Murder In Bloom Part 23

'Still don't know why she's been so hands-on,' muttered Libby, and she turned to greet Katie who had emerged from the kitchen wiping her hands on a tea towel.

'h.e.l.lo, lovey,' she said. 'What do they want now?'

'Don't know,' said Adam. 'I asked Lewis to call them because of the reporters turning up, but I didn't expect all this.'

Katie shrugged. 'Come and have a cuppa,' she said. 'We'll find out soon enough.'

Lewis appeared a few moments later looking scared.

'They're arresting Cindy,' he said.

'Really? What for?' asked Libby. 'I mean, which bit? False doc.u.ments, leaving the scene of a crime, accessory, what?'

'False doc.u.ments, I think,' said Lewis.

'They've only got her word for it about Ken's murder,' said Adam. 'I expect this is to get her into custody so they can have another go at her.'

'Serve her right,' said Katie, pouring boiling water into the big brown Betty teapot. 'Stuck-up little cow.'

No one reprimanded her, but Libby did feel a little sorry for Cindy. Although how she could have expected to get away with coming back to claim an inheritance under the circ.u.mstances seemed incredibly naive.

'What about the press?' she asked. 'How did they get to hear about it?'

'n.o.body seems to know, but it was hearing about Cindy's return apparently, and someone linked her up to Kenneth.'

'But Creekmarsh? The police haven't let that out,' said Adam.

'Same source I suppose,' said Libby. 'Somebody knows what's going on.' She looked over her shoulder. 'They'll probably think it's one of us.'

'It isn't criminal, though,' said Lewis.

'It wasn't you, was it?' Libby narrowed her eyes at him.

''Course not.' Lewis was indignant. 'D'you think I want a bunch of b.l.o.o.d.y reporters camping on my doorstep?'

'No,' conceded Libby, looking up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They all turned.

Cindy, accompanied by two plainclothes and one uniformed officer, was coming down like a French aristo to the tumbrel. As she was escorted outside, Lewis rose and went to the door. After a moment, one of the plainclothes officers came back.

'Thank you, Mr Osbourne-Walker,' he said. 'I expect we'll be in touch.'

'What about Miss Dale?' said Lewis. 'I mean, she doesn't live here or anything. Where will she go after?'

'I don't think she'll be going anywhere soon,' said the officer. 'We'll be in touch.'

A silence fell after the officer left, until Libby said, 'Do you think they'll look for evidence to connect her to Kenneth's death?'

'Oh, Ma, of course they will. I bet they go through Tony West's place with a toothcomb looking for clues. After all, she knew him well enough for him to get her away after Kenneth's murder.'

'They've already gone through his place,' said Lewis. 'They'd have found anything there was to find by now.'

'What do you suppose he did with her real pa.s.sport and stuff?' said Libby. 'And Gerald's whereabouts? He must have known that as well.'

Lewis shrugged. 'Bank safe somewhere?'

'He'd have had doc.u.ments relating to it,' said Libby, shaking her head. 'Well, it all comes down to Tony West in the end, doesn't it? I wonder why he did it?'

'Dunno. He didn't seem a soft sort of b.u.g.g.e.r to me,' said Lewis. 'Cruel but fair, as someone said.'

'Devious, if you ask me,' said Adam. 'What do you think, Katie? You knew him.'

Katie had been sitting at the end of the table, her head bowed over her mug of tea. She looked up and Libby was surprised to see real grief in her eyes.

'He was good to me,' she said shortly. She stood up and took her mug to the sink, rinsed it out and left the room by the back door.

'He got her the job with you, didn't he?' said Libby. Lewis nodded. 'So he knew her before then?'

'Yeah, I think so. Not well, though. He got to know her better after she started working for me.'

'Were you still ' Adam stopped, going bright red.

Lewis grinned at him. 's.h.a.gging? No, mate. Not regular, anyway. Once or twice.' He leant over and patted Adam's arm. 'Now you're shocked, aren't you?'

Adam shook his head, blush subsiding. 'I just wondered how often you saw him after you moved in here.'

'Few times. He knew the house, see? He come down to have a look round if I wasn't sure about how I ought to do things.'

'And he didn't say anything about Gerald Shepherd?' said Libby.

'No.' Lewis shrugged again. 'Just as how he knew the house, like.'

'Hmm,' said Libby thoughtfully. Then she stood up. 'Well, as you don't need me to help you get rid of Cindy, I'll be off. See you later, Ad.'

'OK, Ma.' He, too, stood up. 'I promise I'll sort out some transport of my own. I know you don't like driving the Land Rover.'

'You can always stay here,' said Lewis, following them to the door. 'I've said so before. Then you wouldn't have to keep going backwards and forwards.'

'You're all right, Lewis, thanks. I quite like being at home with Ma.' Adam gave Lewis a grin. 'See you later, Ma.'

Libby was shepherded through the gates and the rabble of the media by the two policemen on duty. Outside the Kent and Coast Television vehicle she caught sight of Campbell McLean, the reporter she'd met during last summer's murder investigation into the body on the island. He, luckily, either didn't see or recognise her, and she drove safely away towards home.

