Dangerous Inheritance (36 page)

‘Oh, Grandpa, how clever you are!' Fleur's eyes were dancing with happiness. ‘That's a wonderful idea!'

‘Very well, then,' de Richleau returned her smile. ‘This afternoon you must do your utmost to persuade Madame Mirabelle to come to the swimming baths here for a talk with us at about eight o'clock this evening. Then, if she agrees, bring Douglas along for a drink after dinner. When I have given him my version of what is going on, all you have to say is that if he has no objection you would love to be my companion on the flight, and see your mother and father again. Then leave the rest to me.'

At three o'clock that afternoon Fleur kept her appointment with Mirabelle down by the canal. The market there had been over for some hours, but as it was a Sunday there were still quite a number of people about; so instead of having another ice together they had their talk while walking along some of the less frequented byways.

At first Mirabelle proved very loath to risk going to the Galle Face. But Fleur declared that she would not assign Olenevka to her unless she was prepared to give de Richleau grounds for believing that she really could spike Lalita's guns; so eventually Mirabelle agreed to meet Truss by the lighthouse at a little before eight o'clock.

After leaving her, Fleur telephoned from a call box to let Truss know that she had been successful, then she went home and, with an uneasy conscience, told Douglas that a new development had arisen with regard to Lalita about which the
Duke wished to talk to them at the Galle Face after dinner that night.

Although Truss and Mirabelle had met only once under decidedly unusual circumstances, they recognised each other at once, and she accompanied him through the sea-front garden entrance of the Galle Face to the swimming baths. There, alone and in semi-darkness, de Richleau was sitting at one end of the baths in a canvas-backed chair. With the aid of his malacca, he stood up, greeted her cheerfully and gallantly bowed her to another chair. Then he said:

‘Madame; as age prevents me from going far from my quarters in these days, I am most grateful to you for coming here. As I am in no position to offer you any refreshment I will not detain you longer than need be. Therefore, let us go straight to business. Mrs. Rajapakse has told me of your reasons for wishing to become the owner of Olenevka, and I sympathise with them. But only a few years ago that property was said to be worth half a million rupees and even today its value is estimated to be two hundred thousand. Please be kind enough to inform me precisely what you could do for myself and my friends in return for the equivalent of such a considerable sum?'

‘I will tell, my lord, how a charge of murder can be made against Lalita d'Azavedo,' Mirabelle replied without hesitation. ‘And I will stand in court to be witness for you.'

‘Then, as good citizens, apart from any private interest we may have in this matter, it is our duty to investigate this. Perhaps now you will be so good as to tell us how we should proceed.'

Mirabelle took a pack of cigarettes from her reticule. Truss promptly lit one for her and, when she had puffed at it, she said:

‘This goes back to time when the firm Rajapakse first declared the will of Count Plackoff to be forgery. You recall that is due to Pedro Fernando making confession that it was so on his death-bed. Other witness was his wife Vinala. They were for some years retired and living in bungalow on the estate. The Rajapakses write to her asking her to make a statement. She was much worried and fearing trouble for herself does not
know what to reply. The d'Azavedos learn of this and are frightened that she confirm her husband's confession. If so they are lost; so they decide to kill her. They do not say this to me, but I know of the will being contested and what hangs to that. One evening father and son get a little drunk. Later they go out and when they come back they are in shocking state. Next morning I clean clothes. There is blood and muck on those of both. Then I learn that old Vinala has gone, left her home, disappeared. It is said that she ran away from fear she has to show herself in court and admit to witnessing will she know to be forged. But I know better. She never again show herself anywhere.'

‘Most interesting,' remarked the Duke, ‘and I have very little doubt, Madame, that your guess about what happened to her is correct. But her disappearance and your finding bloodstains on the clothes of the two men are no proof of murder.'

‘No, my lord. But I make it possible for you to tie all ends up.'

‘How will you do that?'

‘Soon after Vinala disappears, Ukwatte says her bungalow no good; beams rotten, so dangerous for anyone else to make a home in. He has it pulled down. For why? Because he do not want anyone else to live there. For why? Because somewhere near is buried Vinala and he fears that it be discovered. Where is her body? I tell you. The muck I clean from the clothes of Ukwatte and Lalita was pig manure. They bury her in the pigsty. I am certain of it. Go there and you will find I am right.'

