Folly (24 page)

‘Of course,' Harriet called out. ‘Tea's already made.'

Damn, damn, damn.

O'Reilly watched Harrison come into view and the way the cat leaped into his arms. Fair enough. He'd carry on as planned rather than look as if he was keeping something from the vet.

‘Inspector O'Reilly,' Harrison said. ‘I'm interrupting. Just wanted to stop in and see how my favorite ladies were doing. I can come back.'

‘No need,' O'Reilly said. ‘There's nothing I wouldn't say in front of you.'

‘Join us,' Harriet said, already pouring a fresh cup of tea. ‘Sit by the inspector.'

O'Reilly would rather be able to see the man's face but there was nothing to be done about it. Harriet piled cakes and biscuits on to a plate for Tony Harrison.

O'Reilly took a good look at the man's expression and decided he looked entirely too comfortable with the situation.

The couch sagged when the vet sat down at the far end from Dan. At least Alex was more on her guard about the man than she'd been before last night's announcement. The two of them together didn't make O'Reilly happy, not that he knew how seriously to take the Australian story.

He would see how comfortable Harrison was in a moment or two. From his jacket pocket he took an evidence bag with the piece of lace inside and held it out to Mary. ‘Have you seen this before?'

Mary held the bag at the end of her nose. ‘Mmm.' She turned the bag over, and back. ‘We've seen this on something, Harriet. Take a look. Tell me if it's that Violet Knot pattern. I don't think it's made any more.'

The two women literally put their heads together over the bag.

Looking for Harrison's reaction was irresistible but the man chewed on part of what looked like a ginger toffee biscuit and looked disinterested.

‘Looks like it,' Harriet said. She pulled out a drawer in a tall chest and removed several white items. ‘These laces can be so intricate, Inspector, and so beautiful. You don't often find the kind of antique collection we have. This one is a table doily.'

She held a circular piece that was all lace and embroidery.

‘Mmm,' he said.

‘See that,' she pointed to the center. ‘That's stag and bird. What's called a figural piece. Imagine working that.'

‘Oh, my ears and whiskers,' Mary muttered reverently. ‘Do you have the Pointe de Venise there? I know the inspector would be fascinated by that.'

‘Right here,' Harriet said and whipped a fragile white lawn blouse, all tucks and fine embroidery, across his knees. ‘At the bottom of the right sleeve and around the neck. That's the Pointe de Venise. It's missing from the edge of the left cuff.'

‘I had no idea.' O'Reilly made sure he looked admiring. ‘You didn't say where you saw the … Violet's Knot, was it? Anywhere in particular?'

A thoughtful vagueness overtook them both. Finally Mary said, ‘I do know it was used on brides' handkerchiefs. See the fine thread of silver in the knots? And …' She held the lace to the lenses of her glasses. ‘I think there might have been initials. That's what they do for brides' handkerchiefs. You look, Harriet.'

Harriet looked, holding the piece almost as close as Mary had. ‘Yes,' she said. ‘You're right.'

‘We think we've got the rest of this handkerchief,' O'Reilly said, watching for any giveaway reactions but seeing none. He sighed. ‘We'll have to take a closer look now we know what it might have been.'

The only response he got was purring from the cat curled by the fire.

O'Reilly wished, fervently, that Tony Harrison would just disappear.

‘Would you say you were long-time residents of the village?'

That got him scrutiny that questioned his sanity. ‘We were both born in the village,' Harriet said. ‘We left when we went away to school but apart from that, this has been our home.'

‘Well now, and that's wonderful,' O'Reilly said, trying to make sure his smile wasn't obviously condescending. ‘So there's not much you don't know about major events during your lifetimes.'

Both women shook their heads, no.

‘You must have known Edward Derwinter when he was a child.'

He felt Harrison turn to him but when their eyes met, Tony's were interested but untroubled.

‘We knew Edward,' Mary said. ‘Nice boy. Edward was always very quiet – silent even. He had a severe stutter and I don't think his father had a lot of patience with that so the child rarely spoke at all.'

