Scandal at Six (Lois Meade Mystery) (29 page)

Fifty-
s
ix

T
hey sat in the small back room, glasses of whiskey in front of them, and
B
etsy did most of the talking, spilling out the whole story, with
D
ot and
J
ustin asking questions now and then.

“Why did he do it, Betsy? I thought you and him rubbed along together quite happily. After all, you were only one of his girls,” said Dot. She was trying to be tactful, but it was not in her nature.

“So we did, Dottie. He had to get rid of the other girls, and look after only me. Pettison organised all that. O’course, I knew he didn’t like Pettison. Not many people did! But Pettison was money, and we needed it.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, Mrs Brierley, do you think Ted was jealous of you and Uncle Robert being together so much in that way? Do you know what I mean?”

“No need to be polite, Justin. I made an early start. Mum hired us girls out. Wouldn’t be allowed now, would it? I was always the prettiest one, and did well. Then Ted came along and wanted me to join his group of girls. A pimp, he was, but known for being fair and professional. Pro can mean professional as well as prostitute, you know, Dottie Nimmo! We were professionals at what we did, and saved many a failing marriage, I reckon. An’ if you’re asking if Ted loves me, I expect he does, in his way. But jealous? I dunno. Maybe.”

“So when Uncle Robert first appeared, was he a regular client? I think our family had more or less decided he was gay.”

Betsy laughed. “Don’t you believe it!” she said. “I taught him a trick or two, but he knew most of them, and they had to do with girls like me. I was very pretty, you know, and he fell in love with me. He admitted it, and after a while he asked Ted if he could pay to have me all to himself. And Ted had to get rid of the other girls, so it was all confidential, an’ that. That was quite a long while ago, and we’ve carried on like that ever since.”

“And what about Ted?” asked Dot. “I expect he thought it was a good deal? One regular client, no trouble, payed up regular. It meant he could get himself a job on the side. What went wrong, Betsy?”

“Well, o’course I knew Ted was fond of me, like I said, but it was more like a father. Him and me never had no close relations, as you might say. Except for the last year or two, when he needed a cuddle in the middle of the night. And to tell the truth, Pettison was getting a bit past it. So there we were, a right triangle, and I think Ted had had enough of being beholden to Petti.”

“What did he think of the animal trade?” Justin was amused at Betsy’s account of what could hardly be called a romance, and had a sneaking admiration for her practical, straightforward way of looking at it. He had never met anybody quite like her.

“Oh, Ted disapproved of that. Reckoned it was too risky, an’ he’ll probably be proved right. Not that he had much to do with it, but he knew I helped out quite a bit. So I suppose he decided to put a stop to it. I reckon he wasn’t thinking quite straight. When Pettison asked Ted to take him to Farnden to see the bees, I reckon he saw a golden opportunity and didn’t see straight until he’d done the deed.”

Her face crumpled, and she began to cry silently. Justin reached out and took her hand. “Don’t worry, Betsy,” he said. “We’ll take care of you.”

Dot looked at him in surprise. As far as she could tell, Betsy Brierley was quite capable of taking care of herself.

“But how did he get hold of the hearse?” continued Justin. “I know he was a part-time undertaker, but this was in the evening. Not many funerals at that time.”

“Not sure,” said Betsy, “but it must have been the hearse he’s been working on. Refitting it inside, they are. Poshing it up with red velvet and brass handles an’ that. He could easily have got a wheelchair into that one.”

“Wouldn’t it all have been locked up, standing there in the workshop?”

“Oh, no problem. He had access to all the keys. They trusted him, poor saps,” she said.

Fifty-
s
even

W
inter had finally ended, and there were signs of spring everywhere in
L
ong
F
arnden.
L
ois’s garden was full of snowdrops, and the children in the village school were leaping about like young lambs, reviving old playground rituals with skipping ropes and coloured balls.
G
ran spent minutes at a time outside the school gates, listening to chants of “
N
ebuchadnezzar, the king of the
J
ews, bought his wife a new pair of shoes.”

“When the shoes began to wear, Nebuchadnezzar began to swear,” she sang now to her friend Joan in her neighbour’s kitchen.

“When the swear began to stop,” chanted Joan back to her, “Nebuchadnezzar bought a shop.”

“When the shop began to sell, Nebuchadnezzar bought a bell,” tootled Gran, in a high soprano.