‘Now we're really getting some place,' Truss exclaimed. ‘If her skeleton is there, with your corroborative evidence we can put Lalita on the skids.'

‘Yes,' agreed the Duke. ‘Motive, opportunity, and the remains of the body will enable us to bring a charge. But only your evidence about the bloodstains, Madame, will secure a conviction. May we count upon you to give it?'

Mirabelle lit another cigarette from the one she was smoking. ‘Yes, my lord. As showing good faith I will sign a statement and exchange for deed giving me title to Olenevka.'

‘Nothing could be fairer,' smiled the Duke. ‘But I think it
would be advisable for the deed to be drawn up by Mr. Rajapakse. He will not, of course, be told about the … er … possible scandal from which it is part of our understanding that he should be protected; only that you have approached me with this proposal for preventing Lalita from making a great deal of trouble for all of us. If Rajapakse draws up the deed we can be quite certain that no knowledge of it will get back to Lalita; whereas if your lawyer friend acts for you I feel there is some risk that it might. Do you agree?'

‘I think I could trust my friend, but he is also friend of Lalita; so perhaps, my lord, what you propose is best.'

‘Good. Then there remains only one other point. We need directions as to how to find the ruin of the Fernandos' bungalow, so that someone can be sent to look for the remains of the body.'

Mirabelle gave them. It was not far from the house, and de Richleau was satisfied that anyone who knew the property should have no difficulty in finding it. Having thanked her, he stood up and said:

‘May I congratulate you on your good sense in coming to us, Madame. For the assistance you are rendering us you have well deserved the future security you seek. Once we have found the remains of the body and have your signed statement I pledge you my word that the deal shall go through.'

‘I thank you, my lord.' Mirabelle came to her feet and bowed. ‘But how long will this take? You must hurry. You have only a few days. Perhaps as soon as this week Lalita springs trap for Mr. Rajapakse, and once he is in prison he perhaps never come out alive.'

‘I appreciate that; so I shall send someone to Olenevka tomorrow. By Tuesday night, or Wednesday at the latest, we should know where we stand.'

After a further exchange of compliments they parted. Truss saw Mirabelle to the side entrance of the hotel grounds, then went in with the Duke to dinner. As soon as the waiter had taken their order, Truss asked:

‘What did you think of her?'

‘I was decidedly impressed,' de Richleau replied. ‘She is a
pleasant creature, honest, I should say, according to her lights, and decidedly attractive.'

‘She certainly is that. From what I've heard of old Ukwatte it's surprising that a woman with her looks should have been willing to tie up with a man like him; or anyhow to remain with him for so long. And as for Lalita!'

The Duke smiled. ‘My dear boy, in such matters women are entirely unpredictable. Physical attractions do not weigh with them nearly as much as they do with our sex. According to Fleur, Madame Mirabelle is lazy by nature, and she evidently liked being the mistress of Olenevka, even if only an unofficial one.

‘What do you think the chances are that she's telling the truth?'

‘Very high. She may be exaggerating Lalita's powers to do us harm but the intentions she has attributed to him are plausible. And she is no fool. She must know that she would stand to gain nothing by telling us this story of the murder if it were simply invention.'

‘I take it you'll send van Goens up there to investigate?'

‘No. That was my first thought; but he used to be a police inspector in that area and, having lived at Olenevka for so long, Lalita is certain still to have friends in the neighbourhood. If one of them tipped him off that an ex-policeman was snooping there, his guilty conscience would alert him to his danger. He would be up there within a matter of hours to destroy any evidence that may remain of the crime. He might even tumble to it that Mirabelle has suspected him all along and is now selling him out. If so he's quite capable of killing her; and we must not risk that.'

‘Then I'll go up if you like, sir,' Truss volunteered.

