Murder in House

Ellie accepted a child on to her lap, without being too sure what sex it might be, or whose child it was. The child crooned to her, and she crooned back. Caroline, dark and a little fierce, spooned mashed banana into the nearest child, and dished the dirt on the Priors.

‘He’s called “Posy” because he always comes up smelling of roses, but someone with a keen nose might detect another odour.’

‘Corruption?’ Ellie found her little finger being guided into a child’s mouth, and felt tiny teeth breaking through the gum as he or she chewed away.

‘Not exactly,’ said Caroline, accepting a cake from Felicity, who was busy baking. Felicity always baked when she was stressed. Caroline bit into the cake and said, ‘Yum. Whatever Mr Prior wants, he always seems to get. He calls it luck, but some people think his run of good fortune is too good to be true. His detractors mutter about bribery, but I don’t think it’s that. I mean, no one’s suddenly acquired a small fortune and retired to the Bahamas. However, people who oppose his plans do suddenly die, or emigrate, or have an unexpected change of heart. My husband says it’s voodoo; joking, of course.’

‘If it isn’t just favourable coincidence, then how do you think it works?’

Caroline wrinkled her nose. ‘Having been to a couple of his shindigs, my guess is that he puts long legs and blonde hair to work on the middle-aged men whose wives understand them all too well. I suppose he uses an escort agency to get the girls. My husband thinks they’re briefed to get the men into incriminating situations, someone takes photos and . . . whifft. The opposition melts away. But that’s just gossip. No one’s ever put in a formal complaint, but then nobody who’s been caught that way is going to complain about it, are they?’

Kate picked up a toddler, and gave it a cuddle. ‘That’s slander, Caroline. Be careful.’

‘Mm. That’s what my husband says. He says there was a woman councillor who was opposing Prior on some pet project of his, and he went to the police with some trumped-up charge against her. She had to drop the case and resign from the council to avoid prosecution, not because she was guilty as charged – which no one thinks she was because it just wasn’t her scene – but because mud sticks and he was talking about a nasty, smelly type of mud that the tabloids would have loved. He’s got the police in his pocket and it’s easy to see why. Every year he gives them a nice round sum for their social club on top of what he dispenses to local charities. They love him.’

Ellie was thoughtful. ‘So I gathered. He goes in for a lot of high profile publicity?’

Caroline nodded. ‘Anything that might get his photo in the papers. He’s in the Gazette almost every week. He’s a first class, fully paid-up member of the baby-kisser brigade, with a lovely head of white hair. They say politicians get on much better if they have a full head of hair. And he smiles, oh how he smiles! He looks like Santa Claus. Without the beard, of course.’

Kate said, ‘“A man can smile and smile, and be a villain.” That’s a quote from somewhere. Shakespeare, I expect.’

‘His wife, now.’ Caroline became even more animated. ‘She’s gross! Yuk! Tight blonde curls, diamonds flashing all over, a bosom that sticks right out, and massive hips. A superb complexion, hardly needing the aid of cosmetics. She’s got a wonderful dentist, I’ll give her that; blindingly white teeth that may or may not be her own. I expect she was a real blonde bombshell when she was young. But now, well, I’m not sure that she’s an asset to him any longer. I saw her last at the opening of Mr Prior’s latest – you were there, weren’t you, Felicity? – and the word “whale” came into my mind.’

Felicity took tins from the oven, used a palette knife to turn out a couple of Victoria sandwiches and put them on a wire tray to cool. ‘I thought her formidable. Her eyes were everywhere. It was she who was really in charge that night. She directed the waiters and saw that people were properly looked after.’ Felicity could be very sharp at times.

A phone rang and everyone looked around, juggling children. Not Felicity’s landline. Not Kate’s mobile.

Ellie’s. Kate took the infant Ellie had been cuddling, and Ellie managed to find her mobile and answer it.

‘Ellie?’ It was Thomas. ‘Where are you?’

‘At Felicity’s.’

