Murder in Style (30 page)

T
hey found Charles walking up and down beside his car. He'd glugged down a bottle of water and didn't look too bad. Slightly dishevelled, not as precise as before but reasonably sober. And, worried.

Ellie opened the back door of the car and he stumbled in next to Mikey saying, ‘Well, er, thanks. Good of you to bother. Especially since … I don't know what's come over Gordon. I suppose, in the circumstances … understandable, but I told him … he can't really expect me to … I'll fetch the car in the morning. Can you give me a lift home?'

Mikey said, ‘You don't think we're doing this out of the kindness of our hearts, do you? We're off to see the Wizard …' And he started singing the theme from the
Wizard of Oz
. His voice had broken and he enjoyed letting rip.

Charles shuddered and reached for the door handle to let himself out of the car.

Thomas said, ‘Shut up, Mikey.' He signalled right and joined in the stream of traffic going up the hill.

Charles settled back in his seat. ‘Where are we going?'

Ellie said, ‘To undo some of the wrong that's been done.'

Charles's mouth twisted. ‘What wrong?'

‘Do you have keys to The Magpie office, and if so, how long have you had them?'

‘Why do you need to know?' Not amused. Not inclined to give any information.

‘It would help us to work out what happened.' Coaxing him, babying him. ‘Surely it can't do any harm for you to admit that you didn't have any keys when you started work on the books at The Magpie, but acquired some later on?'

‘No, I suppose not. You're right, I didn't have any when I first started. That didn't matter because Laura always arrived early. Then Poppy died and both the office and the shop were closed till after the funeral so I didn't need to get in.'

‘After you picked Ray's books up from the garage on the day of the funeral, you kept them at your place overnight because you still hadn't any keys to the office?'

‘Correct. I arrived there early on Saturday, even before Laura, and couldn't get in. Celine was just opening the shop, so I asked her if she had keys for the office. She had a spare set which she kept at the back of the shop for emergencies, problems with the drains, or the meter readers when the office was shut.'

‘She gave you the code to shut off the alarm?'

‘Yes. They use the same code for office and shop.'

‘You were the first to go into the office that morning. Was the alarm on?'

‘Of course it was. Annoying, that. You have to climb the stairs to shut it off at the top and, unless you're quick, it makes a hellish noise.'

‘Did you tell Gordon you had keys and the code for the alarm?'

‘For heaven's sake! Why would I do that?' Angry, and uncomfortable.

Was that the truth? Yes.

‘Charles, you know that Gordon wants to accuse Clemmie of fraud. We'd like you to review the evidence.'

‘I told you already. She did it.' Truculent. He belched.

Thomas opened the windows a crack and slowed down. ‘Charles, we want to clear Clemmie's name, so we're now going to ask Trixie about those cheques. Do you want to come with us while we do that, or would you like us to drop you off on the corner so that you can walk home?'

‘Ridiculous! Why should she …?' But he sank back in his seat and made no further effort to get out of the car.

Mikey, with his chin on his shoulder, said, ‘This is a busy road. I wouldn't like to have to ride my bike along here. I'd have to go on the pavement.'

Charles turned to stare at Mikey with raised eyebrows, but Ellie and Thomas refused to react.

Thomas turned into the forecourt of Ray's house and parked. There was an expensive car already there: one that Ellie had seen before; one with tinted windows and personalized number plates. The businessman-cum-club-owner?

The Lexus which Ray was using was not here. He was probably still back at Gordon's.

Trixie's sports car was there, piled high with luggage. As they watched, the businessman came out of the house with two large suitcases, which he put in the boot of his car. He glanced at Ellie and Thomas without interest and returned to the house.

Charles exclaimed, ‘What's going on?'

Ellie got out of the car. ‘Is Trixie leaving home?'

Charles followed her, stiffly. ‘Does Ray know?'

‘She's old enough to make her own choices.'

Mikey slid out, with a glinting smile. ‘She's sold herself for stardom, hasn't she?'

Thomas switched off the engine, and got out, too. ‘Or to pay off her father's debts?'

The businessman emerged from the house, carrying an armful of expensive-looking dresses wrapped in plastic. He ignored the newcomers to lay the precious garments flat on the back seat of his car.

