‘Very well,’ Fiona said. ‘What do you want?’
‘Gordon, say something,’ Marge said. ‘You’re the person who got us into this sorry mess.’
‘Be a man, stand up and say your piece,’ Rose said. She could see the father of her child was a hopeless case. He needed her, as much as she needed him.
Standing up, clearing his throat first. ‘The two houses in the village. They are to be completed and sold, the profits to be divided between Len and me,’ Gordon said.
‘I’m still guilty by association with the murder of Molly Dempsey,’ Fiona said.
‘Let me finish,’ Gordon said, feeling emboldened by Rose’s encouragement. ‘We will discuss how to resolve that, but first, let’s deal with the business side. There are to be no demands on me and the Selwood family for their completion.’
‘I’m carrying a lot of debt,’ Len said.
‘Shut up and let the man finish,’ Fiona said.
‘Are we agreed on the first point?’ Gordon asked.
Len stood to talk, only to be pulled down by his wife. ‘We agree,’ Fiona said.
‘Very well. Certain costs have been incurred with the housing development at Coombe Farm.’
‘I can’t cover them,’ Len said. ‘And besides, some of them go back to Claude.’
‘Nicholas has checked through the figures for us. What are they?’
‘So far, they amount to forty-six thousand pounds. A long way short of the original demand.’
‘That was a negotiating point,’ Len said.
‘Rubbish. You were trying to take advantage of Gordon’s gullibility,’ Marge said. ‘And where are we going to get the money?’
‘Gordon will sell the Aston Martin,’ Rose said.
‘But…’ Gordon mumbled.
‘Don’t worry. You can get another one. We need to save the family first.’
‘If we go along with this, what guarantees do we have?’ Fiona said.
‘The word of a Selwood is your guarantee. Although, that cannot be said of the Dowlings. We will want this in writing and checked with our accountant, Nicholas in this case, and a solicitor.’
‘And what about Molly Dempsey?
‘What about her? The houses in the village are almost completed. There are no further plans for Coombe Farm. She will be forgotten within a couple of weeks,’ Marge said.
‘If there is no adverse publicity against Len and me,’ Fiona said.
‘There will not be, you have my word on that.’
Rose could see that Marge had saved the family, as she had so many times in the past. In a patriarchal family, it was, as is so often the case, the women who save the day.
Chapter 29
Tremayne and Clare arrived at Coombe Farm just as the Dowlings were leaving. Both cars wound down their driver side windows. ‘You’ve been visiting the Selwoods?’ Tremayne said.
‘We had a business meeting,’ Len said.
‘As you’re here, I’d appreciate you back at the main house.’
‘We’ve got another appointment.’
‘I wasn’t requesting,’ Tremayne said.
The Dowlings turned their vehicle and parked next to Clare’s. A marked police car parked twenty feet away.
‘Do you want the Dowling’s here?’ Clare said as they walked to the house.
‘They know the routine.’
‘But you don’t think them to be guilty.’
‘Not this time, but they’ll supply leverage.’
Tremayne knocked on the door, a reluctant opening. ‘Tremayne, what brings you here?’ Gordon Selwood said. In his hand, a glass of champagne.
‘A celebration?’
‘We’re working out our differences.’
‘I’m back here with the Dowlings. I need to solve these murders.’
‘Tonight?’
‘Someone in your family is a murderer. We’re not leaving here without that person.’
None of those in the house was pleased to see the two police officers.
‘I’ve asked Len and Fiona Dowling to be here,’ Tremayne said. ‘We are going to solve this case. Where’s Crispin?’
‘He’s down at our house,’ Rose said.
‘Yarwood, ask one of the uniforms to go and pick him up,’ Tremayne said.
‘He’s studying for an exam tomorrow.’
‘His presence is important.’
By the time Crispin arrived, the champagne had been put back in the fridge, the boisterous mood replaced by a sense of impending doom.
