Chapter 9
The afternoon was glorious and I almost forgot what I was there to do – almost. The family were all very welcoming and I fell into step with Caroline as we set off for the walk around the lake.
We’d left through the main entrance and down the gravel drive before Leonard instructed us to go left and through an archway cut into the yew hedge. We were out onto a path that I noticed led down to the church, but we kept to the left and were into a copse of trees.
‘Important to take this path,’ Leonard boomed from the front. ‘If you leave from the other side of the house and through the gardens you end up at the ha-ha.’
Of course I knew exactly what this was, but decided to play up my stupid persona.
‘What’s that, Leonard?’ I asked and his face lit up. He was delighted to be able to explain. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and turned to him, all ears.
‘Well,’ he began. ‘It’s a type of sunken fence commonly used in landscaped gardens and parks in the eighteenth century.’
‘But what does it do?’ This came from Caroline and I kept my mouth firmly clammed shut.
‘The point of the ha-ha is to give the viewer of the garden the illusion of a continuous rolling lawn, whilst providing boundaries for livestock,’ Leonard said.
‘Such a silly name though,’ Caroline said. ‘Why is it called that, Uncle Len?’
‘Um, because it sounds funny and unexpected,’ he said, suddenly flustered. ‘Right, everyone head round to the left and you’ll see some fine examples of the wonderful English oak,’ Leonard blustered and then began striding forward.
Caroline looked round at me and shrugged.
‘You dig a deep, dry ditch, the inner side of which would be built up to the level of the surrounding turf with either a dry-stone or a brick wall. The other side was designed to slope steeply upwards before levelling out to turf again. It was originally a feature of French formal gardens in the eighteenth century. Goodness I’ve forgotten the name of the chap who first wrote about it, but the idea was that the name derived from the optical illusion created on the viewers of the garden from a distance. They would come closer and be hugely surprised and cry “Ah! Ah!”’
I had pretty much whispered this to Caroline, but I realised my mistake when she snorted out a bark of laughter. Dorothy had expressly asked me to make sure everyone saw me as a companion only. She also asked me to chat to the family and draw out anything relevant. I was going to be walking a thin line.
‘I think I remember reading that in a National Trust leaflet,’ I added quickly.
‘I wonder,’ Caroline said, lowering her own voice, ‘if Uncle Leonard always knows what he’s talking about.’
There was no annoyance in her tone and, actually, she spoke with a lot of affection.
‘Are you close to your uncle?’ I asked, capitalising on the moment.
Caroline looked surprised by the question, but then seemed to contemplate her response.
‘Uncle Len is a sweetheart,’ she said simply. ‘He’s so generous to have let us use his house for the week. Not many people can brag about being married in such a beautiful setting. The reception is going to be in the orangery. Have you seen it?’
‘No, I haven’t.’
‘It’s got the most gorgeous lemon trees and vines. Some of the trees will have to be taken outside to fit in all of the tables, but it will still look lovely. I’ve got the florist to entwine her displays of cream lilies and pale-yellow roses all over the place. There’s going to be low-hung chandeliers above each table and the linen is all in crisp lemon to complement the trees. I can’t wait!’
‘It all sounds wonderful, and you’re right, your uncle is indeed a very generous man.’
‘Well, I think sometimes he can be a bit ruthless,’ Caroline continued.
‘Oh? How so?’ I asked as casually as I could, although my fists clenched in anticipation.
‘Well, the thing is,’ Caroline said, lowering her voice, ‘I heard a rumour about him.’
I glanced up to see how far Leonard was ahead of us. He was at a substantial distance and it was unlikely he’d be able to hear us. Caroline must have thought the same because she slowed her pace before she continued.
‘He had a cook who worked for him for years, I mean, like many years. And then, just over a year ago there was some nonsense about her stealing from him. She was a really nice woman and had known Uncle Leonard and our family really well. The thought of her taking anything from him was abhorrent, but Uncle Len decided she had to go, and so she did and then Harry turned up pretty quickly after that. I suppose you can’t have dishonest staff working for you, but it did seem very unlikely and as I say a bit ruthless somehow. I wondered if he made it up so he could get rid of her and he’s so friendly with Harry that I guess he just wanted to give him the job.’
A heron stood in the middle of the lake surveying its surroundings. I thought it might be a statue for a moment as we walked closer, but then it turned its head, fixed its black eye on us and took flight, its huge wingspan clear as it glided over our heads. I digested what Caroline had said. I was building a picture about the man and didn’t like what I was seeing. Caroline, of course, had no idea of the bigger picture and could be forgiven for misunderstanding, but my impression was coalescing into a dark image.
There was little shade on the left-hand side of the lake and we walked into the sun as we headed back to the house. I pulled the brim of my hat a little lower, although it was mostly just making my head hot. Rufus was ahead of me and as Caroline had caught up with Juliet and linked arms with her I decided to see what I could gather from a conversation with him if he was willing. His slim shoulders were hunched over and his hands were pushed down low in the pockets of his black shorts. His demeanour wasn’t unlike Juliet’s, in a sulky teenager way, even though Rufus looked to be in his twenties. He bore an uncanny resemblance to his uncle Leonard with his black hair, but I assumed it was his own and not from the same bottle.
