Chapter 28
The crunch of tyres on gravel at Greystone Manor failed to elicit the delight that Jess had shown the first time they’d visited, just weeks before. In fact, Jess was rather subdued.
‘It’s a bit weird being back here, isn’t it, Mum?’
‘It is a bit. But it’s just for the one day, this time. We’ll be working in the colonel’s bedroom and dressing room. Biddy has done a bit of a sort, and taken out the more personal items. It shouldn’t be too demanding.’
Julia parked close to the front door. She turned off the car and checked her phone.
Still nothing from Hayley Gibson. Julia had phoned her the night before and left an urgent message for her to phone back.
She’d been on tenterhooks since she’d woken up.
Before she’d left home to drive to the manor, she’d sent a text.
Still no message or missed call from Hayley.
Julia was staring at her message-less phone when it rang.
DI Hayley Gibson.
‘I’ve got to take this,’ Julia said to Jess. ‘Can you take the boxes to the door and wait for me? I’ll be there in a mo. Thanks, love.’
‘Hayley!’ she said. ‘At last! Listen, Clara isn’t telling the truth. She said she was in Malawi, but I don’t think she was—’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘She said something about seeing gorillas. At the time, I remember it stuck in my head, and yesterday it occurred to me – Peter once looked into us going on a gorilla safari. He talked about Rwanda and Uganda, but never Malawi. I woke up from my nap quite sure that you don’t find them there – and when I checked, I was right. ’
‘Interesting…’
‘More than just interesting. I think she just made it up on the spur of the moment, so everyone thought she was away when her father was killed.’
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
‘I’ll phone you back.’
It can’t have been more than five minutes before Hayley Gibson called back: ‘I just spoke to Luke Nailor, Walter’s young shadow. He got hold of the flight records for the days around the murder. No sign of Clara.’
‘That confirms it!’
‘It certainly means that I’ll be paying her a visit.’
‘Well, if you go to the manor you’ll find that Jess and I are—’
‘Hang on.’
There was some muted conversation on Hayley’s side. It seemed she had half-covered the mouthpiece and was talking to someone.
‘Got to go,’ she said to Julia, and killed the call.
Julia found Jess at the door with her pile of cardboard. She rang the doorbell.
Biddy let them in, and helped bring the boxes inside. There was a strange sense of déjà vu, coming into the entrance hall and then following Biddy down the passage past the oil-painted ancestors, and past the study where Colonel Loxton had died.
Biddy led them into a suite of rooms they’d never been in before: the colonel’s private domain.
These consisted of a large bedroom, an en suite bathroom and a dressing room fitted with cupboards.
The bed, dressing table and desk were huge and old and carved from dark wood.
The room was dominated by the bed, high and large, its headboard and footboard ornately carved with flowers and leaves.
The place was uncluttered, even spartan, with no frills or fripperies.
Clarence Loxton had remained very much the military man, thought Julia.
‘It’s mostly the clothes to pack up,’ Biddy said.
Julia peeked into the cupboard, which was in perfect order. The colonel’s sweaters were folded and piled symmetrically one on top of the other, and his shirts hung in a row. His shined shoes lined up in pairs, like primary school children on an outing.
‘Everything looks very organised. It shouldn’t take too long to pack it up,’ said Julia.
‘I’m glad we’re not going to have to take the bed,’ Jess joked. ‘I don’t know how they got it in, and how you’d ever get it out. It must weigh a tonne.’
‘I suppose some of the old bedroom furniture will go – the younger generation don’t like that sort of thing much, and it’s definitely not Beth’s taste,’ said Biddy. ‘Lord knows how they’ll get it out. But that’s a matter for another day.’
Julia frowned. Beth and Greg hadn’t inherited the mansion.
Surely they weren’t being so presumptuous as to be moving bedrooms already.
As far as Julia knew, there’d been no agreement with Emily as to what would happen.
But she decided to remain quiet – Biddy clearly had no idea that there was any controversy.
‘Anyhow, you know the drill. Lunch in the kitchen, twelve thirty,’ said Biddy.
‘See you then. Thanks, Biddy.’
‘They certainly got on to clearing out quickly,’ said Jess when Biddy had left.
‘People like to get things sorted out,’ said Julia, mildly, although she also thought it unusually quick.
The morning passed industriously. Julia kept half an ear open for the doorbell, assuming Hayley Gibson would come by to talk to Clara, but so far, no visitors.
By twelve fifteen, they had a large collection of packed and taped boxes, and an empty dressing room.