Tremayne stood to one side of the room. ‘Let me make one thing clear. Molly Dempsey did not die as a result of her interference into Len Dowling and Gordon Selwood’s developments. The facts don’t stack up. The woman was an irritant, no more, and she was regarded as harmless. She died because of something she knew, the same as with Old Ted.
‘We know about Claude Selwood and Old Ted’s wife. This happened around the time of Gordon’s birth. Claude Selwood is an accidental death, although the vicar will be convicted for shooting at him and the horse. Reverend Walston had been a soldier before he became a vicar. His history is complex, but it is not relevant to outline here. The subsequent deaths have been as a result of that one accident.’
‘Why are we here?’ Fiona Dowling asked.
‘You and Len were outside, that’s all. Neither of you is guilty of murder.’
‘Then can we go?’
‘No. Let me ask Len a question,’ Tremayne said. ‘You met Claude Selwood at the top of the hill on several occasions, is that correct?’
‘It is.’
‘Why?’
‘Why not? That was where we planned the development.’
‘But why the secrecy? Why did you walk across the fields to avoid being seen in Coombe?’
‘Marge, she wasn’t so keen on the idea. Claude wanted to strike out on his own, make a decision. With Marge, he’d always get the third-degree every time I was around.’
‘He needed me to make sure he wasn’t about to destroy the farm,’ Marge said. ‘God knows, I had enough with him, and now, I’ve got his lame-brained son to worry about.’
‘You don’t need to worry about him,’ Rose said.
‘You’re going to marry my father?’ Crispin said.
‘I’m not sure. I was married to him once. That didn’t work out so good.’
‘Apart from Crispin,’ Marge said.
Tremayne did not want the gathering to digress. ‘Old Ted is killed for a reason. We all know the man did not say much, and whatever he knew, he was unlikely to tell anyone. Let me ask Marge a question. You were aware of the affair between your husband and Old Ted’s wife?’
‘I was. Not at the time, but several months afterwards.’
‘And what did you do?’
‘Claude said he was sorry, and that was that.’
‘As simple as that?’
‘No, it wasn’t that simple, but what do you want me to say? I struck him, he hit me back. I wasn’t going to walk out of this house if that’s what you think I should have done. Claude had an affair. He’s not the first person guilty of the offence. Fiona Dowling’s had plenty, and she’s planning to be Salisbury’s next mayor.’
‘We’re discussing your family, not mine,’ Fiona said. ‘If Claude wanted to screw the farmhand’s wife, so what?’
‘You’re a right one to talk,’ Marge said. Clare moved between the two women before it got out of hand.
‘We’re not here to discuss right and wrong. We’re here to arrest a murderer,’ Tremayne said. He could feel the tension in the room. It was only a matter of time before someone would say something that he or she would regret.
‘Then get on with it,’ Len Dowling said.
‘I would suggest you keep quiet, Mr Dowling. No doubt, as a result of events in Coombe, there will be another investigation into whether any fraudulent activities have occurred, and, as to whether your wife’s influence as a councillor in Salisbury has been misused.’
‘Tha
t’s slander,’ Fiona Dowling said.
‘It’s a police investigation. Just be thankful that we’re here to apprehend a murderer, not a pair of rogues,’ Tremayne said. ‘Let us come back to Old Ted. We originally thought he had heard something confidential. And even if he had, he wouldn’t have mentioned it to anyone. Everyone in the village and at Coombe Farm knew that. The reason as to what he had heard is unknown. If it’s someone from outside the village, it’s either Len or Fiona Dowling.’
‘Don’t go accusing us,’ Fiona said.
‘I’m only putting ideas forward. I’m not accusing anyone. I can tell everyone in this room, that we discount Len Dowling. The man is not capable.’
‘Not capable?’ William said.
‘We know the Dowlings from before. Len is a good talker, but he’s not an action man. He’s the boy who would have run away from the school bully, rather than stand up to him.’
‘How dare you!’ Len Dowling shouted.
‘Shut up and sit down, Len,’ Fiona said.
‘Fiona, however, is capable,’ Tremayne said.
‘Are you determined to arrest one of us?’
