Murder in Bloom (18 page)

Sure enough a small notice attached to the door, which was firmly padlocked, announced it to be the Creekmarsh Sailing Club, Private, Members Only. Not many members, thought Libby, looking at the collection of small boats, although perhaps there were other moorings. She wondered if Gerald Shepherd, or any former owners of Creekmarsh, had sailed from here, or used it, perhaps, as a secret way of ingress or egress. It looked possible that the estate owned the land, which probably meant that the sailing club leased the building and the moorings. She must ask Lewis. Whom she now heard calling her name.

‘Over here,’ she shouted, waving at the small figure at the top of the meadow. She watched as he trotted down to meet her, his unnatural tension of earlier now replaced with his usual ebullience.

‘Watcher doing all the way down here?’ he asked breathlessly, as he came up beside her.

‘Exploring,’ grinned Libby. ‘I started looking for Adam by the parterre, and just carried on in this direction.’ She pointed towards the Creekmarsh Sailing Club. ‘Ben used to sail here with a friend in his schoolboy days. Do you own the land?’

‘I dunno.’ He walked forward curiously. ‘Never thought about it. The land goes right down to the river, so I suppose I do.’ He nodded towards the sailing club. ‘D’you reckon that’s illegal?’

‘The building? No, I should think they lease the land and the moorings from the estate. You’d better check with your solicitor.’

Lewis groaned. ‘Bloody solicitors again. You wouldn’t believe what’s been happening.’

‘No, so why don’t you tell me.’ She led him to the bench and sat down. ‘You were going to before Cindy interrupted us.’

‘Ears of a bat, that girl,’ growled Lewis. ‘Bet she heard.’

‘You don’t like her either, then?’

‘Oh, I dunno.’ Lewis sighed. ‘It’s just such a shock, her walking in like that.
She’s
such a shock, herself. Don’t get me wrong,’ he added hastily, ‘she ain’t done anything awful, like, but it’s got everyone confused.’

‘Tell me how it happened,’ said Libby. ‘From the beginning.’

‘Well,’ said Lewis, leaning back and turning his face up to the sun, which was just emerging from the overhanging trees on the other side of the lane. ‘Sunday afternoon, see, and I was up there all on me own. Katie wasn’t back, and I didn’t know when she’d turn up, so when I heard the front door open, I thought it was her and just sort of yelled out.’

‘Wasn’t it locked?’

‘Oh, yeah, that’s why I thought it was Katie, see, ’cos she’s got her own key. Anyway, there’s no answer, so I goes to the stairs and there’s this girl standing looking up at me. “Who are you?” she says. So I thought, bloody hell, what a cheek, and I goes haring down the stairs. “Excuse me,” I says, “but who are
you
? I just happen to be the owner of this place.” So she looks real surprised, like, and takes a step back. “But it belongs to Gerald,” she says. “Not any more, it don’t,” I says, “and who are you anyway?” So she tells me and you could have knocked me down with a feather.’

‘I bet,’ murmured Libby.

‘So anyway, I takes her into the kitchen and makes her a cuppa – for shock, you know – and tell her the whole story. All about how Tony sold the house to me with his power of wotsit, then about the body in the garden. Then she sort of puts her head in her hands and starts crying.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t know what to do.’

‘So what
did
you do?’

‘Well, I’m shocked, like, ’cos of thinking that she’d run off with old German Shepherd, and then she explains. And, cor, Lib, it just shows how the papers can get stuff wrong.’

‘So what does she say happened, then?’

‘This is the bit that explains a lot.’ Lewis turned to face her and leant forward. ‘See, Lib, we was all wondering about that power –’

‘Of attorney,’ supplied Libby.

‘Yeah, because how come Tony had it? When old Shepherd had done a runner three years before? Well, it turns out that he had the beginnings of that thing, you know,’ he clicked his fingers, annoyed, ‘where your memory goes.’

‘Alzheimer’s disease?’

‘That’s the one. And he knows it, so he gets this all set up with Tony.’

‘How did he know Tony?’

‘I dunno. Tony’s got – had – all sorts of connections in the entertainment business, like I told you, so I expect that’s how. Anyway, then Cindy and Kenneth come down here to look after him, like, but then Ken gets this
Dungeon Trial
gig, so Cindy and Shepherd are left down here on their own. And then Shepherd starts trying it on.’

