A Suitable Vengeance (27 page)

“May I have a word?” He didn’t wait for a response. Rather, he opened the door, popped his head inside, and said nothing until he fixed upon Lynley. “May I have a word with you?”

“A word?” Lynley demanded incredulously, wondering what on earth Brooke could possibly want. “What the devil—”

“It’s important,” Brooke said. He looked earnestly to the others as if for support and found it in the least likely quarter. Lady Helen spoke.

“I’ll take Nancy back to the lodge, Tommy. It doesn’t make sense to keep her here. She’ll need to see to the baby, I’m sure.”

Lynley waited until both women were gone before he spoke to Brooke who took a balloon-backed chair unbidden, straddled it backwards, and folded his arms along its top rail. Lynley leaned against his mother’s desk. St. James stood by the fireplace.

“What is it that you wanted?” Lynley said to Brooke. He was impatient with the interruption and too preoccupied to care much about hiding it.

“It’s a private matter, concerning your family.” Brooke canted his head towards St. James, an indication of his desire that this conference be held out of the other man’s presence. St. James made a move to go.

“No, it’s fine,” Lynley said to him, finding himself perversely unwilling to allow Brooke the degree of control that would be implied by St. James’ departure. There was something about the man that he didn’t like: an ease of manner contravened by a flicker of malice in his expression.

Brooke reached for the decanter of whisky and Nancy’s glass that were standing on a circular table next to his chair. He poured himself some, saying, “Very well then. I could use a drink. You?” He held the decanter first to Lynley, then to St. James. There were no other glasses in the room, so the invitation was meaningless, as Brooke no doubt knew. He drank appreciatively, said, “Good stuff,” and poured himself more. “Word came back to the drawing room fast enough that Penellin’s been arrested. But Penellin couldn’t have killed this Mick Cambrey.”

It was certainly not the sort of pronouncement which Lynley had been expecting. “If you know something about this affair, you need to tell the police. It’s only indirectly my concern.”

Brooke said, “It’s more direct than you think.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your brother.”

The clink of decanter upon glass seemed unnaturally grating and loud, as Brooke took more whisky. Lynley refused to think the patently unthinkable, or to draw the conclusion for which those two simple words asked.

“People in the drawing room just now were saying Penellin had an argument with Cambrey before his death. That was the main cause for suspicion, they said. Someone had heard about it in the village today.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with my brother.”

“Everything, I’m afraid. Mick Cambrey didn’t have an argument with Penellin. Or if he did, it didn’t compare with the row he had with Peter.”

Lynley stared at the man. He felt a sudden urge to throw him from the room and recognised how closely the desire was tied to an incipient dread and to the unwanted realisation that somehow this piece of information was not a surprise to him.

“What are you talking about? How do you know?”

“I was with him,” Brooke replied. “And it was after Penellin. Cambrey said that much.”

Lynley reached for a chair. “The story, please,” he said with marked courtesy.

“Right.” Brooke nodded his approval. “Sid and I had a bit of a blowup yesterday. She didn’t much want to see me last night. So I went into the village. With Peter.”

“Why?”

“For something to do, mainly. Peter was low on cash and he wanted to borrow some. He said he knew a bloke who’d be dealing with money that night, so we went to see him. It was Cambrey.”

Lynley’s eyes narrowed. “What did he need money for?”

Brooke tossed a look in St. James’ direction before he replied, as if he expected a reaction from that quarter. “He wanted some coke.”

“And he took you with him? Wasn’t that rather shortsighted?”

“It was safe enough. Peter knew he could trust me.” Brooke seemed to feel a more direct revelation was in order. “Look, I’d a stash with me yesterday, and I’d given him some. It was gone. We wanted more. But I didn’t have any more money than he did, so we were on the look for it. We wanted to get high.”

“I see. You’ve managed to get to know my brother with remarkable ease this weekend.”

“People get to know others when their interests are the same.”

