Tuesday cont.
“How are you this afternoon?” was Cleo’s way into the phone
call with Dorothy.
“Fine, Cleo. How are you? Why the formality?”
“Are you serious about not retiring?”
“Yes. I’ll keep going for a bit. It seems like the sensible
thing to do with you in the family way again.”
“That sounds like a reproach,” said Cleo.
“It isn’t. I’m happy for you, but where are you going to put
them all?”
“Sensible.”
“If you are not retired I have a job for you.”
“Not if it’s with Hilda Bone, Cleo. I don’t want to work
with that woman. She phoned me this morning, told me about Kelly and said you
had asked her to help you to find the murderer.”
“She was jumping to conclusions and lying, Dorothy. I did
not tell her that Kelly was murdered and I was very specific about what she was
to do behind those net drapes of hers.”
“It’s a mistake to let Hilda Bone work for the agency,
Cleo.”
“I thought you were retiring, Dorothy. You know I can’t run
around asking questions here. I’m too conspicuous and what’s more, I’m married
to a cop.”
“That’s why I thought you would close down the agency. After
all, rearing five children is a full-time job,” said Dorothy. “You have Frank
Wetherby to help you in the agency. “Wasn’t he running things for months?”
“It worries me that Frank said he was bored and would go to
London for a bit. He has a friend there who is a store detective. I think
that’s what Frank is aiming for.”
“I’d be suspicious about that, Cleo. Rita will be sad, won’t
she?”
“Rita Bailey?”
“Rumour has it that Frank moved into her apartment above the
shop, Cleo, and Rita did not move out.”
“Is that just gossip?”
“And hairpins, Cleo. I had to get some. I keep losing them.
Frank was cleaning the windows. It didn’t take much deduction to see what was
going on.”
“I never had a close personal relationship with Frank,” said
Cleo. “We communicated by cell phone and at the office, but to be honest, I got
out of circulation when the twins arrived. I’ve no clear idea what he got up
to.”
“But you are back now and I managing the agency as well as your
family.”
“Grit is marvellous. Since she moved into that cottage next
door I really have appreciated her help. And now we have an extra guy on
board.”
“Now it’s my turn to say it’s awesome, Cleo.”
“Gary and Joe are great together and Grit can’t take her
eyes off them when she sees them getting on as if they’ve known one another all
their lives. I can’t believe all that has happened since yesterday.”
“Just imagine finding your child alive and well 40 years
later. It’s a miracle,” said Dorothy.
“Your new job will be a solo for Dorothy with Hilda stuck
behind her net drapes counting visitors, and sheep no doubt. Gary approves of
you getting to work and to be honest it
was his suggestion.”
“Does that mean you hadn’t thought of it?”
“I had, but I thought it might be too much to ask of you,”
said Cleo.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than don my cloche
again.”
“Even if it involves Edith Parsnip?”
“Especially if it involves Edith Parsnip!” said Dorothy,
whose reasons to dislike Edith were many and various.
“OK. I heard that she visited Kelly on several occasion,
Dorothy. I want to know why and when and if she was around there yesterday
afternoon.”
“And you are quite sure that is not a job for Hilda?” said
Dorothy, who was quite bruised at the idea that Hilda Bone could be included in
agency work.
“Quite sure. Hilda is fine spying behind her drapes, but I
don’t want her trooping around in our name.”
“OK. When do I start?”
“Soon,” said Cleo.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Just hold your horses for a moment, Dorothy. You don’t know
everything yet.”
“I think I can guess
the rest.”
“Go on.”
“If Edith has been messing around with Kelly, Robert would
have a motive to kill him, wouldn’t he?” said Dorothy.
“But that would mean that Robert was carrying on with Edith
again.”
“I heard a rumour that he is.”
“You did not tell me that, Dorothy.”
“It’s only gossip and not fresh.”
“Whose gossip?”
“My verbose neighbour’s: Jane Barker.”
“I thought she was busy trying to find a lodger.”
“At that time she was. The gossip came up incidentally.”
“That’s the way all gossip evolves,” said Cleo. “It’s a bit
like postman’s knock.”
“The trick is to filter the truth,” said Dorothy.
“That’s why I’m putting you on this investigation,” said
Cleo. “You seem to have a knack of sorting out the truth from the lies.”
“Goodness. That is a compliment.”
“It’s meant to be. Let me know how you get on.”
“Now you hold your horses, Cleo.”
“Go on!”
“We will also need to know where Robert was on Monday afternoon.
