Tuesday
After devoting the rest of Monday to his family, Gary had to
admit to himself on Tuesday that it was an ideal tool for escapism. Cleo could concentrate on the family and
let the agency drift until things picked up after the holiday period, with
the option of closing down altogether if it didn’t.
***
It was the six spoons of sugar that Gary absentmindedly
dropped into his coffee mug that made Cleo decide she would have to intervene.
“OK. What’s bothering you?” she said.
“Do you really want to know?”
“Sure. Just pretend I have my psychological cap on.”
“It’s just that the cases I’m on now look unsolvable.”
“Is that all?” said Cleo, not because she wanted to belittle
his worry, but because Gary was a congenital pessimist most of the time.
“It’s enough.”
“I was hoping Chris would send us a report on his forensic
work, but I can see that we need to talk more generally, though Chris’s
research would shed some light on things,” said Cleo.
“I don’t think we are in for many surprises.”
“I’m listening.”
“Take the fire, for instance. We have no idea how many were
involved. Rita was not at home, but Frank turned up and was promptly put out of
action. By whom? Why wasn’t he killed? It would have been easy enough. Who is
he a risk factor for, but not risky enough to be exterminated?”
“I hope that was a rhetorical question, Gary.,”
We’ll have to find out if Rita has been telling the truth.”
“The truth about what? Drugs? Who she visits at night?”
“I mean that banana box. Didn’t Rita say that it belonged to
Frank? In that case, the person who knocked the guy out did not deposit it and
we know it was not taken, either. But Frank makes out that he knew nothing
about it. Did whoever clobbered Frank know that the contents were almost
worthless?”
“Someone may have snuck in with it when no one was looking,”
said Cleo. “Though why someone would deposit a box of mainly flour on the top
shelf in a storeroom at a hairdressers is a mystery.”
“If someone sneaked in, Rite wouldn’t know, would she?”
“If she wasn’t there, she wouldn’t. Frank had a key, but I
expect she had given one to several people, cleaners for instance.”
“And there’s Pooth, found dead on the HQ parking lot. How
ironic is that? He was poisoned, Cleo. Why? Who did it? He was the biggest
friend a gangster could have. He had contacts at HQ who kept him informed and
he ran a place you could hold a gangster meeting, illegal card table or heaven
knows what else. The drugs and vice squads have given up trying to catch them out
because they always knew when a razzia was planned.”
“Find those involved,” said Cleo. “Or better still, find the
informers. They are probably paid by the state and the gangsters.”
“No go. Corruption starts at home and stays there. Those
involved keep their mouths shut if they don’t want to have their throats slit.”
“On the other hand, does it matter who killed Pooth?”
“Of course, if it leads us to other gangsters.”
“It won’t, Gary. You’ve just said as much.”
“Pooth was a good bet in the hair salon case, and now he’s
dead. How convenient. The whole business stinks, Cleo.”
“There’s no proof that he or one of his buddies went to
Rita’s salon on a mission of death, did not carry it out and set fire to the salon
instead.”
“But knowing Pooth, it could have been like that, couldn’t
it?” said Gary.
“So Pooth was killed for starting a fire at a tinpot
hairdresser’s, and maybe instructed his buddy not to kill Frank, leaving Frank
an innocent party.”
“Frank Wetherby is not innocent.”
“But you don’t know what he’s guilty of, Gary.”
“He was on the drugs scene, but says he’s clean. He was
persecuted in Frint-on-Sea and came to these parts to get away from his past.”
“That sounds genuine enough,” said Cleo. “I came to the UK
to get away from my past.”
“But you came to get away from a husband who beat you and
mother who supported him,” said Gary.
“Sure, but it was the right decision, wasn’t it?”
“You are implying that Frank did the right thing, Cleo.”
“Am I?”
“How genuine does someone have to be who misuses his
employer’s office and gets involved with criminals?”
“Can you prove any of that, Gary?”
“Not conclusively, yet. His private pages on your office
computer did not connect with the agency.”
“That proves that he did not want to involve me.”
“But he could have, couldn’t he? You trusted him, after
all.”
“He’s learnt his lesson, I should think. He now has no job
in Upper Grumpsfield, nowhere to live having jilted Rita, and is on the death
list of whatever gangsters he took up with in Middlethumpton or London. His
five minutes of fame have been and gone, Gary. It’s a pity. He was a good
sleuth.”
“I beg to differ. hope you are not thinking of offering him
his job back.”
“Would you?”
“No.”
Gary took a sip of his coffee pulled a face.
