Folly (21 page)

When she and Tony had been together at her mother's cottage, she had been a mess and they had spent the time discussing her issues. She had made it easy to let him draw her out. But they hadn't talked about Tony's life, or why he'd returned to the village and bought a home here – alone. All she knew was that he didn't appear to be married any more.

When he used to bring Penny Cowan home, their connection had been obvious. They had moved in a private, shiny aura.

Tony had been a quiet fixture when Alex returned. The one time she asked Lily about him, she said Doc James had never volunteered anything about Tony's personal life and she had never asked him.

Alex watched flames shoot up from the logs. The sound they made comforted her. Sights and sounds, memories that brought back snatches of good times. Her mother reading stories by the fire in their tiny Underhill cottage. Decorating a tree, the same tree they kept growing in a tub outside, for Christmas. That tree was planted in the garden of the cottage in Folly-on-Weir.

Her eyelids wanted to close.

Colored wrapping paper saved and cut into strips for paper chains.

Holly sprigs collected from the woods and tucked along behind the old-fashioned picture rail in each room. And snowflakes cut from folded paper to stick on the single-paned windows Jack Frost painted with icy patterns in the early mornings.

Magic.

‘Mummy, where is our daddy?'

Her own child voice, high, clear and ingenuous, sounded as clear as if she had spoken in this room.

Alex didn't hear her mother's response, or remember what it might have been, but she never got an answer to any questions about her father.

She jumped and her eyes opened sharply. Tony stood beside the chair, looking thoughtfully down at her, a small glass mug in each hand.

‘Hello, sleepy. As soon as you've had this we'll find you a comfortable bed. You're wiped out, kiddo. Use the handle – the glass gets hot.'

‘Mm. Sorry to drift off on you. Thank you.' She took the mug and sniffed hot, spiced port appreciatively. ‘You need to take it easy, too.'

They sat quietly, sipping companionably – until Alex heard the soft, snow-laden sweep of a branch across a window. She could see the branch and a scatter of falling snow on the glass, but darkness cloaked whatever lay behind.

This was an illusion. At any moment the peace could pop like a soap bubble and droplets would sting her eyes with reality.

‘What is it?' Tony watched her. ‘No poker for you, my friend. You have the most expressive face I've ever seen.'

She nodded, but made no attempt to enlighten him. ‘I hope it's OK to ask, but you know quite a lot about me and I don't know anything about your life since we left Folly. You and Penny did marry?'

‘Yes. I thought you knew that.'

‘You never really said.'

‘I'm a widower.'

The cold in her belly had nothing to do with the temperature this time. ‘I … Oh, Tony. It sounds so trite to say I'm sorry, but I am. I'm more than sorry. I'm horrified. I don't understand why I didn't know about Penny.'

He set his mug aside. ‘It was a long time ago. You know how people are here – they don't talk much about certain types of things. Of course they gossip, but not usually about everyday tragedies. It's like an unwritten rule.'

‘Everyday tragedies, Tony? Oh, it's fine to get through and get on, but it's also all right to admit you've been hurt.' She swallowed hard. Her throat was dry. ‘Sorry. I don't mean to judge how you deal with things. I didn't expect you to say something like that.'

He looked straight into her eyes and gradually smiled. ‘You're OK. Do you know that? I like you, Alex Duggins – I mean—'

She interrupted him with a laugh. ‘I know who you mean. After seeing that announcement about … After tonight I may go back to Duggins and try to forget as much of my marriage as I can. But thanks. You're OK, too. When you're not trying to be masterful.'

They both laughed, and abruptly stopped.

Katie was exercising her impressive bark. Bogie popped up to sit on her haunches, her floppy ears twitching. Moments later someone hammered the front door, waited a second, perhaps two, and swung the knocker with vigor.

‘Bloody hell,' Tony said. ‘Now what?'

He hopped up and strode from the room, the mug still in hand. A minute or so, and a lot of murmured male conversation later, he returned with Dan O'Reilly.

