Murder In Law

by Veronica Heley

  Diana didn’t bother to deny it. ‘That went to pay some household bills, electricity, gas, the usual. I can’t afford to come up with three months’ rent at the moment. But I’m sure my mother will help me out when she understands the situation.’

  ‘No, Diana. Your mother couldn’t afford it. She has a decent income, but not enough to support you and the children as well.’

  Diana’s lips thinned. ‘You are not being very helpful. The trust will make allowances for her.’

  ‘I doubt it.’

  Diana tried another tack. ‘Very well. You do understand I have to move away. Suppose you get the trust to buy the agency from me at a decent price? With the money from that I could buy another agency in a less expensive neighbourhood. That way I would be able to earn a living and get a mortgage on a decent place to live.’

  Rafael said, ‘Put that proposal in writing to the trust, and I’ll see it goes on the agenda for the next general meeting.’

  ‘When will that be? You do understand that my problem is urgent?’

  Rafael said, ‘We’ll schedule a meeting as soon as possible after Ellie’s return. Let us have a phone number where we can reach you in case of an emergency.’

  Diana said, ‘I’ll ring you as and when I am able to do so.’

  Rafael got to his feet. ‘You don’t want to give us a number because you fear we’d give it to the police? Well, you’re right about that. We will report this conversation as well. Now, I must go. Jenny’s got stuck on the slide.’

  And here came Little Evan, clutching Hippo. He pressed close to his mother’s side. ‘Are we going home now, Mummy?’

  Diana tousled his hair. ‘You’re staying with Susan for a while. Be a good, brave boy, won’t you?’

  Jenny, released from the slide, came steaming up to them. ‘Mummy, Mummy, did you see me? I was on the biggest slide.’

  Diana took Jenny on her lap and gave her a cuddle. ‘Clever girl!’

  So Jenny is the favourite? Oh, poor Little Evan.

  Evan looked up at his mother with such a mixture of pain and stoicism that Susan felt like crying.

  And then, distraction! Fifi lunged forward, reaching out to Evan. Susan nearly dropped her but Evan came to the rescue, pushing Hippo into Fifi’s face. Fifi took hold of Hippo and managed to manoeuvre one of his tiny ears into her mouth. She gurgled her satisfaction.

  Evan looked up at Susan and said, ‘I’ll look after her.’

  Diana had to spoil the moment. ‘Oh, love at first sight, is it?’ she said sarcastically. She shed Jenny, checked on her make-up and got to her feet, ready to leave.

  Susan thought of various things she’d like to do to Diana, all of which were, regrettably, against the law. She put Fifi back into her baby buggy, Rafael strapped Jenny into her pushchair and Evan retrieved his scooter. They had quite a walk on them, but there was no alternative as Rafael only had one baby seat in his car.

  Rafael said, ‘Diana, while we have the children, we could do with the car seats from your car. Do you think you could drop them in to us tomorrow?’

  Diana twitched her black skirt into place. ‘Dear me! I thought the one thing in your favour, Rafael, was that you were a good provider. I have no idea where I’ll be tomorrow but I’ll keep in touch, right?’

  Off she toddled, followed by angry thoughts from Susan, and wistful looks from Jenny.

  Rafael said, ‘She’s right, you know. We have to report everything to Lesley. Those papers seem to be at the heart of the break-in. Which of the Cottrells do you think wanted them so badly that they’d arrange for someone to burgle the place? Cynthia or her father wanted them as ammunition for a divorce, and Keith needed them to keep him out of the divorce court. Eeny meeny miney mo. Whom do you fancy as murderer-in-chief?’

  FOURTEEN

  Sunday evening

  Rafael and Susan were worn out by the children’s bedtime. Jenny had a tantrum because she wanted to watch the telly instead of having supper. She filled her nappy twice and refused even to sit on the potty. To be fair, she had had a fateful encounter with a large ginger tomcat out in the garden. She’d chased it and been scratched for her pains. She’d screamed and screamed till soothed with a spoonful of ice cream from the freezer, a cuddle in Susan’s arms and a smear of antiseptic cream on her poorly finger.