“Too much sugar, Gary?”
Cleo got up and went to throw the offending brew out.
“I’ll put the sugar in in future,” she said. “You looked
just like PeggySue when she has just spat out something she doesn’t like.”
***
“Moving on, what about Kelly?” he said. “Where’s that
pistol? Who broke into Dorothy’s garden shed if it wasn’t kids? Am I really relying
on a teenager to find out?”
“Probably. Why don’t you just go with the flow?”
“Oscar is coming into HQ with Albert later this morning.
That means that either he’s going to refuse to let the boy go to the coffee bar,
or he’s going to let him go despite the risk, or even go with him to keep an
eye on things.”
“That’s not a bad idea if he does not let on that they are
together,” said Cleo.
“OK. I’ll suggest it. No one knows Albert and he’ll only
hang out like all the others, but he’ll notice anything suspicious.”
Gary tried his coffee again.
“No sugar,” he shuddered .
“2 teaspoons, Gary. That’s all you’re getting.”
“Have I ever complained about the coffee, Cleo?”
“You pulled a face when you tried to drink it - twice.”
“You put too much sugar in the first lot, Cleo.”
“Correction, YOU put too much sugar in.”
“I do love you even if you are cruel to me sometimes,” said
Gary.
“If cruelty includes too much sugar in coffee, I’m actually
innocent,” said Cleo.
“What would I do without you?” he mused.
“I could ask the same question. I just hope you realize that
you can’t solve every crime every time.”
“I wish I was a landscape gardener.”
“You wouldn’t get every weed out, either.”
***
Grit arrived on the scene, ready to take PeggySue to the
nursery.
“Sonia is going back to Cape Town tonight,” she announced.
“So she really is going,” Cleo and Gary exclaimed.
“She’s taking that cancellation. Joe did not stop her.”
“Let’s talk straight, Mother,” said Gary. “She was on that
list of reserve passengers because she wanted to be and Joe will be glad to see
the back of her.”
“I know Sonia was uncertain, but they were making great
strides towards one another,” said Grit.
“No Grit, I have to disagree,” said Cleo. “Joe has probably
hated every minute of Sonia being here. He asked for a consultation. That says
it all. He’s probably looking for faults in himself, but we can all see that
Sonia a misfit. He just needs confirmation that he is not being unjust.”
“It was plain to Cleo that Sonia is playing up to Joe, probably
still hoping to recharge their batteries, but Joe is no fool. We know why she
came,” said Gary.
“Are you going to tell me?” said Grit.
“In Cape Town, Joe decided it was a no-go situation with
Sonia because she not only did not want children, but she does not even like
them, including Lottie,” said Gary. “I’d certainly turn my back on anyone who
does not like my kids.”
“She’s a teacher at Lottie’s boarding school, which is where
they met,” said Cleo. “I suppose that’s where she learnt not to let on that she
disliked Joe’s daughter or any other kids for that matter.”
“She’s changed, though, hasn’t she?” Grit said. “She’s
coming back. That means that she has come to think differently about things.”
“I don’t think that Joe believes her, Mother, and to be
honest, neither do I,” said Cleo. “She won’t come again.”
“I agree. Joe will tell her to stay in S.A. but not until
they are at the airport,” said Gary. “That’s what he intimated to me when he
thought the flight was next weekend.”
“You seem to know all about it, Gary. What you are really
saying is that it’s a good thing she’s leaving today,” said Grit.
“Yes,” said Gary.
“It does solve one problem, of course,” said Grit.
“I wanted to give Joe my room and sleep in the little
bedroom, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Now I know why. He did not want to share a
bed with Sonia.”
“I also think he has spotted someone he rather likes at HQ,”
said Gary.
“Ah! That explains quite a lot,” said Grit.
“He’s been away from S.A. for a few weeks and he had finished
the episode with Sonia, so he now feels free to look around,” said Cleo.
“That’s really a step forward.”
“It took me five seconds to decide that you were the woman
I’d been looking for all my adult life, Cleo.”
“That long?”
“And three years until you felt the same.”
“Wrong, Gary. I always felt the same.”
“I need a hug,” said Gary, getting up. “Join us, Mother!”
“You are the limit, Gary,” said Grit.
“I’ll second that,” said Cleo. “But a communal hug is a good
way of starting the day.”
“Sonia will come in to say goodbye presently,” said Grit.
“Be nice to her. She does not know that she is not coming here again.”
“Don’t tempt fate, Mother,” said Gary.
“I’ll take PeggySue to the nursery and do some shopping.