‘Ah!’ said Libby.

‘Well, yeah, but then he starts getting violent, and she gets scared, so she runs off. She tells Tony, who seems to have been a bit like a dad to her, and he tells her Shepherd’s looking for her. Next thing is, she hears Ken’s come out of his dungeon so she goes back, sort of secretly, like, and finds Ken’s come to all these wrong conclusions. Then o’ course, Shepherd turns up and has a fit, and knocks old Ken cold. So Tony turns up – always there, the bugger, ain’t he? – and tells her to run away, like, because if she’s found there she’ll be for it, too, and she goes off somewhere, she hasn’t said where, and a couple of days later Tony sends her a false passport and says she can lie low for a bit, and he’s got all her real papers, birth certificate and wotnot so she can return when she likes.’

‘I don’t get it,’ said Libby, frowning. ‘Why on earth would Tony tell her to run away? She had nothing to do with it, and surely they could have proved Shepherd killed his son?’

‘Don’t ask me,’ said Lewis with a shrug, ‘except that Tony was going to cover it up, like, to protect German Shepherd, I expect, so he wanted her out of the way.’

‘She’d be the heir, though, wouldn’t she, if Gerald died? As Kenneth’s widow? Is that why she came back?’

‘I reckon so,’ Lewis nodded. ‘She still had her keys, see. She heard about the skeleton in the garden on the news – she’s been living in Spain lately – and realised old Ken’d been dug up. Then, o’ course, she heard about the theory that she and Shepherd had run away together.’

‘And she hadn’t heard it before?’ Libby’s eyes were wide with disbelief. ‘That’s ridiculous. It was all over the media. She couldn’t have missed it, even if she’d gone straight to Spain. Besides, it hasn’t been confirmed by the police that it’s Kenneth’s body. Did she say it was Kenneth?’

‘That’s what she says, anyway, and that’s what she told the coppers. That Big Bertha – cor, she weren’t ’arf mad!’

‘Why? No one’s found out where Shepherd is now, have they? According to Cindy, all she’s got to do is find him. Does Cindy know where?’

‘She says not,’ said Lewis, getting up and stretching. ‘Didn’t know the house was sold, either. So she’s sort of in limbo. I reckon she was expecting to inherit it one day and when she heard about old Ken’s body –’

‘On the news which she didn’t listen to or read three years ago,’ said Libby.

‘Look, it’s her story, not mine. ‘Course it don’t sound right, but old Bertha’s looking into it, so I expect she’ll get to the bottom of it.’

‘So why’s Cindy still here?’

‘Well,’ said Lewis, looking uncomfortable, ‘I didn’t like to ask her to go. She did live here once.’

‘But not now,’ said Libby. ‘Honestly, Lewis, you’re too softhearted for your own good. You’ll have to tell her to go. You wait, she’ll start taking over before you know it.’

‘That’s what Katie says. Cor, she right had the hump when she got back and found her here.’

‘Did she know who she was?’ Libby frowned. ‘She wouldn’t have met her before.’

‘Katie turned up Monday morning, walked into the kitchen and there was Cindy doing herself some breakfast. I was up in me bedroom, and I didn’t hear about it until I came down and Cindy tells me. And Katie’s in a right hump with me, as I said.’

‘Why, though? It doesn’t make any difference to her, does it?’

‘No, it’s this taking over thing. Cindy’s got a bit of the old lady of the manor about her, see? Treats Katie like the faithful old family wotsit.’

‘Retainer.’

‘One of them, yeah. Anyway, the faithful old retainer’s got lunch ready. Going to stay?’

‘No, I won’t, thanks, Lewis. I can’t say I took to Miss Cindy Dale, either. But she’s so different from what I imagined.’

‘Yeah, no tits and teeth, eh? Me and all. You’d better say hello to Adam, though, hadn’t you, or he’ll be miffed with me for not letting him know you’ve been here.’

They walked up to the house through the parterre and found Adam coming to meet them.

‘Hi, Ma,’ he said. ‘Lewis, I think you’d better go in. Cindy’s looking as sick as a parrot. Big Bertha’s back.’