‘Diana says she’s going over to rescue Denis and bring him back here to our place. I said had she asked your permission, and she said she didn’t need it. Thought you’d like to know.’

‘The nerve of her.’

‘Quite. Perhaps you can have a word with her?’

He cut off the call. Ellie explained to the others what he’d said, and Kate offered to drive her over. ‘I need to pop back home anyway, get some clean clothes.’

Ellie was alarmed. ‘You aren’t thinking of going back yet, are you?’

All three women looked at Ellie, but it was Felicity who broke the silence. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I like having Kate here, and Roy can jolly well put up with it for a couple of nights, but how long is this going on for?’

Caroline was anxious. ‘Anyone who opposes the Priors has to back down, sooner or later. My husband says it’s best to tread carefully around them. Perhaps I have been a little indiscreet this morning, but it won’t go any further, will it?’

Kate said, ‘We’ve too many hostages to fortune. I’m not sure what I’d do if he threatened my children.’ She frowned, heavy-browed. ‘I can’t quite see how to stop him. If it is him. We don’t know that it is.’

Ellie was thoughtful. ‘If we can’t attack him personally, there may be another way to stop him. I might have an idea about that, but I need to talk to Thomas about it first. Meanwhile, Kate, I won’t put you in any more danger by accepting a lift. I’ll take a cab.’

Diana had bought and turned a large house into flats some years ago, keeping the best one for herself on the ground floor. As Ellie’s cab drew up at the kerb, she spotted not only Diana’s car, but also a police car and an ambulance.

‘Some sort of carry-on?’ commented the cab-driver. ‘Want me to hang around for you, missus?’

‘No, thanks. This will be fine.’

Ellie walked into the foyer, found the door to Diana’s ground floor flat wide open, and far too many people crammed into the small living room.

Working backwards from the doorway were two police officers, one male, one female, who had evidently just arrived. The woman officer had her hands raised trying to calm Diana, in nose to nose confrontation. Diana was screaming with rage. The male officer was endeavouring to use his phone: calling for reinforcements?

Beyond Diana, a scene of destruction: chairs overturned, a television on its side, smashed crockery, an occasional table broken, and two men being held apart with some difficulty by a couple of bulky paramedics. The men who were fighting were also shouting.

‘I’ll sue you to hell and beyond!’

‘You should be locked up!’

One of the fighters Ellie identified as Denis, Diana’s slightly sinister partner at their estate agency. Blood poured down his face and spattered his clothing, while a nasty bruise was coming up on his chin. A woman paramedic was trying to clean him up, despite his efforts to get at his opponent who was – surprise, surprise! – Anthony Prior, also dishevelled but showing no obvious signs of injury.

Diana plunged between the police officers to grasp Ellie’s arm. ‘Mother! Thank goodness you’ve come. Perhaps you can talk some sense into the plods.’

Uh-oh, thought Ellie. Not a good idea to call the police ‘plods’. Even if they were. And yes, a quick look informed Ellie that both members of the thin blue line were better equipped with brawn than brain.

‘Now, now,’ said the larger of the two paramedics to Anthony. ‘If you’ll just hold steady for a minute!’

Anthony managed to break the hold the paramedic had on him, and kicked Denis where it hurt most. Denis bent over with a yell, one arm covering his tender spot, the other flailing. The flailing arm caught Anthony on his nose, making it bleed. Denis must have caught Anthony in the same place as Armand had done. Diana screamed, naturally. Ellie wanted to laugh, but didn’t quite dare.

Heavily breathing, the two men were dragged apart by the sorely tried paramedics, with the slightly tardy aid of the police.

Denis sank to the floor, writhing. Diana tore into the kitchen and came back with a wet cloth to apply to Denis’s face, which was not where he was hurting most. Anthony covered his own face with both hands, moaning.

At least they weren’t all shouting now.

‘Now,’ said the male officer, breathing hard. ‘Just what’s going on here?’

