Andee stopped as she reached the police tape that surrounded the coach house, her padded coat and scarf helping to keep out the cold. At least it wasn’t raining, although the ground was awash with puddles created the night before by the firemen’s hoses.
In spite of being familiar with many of the forensic team hard at work at the scene, she knew better than to breach the tape, or even to try and talk her way in. They had a job to do and she wasn’t here to disturb them, or to press them for information. She’d come simply to gauge for herself, in the cold light of day and now that the fire engines and their crews had departed, just how much damage the blaze had caused. Until she went inside it wouldn’t be possible to assess the full extent, but from where she was standing it was obvious that the central part of the house, kitchen dining area, and sitting room had taken the brunt of the attack. Her heart ached as she thought of how lovingly Claudia had put it all together, the exquisitely restored cornices and windows, the hand-crafted units, quirky patchwork sofas, splendid refectory table, and colorful mismatched chairs . . . All the care and pride she’d put into it gone in one random act of violence, or revenge, or whatever it had been.
Andee could see that what Gould had told her on the phone was correct: both bedroom wings appeared unscathed and the tower too was standing tall, apart from the scorch marks marring the limestone facade like forked tongues flickering around it. All six of the arched windows had been lost, glass shattered, metal frames buckled and burnt, but the stonework around them, blackened as it was, seemed solid. She couldn’t see the back of the place from here, but she imagined—at least hoped—that the damage might be slightly less severe, given the fire had been started at the front.
The important thing was that the house could be saved. There was no doubt in her mind about that. If the will was there, and it surely was—or would be once the initial horror had passed—she saw no reason it wouldn’t be possible to re-create what had been destroyed and turn it back into a beloved home again.
Claudia would want to know that. Maybe not today, but at some point soon.
Checking her mobile as it rang, she clicked on right away. “Hi, Dan, are you at the hospital?”
“Yes. Henry and I have just spoken to Claudia, but I’m afraid it didn’t go well. She’s furious that we knew who she was and never told her.”
With a sigh, Andee said, “I don’t suppose we can blame her for that, but she’s still in shock. We need to give her some time to understand that there was nothing malicious on our part in keeping it from her. What’s bothering me more, right now, is that I didn’t tell her about this Miles Montgomery character right away.”
“You can’t go there,” Dan cautioned.
“It’s hard not to.”
“Then ask yourself what she’d have done if you had? She’d still have gone to the dress rehearsal, because no one could possibly have known that the danger was so imminent, or going to take the shape that it did.”
Knowing that was true kind of helped, and she was glad he’d been the one to say it, but she knew that, like her, he was having a very bad time with his conscience. Whichever way they looked at it they’d let Claudia and Marcy down. And in doing so had played a part in bringing about these horrific consequences. If they could change things, of course they would, but it was too late for that. Too late for anything. All they could do now was try to be there for Claudia and her family in every possible way, if they’d allow it. And perhaps as they dealt with their guilt—their responsibility—they should take a long hard look at the way they took decisions on behalf of others.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Outside the house. I think the structure is sound, but obviously we’ll have to get an expert to check it out. I haven’t been inside yet.”
“Do you know if they’re insured?”
Waving to someone she recognized, she said, “I put Claudia in touch with the broker Graeme and I use, so I’m hoping the answer is yes. There’s a house-to-house going on up here at the moment. Apparently someone saw a youth running away from the scene.”
“Yes, Gould told me. Do you know if anyone else has come forward to say they did too?”
“Not that I’ve heard. I don’t suppose Claudia gave you an idea of who she thinks might have done it? I mean apart from her husband, who we know is in prison.”
With a sigh, he said, “She was in no state of mind to tell me anything, but I’ve just spoken to Gould and apparently someone’s on their way over here to speak to her. Maybe she’ll be a bit more forthcoming with them than she was with me. She won’t be dealing with someone she thinks has deceived her.”
Understanding how bad he was feeling about that, she said, “Being angry with us at the moment is probably easier than trying to handle everything else she’s going through. Now tell me, what news of Marcy?”
“She’s stable, apparently, and one of the nurses told us that the skin grafts are likely to start in the next couple of days.”
“I guess she’s still sedated?”
“She is. Hang on, Leanne’s here. She wants to have a word.”
A moment later Leanne was saying, “I’ve just been talking to Mum and when the time feels right we’re going to ask Claudia if she’d like to stay with us at Ash Morley until the coach house is up together again. They can have the stables now that it’s empty. It’ll be one less thing for her to have to worry about.”
“That’s a wonderful offer,” Andee responded with feeling, for being in the safety of Ash Morley surrounded by friends was exactly what Claudia and Jasmine were going to need in the coming weeks and months. “I guess we’ve no idea yet how long Marcy is going to be where she is,” she said, “but the next time I speak to Claudia I’ll ask if she’d like us to start moving things over there. How’s Jasmine holding up?”
“Pretty well, considering. She’s been calling people to let them know that she won’t be taking part in the concert and why. It seems to help her to talk about it, at least for the moment. She told me earlier that her special violin was in the house. Apparently her dad gave it to her not long before he died.”
“Oh God,” Andee murmured, her heart contracting with pity, but as she turned to look at the house she experienced a beat of hope. “Tell her that if it was in her room there’s a good chance it’s OK. Or no, don’t say anything yet. There’s no point getting her hopes up until we know for certain. How much longer are you staying there?”
“I’ve booked myself into the hotel tonight. So have Dan and Henry, but I’ll probably head back in the morning. Are you coming over again?”
“I expect so. I’ll call Claudia first to make sure she wants me there. If she’s angry about us knowing who she really is she might want . . . Hang on, this is her trying to get through to me. Tell Dan I’ll call him back,” and switching lines, she said, “Hi, Claudia. How are you?”
For a time there was only silence at the other end until Claudia finally said, “The fire wasn’t an accident. It was arson and my husband was behind it. If you know who I really am, then you’ll be aware of who he is.”
“Yes,” Andee responded softly.
“He’ll deny being involved, but if you can . . . The police should speak to his sister.”
“I believe someone is already doing that.”
“Good, but it won’t be easy to pin anything on her. They need to find the person who actually did it. He or she should be able to provide the link.”
“Do you have any idea who it might have been?”
“I can’t even tell you where to start. Do you know if my craft room is still intact?”
“I’m outside now, and there’s a good chance it is.”
“OK, there’s an attaché case in there, hidden inside a sewing machine box. It contains a lot of money and some papers that I think could incriminate Marcus’s cronies in the insider trading he was jailed for. If it’s possible, please get it to whoever is leading the investigation.”
“I’ll go in as soon as I can and let you know what I find.”
There was a moment’s silence that neither of them filled, until Andee finally said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I’d worked out who you really are.”
“You didn’t tell me, but you told Dan.”
“I know and I was wrong to do that. I’m sorry. But, Claudia, we’re on your side. Neither of us held back for any other reason than we wanted you to feel free to be whoever you want to be.”
For a moment it seemed that Claudia was going to say more, but instead she ended the call.