‘This is Tony Harrison. Please leave a detailed message. I’ll get back to you.’
Alex was finished with leaving messages.
‘Don’t do this, Tony.’ She spun away from the phone on her mother’s hall table and stood, staring the wall. ‘Damn, damn, damn. This isn’t going to help you – us.’ He ought to know she trusted him and that they’d come too far not to keep on working together.
But did his reaction mean he didn’t trust her?
She had started trying to reach him as soon as she woke up early that morning. He had turned his mobile off. By this time he should be at the clinic but, if so, he was screening her out.
O’Reilly would be pleased. He wanted to drive a wedge between her and Tony. Divide and conquer – or at least see what contradicting information he could worm out.
She already regretted her outburst about the cincture. That idea should have been kept to herself until more pieces of the case fell into place.
Now she was even thinking like a plod, as Will would say.
Her mobile rang and she slapped it to her ear, ‘Tony?’
The clearing of a throat at the other end let her know she should have waited. ‘Hello, Alex.’ The very English voice was held low. ‘Major Stroud here. Your good mother gave me your number. I’m calling on her behalf, and mine. She’s tied up. We’ve got a bit of a shindig in progress at the Black Dog, m’dear. Hate to disturb you but it shows signs of getting nasty. Of course, I’ll make sure nothing gets too out of hand, still …’
‘Oh, f-iddle.’ She collected herself, but couldn’t do anything about the thumping headache that began. ‘Thank you, Major. Not even lunchtime and someone’s fighting?’
‘Not exactly. Not yet. Usual suspects but I regret to report that Mrs Winslet set it off. Unexpected arrival. Not that I think she intended to cause this.’
Alex sighed, having difficulty imagining the diminutive Fay Winslet causing a row. She rarely appeared at the pub and more rarely had anything to say. ‘Thank you, Major. I’m on my way.’
With Bogie behaving as if he was on his way to a canine carnival, she clipped on his lead, put on the black woolen coat and a green scarf she’d retrieved from Lime Tree Lodge and left Corner Cottage. This time she locked the door and she would be insisting her mum did the same in future.
The snow had finally stopped. A white-blue sky dazzled her but the wind was still cold enough to make sure she was wide awake. She paused for a pair of toddlers, the Graham twins, and their mum to fuss over Bogie, but didn’t tarry any longer than she could help.
O’Reilly was staying at the Black Dog. She’d only partially taken it in when he’d told Tony to meet him there. Hurrying across the snow-packed street, she scanned the road for his car. No sign, and she hoped fervently he wasn’t hearing whatever was going on in the bar.
The sound of raised voices met Alex as she walked into the entryway. This was getting to be a nasty habit. She went straight through the door into the public bar but apart from Major Stroud who raised a hand in acknowledgement and grimaced, the disagreement raged on as if she hadn’t arrived.
‘Enough’s been said.’ Will caught her eye. He gave a half-hearted wave and let his arm fall heavily to his side. ‘Let’s pack it in, boys and girls.’ Cathy attempted to continue serving but seemed to have withdrawn into herself.
The place was too crowded for the time of day. Alex wondered how many had arrived in response to the village person-to-person system.
‘If Kev spent more time at work than ’e does proppin’ up that bar, none of this would have happened.’ Another Derwinter worker, this one Colin Best, was too close to Kev. A burly, dark-haired Welshman in his thirties, his naturally ruddy complexion was the color of beets and veins stood out at his temples and in his neck.
‘And if you weren’t propping it up right now, we wouldn’t have to listen to your foul mouth,’ Kev said.
Colin narrowed his eyes and put more distance between them. But he didn’t stop muttering.
‘I haven’t said anything the rest of you aren’t thinking,’ Kev said.
Alex had the thought that anyone passing by should be able to hear him. Gladys and Frank Lymer from Underhill stayed close to the door as if ready to escape. Wonderful.
‘Let’s go, Kev,’ Fay Winslet said. ‘Don’t say any more.’ She didn’t match her husband. Small and fair – and usually quiet – she had big brown eyes and pointed features. In the village, if she was mentioned at all, it was likely to be in reference to her church work.