‘How do they say he died?' This was a shot in the dark. ‘They do say he's been dead for years.'

He felt the sofa sag even more as Harrison settled himself more comfortably. Damn the man, observing and filing away anything he decided was useful. O'Reilly cleared his throat. Why should any of this be useful to the vet?

‘After the accident he went away again.' With a piece of shortcake halfway to her mouth, Harriet paused, her expression far away. ‘He'd been at school somewhere up north since he was little. By then he'd have been about … eight. There were rumors about why Cornelius Derwinter would pack off a motherless boy, then never have him home even at the holidays, but they were only rumors. Not one of us knew the truth. Leonard stayed close to home.'

‘Cruel,' Harrison said under his breath, and both women nodded, yes.

‘What accident would that be?' They were skating on the edge of something useful, O'Reilly could feel it.

The sisters glanced at one another and shrugged.

Lavender was a scent that could become oppressive, O'Reilly decided. He had an urge to stand up and throw open the window – and walk around the room. He had an equally strong – and he knew, wrong – urge to get tough.

‘You said Edward was sent away after
the
accident.' This pair was sharp, but would they deliberately withhold important information in a murder enquiry?

If they think protecting someone is more important than the truth.
The realization served to harden him. ‘Either of you?' he said sharply.

‘A child drowned in the Windrush,' Harriet said. ‘At Bourton-on-the-Water. Four or five, he was and he was playing around on those flat rocks. So was Edward. Children have always done that. From what we heard, the younger boy slipped and drowned.'

O'Reilly frowned. ‘The water's so shallow there.'

‘He hit his head. No one noticed until it was too late. There was talk about Edward being – well, it was wrong of course – but the suggestion was that he was too stupid to help the other boy. And some even said it was Edward's fault.'

Mary's hands fluttered and she turned slightly pink. ‘Unfair. Totally unfair. He wasn't stupid and an accident like that happens quickly and easily. But Cornelius shouldn't have been so protective of the Derwinter name that he packed Edward off rather than risk more open talk.'

‘I think my dad mentioned that,' Tony Harrison said suddenly. ‘He hadn't been here more than a few years. He went to help.'

‘Who was the boy who died?' O'Reilly asked him.

‘Graham, I think, was the first name.' Harrison rubbed the space between his eyebrows. ‘He was the Cummings' boy.'

‘Will and Cathy Cummings?' New possibilities clicked over in his mind. This had never been mentioned before, but these people were as closed-mouthed as their reputations suggested.

‘That started more talk afterward,' Harriet put in. ‘It wasn't that long afterward when Will and Cathy were put in as managers of the Black Dog – although they were too young. It belonged to the Derwinters but it was some time later before they could buy it from Cornelius.'

The need to move was too strong now. ‘Well, thank you for your time.' Getting up, O'Reilly smiled at the women and nodded to Harrison.

‘It was all lies, you know,' Mary said. She couldn't keep her hands still now. ‘No one really blamed Edward for Graham's death. But the whispers didn't stop. The job at the pub was to keep the Cummings quiet, that's what they insisted. Because Cornelius was so proud he didn't want anyone to keep on suggesting Edward was responsible in some way.'

Harrison made a disgusted noise. ‘That's the kind of rubbish that comes from people not having enough to occupy their minds. Couldn't the man have been reaching out in kindness to people who had lost so much? It was a very decent thing to do.'

‘I'
ve been expecting this,' Doc James said when Alex led him to the small conservatory Lily had added to one side at the back of Corner Cottage. ‘But I thought the questions would come from the police.'

A portable electric fire with glowing artificial coals kept the space warm. Several cane chairs clustered around a table painted free-hand with fanciful begonia blooms in oranges, reds and yellows. Potted plants thrived in built-in troughs on the three glassed-in walls. On this evening, snow covered the roof and hung in frozen swags where it had slid down the windows earlier, but inside was warm and cozy.

‘Thank you for coming,' Alex said. ‘Tony called and told me what Harriet and Mary said to O'Reilly while he was there.' She'd been surprised but also glad to hear Tony's voice.

