Chapter Forty-Four #2
Edward said carefully, ‘I think your husband’s friends, the Hearsts, might have a connection to the pizza crash.
The Ukrainian who smashed into Toppings had a doctor called Hearts; he was down as a referee on the flat rental.
I thought Hearst was H.u.r.s.t. but then it came to me, Hearst and Hearts.
So that was my worry. You need to be careful with those twins from now on. ’
A strange look crossed Wendy’s face, as if she was going through a dozen possible replies in a fraction of a second. ‘Oh no. No. That makes no sense. I’m close to Hubert. He would have mentioned something so dramatic, surely? You’re sounding very excited, if I may say so.’
She’s ducking and diving, thought Edward. He would increase the pressure a little. ‘Did Hubert or Charlie ever mention Lev Malnyk to you?’
‘Shall we have a cup of tea before we talk? I’m parched.’
Kim was silent. She must have worked out that something was very wrong.
He knew the tone of the conversation would sound starchy to her, and not at all collaborative, as if he and Wrigley were touching swords but not yet fencing.
On another occasion Kim would have made herself part of the conversation, but not now.
He made three cups of tea in the kitchen as Wendy watched him like a hawk.
Finally Kim said, ‘Why did you tell me Wendy was at risk, Edward?’
‘Because of these Hearsts. If they’re connected to the motorbiker, then—’
‘Oh, this is so silly!’ Wendy exclaimed. ‘You’ve met the twins, you couldn’t find a more gentle pair if you tried! Shall I call them and get them to come around?’
‘That might not be a good idea,’ said Edward, feeling his pulse quicken. Please, no.
‘Oh, we must! If only for amusement. They are so kind; lovely friends to my husband since university and I feel certain that they will enjoy our little performance.’
The last word conveyed threat more than any other might. Before either of them could stop her, Wendy had put on her reading glasses and opened the contacts on her phone.
Kim and Edward stared at each other.
They heard Wendy’s side of the conversation only.
‘Ladram Bay.’ She gave the address. ‘The famous house that’s falling off the cliff.
Tonight. It’s the radio presenter. Talking about Toppings again …
’ The last word emphasized with a roll of the eyes, as if they were the last people in town still droning on about the pizza parlour crash.
Wendy laughed. ‘Yes. Yes, I think so … Yes. No. Just Edward and his delightful girlfriend, Kim.’ She hung up.
The three of them were silent.
Edward wished he could speak to Kim on her own, tell her the incredible level of danger he was feeling at this very moment under the veneer of this classy, tidy Devon lady, her searching gaze clear of any mascara or eyeshadow.
It occurred to him that the whole story she had told him about Dr Jonathan Wrigley ‘getting tired’, changing his diet, ‘being unable to do small tasks for patients like sewing’, slowing down, losing focus …
it had all been made up. All designed to lead Edward to the conclusion that a victim of murder had taken his own life.
Good God alive, did he look like the mug she must have thought he was? ‘Mr Temmis, I want you to investigate me.’
He was still struggling to understand the sequence of events.
Say one of the Hearsts had gone out with Jonathan and the crossbow, ostensibly to shoot rabbits, and turned the weapon on him.
But if he wanted to make it look like suicide, he would have left the crossbow at the scene, surely?
By removing the crossbow, the unknown Hearst had created a crime scene.
The lack of suspects had confused Devon Police utterly and led to an open verdict.
Something must have gone wrong. Something that meant they had to remove the weapon.
‘I need the loo if you don’t mind,’ said Wendy. ‘While we wait for the boys.’
‘Around the corner on the left,’ said Edward.
When she left the kitchen, she pulled the door to. It gave Edward the chance to lean over to Kim. ‘She’s got something to do with it, the Toppings crash.’
‘What?’ asked Kim, jaw dropping. ‘I saw she was behaving oddly; I didn’t want to say or do anything to show her I’d noticed.’
‘What do you mean, oddly?’