‘I said you were capable, but you’re smart. You wouldn’t have killed Old Ted, not because you could not, but even if you had contemplated it, you would have realised we would solve the crime. Old Ted’s death was committed by someone with the arrogance to believe they would get away with it.’
‘But who?’ Rose said.
‘Cathy killed Old Ted,’ Tremayne said.
Clare looked over at Tremayne, not sure of what she had just heard.
‘How dare you accuse Cathy of such a thing. She was good friends with the man,’ Gordon said.
‘Maybe she was, but she knew something that others only realised afterwards.’
‘And what was that?’ Crispin said.
‘That Gordon is not the legitimate child of Claude Selwood.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Crispin, both your grandmother and Cathy Selwood have an unsavoury past.’
‘Prostitutes?’
‘I was an escort, not a whore,’ Marge said. ‘Life was tough, and I was attractive. It was only for a short time, maybe two months, and then I met Claude. I did love the man, even if I had chosen him initially to better my life. Cathy was the same. She loved Gordon, and she was a decent woman. Crispin, maybe you don’t understand, but life is not always ideal. Sometimes, we have to do unpleasant things to survive.’
‘He understands. Our life wasn’t that good either,’ Rose said, ‘not that I sold myself, but sometimes, we barely had enough to eat.’
‘How would Cathy have known that Gordon is not legitimate?’ Marge said.
‘How did you?’ Tremayne said.
‘You gave me the idea. You mentioned that Gordon is unlike Nicholas and William. I realised it was a possibility, and if he were not Claude’s son, then Nicholas would take over the farm.
‘Cathy must have seen it. She was an outsider, and she wasn’t clouded by a lifetime of memories of the family. She knew that if anyone knew, it would be Old Ted. She confronted him one time when she’s out riding. We know that Old Ted would not reveal a secret, but he would always answer truthfully to a direct question. Cathy asked the man, he told her the answer.’
‘It’s pure conjecture,’ Gordon said. ‘And how do you explain the same rifle being used to kill Cathy?’
‘That’s another question. First, we need to solve Old Ted’s death.’
Clare realised Tremayne was throwing ideas into the room, hoping to see who would run with it, who would contradict, who would make a mistake.
‘Mrs Selwood, did you get the results back from the laboratory?’ Tremayne said.
‘Yes, but they made a mistake.’
‘What laboratory is this?’ Gordon asked.
‘The overseas laboratory that was conducting DNA analysis on your parentage,’ Tremayne said.
‘I objected when my mother asked. Has she done it anyway?’
‘She took an old toothbrush, an old bandage, or at least, Nicholas and William did,’ Clare said.
‘You bastards,’ Gordon said, standing up and moving over towards his younger brothers. It was Tremayne this time who kept them apart.
‘Do you need us here for this?’ Fiona Dowling said.
‘Yes,’ Tremayne’s reply. ‘You and your husband’s position is not clear. Your greed would not be concerned if people died.’
‘I’ll not deny it, but this is murder. Neither Len nor myself is too keen on a prison sentence.’
‘How much money would you have made on developing Coombe Farm?’ Marge asked.
‘It was a fifty-fifty deal with the Selwoods, you know that.’
‘How much?’
‘Depending on the property market, somewhere between three to four million pounds after costs. The same as the Selwoods.’
‘Judging from your recent behaviour, you intended to cheat us there as well.’
‘It’s business, not personal,’ Fiona said.
Clare realised her opinion of the woman had not improved over the last year. She still did not like her.
Tremayne turned to Len and Fiona Dowling. ‘You can both go now. I would warn you about repeating what you’ve heard here tonight. This investigation has not concluded, but I am willing to accept that neither of you is the murderer.’
‘Thank you,’ Len said. His wife just scowled.
After they had left, Tremayne turned to the Selwood family. ‘This is what I reckon. Old Ted knew that Gordon was not Claude’s son. How and why, we don’t know yet, but we will find out during this meeting. Cathy, aware that Old Ted knew and he could reveal it, killed the man. The rifle that killed both Old Ted and Cathy is a problem. We’ve seen your rifles, checked that they’re registered, and it’s not in this house. If we have that rifle, we have the murderer.’
