Some satisfaction of Thea’s need for a final update came from a surprising quarter. On Saturday afternoon she had a call from Umberto Kingly. ‘Just checking you’re all right,’ he said. ‘You left with things in rather a muddle here.’
‘That’s very nice of you. We’re doing our best to settle back into normal family life, but I must admit I still get a few flashbacks.’ She refrained from telling him about the dream that woke her in a cold sweat at three that morning.
‘The police phoned me at lunchtime. Just a courtesy call, they said, but they were surprisingly forthcoming. And I’ve got Penny here beside me, crossing all the t’s, as they say. And Imogen’s upstairs, feeling very poorly, poor old girl.’
Thea had no wish to talk to Penny Rider. Even Umberto was something of a strain. ‘Oh,’ she said.
‘I found a flea on Gina,’ he went on, as if this was at least as momentous as the murder of his niece. ‘Do I have your spaniel to thank for that?’
‘I hope not,’ said Thea, feeling hot with shame.
‘Oh well, it’s easily fixed. After what my awful family put you through, I can hardly make a fuss, can I? We must seem quite bizarre to you.’
‘Well …’
‘It’s partly being such strong Catholics, I suppose. Well, my mother and Theresa, anyway. A lot of faith in power beyond the grave and sticking to solemn promises. It rubbed off on the girls, of course, and got somewhat distorted in the process.’
‘We’re very upset about Ramon. Does Kirsty realise she’s responsible for his death as well?’
‘Possibly she does. I’m really not party to her thought processes. Imogen keeps insisting Kirsty was just taking revenge for what Gabby did to her and our mother.’
Thea could think of nothing to say to that. Kirsty Peake had to be severely disturbed to do what she did. She changed the subject. ‘Are you staying in that house?’
‘I hope so. But Immy’s going to share it with me. That’s what ought to have happened from the start, I see now. I’ll have to acquire some nursing skills. She’s really quite ill, you know.’
‘Just one last question,’ said Thea, assembling her thoughts with an effort. ‘What about Stefan? Did he know Kirsty had taken his car?’
Umberto grunted. ‘Nobody seems too sure about that. He had every reason to be critical of Gabby – but he’s a perfectly sensible chap, and Penny insists he was just a useful element in Kirsty’s plan. They were both at that party on Sunday – Theresa insisted on inviting Stefan, knowing he was in the country, and thinking it was at least something she could do for Imogen. Being nice to her son was as close as she could get to mending the breach with her sister. Gabriella didn’t like it at all, of course. Kirsty made a big thing of showing him off, and making them all talk to him. I guess he must have said enough about his plans for her to decide she could take his car – which would be ideal for the purpose. She actually went back to Cheltenham with him that evening and stayed the night in his hotel room. Then she pretended to go home on a bus, but in reality she hung about until she was sure she could borrow the car without him noticing.’
‘How do you know all that?’
‘Imogen worked it out. She was suspicious right from the start, but kept pushing it away, until that didn’t work any more.’
‘But how did Kirsty know where Gabriella would be at the exact right time?’ asked Thea.
‘Oh – that’s where you come in. And me, indirectly. Apparently, I said rather a lot about having to pay a house-sitter a steep sum to be sure everything would be okay with the dogs. Jake said something about you being famous for things going wrong, and wasn’t I worried. Gabriella said she’d come round here after work and check up on you. All Kirsty had to do was hang about somewhere in Upper Oddington until she saw Gabriella drive past. It was probably all too horribly easy.’ He gave a little cough. ‘Is that everything now?’
‘Just one more thing. Clifford Savage. Did he help Kirsty?’
‘Well, there your guess is as good as mine. For what it’s worth, I think she was using him almost more than anybody else. She wanted this house and thought he might come in handy, being on the spot. Something like that. Then he could have worked out the truth after the event, the same as Immy did.’
‘Right,’ said Thea with a sigh.
‘Oh – Penny wants a word before you go,’ he said suddenly. There was a moment’s silence while the phone was transferred.
‘Hello?’ said the big sister. ‘I won’t keep you. I just wanted to add that Kirsty made a full confession to the police last night. I’m not sure you realise that. There won’t be any need for you to appear in court as a witness or anything.’
‘Thanks for that,’ said Thea, with mixed feelings. It might have been oddly cathartic to include in her testimony that Gabriella Milner had been just about to smile when her cousin killed her with a large car.