Ellie led the way inside.

Trixie descended the stairs, carrying a couple of hat boxes and a leather-bound jewellery box. She wore a scarlet and white polka-dotted dress with a matching red bandeau round her hair. She looked stunning.

At the foot of the stairs was the middle-aged leather-jacketed man who'd been hanging around Trixie at the funeral and the reading of the will. He was not a happy bunny. ‘You don't have to do this, girl!'

‘I read the small print in your so-called contract, and it told me all I needed to know about you and your schemes. Now get lost!'

‘You'll regret this one day!' A bluff? Trixie disdained to reply. Leather jacket scurried out, passing the businessman with averted eyes.

Trixie spotted Ellie and Co, and her beautifully shaped eyebrows snapped together. ‘Now, don't you start. If you've come from my father, you can tell him he's no right to lecture me after the mess he's made of things. I'm not staying here to be dragged down to his level. He'll be on the streets before long, and I'm on my way up.'

‘We're not here to stop you,' said Ellie, ‘but before you go, would you answer one question? Have you got the receipts for the bills you paid with The Magpie's cheques?'

‘I suppose so, somewhere. I've been clearing paperwork out all morning. They might be in the bin in the kitchen, if you're lucky. I did do some shredding, but I didn't have time to do the lot.'

Ellie lifted an eyebrow at Mikey, who slid from her side to find the kitchen.

Charles squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. ‘You mean that it was you who took the money from your mother's business account?'

A pretty shrug. ‘It isn't important, is it? If I'd asked Mum, she'd have said it was OK, but with Dad making such a song and dance over his debts, well … I took a short cut.'

Ellie repressed rage. ‘Did you know that your mother thought it was Clemmie who'd taken the cheques?'

‘Really?' Arched eyebrows. ‘That was a bit stupid, wasn't it? It would never have crossed straight-laced Clemmie's mind to do that. Anyway, so what? Water under the bridge.'

She looked around her. How long had she lived in this house? Not all that long? Three or four years, the solicitor had said. She was saying goodbye not to the house, but to her past life. She turned to the businessman. ‘I think that's the lot. Let's go, shall we?'

The man put his arm around her, shepherding her to the door, looking down on his latest possession with pride. She threw back her head and smiled up at him. A smile full of promise. A smile for a day without a cloud in the sky.

That smile probably wouldn't last through the next wintry storm, but it pleased them both, for the moment.

Charles didn't know what to do with himself. He took two hasty steps after them, then stopped, swaying. He glared around, picked up a plastic bag which had strayed into the hall, looked it over as if it were of major interest, and dropped it again.

Thomas followed Mikey into the kitchen.

Ellie wondered if the dishwasher still contained the dishes from the coffee and sandwiches which had been dished out on Friday. Had the businessman spotted Trixie before that day or had he met her before? Had he made a point of attending the reading of the will in order to discover how she was fixed? How soon had she realized that his interest in her might translate into a starry future?

Would he put money into a film for her? Possibly, possibly not.

Would her grandparents help her out when the businessman tired of her, or she of him? Very probably.

‘Got 'em,' said Mikey, popping out of the kitchen with a handful of papers.

Thomas was also holding some papers. And frowning. ‘Ellie, there's a lot of unpaid household bills here as well: council tax, electricity, gas, and so on. It's all very well for Trixie to shove them in the bin, but someone's going to have to deal with them.'

‘Clearly not Trixie,' said Ellie, feeling bleak. ‘Give them to Charles. He'll sort them out with Juno when she gets back.'

Charles started on hearing his name. When Thomas handed him the bills, he looked at them as if he'd never seen any paperwork before. ‘What …?'

Mikey flourished some more papers under his nose. ‘Madam Trixie's bank statements, credit-card statements, and bills from the period when she stole the money. Happy now?'

Charles mouthed the words ‘Happy now?' They didn't seem to mean anything to him.

Mikey couldn't be doing with Charles. Mikey picked up the stray plastic bag, emptied all the papers into it, and handed them to Charles. ‘I suppose you'll make more sense in the morning.'

‘Or perhaps,' suggested Ellie, ‘after he's had a good long talk with Marge.'