If your ex is not to be a suspect, we’ll have to prove that he was somewhere
else at the time.”
“Kelly was shot on the Common, Dorothy. I shouldn’t think
Robert would go there on a Monday afternoon. He has a shop to run.”
“Maybe he took time off. He has an assistant.”
“Robert does not take time off, Dorothy.”
“I beg to differ, but we’ll also need to know what took Kelly
to the Common, assuming he wasn’t carried there dead.”
“Chris Winter does not think he was moved after being shot.”
“OK. Then we need the calibre of the gun and who it belongs
to.”
“Assuming it’s licenced.”
“You could ask around, Cleo. There’s a gun-shop in
Middlethumpton. It’s mainly for sport weapons, but I got my new pistol there.”
“Where did you get your licence?”
“Greg arranged it, but I already had a Home Office licence
from my father’s old pistol. I had to apply for that long ago, after he
bequeathed me the gun.”
“Awesome, Dorothy. I must confess that I don’t know the
regulations here.”
“Just believe me that it’s difficult to get a licence. It
helps if you belong to a shooting club or have a helpful cop to get you
organized.”
“But not every gun is licenced, is it?”
“Guns are only licenced as belonging to the person who owns
them who has to have a licence,” said Dorothy. “We may be looking for a needle
in a haystack if someone has stolen a gun or carries it illegally. That person
will surely have disposed of a weapon used to kill. I know I would.”
“It may be a good reason not to be armed, Dorothy.”
“No one knows I have a small lady’s pistol in my handbag,
Cleo, and I feel safer.”
“I can’t argue with that. Good luck with your research,
Dorothy.”
“Have you talked to Edith or Robert? That could be a better way
forward.”
“I certainly don’t want to talk to Robert,” said Cleo.” He
was acting strangely when he delivered the steaks yesterday.”
“Is that why you suspect him?”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
“But you could talk to Edith. Shall I talk to Robert?”
“No Dorothy. We’ll leave that to Gary, but I’ll walk over to
the vicarage now and see if Edith’s at home.”
“Let me know what happens. I won’t start my job until
tomorrow.”
“Dinner tonight, Dorothy?”
“Are you inviting me?”
“I’m sure you’d like to meet Joe, wouldn’t you?”
“I can’t wait!”
***
All the children were home before Cleo got going to the
vicarage. As usual, Grit was amicable about baby-sitting and Joe said he would
help Charlie with her maths homework, which really meant that she would explain
it all to him. He could not help her with her French, but was a talented cartoonist
and soon had her laughing over characters he had met that day at HQ.
“I’ve made one of Gloria’s casseroles for tonight, Cleo,” Grit
announced.
“Did my mother give you one of her sacred recipes, Grit?”
“She did.”
“She’s never given me one.”
“This one is new, she says. It contains pasta instead of
potatoes.”
“It must be one of Romano’s recipes then and it probably
looks and tastes like cannelloni or even lasagne, Grit, but we’ll enjoy it,
whatever it is! I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“I’ll cater for the children. What about my big boys?”
“Now you’re asking!”
***
Cleo walked to the vicarage. She needed more thinking time
than three minutes in the car would have given her and anyway, Gary had driven
to HQ in the red sports car and she did not like driving the heavy family van,
though it was really only a large car with a hatchback and room for three car
seats for the children when the twins were big enough to use them. Even so,
Gary was now thinking about changing that car for a mini-bus. He could carry up
to eight passengers without a carrier licence, he said. They would have to
limit the family to six or at the most seven children, regrettably.
“I think even I’ll have had enough by then,” Cleo had remarked.
“Famous last words,” Gary had said.
***
Edith was making tea for herself and Mary Baker, the young
curate. Mary had to go to a whist drive for OAPs and anyone else who could deal
with being beaten by superior card sharpers. She could not play whist, she
said. Edith was trying to explain the game.
“Why don’t you go, Edith?” said Mary.
“Because you are in charge now, Mary,” she said.
“But you know everyone. Let’s go together.”
“I think that’s a good idea, Edith,” said Cleo, who had
found her way round to the kitchen door and entered. “You should not forget all
those nice people who depended on you so much in the past.”
“But they don’t approve of me now,” said Edith.
“Why not?” said Mary Baker, who seemed to be in the dark
about Edith’s promiscuity.
“I need to talk with Cleo now she’s here, Mary,” said Edith.
“I’ll join you later, shall I?”
“Promise?”
“Promise, Mary.”