‘Hi there,’ I said as I drew level with him.
‘Hello,’ he said. ‘You’re Dot’s friend, aren’t you?’
‘Yes, just here to give her a helping hand.’
‘That’s nice. She looks capable, but I suppose she’s elderly and could do with someone to lean on.’
He said this with a tilted, sad smile and I assumed he was referring to the loss of her husband rather than her faculties.
‘Did you ever meet her husband, Philip?’ I asked.
‘Only once, at the engagement party,’ Rufus said, quickly. ‘He seemed to be a nice man, very sad what happened to him. It was a terrible accident apparently.’
‘I’m not aware of the particulars,’ I lied.
‘Oh, he had a fall outside his home and hit his head.’
‘That is very sad,’ I said, wondering why he didn’t mention the burglary, but then this was supposed to be a special occasion and perhaps not the time to be dragging up unpleasant things. I decided to change the subject and get to safer territory. ‘Doesn’t the house look glorious from this position by the lake? I think I’d have a bench right here to admire the aspect if it were mine.’
Rufus laughed, but it was a dark sound, as if there was something hiding behind that smile.
‘Uncle Leonard is a very lucky man for sure. Whatever is going on he always seems to land on his feet. Not sure that others are so lucky, though. Excuse me,’ he said as he picked up his pace and then walked away.
When we got back to the house everyone disappeared off for lunch, but I took a croissant from a plate on the counter, a chunk of cheese from the fridge in the kitchen and decided to do a little research in the safety of my room. I couldn’t just go around asking questions; I needed to look at the crime itself.
It didn’t take much of a search on my phone before I found the news article about the robbery, dated a year ago.
An elderly man succumbed to his injuries last night, following an incident at his home over a week ago.
Philip Reed of Hampton Court Road, Hampton, was chasing an intruder from his riverside house when he fell down his front steps and suffered hip and head injuries. The 89-year-old pensioner was being treated at The Royal Free Hospital where he arrived in a coma and never regained consciousness. His widow, 88-year-old Dorothy Reed, is said to be being looked after by family members after what she described as the most devastating day of her life.
Detective Inspector Collinson of the Met Police has issued a statement saying that they are looking for a person of slight build and average height who used the victim’s phone to call for an ambulance. They have been looking at CCTV footage from the neighbouring houses and the area, and are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward.
There was a link to a Facebook post where Miles had appealed on behalf of the family for everyone to keep an eye out for the stolen items. And there was a picture of the painting along with snapshots of the other things that had been taken. Dorothy was right; they were just inexpensive trinkets, perhaps taken to disguise the fact that the painting was what the thief was really after, as she had suggested.
I sat and looked at the painting for a moment, scrutinising the strokes of paint across the canvas and trying to understand the motivation for its theft. At best it was a pretty little watercolour of a coastal scene. It was fairly accomplished, but nothing particularly special. It would be a top raffle prize rather than a coveted piece of art. Perfectly nice to hang on the wall, especially if you had won it in a competition. What a terrible outcome for a mediocre piece of artwork, I thought.
So, this was the picture I had to find, but I knew it wasn’t about the painting itself; it was all about proving Leonard to be at the heart of it. I went back to the Facebook post and screenshot a picture of the missing artwork.
I was about to search for the original competition where Philip had won the painting when I could hear muffled voices outside on the landing. I got up off the bed and opened the door, but the voices had gone and only Juliet was there, walking past, her phone in her hand.
‘Hi,’ I said to her and she turned around. ‘Is lunch finished now?’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Leonard said that we all have to meet at the entrance to the maze at four-thirty for some lame treasure hunt.’
‘You don’t fancy a treasure hunt? What would you rather be doing?’
‘Be with my mates. I was allowed to bring one friend here, but obviously they’re all on holiday somewhere brilliant, not waiting around for an invite to a boring wedding.’ Juliet suddenly let out a big yawn and tried to disguise it with the back of her hand, her phone still clutched tightly in her grip. It looked as if she had something flashing across the screen, but I couldn’t make out what it was before she took her hand away and plunged the device into her pocket.
‘Dorothy said there’s going to be horse riding tomorrow, and quad biking the day after. Is that something you’d like to do?’ I asked her.
‘Spose,’ she said, sulkily. ‘So, four-thirty at the maze, yeah?’
‘Oh, me too?’
‘If you can get out of it then do. I won’t tell them I’ve told you.’
I smiled at the girl. ‘I’ll come, but thanks. If I can get you out of something later in the week I will, okay?’
‘Okay,’ she said and there was the merest hint of a smile on her lips.
I turned back to my room as Juliet walked away, but the sound of voices was unmistakable again. Perhaps she was watching something on her phone. I closed my door and opened my wardrobe to find an outfit suitable to wear for a game in a maze.
I found Dorothy in the music room, sitting on a sofa by the open doorway with a book in her hands. She glanced up when I walked in and smiled.
‘Ready to get lost in Leonard’s maze?’ she asked me.
‘I feel like I already am,’ I replied, in a whisper, looking about for the man in question.