When Kev looked at her his regret showed, but he was too wound up to just walk away.
‘You started this,’ Colin said. ‘You shoot your mouth off. If you didn’t want to be the center of everything, we’d all be better. There, now I’ve told you.’
‘And I’m so hurt,’ Kev said, sneering. ‘A man telling a bit of truth doesn’t mean others who don’t know what they’re talking about can blab a lot of rubbish and make trouble. But now you want to blame me and back out of it, don’t you? Without the Derwinters, where would we all be? They keep this village alive – as much alive as it’s likely to be.’
‘If you hadn’t talked out of turn, repeatin’ what you shouldn’t be listening to, no one else would be any the wiser. You sowed the rotten seeds here. And what does it matter now, you say?’ Colin warmed up to full pitch. He’d set down his glass, propped his elbows behind him on the bar and made large white-knuckled fists. ‘Who cares who that man on the hill was? You tell me that.’
‘I say—’
Alex cut Major Stroud off. ‘I should think anyone who cared about him before still does, Colin. That’s an awful thing to say. I, for one, would like to be sure who he was and why he was there. He must have had a reason.’
‘You’ve got that right, Alex,’ Will said. ‘I reckon that’s the most important thing the plods have got to ferret out. If they knew that they might get somewhere.’
‘And people might stop being killed or hurt,’ Fay said, hugging herself in a red down coat. ‘And we could all stop jumping at our shadows. Poor Reverend Restrick – we haven’t got a word about his progress. Charlotte hasn’t come back here. I don’t know what to think.’
‘The question that matters,’ Kev said, ‘is whether that was Edward Derwinter who died up on that hill. He was the older brother, remember.’
‘So you keep saying.’ Will gave the bar a vicious swipe with a cloth. ‘What’s your point? Whoever he was, that man is dead now.’
‘His point,’ Colin said, ‘is that he’s angling toward it being all a made-up story that Edward died years ago. And that if he was still alive, it would mean Edward was the next in line for the Derwinters, not Leonard. The money would be Edward’s.’
‘So? A fat lot of nothing it means now. If it was Edward and he was alive, he’s gone now so nothing changes,’ Will said.
‘Ah, but there’s more, isn’t there?’ a man called out. ‘Why don’t you explain proper, Colin?’
Will slammed up the flap and came from behind the bar. His was the second pair of fists in evidence and Alex closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened them again. ‘I want this to stop now. Or take it somewhere else.’
‘That’s the way, Alex. Ms Bailey-Jones has told you how it’s going to be, fellas,’ the major said, but Will’s fists were in evidence again.
‘Alex Duggins,’ Alex said loudly and with no prior intention of doing so. ‘Remember that, please. I’m not married any more.’ And she wanted to forget everything about Mike and his name. If she ever saw it in print again it would have nothing to do with her.
Major Stroud pushed his lips and mustache out in a thoughtful pout. ‘OK, old thing. As you will.’
The slightest pause was followed by Colin saying, ‘Stop shilly-shallying, Kev. What do you want to hear someone else say – just so you can pretend to the Derwinters that your own nose is clean.’
Will grabbed the man’s arm and gave him a mighty shove, knocking him off balance. Colin staggered but managed to stop himself from falling. ‘This is too much for Alex,’ Will said. ‘It would be too much for most people but you’ve all piled on and it’s enough.’
‘Out!’ Alex cried. ‘Get out until you can be civilized.’
‘For crying out loud,’ Kev exploded. ‘They’ll be wrong, but don’t tell me the police won’t charge Leonard Derwinter with killing his brother. And they will say it was to keep his hands on what he’s used to having.’
With a hand over her mouth, Alex sagged. She’d started to feel sick.
The solid feel of Will’s arm surrounding her shoulders was a comfort. ‘Look, Alex,’ he said, ‘why don’t you get out of the village for a break? You’re wearing yourself down, girl. I can run this place for you – I’ve had practice. We’re all worried about you.’
She gave him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks, Will. I may have to think about that seriously.’