‘Hyper. Blinking a lot. When we arrived, she said she’d hide by the front door to make it a surprise for you. I think she just wanted to hear what you said if you didn’t know she was there.’
‘Bastard. I can’t explain yet.’ He lowered his voice even further. ‘Stevie’s upstairs but say nothing about that. Hopefully she can hear what’s going on.’
‘She might have fallen asleep. Where’s your hearing aid gone?’
‘Pardon?’
‘Don’t bloody joke with me at this moment.’
‘I’m not, I genuinely didn’t hear you.’
The loo flushed. ‘I said – oh, never mind.’ The kitchen door opened.
It was a different Wendy who stood in front of them.
Her eyes blazed. The perception of increased height – her standing, the two of them sitting at the kitchen table – gave her presence added authority.
She was the teacher. They were at her school. They would listen.
‘Kim, could you come here for a moment? I want you to come here so I can show you something.’
Kim hesitated, but at an almost imperceptible nod from Edward, did as she was summoned to. What danger could there be with two against one? She was several inches taller than Wendy Wrigley, who now moved to her left, easing herself between Kim and the kitchen counter.
‘What’s going on?’ asked Edward.
‘Edward, dear, do you remember us meeting on the day of that Harpford Hall event, with everyone misunderstanding what you were saying because you had no voice? I thought, “Here he is. I’ve found my simpleton.” But I think I misunderstood you too.’
She squeezed a hand into her skirt pocket, withdrew a key and threw it on the table.
‘Take this, you’ll need it in a minute.’
‘What is it?’ asked Edward.
Kim stood stock still. ‘What is this about? Edward’s trying to help you. We’re trying to help you.’
‘You know,’ said Wendy, ‘I might have believed that until I took the merest snoop into your lounge, and saw your computer. Tut-tut, Mr Temmis. Someone’s not very good with their screen discipline, are they?’
‘Edward?’ Kim asked.
Wrigley rootled around in her handbag for a second. In a flash she had nail scissors against Kim’s throat.
The sharp ends were pushing into the skin, and a drop of scarlet appeared where the vein was already punctured.
‘Kim!’ Edward shouted.
Wendy started to speak very quickly. ‘I don’t know how you got those police photos, Mr Radio Show, but I know you’re in deep with that policeman, and I can see exactly what you’ve been looking at.
No hole, right? That’s me judged. Judge and jury you are, worse than all the sodding seaside chavs in this stinking town. ’
Kim screamed as the scissors went further in.
‘If you want to save your little lady here,’ Wrigley began, ‘you’ll take this key now, now, and lock yourself in the toilet I’ve just been in.
You won’t get out of the window, either, because you’d need to be a midget and the lock is rusted shut.
So, lock yourself in and push the key under the door. ’
She jabbed the nail scissors further into Kim’s neck. Now blood was running down her throat. Kim yelped again. Edward stood. He had to pass Wendy and Kim on his way out of the kitchen – could he take Wrigley? He bet he could. He was more than a foot taller and at least five stone heavier.
But as he weighed up the possibility, Wendy said: ‘In the words of Clint Eastwood, before you decide to rush me, honey, ask yourself if you feel lucky. Well do ya? Because if you aren’t, your sexy lover here will go to the floor with these scissors deep inside her jugular.
And she will bleed out while the ambulance tries to find your ruin of a house in the dark. So think about it.’
At which Kim cried, ‘Noooooo … no, Edward, don’t try anything, please.’
So he did not. He shot Wendy Wrigley a baleful stare and picked the key off the table, scraping it into the wood as he did.
She said: ‘And your mobile, please.’
He pulled his new smartphone out of his trousers and dropped it on the table. As he left the kitchen, hearing Kim’s whimpering, Wendy shouted: ‘Now! Don’t delay! Lock that door!’
He saw Stevie’s mobile on the window ledge by the front door. Oh please, he begged, no one call it. He shut himself in the loo. Could he just pretend to lock it? Too obvious. He turned the key and sealed himself in.
Then he did what he was told. Pushed the key back under the door.