The red answerphone light was winking when she got in. Pressing the b.u.t.ton she listened to the message while unwrapping her cape from around her shoulders. One day, she thought, she really must invest in a more conventional coat.

'Libby,' said the answerphone, 'I found the DVD in Canterbury. Do you want to see it? And Guy says there was something on the radio about Cindy Dale and Creekmarsh while I was out. What's going on?'

Libby sat down on the cane sofa and lit a cigarette. Sidney jumped up beside her. After a short period of stroking and bonding, he jumped down again and Libby picked up the phone.

'I wouldn't mind seeing the DVD, but I'm still not sure why you wanted to. You really went all the way into Canterbury just to buy it?'

'Well, they wouldn't have it in any of our shops,' said Fran. 'And I bought a couple of other things as well, so it wasn't a waste of time. Shall I bring it over?'

'Do you and Guy want to come to supper, then?' said Libby. 'Might as well make an evening of it. The boys can go to the pub with Adam.'

'I'll check with Guy,' said Fran. 'Now tell me what was going on at Creekmarsh.'

Libby filled in the details and waited for Fran to p.r.o.nounce.

'Did you think any more about the day books or housekeeper's records?' she said finally.

'You said you were going to research those,' said Libby. 'You asked Lewis's permission.'

'Yes,' said Fran vaguely, 'but I thought ... with Cindy '

'You thought she might be looking?'

'It stands to reason, doesn't it? She's looking for her pa.s.sport and certificates. She might have found them somewhere.'

'But she hasn't. And I think the police would have found them if she had because they would have gone through her belongings.'

'OK.' Fran now sounded brisk. 'I'll check with Guy about tonight and ring you back.'

She did, within a few minutes, and Libby called Ben to let him know and ask him to beg some vegetables from his mother as once again, she'd forgotten to go shopping. 'Tomorrow,' she told herself, picking up her basket and heading off to the eight-til-late.

Fran and Guy arrived at seven and by half past the four of them and Adam were sitting round the kitchen table.

'Tell me again why we're being packed off to the pub?' said Adam, spearing a large potato.

'We're going to watch a DVD of Gerald Shepherd. You'd be bored,' said his mother. Ben and Guy exchanged eye-rolling glances.

'Why?' asked Adam.

'Just to see what he's like,' said Fran, sipping wine.

'What he was like,' said Adam. 'That serial was on when I was at school.'

'Isn't he dead?' said Guy. 'You said what he is like.'

'No, he's not dead.' Fran shook her head. 'I think he's in a home somewhere.'

Libby raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

When the men had left them to the washing-up, Libby asked her question.

'In a home?'

'He'd have to be. To be cared for. And Tony West would know where.'

'Yes, I thought of that. That he'd know where Gerald was.'

'And that, of course, is why Creekmarsh had to be sold.'

'Is it? I thought it was to get rid of it so any stray bodies wouldn't be a.s.sociated with the Shepherd family.'

'There was that aspect, but think about it. What else?'

'I don't know. What else?'

'The funds to keep Gerald in a home.'

'Oh!' Libby stopped washing plates and stared at her friend. 'Of course!' She placed the plate thoughtfully in the draining rack. 'But if he was in a home, how did West persuade the staff to keep quiet?'

'Money? Or perhaps he put him there under a false name. Seems he had no trouble finding false papers for Cindy Dale.'

Libby emptied the sink and dried her hands. 'You're very sure about this,' she said, and picked up the wine bottle. Fran picked up the gla.s.ses.

'My brain's sure,' she said. 'I don't know why. It is logical, of course, but why I'm so certain well.' She grinned at Libby. 'You know what I'm like.'

Collateral Damage was a political thriller with Gerald Shepherd as a manipulative back-room wheeler and dealer who almost brings down the government of the day.

'Not a very nice character,' said Libby, pausing the film while she topped up gla.s.ses.

'No, but very charismatic,' said Fran. 'Quite the charmer.'

'In a non-charming way,' agreed Libby, and unpaused the film.

'So,' she said when it had finished. 'Did that help at all?'

'Not really,' said Fran with a sigh. 'But I enjoyed it.'

'So did I.' Libby took a thoughtful sip. 'I can see why Cindy might have had an affair with him despite him being so much older.'

'But she says she didn't,' Fran reminded her.

'You said Lewis told you '

'That he tried it on. I know. But the public thought they'd run away together, and you can see why. Except that Cindy isn't the glamour model I thought she'd be.'

'I wonder where the investigation will go now?' mused Fran. 'They really ought to concentrate on Tony West.'

'Because no one knows why he was killed?'

'It was obviously something to with Creekmarsh,' said Fran, 'but what?'

'His place was ransacked,' said Libby, 'so whoever did it was looking for something.'

'Cindy's papers?'

'It couldn't have been her,' said Libby, 'she only arrived in the country on Sunday, the police checked that straight away.' She suddenly sat up straight on the sofa. 'It couldn't be ' she looked at Fran ' Gerald Shepherd himself?'