Sausages OK tonight?”
“That’s a great idea. I count sausages as soul food,” said
Gary.
***
Sonia did not appear sad about taking the cancellation and
getting a flight back that evening, not least because she had a guilty conscience
about her school. She told Cleo about the plans she had for when she returned
to Upper Grumpsfield. Cleo listened without commenting.
“Maybe I should have just one baby after all,” said Sonia, “but
only if Joe insists. It can join all yours. You seem to cope marvellously with
your family.”
“I’m not the baby-sitter, Sonia. Babies want to be with
their mother at first.”
“I’d share the work, of course,” said Sonia.
There seemed to be nothing Cleo could add to that. What a
cold fish Sonia was. Since it was time to give the twins their cereal, Cleo
offered to let Sonia practice on one, but Sonia thought she should go back to
Grit’s cottage and finish packing.
“OK, Sonia. So if this is goodbye, have a great flight home!
I expect Gary and I will be having our siesta when you leave. It’s our special
hour, you see. We make love in the afternoon.”
“But it isn’t dark,” said Sonia, who was shocked at Cleo’s
blunt statement.
“We don’t mind looking,” said Cleo. “We aren’t in the dark
ages.”
“No wonder Charlie talked like she did. She probably saw
something,” said Sonia.
“I doubt it, but she knows, of course. Kids of that age are
well informed these days. Anyway, Gary and I make no secret of our physical
attraction to one another.”
“You would where I come from.”
“Don’t be so sure. Lottie was quite curious about you and
Joe.”
“She needn’t have been.”
“It doesn’t matter now you are leaving,” said Cleo.
“Upper Grumpsfield will soon be my home,” said Sonia. “It’s
nice here.”
“We like it, too,” said Cleo, accompanying Sonia to the
front door.
***
At least Sonia will not have a baby she doesn’t want,
thought Cleo as she watched Sonia marching back to Grit’s cottage. Poor Joe,
leaving the country after breaking off with her only to be confronted by her. Having
met her, Cleo was glad that Sonia’s expectations had not been fulfilled and
sure that she did not want her as a sister-in-law. A phone-call to Gary made
her feel even better since he was highly amused at the way she had ‘dealt’ with
the woman’s plans for motherhood.
Grit arrived back with a shopping-bag full of goodies from
Robert Jones the butcher’s shop. She looked excited.
“Sit down, Cleo. I can’t wait to tell you this.”
“Wow. You are motivated, Grit.”
“You would be too if you’d done the shopping.”
“Get it over with. The tension is unbearable.”
“Gloria was serving,” said Grit.
“But she left months ago.”
“She’s back.”
“Probably just helping out with the sausages, Grit. The girl
Robert hired to replace her was probably useless.”
“Robert introduced her to customers as his new-old assistant
from Chicago.”
“Why didn’t my mother tell me?”
“She might not have been ready to face your questions. I
wonder if it’s all over with Romano.”
“They were planning to get married, Grit. Are you implying
that she walked out on the restaurant, but not on the boyfriend?”
“Or she walked out on both, Cleo.”
“I’ll have to send Gary to Romano’s to find out.”
“Do that. I’m just as curious. She has nowhere to live. I
didn’t ask questions but she was asking someone to find her an apartment. She
must be bunking down on Mr Jones’s sofa.”
“No, that isn’t Gloria. She could be at Delilah’s bistro.
There are a couple of guest rooms there, but she could take Gary’s apartment
now you live permanently at the cottage, Grit, couldn’t she.”
“Of course she can. It fits in like a jigsaw puzzle.”
“It’s done that before, Grit. That apartment is worth its
weight in gold and there’s always the one Roger will be vacating if she’d
prefer that.”
“Do you think Roger will want to live with me?”
“I should think he’s dying for you to invite him, Grit.”
“Then I’ll do it – now!”
“Be my guest. Make the call in our bedroom. I’m going to
give the twins some cereal here. It might get noisy.”
Less than five minutes later Grit came back into the
living-room beaming.
“He’s coming tonight, Cleo. I hope I’m doing the right
thing.”
“I’m sure you are,” said Cleo. “I’ll make us an espresso to
celebrate!”
***
Gary was amazed that Gloria had been serving at the shop. He
would definitely find out what had happened. Romano was devoted to Gloria.
Surely she hadn’t walked out on him.
“It was a good pad,” said Gary.
“Not good enough,” said Cleo. “Maybe my mother could not get
her own way all the time.”
“I’ll let you know what I find out,” said Gary.
