Chapter 14
I decided to phone my daughter when I got back to my room. Alice answered after only a couple of rings.
‘Mum!’
She always did that, sounded surprised when I phoned her even though I made sure never to leave it too long between calls and my name was in Alice’s phonebook and clearly displayed on the screen. I smiled at that small familiarity. After a few odd days in a house full of strangers, my daughter’s voice was welcome.
‘Hello, love, how are you? How are the girls?’
‘All good, although we’ve had a dose of head lice, which is disgusting and very inconvenient. Dad was trying to get hold of you. Have you spoken to him?’
Alice was Douglas’s favourite, a daddy’s girl. They adored each other, which did make them blind to each other’s failings and a bit dismissive of me, but I was very close to Chris, so it all worked out. Every family had its dynamics and that was ours.
‘He left me a message to see where I was. I haven’t got back to him yet, though.’
‘Bit mean. Are you punishing him? Because I think he’s reaching out to you.’
‘I’m not punishing him – I just haven’t had the chance. I’m working this week, in Norfolk, like I told you.’
‘It’s not really work, though, is it. Being a friend to an old lady – sounds like fun to me.’
‘You might be surprised.’ I laughed. ‘Would you like to meet for lunch next week when this job is up?’
It sounded odd to me, the thought that this was a job that had a finite point. I was so involved with the situation and the family now that I couldn’t see the end. Whatever the outcome, though, it would be over on Sunday.
‘Come to the house or meet somewhere out?’
‘Can I let you know? I’m not sure if I’m going back to the house to be honest.’
‘What do you mean you’re not going back? Where are you going?’
‘I’ll look to rent somewhere and I’ve got my eye on other companion jobs.’
This wasn’t actually true at the moment, but I did have it in the back of my head. Also, I did wonder about the possibility of a permanent position with Dorothy. The wanted ad had hinted there was a chance, but I was getting mixed messages from both Dorothy and her family. Dorothy didn’t feel she needed help, but at least Lavinia and Miles did.
‘Will you bring the girls with you? I’d love to see them.’
‘I’ll leave them with Jim. He’s working from home at the moment. We can have a proper chat if I come on my own.’
‘A proper chat – that sounds ominous. Is everything okay?’
‘Everything’s fine with me; it’s you I’m worried about. We can talk about what you plan to do. You obviously need some help organising your life, Mum. I mean, you won’t look after old people forever. Frankly it’s a bit weird starting work at your age.’
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.
‘Well, I look forward to seeing you next week then. I’ll call you on Monday and we can arrange when and where.’
‘Bye, Mum,’ Alice said, and then she hung up.
How was it that my daughter always managed to turn our roles around? Alice had been trying to mother me since she was a teenager. I mentioned it to Chris once, but he’d rolled his eyes at me.
‘Alice doesn’t mother you, she smothers you,’ he’d said.
I met Dorothy and Juliet at five-thirty in the folly, as we’d planned. Juliet looked wired and I realised I was going to have to damp down her emotion and underplay what was needed.
‘So, what’s the plan then?’ Juliet asked, her eyes alight.
‘Firstly, can you be cool? This won’t work if you’re going to look excited all the time.’
Juliet gave me a long hard stare.
‘Have you met me? I’m a teenager. I can do cool, aloof, pissed off and bored as hell. Pick which one you want.’
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Fair enough.’
‘But you do have a plan?’ she asked.
‘Your grandmother would like us to find a painting she feels may be hidden in this house.’
‘The painting the thief stole from Grandpa, you mean, the ugly little one of the sea.’
‘I wouldn’t call it ugly; it’s quite a pretty watercolour.’
‘And you should know, being an expert.’
‘That’s another thing that won’t get mentioned,’ I said, expecting Juliet to question this.
‘Noted,’ was actually her quick reply. ‘So you are acknowledging that you think Leonard stole the painting?’
‘We can’t know for sure, and it wasn’t actually him in Dorothy’s house that night,’ I said.
‘I couldn’t have been,’ Dorothy said. ‘I’d know his overpowering aftershave anywhere.’