  Fifi hadn’t liked the screaming and had tottered off to find a quiet, dark place at the back of the settee in the big room. She was rapidly joined there by Evan in his new character of carer-in-chief. He laid all his toys out in front of her, and then entranced her by building a tower of bricks for her to knock over.

  Rafael darted in and out; on the phone, reporting to Lesley, coaxing Jenny to sit on her potty, fidgeting because he’d missed so many appointments because of the descent of the children.

  Susan threw some tea together while Rafael managed to talk to Coralie’s parents on the phone. An agreement was reached that the girl should take a week off school to help Susan out. Well, half term was only a week away, and Coralie had said she’d truant if they didn’t give her permission and she wasn’t going back to school anyway as it was a dead bore … and so on.

  Susan developed a headache.

  Rafael’s temper grew shorter.

  Finally, the three children were bathed, put into night gear and settled down for the night, Evan in the big bed, Jenny in the cot and Fifi in the baby buggy.

  Tomorrow, Susan promised herself, they’d reorganize the nursery, get rid of the big bed and hopefully persuade Jenny to leave the cot to Fifi.

  Susan dragged herself downstairs, flopped on to the settee and closed her eyes.

  She must have dozed off. The landline phone woke her. She could hear Rafael was having an argument with someone on his smartphone in his den, so Susan had to totter into the kitchen to deal with it. It was Lesley, ringing to ask if Lucia were back yet as the police wanted another word with her. So up the stairs went Susan, to find Lucia hadn’t yet returned. Ugh, didn’t the girl ever open a window? Susan went down again to report Lucia’s absence to Lesley and then to collapse in front of the telly.

  Ten o’clock. Susan dragged herself upstairs to bed. Lucia’s door was still ajar. Had the girl not returned? No, she hadn’t, had she? Susan rubbed her forehead. What had the arrangement been? That if she didn’t return by ten, she’d phone to say she was staying the night somewhere else? Oh well. Rafael could take the call as he was still downstairs in his study, arguing with someone about something. He’d have to let Lucia in when she returned.

  At two o’clock, Susan woke. Rafael was breathing lightly, softly, beside her. Moonlight slid through a gap in the curtains. The children were quiet.

  But something was wrong.

  Susan made the rounds. Rafael had left a light burning on the landing, so they could see what was happening if anyone woke in the night. The children were fine. Susan pulled the blanket over Jenny. Evan had Fifi’s Gonk in one hand, and his Hippo was in her buggy.

  Lucia’s door was still ajar. Susan pushed it open. There was no sign of the girl. The bed was as Lucia had left it, with the duvet thrown back and a pillow on the floor. Some clothes were on the bedside chair, and Lucia’s rucksack was where she’d left it in the corner.

  What was Susan to do?

  Surely, nothing could have happened to the girl? She’d been told to ring and let them know if she were staying overnight with a friend. Perhaps she’d told Rafael?

  Susan hesitated. Rafael was tired out. He would not be happy to be woken just to confirm that Lucia had phoned him.

  Suppose she hadn’t phoned, then …? Susan shook his shoulder. ‘Sorry. Emergency. Did Lucia phone to say she was sleeping out?’

  He blinked. Came awake. Sat upright. Thought.

  Slapped his forehead. ‘I knew there was something. I was so long on the phone, sorting out what didn’t happen yesterday. Then I was tired and came up to bed and forgot about her. No, she didn’t ring.’ He thrust his long legs into slippers. ‘I’d better check.’


  ‘She’s not in her room. Maybe she came in so late that she slept downstairs? No, we hadn’t a key to give her, had we?’

  ‘We made it clear that she must let us know if she wasn’t coming back. If she was out of credit on her mobile, she could have got one of her friends to phone us.’ He yawned mightily. ‘I’m sure she’s all right. She’s a teenager. She wouldn’t thank us for getting in a state about her staying out late.’

  Susan disagreed. ‘You mean we shouldn’t ring the police and report her missing? She’s a person of interest in a murder case and she’s not where she said she’d be. I think we do need to report it. If she turns up safe and sound and gets a rollocking by the police for wasting their time, then perhaps that will teach her not to do it again. And yes, I know it’s the middle of the night. Tell you what! We won’t try to wake Lesley at this hour, but we’ll phone a message into the station. Lucia might have met with an accident and have been taken to hospital.’