And afterward she'd been disappointed he had so little to say.

‘He's on his way,' James commented. ‘Hope that's all right with you. I thought it would save a lot of repetition.'

Alex's heart gave an extra thud but she said, ‘Of course,' and did her best to look unconcerned.

Doc James made the rounds of her mum's plants, making admiring sounds as he went. ‘Your mother has two green thumbs.'

The front door knocker cut off any reply and Alex went to bring in Tony. ‘Where's Katie?' she said. Her throat was dry.

‘She wasn't about to come out in the cold again,' he said.

‘Clever girl. Bogie's in his favorite place on my duvet. Doc James is in the conservatory.' She led him to join his father. ‘What can I get for the pair of you?'

‘Nothing for me,' Tony said without looking at Alex.

Doc James immediately said, ‘Scotch, please.'

‘I'll get it.' Tony left quickly.

Doc James coughed into a fist and jigged up on to his toes. He was about to speak when Tony returned and handed him a glass. Only the GP sat down. Tony and Alex stood, one on either side of the room, both facing the back garden.

‘You know I have to consider patient privilege?' Doc James said. ‘I didn't really go into that with you on the phone, Alex.'

She glanced at Tony, who was already watching her. They both gave tight smiles.

‘Before we get to your interrogation, are you two going to get over whatever's eating you?'

Tony crossed his arms. ‘Alex and I hoped you would help us understand some things, Dad. We don't have any standing when it comes to interrogating anyone. You've been through these last few days the same as we have. Don't you get the feeling the police are running in circles and getting nowhere?'

‘I was talking about
you
,' Doc James said. ‘What's going on with you … and Alex?'

‘Let's just deal with the serious stuff,' Tony said.

His choice of words annoyed Alex. ‘I thought it was pretty serious when you told me to get lost last night.' She turned hot all over.

‘You exaggerate,' he said. ‘I think I said we'd all be more comfortable if O'Reilly brought you down here. Given that he'd just more or less … scratch that. He'd just suggested I murdered my wife. Even if you've nerves like Margaret Thatcher, that would have to make you a tad edgy. I wanted to help everyone out.'

‘Damn fool,' Doc James said, barely parting his lips. ‘I warned you to tell Alex the story before someone else did. He had nothing to do with whatever happened to Penny, Alex. If and when you two can be reasonable with each other, I hope you'll air it all out – as far as anyone can.'

‘Thanks, Dad. You deserve your “told you so” moment.'

‘Let's leave it, please,' Alex said. ‘O'Reilly must have thought he could get any information he wanted out of two silly old women. Only they aren't silly.'

Tony breathed in deeply. ‘I don't think he did believe they're silly, but he may have decided they aren't worldly enough not to trot out blithe answers to whatever he asked.' His chuckle startled Alex. ‘You should have watched the show they put on. They really ran him around. Examples of old lace … he went to ask about the lace scrap. I didn't interrupt and they behaved as if they hadn't actually seen it before. They did give some name to the lace pattern. O'Reilly said they've got the rest of the handkerchief.'

Tired of standing and growing more tense, Alex sat in the chair next to Doc James but Tony remained where he was.

‘It's about time they did find the rest of it. We knew it had to be in the other part of the cincture where I made the cut. Did Harriet or Mary show any surprise when it was mentioned?' Alex asked. ‘I wouldn't blame them. The police keep everything so close to their chests.'

‘He might as well have told them it was cold outside. Their expressions never changed.'

‘Bless them,' Alex said. She had to get to the real reason for asking to see Tony's father. ‘Did you see the little boy who drowned, doctor? When the accident happened years ago?'

Doc James didn't seem surprised by the question. ‘About forty minutes afterward. I was on my rounds and they had to find me, but it would have been too late anyway. He'd been dead longer than that.'

She took her own deep breath. ‘Could Edward – the older Derwinter boy – have done anything to save the younger child?'

‘I wasn't a witness and I'm not a policeman.'

Alex rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her fingertips up and down on her brow.

‘But you've got opinions, Dad.'