Juliet giggled and I smiled, thankful to Dorothy for lightening the moment.
‘We were wondering if you could accompany me when I search. It gives me more of an excuse to be wandering around the house,’ I said.
‘But, it doesn’t really. I’m not Leonard’s family, but I am a teenager and a nosy one, so me wandering around the house and poking about wouldn’t really be a problem.’
‘It would be a problem for me, though,’ Dorothy said. ‘We don’t really know what Leonard’s state of mind is.’
‘Freakish and weird, I’d say.’
‘He is certainly an oddity, but let’s keep on topic. We have only a few days to find the painting and if you know any hiding places in this house that you’ve already stumbled across then please let us know,’ I said.
‘But this house is huge, and you’re talking about a small painting that could be anywhere. It could be in a box, down the back of a sofa, stuffed up a chimney.’
I couldn’t disagree with Juliet’s logic, but Dorothy had other ideas.
‘I think he’s the sort of man who would have it hanging somewhere, but not obviously so. It was much coveted by him and I doubt he’d box it up somewhere. Where’s the victory in that?’
‘So maybe a sliding bookcase, or a hidden panel?’ Juliet suggested.
‘Quite possibly,’ Dorothy said.
‘I’ve only had a cursory look in the main rooms so far, and haven’t come up with much, but I do want a closer look at that mirror in the hallway. The main and most important thing is that we don’t alert Leonard to what we are doing. If he finds out it will all be over, because he will move the painting and then it probably will be put in a box or stuffed down the back of a sofa, never to see the light of day again,’ I said.
‘Okay, leave it with me and I’ll have a think about it. I’ll have a plan,’ Juliet said.
I was aware that neither Dorothy nor I had actually asked Juliet to come up with a plan, but I hadn’t had any success so far. Could it really hurt to have another pair of eyes looking, another brain thinking? Juliet was young and might well have ideas that Dorothy and I wouldn’t.
Juliet looked excited again, but after a pointed look from me she began to scowl. I shook my head, uneasy about this unwanted alliance, but knowing we had no choice.
‘Best we go and join the group,’ Dorothy said, looking at her watch.
The patio was decorated with colourful paper lanterns in red, white and blue, all lit and gently moving in the evening breeze. There were ice buckets stuffed with bottles of beer and wine dotted around the edges of the table and in the middle was a huge basket of bread and bowls of salad prepared in Harry’s professional style. The tablecloth was a giant American flag.
‘God, save me,’ Dorothy said. ‘Does he have to have a theme for everything?’
Leonard was standing at a barbecue, wearing jeans with turn-ups and a checked red and white shirt. He had a Stetson on his head and looked ridiculous. He had a walking stick in one hand – an easy reminder of his riding accident – and in the other a giant pair of barbecue tongs, the sort that always made me laugh. Someone had bought Douglas a pair as a present for Christmas one year. The packaging had been robust with a picture of a bearded, muscled man on the front – very much not the look of Douglas who was more clean-cut and lean. The same year, the same friend had gifted me some dainty clippers for gardening. The reality was that I always used a bigger pair that could more easily cut the bushes and Douglas used a smaller pair of kitchen tongs for the barbecue because he found the others too big and difficult to wield. Leonard seemed to be struggling with his and was pushing large chunks of expensive-looking meat around the grill. Despite myself, my mouth began to water.
Country and western music was coming at us on the breeze from Leonard’s hidden speakers. He was good at hiding things, I thought.
Caroline walked out from the house then. She looked pretty in a blue summer dress with white daisies printed on the fabric. Her hair was pushed up into a messy bun that looked, to me, a quick and simple thing to do, but had probably taken ages and she pulled down the sunglasses that she had balanced on top of her head onto her face. She went over, stood next to Leonard and slipped her arm around his waist. It was a sweet and affectionate thing to do and it made me more convinced that Caroline couldn’t possibly know what Dorothy had accused her uncle of.