“Ask them to dinner for tomorrow, Gary. That will test
whether the affair is over.”
“You could ask your mother, of course.”
“But I’d rather not hear a tale of woe. Gloria passes the buck
rather too easily,” said Cleo.
“But isn’t Romano needed at the restaurant in the evening?”
“He has assistants, Gary. He’s been to dinner her before. Oh,
and Roger is moving in with Grit.”
“About time, too!” said Gary. “I’m having a quick lunch with
Joe at Romano’s and then he’s going to collect Sonia and drive her to
Heathrow.”
“Great. We’ll have to find him a more suitable partner,”
said Cleo.
“He may have found one already.”
“What about Barbara Fielding?”
“Hey, Witch of Endor. How did you know that?”
“I didn’t, but you like her so Joe probably will, too.”
“That’s pretty shaky reasoning, Cleo.“
“Ask her to dinner for tomorrow, Gary. We’ll celebrate
Sonia’s going and Roger’s coming.”
“Good idea, but let’s leave Gloria and Romano out,” said
Gary. “Things are complicated enough and she might put on one of her
theatricals if she came. I couldn’t stand that and I could stand Pagliacci
having a fit and singing.”
“You’re right. I’m just curious. Maybe my Mother will phone
me now she’s seen Grit.”
“I’ll mail you a copy of Chris’s report, Cleo. It’s just
arrived and so have Albert and Oscar, so I’ll have to hang up. Je t’aime.”
“Moi aussi.”
***
“That was French, Sir,” said Albert.
“So it was, Albert.”
“It means ‘I love you’,” said the boy.
“I tell my wife that all the time, Albert,” said Gary.
“My father never said anything like that to anyone,” said
Albert.
“It makes people happy if you tell them you like them or
love them, Albert. Thanks for coming today. How do you do, Dr Pope?”
“We’ve talked it through and Albert will try to find out
something about the pistol, Mr Hurley.”
“Can you go with him?”
“If you think that’s a good idea.”
“Just don’t let it look like you are together. I can’t send
a policeman. A neutral person is a better choice.”
“That’s settled them. We’ll go today and see what happens.”
“You know the drill, Albert, don’t you?”
“Yes Sir. I’ll be very careful what I say. I hope no one
knows me.”
“If someone recognizes you, just act normally and leave
quickly.”
Albert shook hands with Gary solemnly before leaving with
Oscar. Gary no longer felt uneasy about getting Albert onto the case. Cleo was
right. He seemed sensible and was quite grown up for his age.
***
Gary rang Chris and told him that Nigel would be bringing
the tumbler out of which Albert had drunk some water. He was not a suspect. His
prints should be used to check on those found in Dorothy Price’s shed, however,
and hopefully counted out.
***
Chris’s report was, as Gary had predicted, short on surprises
and even shorter on useful evidence:
Pooth had been killed with a nerve drug shot into his
shoulder with a syringe. There were no other injuries except elderly evidence
of fights. The chances of finding out who was responsible were nil given the
record for solving such cases. Pooth had had no form of identification on him;
no papers, no money, nothing. It could have been a robbery except that the
choice of weapon was hardly spontaneous.
Dorothy’s shed had been taped, but only her prints could be
identified. There were others, but they were not on record.
Kelly’s corpse had revealed six bullets. Whoever had shot
him at a fair distance had a good aim and a steady hand, and had emptied the
barrel. The gun had not been found. It might be in the pond and that could be
dragged if he could get permission. Killers usually disposed of their weapons
as soon as possible, so it might still be found given the resources. Was it a
schoolboy dare? Perish the thought, but the perpetrator might have hung on to
the weapon as a souvenir in that case.
There was no record of Joanna Colby anywhere. She had not
been registered as a missing person.
Rita’s fire had been started by someone setting fire to the
lace net drapes, possibly from the outside since one of the windows had been
forced open. No other signs of a break-in were found so the person who entered
and clobbered Frank Wetherby must have had a key unless he had been let in,
possibly by Frank himself, or Wetherby had left the salon door open so that the
person he was expecting could get in. The salon itself was damaged extensively
but apparently the building structure had not been affected. The fire brigade
had arrived very quickly and made a good job of containing the fire.
And that was all.
***
For a change, Chris had not done much speculating, but the
question of whether Frank had known and let in his attacker would have to be
answered, Cleo mused. She made one or two notes on a copy of the report that
she had printed.