‘Thank you, Truss. I was about to suggest it; and I have thought of a way to explain your visit to de Zoysa, the manager there. He may not yet know that I have made the property over to Fleur, but I will ring him up tomorrow morning and tell him. I shall add that she wants to sell it and that she has been lucky enough to find a possible buyer almost at once. That will be you. And that both of you are on your way up there so that you can see the present state of the mine and get a better idea of its
possible value. Even if that does get back to Lalita, as he already knows that the place belongs to Fleur, the reason for your visit will appear quite natural to him.'

Truss laughed. ‘Grandad, you're a marvel. That will give me two days on my own with Fleur; and, after the end of this week we won't be seeing one another for quite a while, so I couldn't be more grateful.'

‘I don't know that you deserve them,' de Richleau remarked dryly, ‘and but for this other business I certainly would not aid you to deceive poor Douglas. But love as well as war has its casualties, and as you are the victor one cannot blame you for wishing to enjoy the spoils.'

An hour later they were upstairs in the Duke's sitting room with Douglas and Fleur. As de Richleau told them of the latest development regarding his unlucky inheritance, brought about by, as he said, Mirabelle's approach to him, Fleur contrived to show the same surprise and concern as her husband; but when the Duke disclosed that Mirabelle had demanded Olenevka as the price of her alliance, their reactions were quite different. Fleur at once agreed, but Douglas proved most averse to her giving it up, on the grounds that he thought Mirabelle was probably lying and had been put up to this move by Lalita in the hope that by some new trick or other they could between them get hold of the property.

It then fell to the Duke to put on an act. Had his old companions Simon, Rex and Richard been present they would have seen through it at once, because they knew that while he was always cautious when threatened with danger he had never been known to panic or show fear. But now he gave the impression that he was really scared. He insisted that Mirabelle had given him ample grounds for believing that unless Lalita could be stopped both Douglas and he would become his victims and lose their lives. He then insisted that their only chance of saving themselves lay in agreeing to her terms.

Infected by this display of fear Douglas was persuaded to agree; upon which the Duke said, ‘You will appreciate that this must be done with the utmost secrecy. Should one of the clerks in your office chance to be in Lalita's pay and report to him
that a Deed of Gift to Mirabelle is being drawn up, the fat will be in the fire and he will take steps to render her useless to us; so you had better draw it up yourself at home.'

Douglas promised to do so and the Duke then spoke of his wish to make a speedy return to Europe. Truss made difficulties, as arranged, about going with him; then Fleur stepped into the breach, adding what a treat it would be for her to see her parents and spend Christmas with them if Douglas could spare her for six or seven weeks.

While doing so, although she knew that the object of her deception was in part to save her husband from a most harmful scandal, her conscience was so stricken that she wished she could have dropped through the floor; and she felt even more guilty when he, without the least hesitation, generously agreed.

That settled, de Richleau produced his plan for finding out if Vinala Fernando's remains were really buried in the pigsty near her bungalow. This was new to Fleur and she at once protested:

‘But, Greyeyes, dearest; if I'm to leave with you for Europe at the end of the week, I must have time to pack and make all sorts of arrangements.'

To that he replied firmly, taking Douglas's consent that she should go to Olenevka with Truss for granted, ‘My child, this is an emergency. The lives of your husband and myself may depend on verifying the fact that Lalita is a murderer. It would be unwise for you to arrive unexpected by de Zoysa, and I may not be able to get him on the telephone until the siesta hour; so you need not leave until after lunch tomorrow. And you should be back by Tuesday evening. I shall get seats for us on the ‘plane for Friday; so that will give you Wednesday and Thursday. In those two and a half days you must do the best you can.'

There remained little more to discuss. They speculated for a while on Lalita's machinations and, should Vinala's skeleton not be found, the possibility of paying Mirabelle generously to warn them about his plans; then the visitors took their departure.

When they had gone de Richleau drew his hand wearily over
his forehead, and said to Truss, ‘My God, what a party! It's the first time in my life I've had to pretend to be a coward. But we pulled it off, and instinct tells me that Mirabelle is right about Lalita having it in for Douglas and myself. I can get out, but he can't; so praise be to the Lord that we persuaded him to agree to our plan. Open a bottle of champagne, dear boy; open a bottle of champagne. I need something to revive me, and we can easily manage a bottle between us.'