‘At least no one can charge you with the crime of stereotyping, Uncle Leonard,’ she said, laughing, and he rested his chin for a moment on the top of her head and closed his eyes. The moment passed and he went back to moving the meat around, then the rest of the party appeared from inside the house. They made a beeline for the table and began to pour drinks and pick up handfuls of crips and nuts. Everyone was full of their day in the saddle, discussing who was the best rider and how well Juliet had handled Lawnmower. Lavinia appeared from the middle of the group and moved in my direction bringing an air of expensive scent with her.
‘How’s Dot doing?’ she asked. ‘She seems a little edgy. Is she okay?’
Dorothy had gone to sit in the shade and I was about to get her a glass of wine.
‘Fine, she’s fine,’ I said. ‘I don’t think she’s edgy.’
‘And she’s not showing any signs of confusion?’
‘No, none at all,’ I said, feeling uncomfortable.
I looked over at Dorothy and it suddenly occurred to me that I’d put myself in a vulnerable position. I didn’t know Dorothy well at all. Perhaps she was actually showing the early signs of dementia and this whole thing with Leonard was in her mind. Should I just tell Lavinia and Miles and hand the whole thing over to them? I could be home by tomorrow lunchtime.
‘She’s had a difficult year after Philip, so maybe I’m looking for problems that aren’t there. Just ignore me – you’re doing a great job, Gina. Thank you.’
I didn’t really know how to respond so I just smiled as Lavinia walked away. I noticed that Miles was sitting with his mother, so I took my time getting her a drink.
‘I can’t wait to get hunting.’
Juliet had suddenly appeared at my side, making me jump. She had a half-eaten burger in her hands and a blob of ketchup on her chin.
‘You need to just…’ I motioned towards her face and handed her a napkin.
‘Leonard might be a master criminal, but he makes a mean barbecue,’ Juliet said, wiping the mess from her chin.
‘Keep your voice down please!’ I hissed. ‘Look, can we just have this evening without talking about it. We can get on with it tomorrow.’
‘You’re the boss,’ Juliet said and turned and walked back to her parents.
I got Dorothy a glass of wine and myself a fizzy water, then I made my way over and sat in the seat Miles had just vacated. He was handsome, Dorothy’s son. Movie-star handsome with very styled hair and a strong jaw. Unapproachably handsome, which was why I had yet to share more than a couple of words with him. He wore smart trousers and a shirt all the time, even for horse riding this morning, and hadn’t dressed down for Leonard’s barbecue in shorts like most of the others. I wondered what he would think about this painting hunt and why I hadn’t told him and his sister. I swallowed a lump of concern about how this week might end and handed Dorothy her drink.
The evening was successful in the end. Juliet went back to acting as her usual sulky self and didn’t at all give the game away apart from the occasional conspiratorial look in my direction, which just made me want to gnash my teeth. The food was as perfect as ever and I realised that I had a new soft spot for key lime pie, something I had never eaten before. It didn’t go on too late as the thought of the day of quad biking loomed large in all of our minds. I really wasn’t sure I could drive a quad bike and whether I should even try at my age. The thought of it made me queasy and the idea of nearly-ninety-year-old Dorothy on the back made me feel even worse. Surely Leonard didn’t really expect us both to participate.
Leonard was on top form during the evening, despite his knee, and even his faux American accent didn’t seem to bother anybody, well, anybody other than Dorothy and to be honest it was irking me a bit too.
I got into bed at just after ten-thirty, opened the book I’d bought with me and rested my head back on my pillows. I’d decided to dip back into some Agatha Christie recently and thought that as I was staying in an old country house it would be fun to read about a murder mystery in one. But, as I opened it to where I’d left my bookmark and continued to read And Then There Were None, I realised that what was happening in the house I was staying in wasn’t an invented story from the golden age of crime fiction, but a real-life case of theft and deceit, of death and devastation. I closed the book, not really having the stomach for it, and replaced it on my bedside cabinet, then I got back out of bed and wedged the back of a chair under the door handle. Once in bed again I turned out the light and tried to get to sleep.
Outside, the peacock screeched into the night.