“Quite. Yes.” Lynley ignored the need to clench his fist, to strike. “Did Mick lend him money?”

“He wouldn’t hear of it. That’s what started the row. Peter could see it—I could see it—right there on his desk in six or ten stacks. But he wouldn’t part with as much as two quid.”

“What happened then?”

Brooke grimaced. “Hell, I didn’t even know this bloke. When Mick and Peter started in, I just left the place. I would have liked the dope, yes. But I didn’t want to get into a brawl.”

“What did you do when you left?”

“Wandered round a bit till I found the pub. Had a drink and hitched a ride back later.”

“Hitched a ride? With whom?”

“Farmer and his wife.” Brooke grinned and added unnecessarily, “By the smell of them. Dairy, I’d guess.”

“And Peter?”

“I left him arguing with Cambrey.”

“Where was Sasha all this time?”

“Here. She and Peter’d gone round about a promise he’d made in London to get her some dope on his own. I think she was waiting for him to make good.”

“What time did you leave the cottage?” St. James asked. His expression was stony.

Brooke looked at the room’s white cornice, fixated upon its egg and dart pattern. Thinking, remembering, or playing at both. “It was ten when I got to the pub. I remember that. I checked the time.”

“And did you see Peter again that night?”

“Didn’t see him until this evening.” Again, Brooke grinned. This time it was a just-between-us-boys sort of look, one that claimed camaraderie and understanding. “I came back here, made it up with Sid, and spent the night occupied in her room. Fairly well occupied, as a matter of fact. Sid’s that way.” He pushed himself to his feet and concluded by saying, “I thought it best to tell you about your brother, rather than the police. It seemed to me that you’d know what to do. But if you think I should ring them…”

He let the statement slide. All of them knew it was meaningless. Nodding at them both, he left the room.

When the door closed behind him, Lynley felt in his pocket for his cigarette case. Once it was in his grasp, however, he looked at it curiously, saw how it winked in the light, and wondered how it had come to find its way into his hand. He didn’t want to smoke.

“What shall…” The two words emerged hoarsely. He tried again. “What shall I do, St. James?”

“Talk to Boscowan. What else can you do?”

“He’s my brother. Would you have me play Cain?”

“Shall I do it for you, then?”

At that, Lynley looked at his friend. He saw how implacable St. James’ features had become. He knew that there was no reasonable alternative. He saw that even as he searched for one.

“Give me till the morning,” he said.

CHAPTER

14

D
eborah checked the room in a cursory fashion to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She locked her suitcase and pulled it from the bed, deciding, as she did so, that it was just as well they were leaving Cornwall. The weather had changed during the night, and yesterday’s dazzling cobalt sky was the colour of slate this morning. Sharp gusts of wind coughed intermittently against the windows, and from one which she had left partially open came the unmistakable smell of rain-laden air. However, other than the occasional rattling of windowpanes and the creak of the heavy branches of a beech tree a short distance from the house, the morning brought no additional sounds, for instinctively recognising the approach of a storm, the clamorous gulls and cormorants had vanished, seeking shelter inland.

“Miss?”

At the doorway stood one of the Howenstow maids, a young woman with a cloud of dark hair that quite overwhelmed a triangular face. Her name was Caroline, Deborah recalled, and like the other daily help in the house, she wore no uniform, merely a navy skirt, white blouse, and flat-heeled shoes. She was snug and neat looking, and she carried a tray which she used to gesture as she spoke.

“His lordship thought you’d want something before you leave for the train,” Caroline said, taking the food to a small tripod table that stood near the fireplace. “He says you’ve just thirty minutes.”

“Does Lady Helen know that? Is she up?”

“Up, dressing, and having her breakfast as well.”

As if in affirmation of this, Lady Helen wandered into the room, simultaneously engaged in all three activities. She was in her stocking feet, she was munching on a wedge of toast, and she was holding up two pairs of shoes at arm’s length.

