Two weeks later
Her legs were lithe and long. The burnished orange of her bathing suit, cinched just above the knees, offset her lightly tanned arms and calves. Her thoughtful face was framed by a cloche sun hat, and if she could have seen herself she might have been reminded of the poster she had first seen on the train, advertising the holiday attractions of Whitley Bay. And today, just like on the poster, beach revellers played games or walked hand in hand, passing candy-striped tents, while children in knickerbockers, and bold young men in bathing vests, braved the cold North Sea.
Clara accepted a cup of lemonade with thanks from Jonny Levine, who was seated with his sister, Charlie Malone and Alice Whittaker on a picnic blanket. Alice watched her three children playing in the sand, her face free of the worry that Clara had grown accustomed to seeing etched into her features.
‘So, explain to me what you did after you clobbered Roger Jennings,’ said Jonny.
‘I’ve already told you!’ said his sister.
‘I want to hear it from Clara, Juju, without your embellishment.’
‘Embellishment? Heaven forbid I’d embellish anything!’ said Juju, with mock offence.
Clara smiled at her new friends, enjoying being treated as ‘one of the family’. ‘Well, there’s not much to tell, really. I whacked him a few times with the tray, to make sure he wasn’t going to get up very easily, then I grabbed the gun and ran out of the laboratory. I locked him in then ran to see if I could help Andrew.’
‘Oh, poor Mr Ridpath!’ said Juju. ‘He was so brave tackling that awful man with the gun. And to think he nearly died!’
‘Yes, he did,’ said Clara, seriously. ‘They said at the hospital that if the ambulance had got to him just five minutes later he might not have made it. Isn’t that right, Charlie?’
‘It is,’ said the doctor. ‘Andy is very lucky to be alive.’
‘And now? How’s he doing?’ asked Jonny.
‘Much better,’ said Charlie. ‘I saw him yesterday and he’ll be able to move to a nursing home in a few days. The operation to remove his spleen was a success, but it will still be a few weeks until he’s properly on his feet.’
‘And the wicked Roger?’ asked Juju.
Clara rolled her eyes. ‘Last I heard he’s well on the road to recovery and will be transferred to a nearby prison on remand.’
‘So what exactly are the charges against him?’ asked Jonny.
‘It’s quite a list!’ said Clara. ‘The murder of Horace Fender. The attempted murder of me and Andrew. Conspiracy to commit arson resulting in the death of Will Spencer. Conspiracy to commit manslaughter in the death of my uncle. Then there’s burglary and bribery … and probably more to come.’
‘When is the court case?’ asked Alice Whittaker, turning to join in the conversation.
‘The last week in October,’ said Clara. ‘The Newcastle police tell me Jane Hobson was apprehended trying to get on a ferry to Amsterdam. She has spilt the beans, fully implicating Roger, who, of course, has implicated Humphrey Balshard.’
‘Like rats on a ship!’ Juju laughed.
Clara smiled. ‘Quite. And Inspector Davidson and the fire inspector. Although, it turns out Jack Danskin was not involved – other than spreading nasty rumours about Bob. But nothing criminal as far as I’ve heard. And neither was poor old Barnaby Jennings, who I hear is devastated. Seems that he was completely in the dark about his son’s criminal activities. And as for dear Dr Malone here, well, he is blaming himself for what happened to Bob, saying he should have acted on his suspicions earlier and raised the alarm.’
Charlie had confessed to her that he was indeed Bob’s lover. That Bob had referred to him as J – short for John Smith – to keep their liaison secret. Clara had sworn to respect their privacy and was doing her best not to divulge more than she had to in her interviews with the police. What Charlie told them was his own business. She turned to him and looked him directly in the eye. ‘It’s not your fault, Charlie, you have to believe that. Bob would not blame you either, of that I’m sure.’
Charlie nodded, unable to speak. Jonny gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. ‘Clara’s right, Charlie, you mustn’t blame yourself. And Bob would be proud of how you’ve helped Clara get to the bottom of the case.’ Then he turned to Alice. ‘What’s happening with the insurance pay-out, Alice?’
The widow caught Clara’s eyes and smiled. ‘Well, thanks to Clara’s detective work, a judge has now looked at the evidence and demanded that the insurance company reconsider their position. Balshard, who claims he knew nothing about the deaths of Fender or Bob, has agreed to the pay-out, as part of a plea deal to soften the charges against him. Although it looks like he’ll still be charged with his involvement with the fires and the subsequent cover-up. So,’ she said, ‘leaning back on her elbows, it looks like the Paradise Picture House will open its doors again.’
‘Oh, Alice!’ said Juju, giving the younger woman a hug, ‘I’m delighted for you!’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled. ‘It’s a huge relief. I’ll also get an extra pay-out because of Jimmy’s death. So I can now get his life insurance money as well as the insurance on the Carousel and the Paradise. We’ll be able to buy a house here in Whitley Bay and the children can go back to their old school.’
‘Will you be running the Paradise on your own?’ asked Clara.
‘I’ll manage it on me own, but I’ll be hiring help. Alfie Gill has already said he’ll come back. And we can afford a couple of other ushers now too. You’ll all have to come to the opening night! By then we’ll have the new talkie projector from America. We’ll probably open with the new Bulldog Drummond flick. Although Bulldog isn’t a shadow on our own private detective: Miss Clara Vale.’ Alice nodded gratefully to Clara, who smiled in return.
‘Well, just tell us when and we’ll be there!’ gushed Juju. Then she looked at Clara. ‘At least Jonny and I will. What have you decided, Clara? Will you stay up here or go back to London?’
Clara took a sip of her lemonade. ‘Well, my brother’s challenge to the will has been withdrawn. It seems that this whole affair has made it into the papers down south and my mother’s friends have been congratulating her on her “brave daughter”, and saying how proud they must be of me that I’ve tracked down my uncle’s killer and am now a lady detective. My mother, of course, is more embarrassed than proud, but she’s still enjoying the attention. So, I decided to write my parents a letter, and said that if they didn’t want it to come out that Mother had pretended she was sick so she didn’t have to go to her only brother’s funeral, nor that they had encouraged Antony to challenge the will and do me out of my inheritance, then perhaps my father could find it in his heart to write a letter to the bank.
‘So,’ she continued, leaning back on her elbows and crossing her ankles, ‘I am now the proud owner of Wallace Enquiry Agency, a house – and laboratory – on St Thomas’ Crescent, and finally have access to all Bob’s funds.’ She chuckled. ‘I feel like I’m starring in my very own movie.’
Juju clapped her hands in delight. ‘Does that mean you’ll be staying? And carrying on as a lady detective?’
Clara turned to her new friends and smiled broadly. ‘Actually, Juju, I think it does.’
THE END
If you were gripped by Clara’s first case, then don’t miss the second instalment of the Miss Clara Vale Mysteries, The Pantomime Murders. Available now.