Chapter Nineteen

WITH AN EXPRESSION OF horror on his face, Lewis shot into the house. Adam made a face at his mother and began to walk her towards the Land Rover.

‘So, you met her?’

Libby nodded.

‘What did you make of her, then?’

‘She’s obviously very different from how we all thought she’d be, and she’s telling a very strange, and, frankly, unbelievable story.’

‘I thought Lewis believed it.’

‘Well, I’ve put some doubts in his mind now. What does Big Bertha want?’ ‘Goodness knows. To talk to Cindy, I expect.’ ‘What I can’t understand,’ said Libby, turning

round with her hand on the driver’s door, ‘is why a superintendent is out on the ground, so to speak.’

‘Huh?’

‘They’re usually sitting behind a desk directing operations.’ ‘Not on telly, they’re not.’ ‘If you think about it, most of the TV detectives

are inspectors,’ said Libby. ‘Like Ian, or Donnie Murray.’

‘Donnie?’

‘Don’t you remember? When DCI Murray came to see
The Hop Pickers
, his wife called him Donnie. You were all there.’

‘God, Ma, that was years ago.’

‘Two years, that’s all. Anyway, that’s all beside the point. Superintendent Bertram is coming out and questioning suspects. I wonder why?’

‘You have the strangest mind,’ said Adam, frowning at his mother. ‘That isn’t important, surely? You said Cindy’s story was unbelievable, so that’s the strangest thing.’

‘Perhaps.’ Libby turned and climbed into the Land Rover. ‘See you later. Ben’s booked a table at Harry’s for eight.’

‘I’ll be home before that,’ said Adam, ‘unless you’re throwing me out.’

‘Stoopid,’ said Libby, and ruffled his hair. ‘See you.’

But Cindy’s truly was an unbelievable story, she thought as she drove past Steeple Mount without even thinking about the grisly chapel. Especially when you remembered that Fran wasn’t certain the skeleton was Kenneth. Libby pulled the Land Rover into a gateway and thought. Then, carefully, she turned back the way she had come and drove down into Nethergate.

Fran was in the gallery with Sophie and professed herself ready for a cup of tea. Sophie happily agreed to shop-sit, and Libby walked purposefully down Harbour Street to The Blue Anchor.

‘We could have had a cup of tea at home,’ said Fran.

‘But I can smoke here,’ said Libby, pulling a battered packet out of her basket. ‘I still haven’t
quite
given up.’

‘So what’s the problem?’

While Mavis went to fetch their tea, Libby told her Cindy’s story.

‘And I thought, well, if it wasn’t Kenneth in the wood, the girl must be lying. And if she’s lying about that, what else is she lying about?’

‘Look, I know I said I didn’t think it was Kenneth, but I’m not infallible. It seems most likely it
is
him, after all.’

‘Yes, I know, that’s why even I managed to work it out. If it’s got Shepherd’s DNA it seems there’s only two people it could be, Shepherd himself or Kenneth.’

‘It’s not Shepherd.’ Fran shook her head. ‘But I’m concerned about why I thought it wasn’t Kenneth. As you said, who else could it be?’

‘How is DNA extracted from a skeleton?’ asked Libby after a moment.

‘I don’t know!’ Fran looked startled.

‘And the other question,’ said Libby, looking excited, ‘is how did they get Shepherd’s DNA?’

Fran paused in the act of raising her mug to her lips, an arrested expression on her face.

‘I mean, he’s not around now, and Lewis has cleared out most of the stuff that was left behind.’

‘Except those albums, but they couldn’t get DNA off those, could they?’

‘Did they find something in the attic, do you think?’ Libby squinted against cigarette smoke.

‘Even if they did, they couldn’t be sure it was Shepherd’s.’ Fran frowned. ‘This is very peculiar. It could be anybody.’

‘I wonder if Lewis knows how they got the DNA? They asked him if he’d ever met Shepherd, didn’t they?’

‘Did they? I suppose if they asked him if there had been anything of Shepherd’s left in the house … they would have wanted to rule him out, wouldn’t they?’

Libby nodded. ‘Exactly what I was thinking.’ She stubbed out her cigarette in Mavis’s tin ashtray. ‘I shall ask him tonight.’