‘Come on, let’s go for lunch,’ said Jess, who was on the verge of hungry-grumpy.
They washed their hands, the water and suds running grey, and set off for the kitchen.
Biddy was placing fresh crisp lettuce leaves onto the sandwiches – chicken mayo, by the looks of things. She added a slice of tomato to each of them, gave each a grind of pepper, and then topped them with bread.
‘Hello, you two. Excellent timing!’ said Biddy.
Clara, who was making a cup of tea, turned to greet them warmly. Julia felt her heart start to beat faster at the sight of a woman who, the evidence suggested, had beaten two people to death. It was hard to just stand there, as if nothing was wrong.
‘Would you like a sandwich, Clara? I made extra,’ said Biddy, unaware of Julia’s distress.
‘Actually, I’d love one. I was going to forage in the fridge, but if you’ve got enough…’
‘Of course,’ said Biddy. She put a sandwich on a plate and handed it to her, and did the same for Julia and Jess. They sat at the kitchen table.
Julia plucked up her courage and spoke lightly, as if something had just occurred to her: ‘Oh, I’ve been wanting to ask you for some advice,’ she said. Clara looked up, her expression open and ready to help.
‘I was thinking of visiting an African country next year, and I wondered if Malawi might be an option, with the lake and so on. I thought you might have a recommendation, seeing as you’ve been recently?’
‘Oh yes, well the lake is lovely of course. Very big. Lots of water. But I was in meetings, back-to-back meetings in fact, so I didn’t see much of the country, unfortunately.’
‘That’s a pity. You didn’t get to the game parks?’
‘Not this time, but I do hope to go back one day. There’s a lot to see and do. The lake. Animals. The gorillas. They’re magnificent.’
This did not sound like a woman who’d been to Malawi just weeks before, Julia thought.
The sound of the doorbell sent a shiver of anticipation up Julia’s spine. Was it the police? Julia got up and went to the kitchen door.
Garforth’s footsteps rang out on the flagstones of the entrance hall. The heavy front door creaked open.
‘Detective Gibson,’ said Garforth. So it was her!
Julia started down the passage, then froze, thinking better of revealing that she had been listening.
‘Good afternoon. Could you tell Clara Loxton I’m here to see her?’ Hayley asked.
‘Certainly, ma’am,’ said Garforth. ‘Would you like to wait in the drawing room?’
‘No, thank you. I’ll wait here.’
Garforth’s footsteps resumed before Julia could move. Not wanting to be caught listening, Julia started to move, saying loudly to an imaginary Jess, ‘I’m going to go and wash my hands – I’ll see you back in the kitchen in a minute.’
‘Julia?’ came Hayley’s voice. ‘Is that you?’
Julia turned back, in answer to Hayley, and approached the entrance to the hall.
‘Detective!’ It was Greg. Julia stopped, lurking in the doorway. ‘What do you want with my sister?’
Greg was striding towards Hayley. Beth had followed him and was hanging back, next to Julia.
She leaned heavily against the doorframe and folded her arms on top of her enormous belly.
She must have been quite uncomfortable, so close to the delivery date, but she looked strong and glowing, and her eyes shone.
The two women unashamedly watched the situation unfold.
‘I need to ask her questions related to your father’s death.’
‘She’s already answered your questions.’
‘New information has come to light.’
‘What new information?’
The detective regarded him with a steady stare. He looked away first.
‘If you want to question Clara, she should have a lawyer present.’ Greg folded his arms, like a man who had made up his mind.
Clara came in, passing Julia. ‘It’s all right, Greg, I don’t need a lawyer. I’ll talk to the police. I’ve got nothing to hide. Would you like to talk in the office, or do you want me to come to the station, Detective?’ She certainly seemed quite calm.
‘The station would be best. And you are of course entitled to have your legal representation present.’
‘I’ll get my bag, if that’s all right?’ said Clara. Hayley nodded, and followed her out into the passage.
‘I’m phoning our lawyer,’ said Greg, and stomped after them.
Beth moved over to the chair by the front door and sat down heavily. ‘Goodness, that was dramatic, wasn’t it?’ she said.
‘It was rather a surprise,’ said Julia.
‘Weeeelllll…’ Beth looked at her teasingly, as if withholding a charming secret.
She didn’t withhold for long: ‘It’s not such a surprise to me.
Clara’s a bit of a dark horse, to be honest. She looks all sweetness and light, and you know the work she does, it’s all saving the world and so on. But she’s got her secrets.’