Fatigue shadowed the detective's face but his stance, and the way he assessed his surroundings, were alert. ‘I didn't realize you two lived so close,' he said. ‘This is another nice house. People who don't know the area never guess how many big places are hidden away in these hills.'

Alex wasn't sure how to answer, so she didn't.

‘It's you I mainly came to see,' he said to her. ‘Thought you'd want to know immediately if we found anything significant.'

‘Can I get you a drink?' Tony said.

O'Reilly declined. His intense stare, the suggestion that he was poised to pounce, made sure Alex was wide awake.

‘At least sit down,' Tony said, and went back to his own chair.

‘Thanks.' Without removing his coat, O'Reilly took a seat where he could look directly at either Alex or Tony. The confrontational position, she thought, her spine stiffening.

Katie-the-traitor went to the man's knees and rested her big head there. He stroked her square muzzle and scratched her ears. ‘Did you know the motion sensors at your place can be turned on and off from the outside, Alex?'

She blinked several times, thinking about what he'd just said. ‘They can't,' she said at last.

‘They can. There's a switch mounted in an insulated box under what looks like storm grating, only the runoff's been diverted and the grate has a liner mounted under it.'

‘That's senseless,' Tony said, shifting to the edge of his chair. ‘It defeats the purpose.'

‘Depends on your purpose,' O'Reilly said.

‘It could have been included in the system in case it malfunctioned,' Alex said.

‘Smart girl.'

Alex pressed her lips together hard rather than make a ‘smart' comeback at O'Reilly. A glance at Tony showed he was amused. No doubt her ‘poker face' said exactly what she was thinking about O'Reilly's verbal pat on the head.

‘Unfortunately – or fortunately at this point – that switch is a recent addition. In other words, it hasn't been there long.'

‘But I haven't had any work done lately,' Alex told him. ‘I'd know about a thing like that.'

‘Would you? How much time do you spend at the lodge versus in the village? Anyone who knew what they were doing could have dealt with this little job in no time and you're away for hours at a time, Alex. The good news is that we now know how the lights were turned on and off, and we know you weren't imagining things.'

‘That's a bit bloody much,' she snapped. ‘If you think I'm making things up that's your business, but have the decency not to tell me to my face that you thought I was lying.'

O'Reilly sighed. ‘Forgive me. I didn't mean that to sound the way it did. It's always a relief when we can tie up an end or two, sure. Not that there aren't plenty of ends still waving in the breeze.'

‘Is that all?' Tony asked brusquely. ‘If so—'

‘It's not,' O'Reilly responded. ‘And this is for both of you.'

‘Twenty questions,' Alex muttered, not caring that she was easily heard.

‘Yes,' O'Reilly said. ‘Could be more than twenty. Are either of you aware of a path that runs behind both of your properties? It's extensive, or we think it is. The snow makes it impossible to be sure exactly. It hugs the walls but we already saw places where it probably branches off.'

Tony shook his head, no. ‘I've lived here, either in the village or up here, most of my life but I didn't know of a particular … what did you call it? An extensive path?'

‘Lane. Footpath. Whatever. It runs past here and on up the hill and down behind Alex's back garden, close to the wall, then close to hedgerows. It's not maintained but it's been used enough. It's easily passable. Or it would be easy for anyone who knew it was there. We're waiting for morning to see just where it does go. But someone used it last night. We've got one footprint – which could be useless now – in a sheltered patch by a spot where someone's pushed through a hedge at the corner of the property. We went ahead and got a cast. We could still get lucky with evidence from where our boy, or girl, has been getting in and out.'

Alex got up and stood behind her chair. Bogie picked up her ears. ‘So someone's sneaking on to my property and getting into my house when I'm not there,' she said. ‘I more or less knew that but it's creepy to have proof.'

‘So far it's been when you're not there,' O'Reilly said. ‘Fortunately.'

Tony also stood. ‘Frightening people won't help, will it?'

‘Making them wary could.' O'Reilly got up. ‘Would you like me to stop by and let your mother know where you are, Alex?'

The kind of anger he aroused made her feel like a stranger to herself. ‘Thanks for the offer, Detective Inspector, but I've already called her.'