‘Why would anyone kill Cathy?’ Nicholas asked.
‘Your mother wanted her out of the house. I assume that everyone knows that Cathy was pregnant when she died.’
Nodding heads in the room indicated they did.
‘Cathy knew something, and remember she was friendly with Old Ted, even though she killed him. She was killed to stop her taking control of the farm. There is only one person with a sufficient motive, Marge Selwood.’
‘I wouldn’t do that.’
‘Mrs Selwood, you’d do anything to protect this family.’
‘You’re right. I’d do anything, even murder, but I did not kill Cathy.’
‘But you did kill Molly Dempsey.’
‘No, it’s not possible. We were going to work together.’
Tremayne had the breakthrough. He was not going to let up.
‘What did those lab results say?’
‘They were inconclusive.’
‘As you’ve said. What did they say? I know what our report says. And Molly Dempsey, she told you something, didn’t she? Something so terrible that you were forced to leave her cottage and to walk through the village and up the lane, through the field, and then you’re in her garden. She sees you and out she comes to see her new friend. Molly Dempsey’s a gossip, but for some reason, she has kept this secret for so long, and then, there you are, the wife of Claude Selwood pretending to be friendly, and she relents and tells you.’
‘It’s all lies.’
‘No, it’s not. There is no one else that could have killed the woman. What is it?’
‘This is unacceptable,’ Gordon said. ‘She’s our mother.’
Clare could see that the tension in the room was electric. Tremayne continued unabated. ‘What was it she told you? What is the great secret? No one is leaving this room until we know.’
‘I did not forgive Claude after his affair with Old Ted’s wife, I couldn’t. But I pretended for the family, for myself, for Gordon. And then, Claude’s in hospital with a broken neck after falling off one of the motorbikes, and there’s Old Ted. He was a lot younger then, rugged, masculine.�
��
‘You had an affair with Old Ted?’
‘Yes, it was a mistake. I didn’t want to, but I was angry and lonely. It was only one time in the stables. After that, we rarely spoke.’
All of the sons in the room were on their feet. Crispin, sixteen and still naïve, sat glued to his seat. Rose was in tears, knowing full well the immense strain that Gordon’s mother was under.
‘The result from the laboratory, what did it say?’ Tremayne said.
‘That Gordon and Nicholas do not have the same father.’
‘Who is the father of Gordon, who is the father of Nicholas.’
‘I don’t know.’
‘But you suspect?’
‘Yes.’
‘Mrs Selwood, we know who is the father of Gordon Selwood. The results came through just before we came out here.’
‘And who is my father?’ Gordon said.
‘Your father is Claude Selwood. Mrs Selwood, Nicholas’ father is Old Ted. Am I correct?’
‘Yes. It must be him. I never knew. I always assumed that Claude was the father of my three sons.’
‘Molly Dempsey knew?’
‘Yes. She was a busybody. Somehow, she knew. I don’t know how. Maybe Old Ted told her, or his wife suspected. For whatever reason, she had kept the secret all these years. I was frantic. I wanted to protect my family.’
‘You’ll be charged with murder,’ Tremayne said. ‘Yarwood, ask the uniforms to come in and to wait to one side.’
Tremayne, buoyed by his success, turned to the others in the room. Crispin had his arm around his grandmother.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m only carrying out my duty. Gordon, the farm and the house belong to you. The proof of your parentage will be given to you.’
‘I’m not sure I want it now.’
‘You will. There’s Crispin to consider, as well as your brothers,’ Rose said.
Gordon turned around to Nicholas. ‘Nothing changes. We’re still brothers.’
Nicholas smiled weakly. He had gone through life believing in the superiority of the Selwood family, and now, he had found out that he was not one of them, only the mongrel child of a farmhand. He wanted to leave the house, never come back.
Death at Coombe Farm Page 22