***
Gary sent Nigel to the station with a photo of Joanna Colby
to find out if anyone had seen her and when. Nigel would also talk to junkies
and tipplers in the parks. Nigel was not in police uniform and was such an
unlikely candidate for the police force that he would not arouse suspicion. He
could say he was a welfare officer. Gary told him it was essential for him to
undertake such errands if he wanted to become a detective.
“Anything‘s better than traffic patrol,” Nigel commented.
“You can continue forever as my assistant,” said Gary. “But
that is not much of a career is it?”
“I like the idea of a quiet life,” Nigel replied.
“I’m glad that’s how you see your job,” said Gary, wondering
if he was pandering to Nigel. That would have to stop.
***
Joe called in at Gary’s office to collect his brother. They
would walk to Romano’s restaurant together. They aroused a few astonished looks
as they walked down Middlethumpton’s main street. They were astonishingly
alike. Romano had to look hard to tell who was who. Sure enough, Gloria was
nowhere to be seen.
“Would you like today’s special?” Romano asked. He looked upset,
Gary thought.
Tagliatelle with salmon would be great, they agreed.
“She’s gone,” said Romano, without being asked.
“Why?” Gary asked. “You were the perfect pair, Romano.”
“She was unfaithful, Gary.”
Gary had been expecting any explanation but that one.
“Who with?” he asked.
“I’ll kill him,” Romano answered.
“You won’t. Who?”
“My brother,” said Romano.
“I did not know you had a brother,” said Gary.
“He came to visit and Gloria shone on him.”
“You mean took a shine to him.”
“Is that how you say it? We were going to get hatched.”
“Hitched, Romano, remember?”
“Not any more, Gary.”
“So where is your brother now?”
“I threw him out.”
“Gloria was at Robert’s shop this morning, Romano.”
“Good rubbish to bad riddance,” said Romano.
“I think you mean …”
“I know what I mean. I’ll get your tagliatelle.”
Romano made off to the kitchen. He was usually friendly and
jovial, but not today.
***
Joe had looked on in astonishment. Gary explained that
Romano got his adages and vocabulary mixed up even after living nearly half his
life in the UK. Joe decided to do a portrait of him in Cops’ Corner, since he
fed half HQ with his pizzas and pasta-to-go.
In the short time they had known one another a close friendship
had evolved between Gary and Joe, so that Joe now only had to intimate to his
brother that Sonia would not be coming back if he could avoid it for Gary to
think that was the best decision he could have made.
“She would never fit in with our family,” Joe said, “and I
don’t love her.”
“Come to dinner tomorrow, Joe. It’s a family thing to
celebrate Roger’s arrival.”
“…and Sonia’s departure? Can I bring someone?”
“I was going to invite her anyway.”
“So you know who it is,” said Joe.
“I have eyes, Joes. And she’s your type.”
“So Cleo is a witch, after all.”
“The nicest sort, and yes, she guessed.”
“Do you think Barbara will come?”
“I’m sure she will.”
***
Joe left Gary at the restaurant and sped home to collect
Sonia. They had plenty of time to get to Heathrow unless there was a complete
jam on the M25. The couple were almost wordless on the journey. They had not actually
quarrelled, but the atmosphere was frigid and Joe did not encourage
conversation. At Departures they embraced briefly, their bodies well apart and
no sign of real friendship. Joe went to find his car as soon as Sonia joined
the queue waiting to go through security. He reflected that he had not even
thanked her for accompanying Charlotte. He would write her a brief note and
correct that omission and discourage any idea Sonia might still have of returning
to Upper Grumpsfield..
But Sonia knew that was the end of her association with Joe.
She was almost relieved. Now she would not be forced to have the baby she did
not want with a man she could live without. It would have bothered her to know
that Joe felt the same, but that feeling would have left her in no time at all
once she was back at what she loved most, which was teaching and being in
authority. She would accept the head teacher post at that school. It had been
offered to her and she had told the governors that for personal reasons she needed
time to decide. But she would accept and would not even have to set up a home
on her own. The boarding school address was enough and impressive and the
colleagues were quite nice.
***
Joe greeted his mother briefly when he got back home. She
was busy integrating Roger Stone into his new domicile and they quite obviously
did not need any help or even his presence so he hugged them and said how
delighted he was, but would love them and leave them and go next door.
Cleo and Gary welcomed him with open arms. The girls were
back home and helping to get supper. The babies and PeggySue had been fed and
bathed and were asleep. Joe flopped down on the sofa and sighed deeply.
“I’m glad she’s gone,” said Lottie, sitting down next to her
father and linking her arm through his.
“So am I, Sweetheart,” said Joe, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“We’re all glad,” said Gary.
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