.’
‘I’ll pop over now.’
Doris laughed. ‘No, you’re fine. I’m about to ring our client for any further details, but we can deal with it Tuesday. I can fill you in while we’re sat in the car Monday.’
‘But if you’re ringing the client, shouldn’t I be there right from the start, see how you handle it from the get-go?’
‘Luke, it’s Friday night. You’re eighteen. Haven’t you got anything better to do than go visit a doddering seventy-year-old?’
‘Yes, but it’s still snowing on Man U and Accrington Stanley. And I’m going out tomorrow night, don’t forget, on a date with two beautiful young women. I live life to the full. And you’re not doddering, I’ve seen the video.’
‘They’re your young sisters. That’s not normally classed as a date. Okay, you’re on, if you’re sure you’ve nothing better to do.’
‘I haven’t. See you in fifteen.’
She shook her head as they disconnected. Luke had been an inspired choice.
He found the cottage easily, and smiled as he saw the plaque outside telling everyone and the postman that it was Little Mouse Cottage.
The warmth enveloped him as he walked through the door, and he sniffed as he caught the aroma of the stew.
‘You’ve had something delicious.’
‘Too right I have. Want some?’
He laughed. ‘No thanks, I won’t take the food out of a doddering old lady’s mouth just because it smells so wonderful. I’m good.’
‘I didn’t ask if you were good, I said do you want some?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘I’ll bring you a tray. Go in here.’
He sank into an armchair, and looked around him. He knew that if ever he reached the stage of wanting a home of his own, this would be the home he would want. From little things he had picked up around the office, he gathered that she hadn’t lived here long, but it certainly looked as though she had.
The radio was playing softly in the background, the fire crackling, and the book she had been reading at the office was lying on the sofa, waiting for her to return to it.
Doris pushed the door open with her bum, and carried in the tray. He half rose to help her, but she said, ‘Sit. And don’t knock my Hendo’s off.’
He did as commanded, then picked up the bottle. ‘My mate uses gallons of this stuff.’
‘He from Sheffield?’
‘He is originally. I’ve had it at his house lots of times.’ Luke shook the relish onto his stew, and began to eat. Pausing for breath he looked at a smiling Doris. ‘This is superb.’
‘You’ve not eaten at home, then?’
‘No, Mum doesn’t finish till eight on a Friday, so it’s takeaway night. I’ve told the girls not to worry about me, I’ll get something when I get in. Now I don’t need to! This is an ace job I’ve got.’
Doris stood. ‘I’m going to get a glass of wine. Can I get you anything?’
‘Just a water, please, Mrs Lester.’
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br /> ‘Okay. And when you’ve finished I’ll read you a letter that was hand-delivered here earlier. Once I’ve filled you in on the background, we’ll ring the client.’
Doris read out the letter, and told Luke to listen. Then she handed it to him to read for himself.
‘Okay, I read it out to you because sometimes you can read something, but when it’s verbalised, it takes on a slightly different… nuance. I’m not sure if this one will, because Keeley’s quite an open young woman, but this case should be straightforward and we’ll use it as training. Kat will get involved if any kind of distress comes from it, but I’m not expecting that. I’m hoping we can say he’s fine, and get on with your life. She deserves some happiness. Mouse won’t be involved at all; her remit is to focus on recruitment issues. So, before I ring Keeley, let me fill you in on everything.’
It took half an hour. It transpired that the case had resulted in Doris buying the cottage from a lady who had committed suicide, after she had murdered the wife of the man Keeley Roy had been in love with.
Luke listened to the whole story, trying desperately to remember everything. It also seemed it was how Kat had met Carl; Carl had been the forensic accountant from the Fraud Squad who had managed to retrieve lots of money that had been embezzled along the way.
When Doris finished, Luke sank back into the armchair digesting everything.
‘Thoughts?’
‘Plenty,’ he said. ‘I know it’s all irrelevant really, when it’s linked to this letter, but how bloody convenient that Alice committed suicide. And how could someone that frail – you said she had advanced cancer – manage to overpower and stab a fit youngish woman? I don’t buy it.’
‘Tessa did. But Alice died on Tessa’s watch. It affected her a lot, and of course Alice had left a confession. Everything worked out for the best, and Keeley inherited almost everything. I felt like you, that things didn’t add up. But I had two traumatised girls to deal with – there was a lot of blood when they found the body – and I know it stayed in Kat’s mind for a long time. I’m not convinced Tessa believed everything, it was all pretty much handed on a plate to her, but she had a confession, and it was allowed to be recorded as such. No trial, nothing. But that’s all in the past.’
‘So you’re going to ring Keeley… then what?’
‘We’ll go and see her. Get the details, get her signature on a contract. I’ll explain to her that we only do pro-bono jobs for people who don’t have money, as we did the first time we met her. I’m unclear why she doesn’t want it on our books. Maybe she thinks we would pass the information on, or something. She couldn’t be more wrong about that. Anyway, let’s ring her, see what transpires. I’ll put it on loudspeaker.’
She dialled the number, and they waited for the connection. ‘Hello,’ came through very quietly.
‘Keeley, it’s Doris Lester. Are you okay to talk? I left it until I guessed Henry would be in bed.’
‘Oh, hello, Pam,’ came a much brighter, falser voice. ‘I’m sorry but Henry’s already asleep. I’ll let him ring you tomorrow morning. Is about ten okay?’
‘Okay, Keeley, I’m assuming your friend is with you. I’ll ring tomorrow at ten. Night.’ Doris disconnected.
‘He’s obviously with her, so shall we nip down to Hope and see if we can see anything? Or do you have to get home?’
Luke laughed. ‘Are you kidding? This is my first surveillance opportunity, and you ask if I want to go home? Shall we go in my car, in case anyone recognises yours?’