‘Don’t worry – he’s already down there, preparing, apparently. Have you managed to find anything out yet?’
‘Only that he’s not a very likeable person, but don’t be downcast,’ I said, sitting down next to her. ‘I do feel that there’s something going on with him and I will do my best to find out what that might be.’
I didn’t want to start repeating what Caroline had told me until I could see it was relevant. And also it sounded very much like Rufus had some dirt on Leonard that he wasn’t prepared to divulge. It wouldn’t be right to start speculating; this was Dorothy’s extended family after all, and I needed to tread quickly, but carefully.
‘I have decided that I will look for the painting, but only while I feel comfortable about it. If I think I’m in any danger, I will stop.’
‘Of course, but you won’t be in any danger,’ she said, smiling and going back on everything she’d said previously. She’d definitely used the words unhinged and dangerous yesterday. ‘I have every faith in you.’
‘Shall we take a slow walk down to the maze? I assume you’re up for the challenge,’ I asked, and Dorothy rolled her eyes.
‘After this wedding is over and whether the painting is found or not, I will never set foot in this house again, so I may as well take a look at that loathsome man’s maze.’
I laughed and took her arm and then we walked out onto the patio and slowly down towards the garden.
The maze was behind the orangery on the other side of the house to the walk that I had taken earlier and Dorothy wanted to stop and see where the wedding breakfast was going to be held. It was a white-painted building with huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Some of the citrus trees that would normally be grown inside had been removed and now lined the outside of the building, the lemons and limes looking luscious in the sunshine, just as Caroline had envisaged. The place was a hive of activity, with a team of people lifting tables and chairs out from the back of a truck and carrying them inside the vast space. The ceilings were high and I noticed, as I poked my head around the door frame, that the back wall hosted a number of trailing passionflowers in full bloom – a riot of white and pink and lilac.
The chandeliers that Caroline had talked about were in position and the florist, whom I had encountered in the house earlier, was walking around with a book and taking notes.
‘It’s going to be lovely,’ I said.
‘It is a reminder of why we’re really here,’ Dorothy replied with a grim smile. ‘Not that I will let my grandson’s wedding distract me from the other matter in hand. They will be married, it will be lovely and we will be victorious.’
Dorothy stepped back outside and I followed her, wondering how she could be so confident. Then I remembered that all that confidence hinged on my own performance and my stomach rolled at the thought. I had told Dorothy that I would do my best, but I realised I hadn’t had that conversation with myself.
We met the others at the entrance to the maze and Leonard was already holding court. He was wearing a costume that I assumed was supposed to be the white rabbit from the book Alice in Wonderland. He had an odd combination of maroon trousers and a white waistcoat. His top hat had rabbit ears sticking out from either side and he had an oversized pocket watch in his hand.
‘Come along, you’re late,’ he said, tapping the watch with a smug smile.
I noticed there was a fake rose tree next to him with bright red plastic roses stuck into the foliage. He was clearly setting a scene, but with his own very beautiful rose garden in view over to the right, it did rather fall short.
He began explaining that there was a list of riddles and that not only would we have to work out the answers we would also have to navigate the maze itself, but that the answers would show us the way to the middle and the winners would find a prize there – namely dinner.
A couple of the group were looking restless and Juliet rolled her eyes.
‘Dinner is the treasure?’ she said in a scathing voice. ‘Hardly worth the bother.’
‘If you would like to fend for yourself and cook your own meal, then I will congratulate you on your resourcefulness, Juliet,’ Leonard said and even I had to smile at that.
Caroline and Toby rallied, then, and encouraged the others out of their afternoon slump.
‘God, it’s only the first day. I’ll be dead by the end of the week at this rate,’ Miles said to Lavinia, and she gave him a playful but warning slap on his arm.
‘Not the man we want dead,’ Dorothy breathed, and I looked up to see if anyone had heard. Luckily the group had all surged forward for the first clue.
‘Dorothy, you cannot give yourself away,’ I whispered and she gave me a grudging nod of acknowledgement. ‘Do you want to go in the maze?’ I asked more loudly.
‘Just for a slow wander maybe. I don’t really fancy worrying about those clues. We can just have a chat as we go, if you like.’
I quite liked the idea of going back to the house and curling up in an armchair with a book, and wondered if I wasn’t cut out for being a companion, certainly not one that required a particular set of skills.
‘That sounds perfect,’ I said, anyway, and we followed the others.
‘Not clueing, ladies?’ asked Leonard as we attempted to walk past him without taking the outstretched piece of card with the first clue.
‘We were just going to have a wander, if that’s okay,’ Dorothy said. ‘I’m feeling a bit tired to be honest, but don’t want to be a complete party pooper.’
‘No problem at all. Have a wander, enjoy the sunshine, and don’t forget your hat,’ he said, looking directly at me. ‘Perhaps you’d like to have a go at solving the first clue, at least.’
He handed the card to me and I took it reluctantly.
‘I’ll give it a try, but I’m not great at puzzles,’ I said.
‘Well, I don’t believe that for a moment,’ he said, with a sinister smile.
We left Leonard at the entrance and disappeared into the bowels of the maze.