Julia didn’t like the mean edge to Beth’s revelation, but it struck her as holding some truth.
Clara did seem to have secrets. Julia was fairly sure that she hadn’t been in Malawi when she’d said she was, if at all.
Her great observation seemed to be that the lake was big and had lots of water.
This was hardly insider traveller info. And she knew nothing of the game parks, just a vague mention of gorillas, which Julia had already established were not found in Malawi.
Julia made to leave, but Beth was still talking, gabbling on excitedly. ‘You never can tell with people. Looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, doesn’t she? Certainly, she doesn’t seem like a person who would kill a man like that!’
Julia was about to end the conversation when she felt a slight stir of something in her belly. Something that felt like the beginning of an idea.
‘Like how?’ she asked Beth.
‘Beating a man to death with a poker! Her own father at that! And Ian. Standing over him and not caring. Just bringing down that poker hard on his head and watching him die. But there you have it. In fact, I’m not surprised.’
‘You’re not?’
‘No. I’ve never trusted her, or believed that goodie-goodie act. Luckily that lady detective can see through her. She looks like the sort that will do a thorough investigation, and when she does, that means Clara might go away for a good long time.’
Julia felt quite certain there was something odd about Beth’s response. It was almost as if she was pleased to see her sister-in-law taking a fall, and she seemed to take a strange joy in picturing the details of the murder. The stir in Julia’s belly got stronger.
‘I would think she’ll have to forfeit her half of the inheritance.’ Beth’s eyes glinted with glee… or greed? Yes, that’s what it was. ‘Surely you can’t just bludgeon your father to death with a poker and then get his money?’
Beth was taking absolute delight in this.
Her voice curled around the words, lovingly – death, bludgeon, poker.
Julia found herself thinking about how hysterical Beth had been when the colonel had died.
Like she was acting a part in a play, Julia remembered.
Something had been off about Beth then, and something was off about what she was saying now.
But what was it?
All of a sudden it came to Julia.
The poker.
Beth had mentioned the poker.
‘Justice works in mysterious ways, doesn’t it?’ Beth was saying, smugly. ‘She—’
Julia butted in. ‘How do you know that he was killed with a poker? That detail hasn’t been released to anyone.’
Beth stopped short. The blood drained from her face.
‘It’s… it’s a figure of speech. And, well, I mean, he was obviously bludgeoned with something.’
‘Yet you randomly chose the one instrument that he was, in fact, killed with,’ said Julia. ‘And your description of her standing over Ian. It was almost like you were there.’
There was a pause while Beth stared at Julia, a look of panic on her face. Then her eyes flicked over to the stand on the other side of the front door, where a collection of walking sticks, shooting sticks and other outdoorsy paraphernalia was kept.
‘Beth,’ Julia took a step towards her.
Beth was across the hall surprisingly rapidly for a woman nine months pregnant. She lunged for a stick, grabbing a heavy wooden one with a hard round metal knob at one end.
‘You should have been quiet,’ Beth said. ‘I’ve always thought you’re a bit full of yourself. You’ll pay for that now.’
‘Are you coming to finish your sandwich, Julia?’ Biddy’s voice drifted down the hall.
‘Beth, put that down,’ said Julia, ignoring Biddy, holding Beth’s gaze. ‘We can talk about this. I’m sure you’ve got a good explanation. Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be.’
Biddy’s voice came from the doorway just as Beth moved towards Julia and swung the knob down. Julia reeled back, and the heavy knob missed her head by inches. It made a sharp crack as it hit the wall.
‘Beth, stop—’
Beth took another swing at Julia, but this time was completely off the mark. Her actions were becoming more erratic.
‘What’s going on? I’ve made some fresh tea… Oh, good God, Beth!’ Biddy stood stock-still. ‘Beth, please, put that down!’
Beth didn’t even seem to have registered Biddy’s presence, so fixated was she on Julia.
She swung again. The hard knob of the stick missed Julia and hit a pot plant in a stand, smashing it to the ground.
‘I’ll tell them you did it. I’ll tell them you killed those men, that I confronted you and you attacked me. I’ll tell them…’
Julia caught Biddy’s eye. A look passed between them, and they both knew what to do.
‘Now!’ said Julia. The two older women stepped forward. Julia grabbed the stick and threw it aside, and she and Biddy took Beth by the shoulders, firmly but gently.
‘It’s okay, Beth, you’ll be all right,’ Julia said, as the pregnant woman crumpled into her arms.