Neither of the fighters seemed capable of talking, so Ellie volunteered an opinion.

‘Judging from previous behaviour, I imagine that Mr Prior – that’s him with the bloody nose – came to elicit some information from Denis – that’s him on the floor. Mr Prior, finding himself met with a refusal, set out to wreck the place, whereupon Denis objected, as one would, wouldn’t one?’

‘He’s broken my arm!’ That was Anthony.

‘I don’t think so,’ said his paramedic. ‘But let’s have a look, eh?’

‘He pushed past me,’ gasped Denis, still holding on to himself. ‘Said I had his sister here.’

Paramedics and police turned to look at Diana, who said, ‘Don’t be stupid! I’m not his sister. I’m Diana Quicke, and this is my flat!’

Again, Ellie had to subdue a desire to laugh out loud. ‘Suppose we all quieten down and let the paramedics do their job?’

The television set, which had been teetering on the brink for some time, now descended to the floor with a crash. Diana burst into tears. ‘My beautiful new telly!’ She aimed a kick at Anthony, and missed.

Anthony laughed. ‘Serves you effing well right.’ His eyes were watering, blood was pouring down his chin, and he looked far from the well-groomed young man of the photographs Ellie had been toting around.

‘Bastard!’ cried Diana, and would have tried to kick him again if she hadn’t been pushed back and down into a chair by the woman police officer. Everyone’s eyes then went to Diana’s bare feet and legs. And then to Denis’s bare feet and unbuttoned shirt. And back to Diana’s unzipped black skirt. Ellie could almost see the thought balloon over everyone’s heads, ‘They were at it in the bedroom.’

‘Harrumph! Well, now!’ said the male officer, notebook to the fore. ‘Anyone need to be taken to hospital?’ He cocked an eye at the paramedics.

‘No great harm done,’ said Denis’s paramedic. ‘Superficial cut to the head, bruise on chin, possible concussion, have to watch it for a few hours.’

Anthony’s paramedic had been stemming his nosebleed and moving his arm around. ‘A bloody nose and possible sprained elbow for the other.’

‘He broke my arm!’ insisted Anthony. ‘It needs to be X-rayed. I’m going to sue the pants off him and get damages, as well.’

‘It’s not broken,’ said the paramedic, packing up to go.

Anthony turned to the police. ‘I insist you arrest this man. He assaulted me and broke my arm. You all saw it.’

‘No, we didn’t,’ said the woman police officer.

‘My father,’ said Anthony, ‘knows your chief constable well. You’ll lose your badge for this.’

‘Your father,’ said the male police officer, looking wooden, ‘may be King Canute for all I know. We can’t report what we didn’t see. Now, let’s have it from the beginning.’

Ellie suggested that everyone sat down, and with the departure of the paramedics, they righted the furniture and found themselves seats.

Diana eased herself closer to Denis. ‘I don’t know this man from Adam, but the other day I was showing some people round a house I own not far from here and he came to the door and said was I Ms Quicke, which of course I am. He said I was hiding his sister, which of course I wasn’t. He was wearing an animal mask, and he really frightened me. When I said I didn’t know what he was talking about, he started to hit me. You can still see the marks.’

And indeed, the police could.

Anthony jeered. ‘How did you recognize me, when I was wearing a mask?’

‘I didn’t recognize you then, no. Luckily a friend intervened and you ran away, but—’

‘You’re quite mad.’

Diana raised her voice. ‘I recognized your voice when you came to the door here today and started yelling to be let in.’ That stopped him for the moment. Diana continued. ‘When you assaulted me the other day, I reported the incident to the police and the case must still be on file. After that, I went to stay with my mother. This flat is mine, but recently I lent it to my partner here. I’d been told that this madman – whatever his name is – has been asking around trying to find me, and it occurred to me that he might come here because my name and address is in the phone book. So this morning I came here to talk to Denis about moving out for a while, perhaps coming to stay with me at my mother’s.’