  So Rafael phoned in the report and they both went back to bed, to sleep lightly, with one ear open, so to speak.

  Monday breakfast

  Lucia didn’t return. The phone didn’t ring, and neither did the doorbell, until they were all having breakfast in the kitchen and arguing whether Jenny should go to nursery with Evan or not. Did the Powers that Be need her to be potty-trained before she could be accepted there? What time did they open for business? Eight o’clock? Half past?

  Fortunately the rain had cleared away. The sun shone, and there was a light wind which would dry everything nicely.

  Here came Coralie, bright and cheerful and bubbling with good cheer at taking time off school. She said she was ready to take on not two, but three children at a time!

  Rafael rang the nursery to make sure Diana had told them of the children’s change of circumstances and enquire how much the outstanding bill might be. The nursery softened its first, frosty tone to say a cheque would be most acceptable. At which Rafael sighed, and said he’d make one out for their new nanny to bring along with the two children. The new nanny was called Coralie, and yes, please make a note of her phone number. And yes, Evan had a little sister who was thinking of joining if they had room for her. They had? Good. Then Coralie would bring both that morning. And, er, yes, Jenny was in the process of being potty-trained.

  Jenny looked less than impressed since it meant being put on the potty yet again. She tried for sympathy. She held up her finger to show the nicely-healing scratch. Coralie said she’d kiss it better and there was sure to be lots of big toys in the nursery garden for Jenny to play with, so she was reluctantly reconciled to the necessity for growing up.

  Rafael wrote out a cheque, wincing at the cost because Diana owed not one but two terms for Evan. Coralie swept both children off to nursery saying she’d do any shopping on the way back if Susan gave her a list.

  Susan couldn’t think straight so said she was all right for the moment. Fifi had absorbed her breakfast while observing Jenny’s shenanigans with a dispassionate eye, but she beamed with pleasure when the door closed behind their guests. Susan cleaned Fifi’s face and hands and lifted her down to the floor, where she made for the nearest cupboard to explore.

  Rafael said, ‘Listen to the silence! Isn’t it wonderful? And now, I really must get back to work.’ He disappeared down the corridor, leaving Susan to start clearing the table, when …

  The doorbell rang and here came Lesley, towing her silent sidekick. Lesley’s expression told Susan two things: that she’d had another bad night and/or quarrelled with that selfish husband of hers and that there was no good news on the Diana front.

  ‘A word?’ said Lesley, taking a seat, sagging and then forcing herself upright. ‘Is Rafael still here? Can you get him? I don’t want to have to repeat myself.’

  Rafael was on the phone, but cut the call short to join them.

  Lesley said, ‘Early this morning a shopkeeper arrived to open up and found a girl lying in the alley at the back of the greengrocers in the Avenue. The girl had been assaulted and was unresponsive. The shopkeeper rang for the police and an ambulance. She’s been taken to hospital, but she’s in a coma and the doctors are not sure if she’ll make it or not. You put in a report that Lucia didn’t come home last night? She hasn’t reappeared, has she?’

  Susan drew in a deep breath. ‘She hasn’t. You think it’s her?’

  ‘The girl in the alley is about the same height and has the same hair colour as Lucia. No handbag, no mobile phone, no ID. You don’t know who she was meeting yesterday?’

  ‘“Friends”, she said. No names given.’

  Lesley said, ‘We’ll have to search her room. Yesterday we dropped her off at the abbey. There were quite a few people hanging around outside, waiting for the next Mass to begin. Lucia ran up the steps to join them but I didn’t see who she met. She didn’t tell you where she planned to go yesterday?’

  Rafael said, ‘She didn’t. That girl has no sense! What on earth was she doing in the Avenue late at night when she knew she had to be back here by ten? She might have been to the pub with one of her friends, I suppose. Or, she might have had the bad fortune to attract the attention of a drug user who was aching for a fix. She didn’t have that much money on her, but I suppose a drug user could sell her mobile phone.’

  Lesley said, ‘Yes, it could be just that.’

  Rafael said, ‘The man was on the prowl. He saw she was alone and vulnerable. He asked her for money, she resisted, so he knocked her down and fled with her handbag.’