Mary Baker ate her beans on toast hastily and swallowed a
few gulps of orange juice before she headed for the church hall, where the whist
drive had been arranged. It was Tuesday, so the little group of Upper
Grumpsfield Muslims would be at prayer until seven, after which some of them
would join in at the card tables. Mary’s idea of promoting integration by
lending the church for Muslim prayers was going well.
***
“So now we can talk, Edith,” said Cleo.
“If you want to talk about Robert and me, I’d rather not,”
said Edith.
“That isn’t what’s bothering me right now,” said Cleo, “but
if you want to tell me something, I’ll be glad to listen.”
“He came back, Cleo.”
“Were you kind and gentle with him?”
“I’ve been having therapy. I’m so ashamed of what I did to
him.”
“So things are better between you now.”
“The therapist said I could get the sex thing out of my
system by talking to Robert about it, but I had a better idea.”
Cleo did not really want to hear about Edith’s idea that was
to transcend talking to Robert about her problem, but she had to.
“Do you want me to guess, Edith?”
“I don’t think you can.”
“Try me.”
“All right.”
Cleo wondered if she really should go ahead with what she now
suspected could explain Edith’s visits to Kelly.
“I think you found someone with whom you could … well, enjoy
what you enjoyed with Robert that he did not want, but you did.”
“He paid me, Cleo.”
“Did you go to help him with the housework? Everyone gets paid
for doing that kind of work.”
“I thought it would be like that and I needed the money, but
he wanted more, and I needed more, so we combined the cleaning with ….sex
games.”
Edith was lying. She knew all about Kelly’s past life and
present management of his illegal brothel. Cleo was sure that Edith had had
more on her mind than clearing up Kelly’s farm kitchen when she asked him for a
job, and it was quite obvious that Kelly would jump at the chance of
experiencing what had become a local scandal surrounding Edith. Not least, it
was important to Cleo that Edith confirmed what had been on Dorothy’s mind and
was now on hers.
“You are talking about Paddy Kelly, aren’t you Edith?”
“Yes, Cleo. Is that very bad?”
“I can’t judge that. When did you last go there?”
“Early yesterday morning, as usual. We had a nice time.”
It took Cleo quite a lot of self-control not to make an apt
comment about Edith’s lewdness and Kelly’s shameless advantage-taking.
“He didn’t force you, did he?” Cleo had to ask.
“Oh no. Cleo. He was nice to me.”
Cleo decided not to ask Edith to describe what she meant by
that.
“And then you went home to the vicarage, I suppose.”
“Yes. Robert said he would come in the afternoon because he
had arranged for his assistant to be at the shop, but he never came, Cleo.”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure,” said Edith. “I’ll have to go now. Can we talk again some
time?”
“Sure. I expect you know what happened to Kelly, don’t you?”
Edith shook her head.
“You should know before you face those pensioners, Edith.
Paddy Kelly was shot dead on the Common yesterday afternoon.”
“Oh, no!” said Edith. “What shall I do without his support?”
“We’ll have to figure that out another time.”
“I suppose so. Thank you for coming.”
Edith slipped into her winter coat. I was August, of course,
but Edith was shivering and white with the shock of hearing about Kelly’s fate,
thought evidently only as to how it would affect her life.
***
Cleo and Edith left the vicarage together.
So Robert could not claim an alibi from Edith for Monday
afternoon. Where did he go? He would have to produce a watertight alibi for the
previous afternoon.
Cleo would write her report that evening so that Edith’s
remarks would be documented before Robert’s alibi was investigated. Cleo did
not think he could have shot Kelly, but it was certainly a possibility.
***
When Cleo got home she was amazed at the level of activity.
The babies had been fed their new commercial milk and cereal diet and got ready
for the night in a joint effort by Gary and Joe; PeggySue had finished her
supper and been bathed and dressed in her pyjamas; Charlie was laying the table
for dinner. Only Grit was nowhere to be seen, but that mystery solved itself
when Grit returned dressed for an evening out.
“Wow! When will Roger be here, Grit?” said Cleo.
“He can’t make dinner but he’ll be here at nine to collect
me,” said Grit.
“I didn’t know that Middlethumpton had a night life on a
Wednesday.”
“It doesn’t. We’re driving to Oxford. There’s a great jazz
club there.”
“So you won’t be back until very late, will you?”
“I’ll stay over and come home in time for breakfast,” said
Grit.
That statement invited curious glances.
“I don’t think I’m up to date,” said Gary. “Are you staying
the night at Roger’s place, Mother?”
“Does that bother you?”