‘Marge,' said Charles. His eyes glistened with tears. ‘She's angry with me.'

‘Give her a ring now. See if she'll let you go round to have a chat with her.' She signalled to Thomas and Mikey. ‘Before we go, I have to check …' She went into the sitting room at the back. And yes, someone – Ray or Trixie? – had taken the picture off the wall and, judging by the scratches on the wall around it, had tried to open the safe. Ellie concentrated, recalled the code, opened the safe and checked that the contents looked exactly as they had when she had put them there. She closed the safe up again, reset the dial and replaced the picture. ‘That's for Juno to deal with. Now …'

When she got back to the hall she found Charles still standing there, looking limp. He said, ‘She won't answer the phone.'

Ellie took his arm and steered him out to the car, following in the footsteps of Thomas and Mikey. She said, ‘Never mind, Charles. Try again later. She won't be angry if you can marry up these receipts with the cheques stolen from The Magpie. She'll be very happy that you've managed to clear Clemmie of fraud. Now, sit in the back of the car and we'll drop you home, right?'

Thomas said, ‘Have we got any keys to lock the house up?'

‘Drop the latch and shut the door. I'm assuming Ray has keys to get back in with.'

Not that he'd be able to stay there much longer. Even if Juno allowed him to rent it, how would he cope with such a big place on his own?

Ellie got Mikey and Charles into the car and then, and only then, it hit her. Charles was so … She didn't know what he was, but … Was he? Could he be? Oh!

Thomas enquired where Charles lived, and drove them neatly to the block of flats in which he lived on Haven Green. Ellie looked up at the ranks of windows. ‘Which is your flat, Charles? Do you have a good view over the Green?'

Charles got out and, without a backward look or word of thanks, disappeared into the nearest doorway.

Mikey was disgusted. ‘What's wrong with him?'

Thomas sighed. ‘Think, Mikey.' He signalled and drove off.

Ellie said, ‘I'm so angry with myself. Why didn't I see it before? When Marge said she'd divorced him after multiple betrayals, I thought it was odd because I hadn't got him down as a man who chased young girls. It wasn't girls, was it?'

Silence. Mikey grimaced. ‘Oh, you mean … that. It's no big deal nowadays, is it?'

Ellie said, ‘A loves B. B loves C. But who does C love?'

Mikey could follow that. ‘Charles loves Gordon? Is that right?'

‘Yes. It explains a lot.'

‘Gordon loves Juno. That's easy. And Juno loves Clemmie? Right?'

Yes. Or, was there someone else lurking in the background? Someone pulling strings? Someone whom Marge and Marika knew about but didn't want to mention?

Ellie rubbed her forehead. ‘Why didn't someone warn me about Charles? Why didn't I see it until it was almost too late?'

Thomas said, ‘Light of my life, your innocence serves to keep me aware that God loves everyone.' He slowed down, drew into the kerb and parked.

Mikey shuddered. ‘Maybe. But Gordon is evil. Why have we stopped?'

Thomas said, ‘I'll have to go back. Did he give you his card? It might have his flat number on it. I'm sorry, Ellie. Can you and Mikey find your own way home?'

Mikey didn't move. ‘Why?'

Ellie said, ‘Because, Mikey, Thomas is afraid that Charles might do something silly.'

‘What sort of silly?' Silence. Mikey thought about it. He shifted in his seat. ‘Oh. You mean, he might top himself? Well, I could drive your car, couldn't I? You could give me a quick lesson, and I could drive.'

Thomas sighed, but didn't reply.

Ellie got out of the car, and held the door open for Mikey to do so, too. He got out, sulkily. Together they watched Thomas execute a quick U-turn and disappear.

Mikey said, ‘
Why
does Thomas think that Charles might do something silly?'

‘Instinct and training,' said Ellie, trying to orientate herself. ‘No need for a taxi. I think if we walk up here we'll come to the Avenue.'

‘I wouldn't like Thomas's job.'

Ellie slowed down as she spotted a bus stop in the street, not far off. ‘Mikey, can you make your own way back from here? I have just one quick call to make which won't take long, but I know you're due back home at suppertime.'