“I can’t decide,” she said as she scrutinised them critically. “The suede are more comfortable, but the green
are
rather sweet, aren’t they? I’ve had them both on and off a dozen times this morning.”

“I should recommend the suede,” Caroline said.

“Hmmm.” Lady Helen dropped one suede shoe to the floor, stepped into it, dropped one of the other pair, stepped into that. “Look closely, Caroline. Are you really quite sure?”

“Quite,” Caroline replied. “The suede. And if you’ll give me the other pair, I’ll just pop them into your suitcase.”

Lady Helen waved her off for a moment. She studied her feet in the mirror that hung on the inside of the wardrobe door. “I can see your point. But look at the green. Surely, there’s green in my skirt as well. Or if not, perhaps they’ll provide a hint of contrast. Because I’ve the sweetest handbag that goes with these shoes and I’ve been dying to put them together somehow. One hates to admit that an impulsive purchase of shoes and bag has been wildly in vain. Deborah, what do you think?”

“The suede,” Deborah said. She pushed her suitcase towards the door and went to the dressing table.

Lady Helen sighed. “Outvoted, I suppose.” She watched as Caroline left the room. “I wonder if I can steal her from Tommy. Just one look at those shoes and she made up her mind. Heavens, Deborah, she’d save me hours every day. No more standing before the wardrobe, futilely trying to decide what to wear in the morning. I’d be positively liberated.”

Deborah made a vague sound of response, and stared, perplexed, at the empty spot next to the dressing table. She went to the wardrobe and peered inside, feeling neither panic nor dismay at first, but merely confusion. Lady Helen chatted on.

“I victimise myself. I hear the word
sale
in reference to Harrod’s, and I simply fall apart. Shoes, hats, pullovers, dresses. I even bought a pair of Wellingtons once, simply because they fit. So fetching, I thought, just the thing for mucking round Mother’s garden.” She inspected Deborah’s breakfast tray. “Will you be eating your grapefruit?”

“No. I’m not at all hungry.” Deborah went into the bathroom, came out again. She knelt on the floor to look under the bed, trying to recall where she had left the case. Certainly it had been in the room all along. She’d seen it without seeing it last night as well as the night before, hadn’t she? She thought about the question, admitted to herself that she couldn’t remember. Yet it was inconceivable that she might have misplaced the case, even more inconceivable that it was missing altogether. Because if it was missing and she hadn’t misplaced it herself, that could only mean…

“Whatever are you doing?” Lady Helen asked, dipping happily into Deborah’s grapefruit.

Dread was hitting her as she saw that nothing had been stored beneath the bed or hurriedly shoved there to get it out of the way. Deborah got to her feet. Her face felt cold.

Lady Helen’s smile faded. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

In a last and utterly useless search, Deborah returned to the wardrobe and tossed the extra pillows and blankets to the floor. “My cameras,” she said. “Helen, my cameras. They’re gone.”

“Cameras?” Lady Helen asked blankly. “Gone? What do you mean?”

“Gone. Just what I said.
Gone
. They were in their case. You’ve seen it. I brought it with me this weekend. It’s gone.”

“But they can’t be gone. They’ve just been misplaced. No doubt someone thought—”

“They’re gone,” Deborah said. “They were in a metal case. Cameras, lenses, filters. Everything.”

Lady Helen replaced the bowl of grapefruit on Deborah’s tray. She looked round the room. “Are you certain?”

“Of course I’m certain! Don’t be so—” Deborah stopped herself and with an effort at calm said, “They were in a case by the dressing table. Look. It’s not there.”

“Let me ask Caroline,” Lady Helen said. “Or Hodge. They may have already been taken down to the car. Or perhaps Tommy came in earlier and got them. Surely that’s it. Because I can’t think that anyone would actually…” Her voice refused to say the word
steal
. Nonetheless, the fact that it was foremost on Lady Helen’s mind was obvious in the very omission.