O'Reilly grunted. ‘Frightening you isn't my intention,' he said. ‘But I want you to think twice before you spend time at the lodge again until all this is cleared up. We won't be surprised to find out the nice, easily missed little access network may even be a shortcut to the village. Someone knows the way very well.'

The detective's mobile rang. He answered, listened and left the room.

‘This has to be over soon,' Alex said. ‘It's been three days. It feels like weeks.'

‘Coffee?' Tony asked. ‘I don't think we're going to get much sleep tonight.'

‘I think I'll have more port,' Alex said, deliberately giving him a bright grin. ‘Don't bother to heat it this time – just bring the bottle.'

He laughed and did as she asked, returning from the kitchen with a big bag of crisps as well as the bottle ‘Eat some of these, too,' he said, tearing open the package.

O'Reilly returned and stood with his feet planted apart. He pushed his coat back and sunk his hands in his pockets. He watched them but seemed lost in thought.

‘Well, now,' he said finally. ‘It would probably be better if we all sat down again.'

Hesitating, Alex looked to Tony for his reaction. He nodded. ‘We're both tired, O'Reilly. I hope this won't take too long.'

They both sat and O'Reilly followed suit.

Alex worked to calm down. She sipped port, picked up the bag of crisps and crunched several. When she offered the crisps to O'Reilly, he gave her one of his askance stares and shook his head, no. Tony scooped out a handful and munched steadily. ‘They're salt and vinegar,' he said with his mouth full.

‘That's grand,' O'Reilly said without interest. ‘We've had some information of interest tonight. Sure, it could be nothing important, but under the circumstances we have to be cautious. Alex, are you aware of what happened to Tony's wife in Australia?'

She frowned at Tony, who clamped his mouth firmly shut. Muscles in his jaw jerked.

‘You don't know?' O'Reilly pressed.

Alex sat on her hands while Bogie nosed her thigh and made soft, troubled sounds.

‘Why don't you say your piece,' Tony said. ‘Alex knows I lost my wife, if that's what you mean.'

‘Does she know what
lost
means? Alex, stop me if you've heard any of this before. Apparently Penny Harrison went missing but her husband didn't think it was worth reporting for a week. The story goes that she died while diving, but her body was never found. Of course, this doesn't mean that Tony here had anything to do with the death, but it's certainly worth a thought or two.'

Tony didn't say a word. He sat back in his chair and settled his hands on the arms. He kept his eyes on Alex's face.

No, she didn't believe Tony had done something horrible to his wife. They must have a conversation but she wouldn't have it in front of O'Reilly.

‘What does this have to do with what's happening in Folly-on-Weir?' she said, clearing her throat every other word. ‘What point are you making?'

Tony rested his elbows on his knees and scrubbed at his face.

She wished he would say something.

‘It probably has nothing to do with our case, but we're bound to make sure you know everything that could affect you.'

Why hadn't anyone talked to her about this? Why hadn't Tony told her? ‘I'm afraid I don't understand why it's your job to spread other people's troubles around.'

‘You're not looking at this with your eyes open,' O'Reilly said. ‘We'll move on. It did occur to you that we've started on a second box of darts, didn't it?'

‘Yes,' Alex said. ‘That makes it even more important for you to get to the bottom of all this, doesn't it?' She hadn't thought too much about it but she would now.

‘It would have made it easier if you'd known how many actual darts you had down there.'

‘Well, I don't,' Alex said, surprised by Tony's complete withdrawal from the conversation. ‘They were there when I bought the pub. Anyway, how do you know they came from the Black Dog? There must be thousands that look like they do.'

‘Batch numbers,' O'Reilly said shortly. ‘They're from the same one.'

‘You've made your point,' Tony said. ‘Now tell us why anyone would use a weapon – or something as a weapon – when it leads right back to a place like the Black Dog.'

‘Because none of this has a thing to do with the pub,' Alex said defensively. Did O'Reilly want her to feel trapped and guilty for some reason? He had to know she wouldn't point a finger to herself.