Here Diana almost blushed. Meeting Ellie’s eye, she said, ‘Well, I told Thomas I was going to fetch Denis, and he said he’d speak to you about it, so I thought it would be all right.’

Ellie ground her teeth. The effrontery of the girl! She could twist facts for England!

‘But when I got here we, well, got sidetracked.’

To their credit, the police didn’t even snigger.

Diana continued, ‘When this man started thumping at the door and ringing the doorbell, we were a little slow to answer it, I suppose. I got to the door first and looked through the spyhole. I saw this man, a complete stranger. He was yelling that he knew I was in here and had his sister, and I realized I’d heard him say those words before. I’d already had a taste of his fists, so I rang the police.

‘Denis didn’t understand what the man was like. He thought he could reason with him – show him around, prove to him that we didn’t have his sister in here. I told him not to, but he opened the door, and got knocked down! Can you believe it? This man walked straight in and threw a punch, and Denis went over, just like that! I was so frightened. I ran out into the road in my bare feet, and grabbed the first person who was passing, and got them to phone for an ambulance.

‘I didn’t go back into the flat till the paramedics came and they got here long before the police, and by that time my beautiful flat was wrecked, and this man was trying to slap Denis back to consciousness, and then they started fighting. Why don’t you arrest him and take him away and lock him up and make him see a shrink because I don’t know where his sister is, and I don’t care, either!’

‘I can’t believe it!’ mumbled Denis. He didn’t look his usual well-polished self either, but his cold, grey eyes burned as he focused on Anthony. Holding one hand to his jaw, he waved the other arm at the destruction around him. ‘Criminal damage. Assault. Throw the book at him.’

Anthony said, ‘My father’s solicitor will tear you to pieces. The police can bear witness you assaulted me; broke my arm and my nose.’

‘A householder has the right to self-defence,’ said Denis, valiantly trying to rise from the floor, and falling back again.

‘You did the damage yourself,’ said Anthony, very sure of himself. He added an insult designed to hurt. ‘Old man!’ Next he turned on Ellie, eyes narrowed. ‘So you are the original Mrs Quicke, are you? It’s you I have to thank for wasting so much of my time?’

‘Yes, it’s me,’ said Ellie. ‘And if we’re going to play childish games, my husband’s bigger than you and I know where the bodies are buried, which is more than you do.’

He made a convulsive movement as if to attack her, but Ellie merely smiled. ‘Oh, please do hit me. I’d love that. So would the police. That would give them all the evidence they need to haul you off down to the police station and charge you with grievous bodily harm.’

‘We’re doing that, anyway,’ said the policewoman.

Anthony flushed. ‘What? You daren’t lay a finger on me! My father would—’

‘Whoever he is, your father is not above the law, and neither are you,’ said her colleague. ‘We’ll get the police surgeon to look at your arm at the same time. So let’s be going, shall we?’ He turned to Diana and Denis. ‘We’d like you both to come down to the station with us now, to file a complaint. Are you prepared to do that?’

‘When we’ve got some shoes on,’ said Diana. ‘Oh, and mother, it’s all right if Denis stays with us tonight, isn’t it? I mean, he can hardly stay here in this mess.’

Ellie told herself that she could bear it, if she had to. And obviously she did have to. ‘Of course, dear. He can have Mrs Belton’s room.’

Anthony simply couldn’t believe that he was being hauled to his feet by two police officers. ‘What? You, you fellow! Let go of me! It’s me that’s going to swear out a complaint against these two. And . . . what was that you said, woman? Mrs Belton’s been staying with you?’

Ellie said, ‘She’s moved on, now. I’m afraid I don’t know where so it’s no good you trying to batter the truth out of me. Mia is out of your reach too.’

He spat at her.

‘Now, now!’ said the woman police officer. Her colleague gave Anthony a shake, and thrust him towards the door.

Ellie murmured to their departing backs, ‘Have a nice day.’ She reflected that some policemen and women were all the better for being ‘plods’ because they knew black and white when they saw it, and never bothered about shades of grey. She wondered how long they’d hold Anthony. Overnight, perhaps?