“Of course it doesn’t,” Cleo chipped in. “Enjoy life, Grit.”
“I plan to,” said Grit.
“Dinner’s in ten minutes,” said Cleo.
The two youngest Hurleys were back in the permanently
installed playpen since that was the most practical solution to keeping an eye
on them when they decided not to sleep, PeggySue was fast asleep. Charlie was
now getting Joe to sketch her Daddy. The result was hilarious.
“If the cap fits…” said Gary, not really approving.
“Cartoons are going to be a standard feature of the new
police gazette,” said Joe.
“That should be an eye-opener,” said Cleo.
“I’ll do court scenes as cartoons too, but the serious
kind,” said Joe.
“How about coming to the table, you guys? Better not wait
too long. Charlie is already helping herself to salad.”
“The pasta casserole was pronounced delicious by all.”
“I’ve eaten it before,” said Gary.
“Gloria gave me the recipe,” said Grit.
“Romano’s gourmet touch again,” said Gary. “We’ll have lunch
there tomorrow, Joe, if you have time. We could share a vast pizza.”
“I’ll make time, Gary. I haven’t met Gloria yet.”
“You’re in for a surprise,” said Grit.
“My mother is not always on her best behaviour, Joe, and
she’s as flamboyant as I am staid.”
“I don’t remember you ever being staid,” said Gary.
“I think Cleo means normal,” said Dorothy, who had been
marvelling non-stop at the uncanny likeness of Joe and Gary.
“Bed-time, young lady,” said Gary, since Charlie was too
tired even to ask what staid was. “Come on, Joe. We’ll get the boys to bed.”
“I was going anyway,” said Charlie. “What’s staid, Daddy?”
“I’ll take you,” said Grit. Charlie was already a big girl,
but she appreciated having her grandmother to tuck her in.
“We’ll all take you all,” said Gary, and they trooped into
the kiddies’ room. The chaotic bedtime proceedings had finished by Roger arrived
to collect Grit for their date.
***
“By the way,” Joe announced when Grit was safely out of
hearing distance, “I want it to be a surprise for Mother. Charlotte will be
here at the weekend.”
“Wow! When did you arrange that?”
“Yesterday. I’m here to stay, Cleo, and I want my daughter
to be part of this family.”
“We want that, too, Joe,” said Gary. “Charlie will be
delighted.”
“She can go with me to the airport if you’ll allow it,” said
Joe.
“What a brilliant idea, but not instead of her hockey match,”
said Cleo
“Definitely not. I’ll go along too, if I may,” said Gary.
“You’ll probably hate the hockey, Joe. Those girls are
vicious little amazons when you put a weapon in their hands.”
“I hope Charlotte plays, then. She could do with something
more temperamental than croquet on the boarding school lawn.”
***
Joe decided to go home to Grit’s cottage and work on his
ideas for the police gazette layout after he had jogged to Jane Barker’s house
to collect Dog for his evening run. He had already decided to adopt Dog. Now he
had to break the news to Mrs Barker. To his surprise, his offer was received
with undisguised delight. Jane had not known what to do with the animal. It
howled all night in its kennel and made naughty heaps in the vegetable patch,
which was admittedly unkempt since Jane did not do gardening. She would pack
Emanuel’s food and doggie bowls in a large shopping bag and he could take the
dog now.
***
“Let’s have an early night,” said Gary about half an hour
later.
“I was about to go, Gary,” said Dorothy. “You won’t have to
throw me out.”
“I’d never do that,” said Gary. “I think you must have more
to tell me, Ladies, so fire away..”
“I’ll just tell you briefly about my visit to the vicarage,
shall I?” said Cleo, and proceeded to leave her listeners in no doubt that
Edith had behaved in a depraved manner and Robert had a problem.
Dorothy would have to ask around about both of them. Gary
thought Robert would have to be questioned. He would have to see to that next
morning. If Robert did not have a believable alibi, he was really in trouble.
Cleo did not want to believe that Robert would go to such drastic length as to
kill, but as Gary put it, she had spent her life preaching that you could not
tell a killer from anyone else.
Gary escorted Dorothy home while Cleo gave the twins their
last feed of the day. She was looking forward to having Gary to herself for a
change and hoped they could get beyond the shop talk.
“We’ll take one of those communal showers, shall we?” he
announced.
“We’ll wash the day right out of our hair,” said Cleo.
“And get in that shower cabin as long as we fit, bearing in
mind that our family is still expanding.”
“Does that bother you after all, Gary?”
“Certainly not, my love. It’s all part of the package.”
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