  Susan said, ‘Sorry to destroy the picture you’re painting. I don’t believe in coincidences. The assault on Lucia must be linked to Evan’s death.’

  Lesley put her hands to her head. The shadows under her eyes deepened. ‘No, no, no, no. I can’t bear it. The two cases can’t be connected. You haven’t any proof that they are, have you?’

  Susan shook her head. ‘No. Sorry. Shouldn’t have spoken.’

  Lesley tried to smile. ‘Well, no harm done.’ Offering an olive branch, she said, ‘I must go to the hospital, see if I can identify the girl. But before that, I could murder a coffee.’

  Rafael primed and started the coffee machine. ‘Suppose we play around with what Susan said? What could Lucia possibly know that might make her a target? True, the girl’s an idiot, but surely she’s no threat to anyone? Do you really think the Cottrells, for instance, would send a thug to steal Lucia’s handbag? Why on earth would they do that? They wouldn’t.’

  ‘Of course they wouldn’t.’ Lesley yawned and tried to hide it. ‘You told me you’d seen Diana yesterday and she’s trying to put the blame for everything on the Cottrells, right? Let’s go over that again.’

  Rafael said. ‘You found some incriminating papers in the safe, didn’t you? Something about a business venture which Diana was setting up with Keith, something which didn’t include his wife or his father-in-law?’

  Lesley almost smiled. ‘Yes, we did. Handwritten notes of a scheme to set up a separate company. Diana wrote some of it. We’re checking to see if Keith wrote the rest.’

  ‘Surely the very existence of those papers is sufficient to set the Cottrells slavering at the mouth. Any one of the three might regard them as a weapon to use against the others: Keith, to save his marriage; his wife, as ammo for a divorce, and her father, ditto.’

  ‘You’re forgetting something,’ said Susan. ‘Neither Cynthia nor her father knew anything about the projected venture. The only ones who knew were Diana and Keith, and there was no reason for him to want them destroyed, was there?’

  Coffee brewed, Rafael served it up as Susan cleared the table and wiped it down. Now, where had Fifi gone? Ah, she’d managed to open the door of the cupboard, found it empty and crawled inside. Susan rescued her and put her down on the floor with one of Evan’s books to look at. Fifi waited till she thought her mother’s back was turned and crawled back inside the cupboard. Susan let her be.

  Lesley drank her coffee black. ‘I need to look at Lucia
’s room and speak to Diana again. She gave you a phone number?’

  ‘She didn’t. She says she’s afraid of Cynthia’s father. She says he’s threatened her and the children and wants to buy the agency off her at a knock-down price. He wants her to move out of the area so that she loses all contact with Keith. She believes he means her harm and is moving around from place to place, using a burner phone.’

  Lesley said, ‘She has nothing to be afraid of. We can give her protection …’ She didn’t sound convincing.

  Fifi crawled out of the cupboard and hoisted herself to her feet, wobbled, and sat down – plump!

  Susan said, ‘I’ll never have a minute’s peace now she’s walking.’ She picked Fifi up and set her on her own knee.

  A phone rang somewhere. Their landline? No, Susan’s smartphone. Ah, where had she put it? Got it!

  A breathy voice gabbled something in her ear. Panicking!

  Susan said, ‘Slow down, Coralie. It is Coralie?’

  A gulp at the other end. ‘Yes. Sorry. Deep breaths. Under control. Can you come, please? Quick as you can. Yes, the children are all right. I should have said that first, shouldn’t I? No, really, not to worry, not a hair of their heads. I’ve barricaded myself into the playhouse with Evan, and they’re searching for him right now!’

  Susan said, ‘Coralie …?’ She shouted to Rafael. ‘Coralie’s in trouble!’ And to the girl on the phone: ‘What’s happened?’

  Coralie took a deep breath. ‘I gave the woman who runs the nursery your cheque and that was fine because I think they’d lost all hope of getting the money from Diana. Evan went off to play in the garden at the back and I was being shown around with Jenny when this woman arrived and said she was their granny and was removing them from the nursery.’

  ‘What!’ Susan couldn’t believe her ears.