Time for a council of war.

‘Ant, what you done now?’

‘I was finding Mrs Quicke, that’s what.’

‘You should have asked me. I got her address hours ago.’

‘What!’

‘Sure. Followed her from the Broadway. Big place, locked up tight. Servants, some sort of business being run in the coach house at the side. Lots of people around; cars coming and going. She must be well off.’

‘Well, don’t do anything till I get home. Right? Now, get me out of here!’

Thomas was distracted, trying to drag his attention away long enough from his conference on the morrow to listen to what Ellie was saying, but not succeeding terribly well. After all, it was a really important event in his life. Ellie told herself she mustn’t be selfish, demanding his attention all the time.

Denis and Diana were all over one another. Yuk!

Rose sniffed at regular intervals, driving everyone crazy.

They ate round the kitchen table, but at Ellie’s suggestion, took their coffee into the big sitting room at the back of the house. The front doorbell rang now and then, ushering more people in for the council of war. Denis received a phone call on his mobile and was last to join them, looking furious and muttering to Diana.

Finally, all were seated. Even Rose, who Ellie insisted should be included.

Thomas gathered everyone’s attention. ‘It’s been a terrible time for all of us. We’re going to need cool heads and courage to get through what’s coming, so before we start, I’m going to ask you all to join with me in a couple of minutes of silent prayer, asking God for protection, and for the courage to outwit evil.’

No one objected. Not even Denis, who Ellie thought was probably an atheist if he was anything.

A moment of calm followed, which was much needed. Ellie even managed an arrow prayer herself: Dear Lord, save us. Please.

Thomas came out of his moment of prayer with a smile. ‘Over to you, Ellie.’

‘Aren’t you going to chair the meeting, Thomas?’

‘No, no,’ he said, settling back comfortably. ‘You have all the information at your fingertips, so bring us up to date. Start with the phone call you had this evening which upset you so much.’

Of course he’d noticed. She looked round at the anxious faces of her friends and family. ‘I suppose you could say we’re all under attack, one way or another. I know I am. Yes, Diana? What is it?’

‘Someone knows we’re here. Denis had a phone call on his mobile just now.’ She was controlling herself with an effort. Denis slumped forward, holding an ice pack to his chin. Ellie had never seen him anything but totally in command of himself and the situation, but now he seemed shrunken. Humiliation at being knocked out in front of Diana? His eyes still burned with fury, but it was a banked-down fire.

Diana said, ‘Denis and I laid a formal complaint against Anthony Prior this afternoon at the police station. He, in turn, laid one against us. The police were very polite to him. More so than they were to us. A solicitor arrived at the station to represent Anthony before we left, and now –’ she swallowed but continued – ‘they’ve traced us here. I don’t understand how they seem to know our every move. How did they know how to contact us?’

‘I expect that now Anthony’s sorted out that you are estate agents, he’s tried the agency phone. That gives Denis’s mobile number if you’re out of the office, doesn’t it? It’s no magic that he tried it and got you here.’

‘Oh. Well, yes. I suppose that’s it. Denis, you tell them what he said.’

Denis’s chin was swollen, and he spoke with difficulty. ‘Whoever it was – and it wasn’t Anthony – didn’t give his name. It was a deep voice, not one I recognize, saying that if I knew what was good for the agency, we would withdraw all charges against Anthony. Otherwise, the speaker couldn’t be responsible for what might happen to any properties we had on our books. There was some mention of –’ he blenched but continued – ‘arson. That any property on our books might go up in flames.’

Diana moaned softly. ‘We’ll have to withdraw the charges. We can’t risk it.’

Roy could hardly sit still. ‘These threats! Why don’t the police take them seriously? I was just about to leave work when I got a phone call from Prior. He asked how I was getting on with raising the money to buy into the new block. I said I was having to back out, shortage of cash, terribly sorry and all that. He said he was sorry to hear it, that he’d give me twenty-four hours to rethink. I went home and . . .’ his voice broke.