“When the bell began to ring,” they ended in unison, “Nebuchadnezzar began to sing, GOD SAVE THE KING!”

“We shouldn’t be singing today, I suppose,” said Gran, when they’d stopped laughing. “It’s the anniversary of that horrible killer-bees incident. Six months to the day. Or night.”

“Yep. Well, that Ted Brierley’s safely put away, and Betsy and Justin Brookes paid enormous fines. Just as well young Justin’s got all that money! I reckon they got away with a lot, them two. And that Betsy, who’s no better than she should be, shacking up with young Brookes! She’s old enough to be his mother! It’s a funny old world. There’s the grand opening of the refurbished zoo this afternoon. Shall we go? I can drive us.”

*

T
he sun shone on the newly painted entry box, where Margie Turner, in a new frilly dress for the occasion, welcomed visitors in. “Free entry today, dears,” she said, as family after family passed through. The town band was playing a selection from
The Sound of Music
, and refreshment stalls had been set out on the lawns behind the zoo.

Cameroon Hall was still empty, and it had a sad, neglected look, with the blinds pulled down over the big windows. But rumour had it that Justin Brookes, who had been given by his mother a goodly sum from the sale of his family farm, as well as inheriting Pettison’s entire estate, would be moving in shortly.

“He’s still in our flat at the moment,” said Gran tartly, as she and Joan walked into the zoo. “Betsy Brierley has moved in with him. I told Lois she ought to forbid it.”

“I expect they’ll marry and have a family in due course,” Joan said kindly.

“I hope she’ll give up the game, then! Mind you, she and that Ted were never married, you know, so there’ll be no problem there. Justin Brookes is welcome to her,” Gran added. “The sooner they’re out of the flat and we can get a nice middle-aged couple in there, the better I shall like it.”

“Oh look,” said Joan, trying to change the subject. “There’s the maypole set up, ready for the schoolchildren. Shall we sit over there and get a good view when they start dancing?”

Inside the zoo and officiating beside the animal enclosures, Justin and Betsy were talking pleasantly to visitors about the habits of chimpanzees. “You have to be careful with them,” he said. “They are easily offended, and then you have to run!”

“That applies to several people I know,” muttered Betsy in his ear.

“And now, let’s go and see the snakes,” said Justin to the small group of onlookers. Shrieks from the children greeted this, and his eye was caught by a familiar figure “Hi, Josie!” he called. “We’re just off to see some lovely snakes. Will you join us?”

“You know what you can do with your snakes!” she yelled back, and she and Matthew walked off towards the new penguin pool.

“Mrs Meade!” shouted Betsy, spotting Lois and Derek approaching. “Come and say hello to someone you know.”

“Pretend you haven’t heard her,” whispered Lois. “I know what she’s up to. That snake that we found in Josie’s stockroom.”

But Betsy had walked towards them, and they couldn’t avoid her. “Nice of you both to come along,” she said, taking Derek’s arm, and moving them towards the snake house.

Lois detached herself, and veered off to the small-animals section. “See you later,” she called back. “Say hello to Flatface for me, Derek. And I don’t mean the one hanging on your arm. Ah,” she continued, seeing her mother and Joan watching the dancing. “There’s Gran.”

“Lois! Come over here! Now then, gel, sit between me and Joan and enjoy the maypole children. I was just telling her you’ve given up ferretin’ for good.”

“Whatever that was!” said Joan, laughing.

“What indeed,” answered Lois. “Oh, there’s someone over there I must have a word with. See you in a minute.” She stood up and, turning round, waved to a solitary figure standing by the entrance kiosk.

*

“
A
fternoon,
C
owgill,” she said. “You’re not on duty, surely?”

“No, just hanging around hoping to catch a glimpse of my favourite new broom.”

“Not so new now,” Lois said. “Anyway, come on in and sit with me and Gran. Derek’s been kidnapped by Betsy Brierley, and the maypole dancing is about to begin. Josie and Matthew are somewhere, keeping well away from the reptiles. Come and join us, why don’t you?”

“Well, actually, my dear Lois, as far as I can see, you’re not coming apart.”

“Cowgill! You made a joke! First time ever. Must be a good omen. Now come along with me.”

She took his hand and he squeezed it. “We are almost related,” she added, and they walked away together. Not quite into the sunset, but to join Gran and Joan, which was almost as good.