‘Thinking like a professional, Luke.’ She checked her watch. ‘Okay, it’s twenty past eight. Let’s say we sit there until ten, then call it a day. I don’t really expect to see anything, but I need to let you experience how boring surveillance is. You’ll understand the back story better, if you grasp the location. It’s literally two minutes away.’
He stood. ‘Come on, Superwoman. Teach me how to people watch.’
‘I’ll get the camera. Try not to get overenthusiastic and break it. We spent a lot of money getting one that can take night-time shots without bringing the flash into play.’
‘Wow! The night gets better and better.’
‘If he’s there, I’m guessing he will have arrived in a car, so you’ll get the chance to use the camera. With the car registration, we can find out who he is. I’ll make us a flask of coffee, it’s a cold night, and we can’t really sit with the car heater on.’
Luke laughed. ‘We’re going in my car. It has got a heater, but it’s tepid at best. At worst it’s simply not there. Take that fleecy thing, we can wrap it around our legs.’
She made the coffee, changed back into her outdoor clothes from the comfortable pyjamas and dressing gown, and five minutes later they turned off the main road and on to the tiny cul-de-sac that harboured six houses, all down one side of the road. The other side, bereft of any street lighting, led onto an uneven stretch of grassland, that, had there been children living on the road other than Henry, would have probably constituted their football pitch. Luke pulled as far on to the grass verge as he could, then switched off his engine.
‘There’s no heat at all coming from that heater vent,’ Doris grumbled. She opened up the fleece blanket and they wrapped it around their legs.
‘Let’s hope we don’t have to jump out and chase this feller anywhere.’
‘What?’ Doris looked across at her young assistant.
‘We’ve no chance of getting untangled from this blanket, have we. And we’ll probably have a cup of coffee each.’
‘We’re here purely to watch,’ Doris stressed. ‘I don’t do chases on Friday nights.’
‘Why not?’
‘It’s bad for your health. At least, it’s bad for my health. I’ve had two glasses of wine.’
They settled down and looked around them. Cars were parked on driveways, but on Keeley’s driveway there was an Audi with a Child on Board sign in the back window, and a smart-looking Saab parked by the side of it.
‘The Saab’s his,’ Doris said. ‘It’s a man thing.’
‘Certainly is,’ Luke agreed, staring at the car with awe. ‘Bet his heater works.’
‘Now might be a good time to try out that camera. Point it and shoot, and we’ll see what happens.’
25
The camera performed admirably. They had a clear picture of the number plate, there was no flash to warn anyone else that they were taking pictures, and just before ten, the door opened and a couple came out. Keeley didn’t stay long; it was clear she was cold from the way she stood with her arms wrapped around her midriff. The man kissed her, then got in his car and drove away. Keeley walked back inside the house, and the light in the downstairs room went off.
Luke packed away the camera, removed the cover from his knees, passed his half to Doris who enjoyed the benefits of double insulation, and Luke drove them back to Little Mouse Cottage.
Doris went through to the kitchen and put some milk on to boil. They had decided on cocoa to warm them up, and while she made that, Luke downloaded the pictures to Doris’s laptop.
He had taken six of the man, and hoped Doris would know him, but when she returned with the drinks, she glanced at the screen and shook her head.
‘Nobody I know. Let’s see what his car registration can tell us. You want to ring your mum?’
‘I’ve texted her. Told her I have a date with you. She sent a smiley face back, so I think she approves.’
Doris pulled the laptop towards her, then worked some magic that she hid from Luke. He gave up trying to follow what she was doing, choosing to wait for the results instead. His cocoa was delicious, the room was warm, his eyes…
‘Bingo,’ Doris said, and Luke’s eyes shot open. He hoped she hadn’t noticed he was falling asleep.
‘You’ve found him?’
‘I have if it’s his car. His name is Vincent Sanders, has an address in Hathersage. We can’t do anything further tonight, but I’ll speak to Keeley in the morning then pop down to have
a chat with her.’
‘You’re taking me?’
‘It’s Saturday. Do you want to come?’
‘Of course. As long as I’m home for four, so I can get ready for my cinema date with my two beautiful sisters, I’m free. Shall I pick you up?’
‘That would make more sense than me picking you up. Be here for about nine, and we’ll have a bacon sandwich before we set off on our travels to Hope. How does that sound?’
‘Brilliant.’ He put down his empty cup and stood. ‘I’ll head off home. Don’t go on that laptop again tonight. Kat and Mouse will find out if you do, and things could become very unpleasant.’ He grinned at Doris. ‘But my money’s on you coming out on top.’
She waved as he drove off down the hill, then locked everything up. The laptop was tempting, but she decided it might all be wasted effort. She didn’t have confirmation that Vincent Sanders was the man under discussion, just that the car parked out front of Keeley’s house belonged to someone with that name.
She made sure the fire was safe, folded her fleece blanket and placed it at the end of the sofa, then climbed the stairs to bed. It had been fun; Luke was good company, and pretty bright too. She simply didn’t want to think about the conversation on Tuesday morning, when she had to come clean about the Keeley situation.
The pizza box was in the middle of the bed; glasses of wine were on the bedside tables. Tessa leaned her head against Martin’s chest, and sighed.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked. ‘I’ve not fed you enough pizza?’
She laughed. ‘No, I’m full to overflowing. I’m feeling a little frustrated by the lack of anything in this blessed case, and it never leaves my mind. Why was she killed, Martin? Why was Nicola Armstrong killed? Opportunist, out for a run and took their chance? Or do you think she’d upset somebody. Paula Ireland? But I’d stand up in court and swear Paula knew nothing of her husband’s infidelity that day Hannah and I turned up to interview him.’