He took control of himself with an effort. ‘There was another phone call, not from Prior. A deeper voice. Saying that people who broke promises shouldn’t live in glass houses and that there was a lot of glass in my house, and what a pity if it got into my little girl’s eyes, or my wife’s.

‘I was so jittery I could hardly hold the phone, but I managed to get through to the police to tell them what had happened. I had to admit I didn’t recognize the voice. They said they’d log the call but it was probably just a joke. A joke! I didn’t want to alarm Felicity, but she saw I was distressed. Kate was there too. Kate said I must tell you, Ellie, and you said we were having this meeting, so that’s why I’m here.’

He got to his feet, started to tramp around the room. ‘I’ll have to sell everything I’ve got, everything. I don’t know how, at the moment. Kate says I mustn’t give in, but I’m not risking my family’s eyesight.’

Thomas guided him back to his seat. ‘Calm down, Roy. We’re here to find a way out of this, and that’s what we’re going to do.’

There was an indrawn breath from Armand, who put up his hand to speak next. ‘I had a call rather like that when I got home from school. A deep voice. I don’t know this Mr Prior, have never spoken to him to my knowledge, so can’t say who it was. The voice said I’d been very foolish to suggest Anthony had made threats—’

‘What?’ said Ellie. ‘Wait a minute. You didn’t report Anthony’s visit to your house to the police, did you? Now, I only told the police about it this afternoon. I said you thought you’d know the man again, and had the licence number of his car.’

‘Which means,’ said Armand, ‘that what you said to the police this afternoon went straight back to Mr Prior.’

Thomas lifted a finger in a warning gesture. ‘Let’s be accurate. The deep voice doesn’t necessarily belong to Mr Prior himself. It might be someone acting for him.’

‘Either way,’ said Armand, ‘when I got the call, I started laughing because it sounded so ridiculous. After a little while, I realized that it was serious, and I got angry. How dare he! So I rang Kate to see if she were all right, and she said I should ring Ellie. And that’s why I’m here.’

Diana looked bewildered. ‘Did Armand get a visit from Anthony too? Why?’

Ellie explained. ‘Yes, he did. Anthony visited him in an attempt to discover where I might be. Anthony came off worst in that encounter, which must have hurt his pride. Armand’s wife and children have been staying with Felicity and Roy ever since, but as Kate has pointed out, this can’t go on indefinitely.’

Ellie looked at Thomas for a lead, but he signed for her to proceed.

She said, ‘I, too, have had a phone call from Mr Prior. It definitely was him. A lightish voice, with a slight Midlands twang. I’ve never to my knowledge met him, but I have no doubt that it was the man in person. He said that he’d been informed that I was slandering him, that he felt his reputation was under threat. That, as he was so much in the public eye, he could not afford to let the matter pass. With sorrow, he was therefore instructing his solicitors to sue me. He said he was sure to win the case, as I hadn’t a shred of evidence against him.

‘He went on to say that if I made a public apology at a drinks party he’s giving tomorrow night, and brought Ursula, he would forget the matter except for the small matter of damages. I am supposed to send him a cheque for a million pounds to the charity of his choice. With those conditions met, he would be prepared to forget the matter.’

‘What!’ Armand jumped up from his chair. ‘A million pounds? And I suppose we can guess which will be the charity of his choice! Himself! Or, I suppose, he’ll distribute some to his favourite charities. You won’t pay, of course.’

Thomas said, ‘Didn’t he ask for Mia, as well?’

‘No, he didn’t. I’m not sure why. Perhaps he knows she’s no longer marketable. As for paying him off, certainly not! I don’t have that sort of money. All my worldly wealth goes into my charitable foundations, and I couldn’t possibly persuade the trustees to let me have any for blackmailers. And I wouldn’t dream of asking.’

‘Bravo!’ Thomas clapped.