Screaming Yellow (36 page)

She picked up the sheet of paper. “If Robert was murdered between say, nine o’clock and eleven-fifteen, when Simon got the call, we have a smaller suspect list. Richard, of course, and Catherine who was in her room. Jean and Mary had alibis for part of that time while they said their goodbyes to Simon and his sister, but after that they went to separate rooms alone. Nicole claims that she was in Peter’s cottage until he returned at nine-thirty.”

She paused. “I am satisfied with Amanda’s lack of motive and Nicole and Peter’s alibis are each other. A little suspect, perhaps, but again, they had little motive.”

Nicole and Amanda let out sighs of relief, the others looked around the room, obviously wondering which of the others was the murderer.

“Susan’s alibi is rock solid.” Meinwen put the sheet down. “I didn’t invite the police to this meeting on purpose though I will be informing Inspector White of my findings in the morning. I took a leaf out of Robert’s book and had my computer record the whole discussion, should I need to hand it over to them. For now, it’s been sent to a secure server.”

There was an outbreak of muttering. Jean scowled. “You shouldn’t have recorded us without permission. I find that highly underhanded.”

Meinwen closed her eyes and gathered patience in as if it were a fog surrounding her. “It will not be seen unless it needs to be. I suggest that you all go back to The Larches and be prepared for the revelation I make in the morning, unless the culprit makes his confession to save me the trouble. I must point out that it would go better for them if they did.” She ate the other half of the biscuit she’d started at the beginning of the discussion. “The meeting is over.”

They began to stand, rubbing life into joints that had stiffened over the past hour. “Will that be the end of it then?” asked Jean as Amanda helped her on with her coat, “In the morning, I mean.”

“I sincerely hope so, Mrs. Markhew,” Meinwen replied.

“Why wait until morning?” Jean asked. “Aren’t you afraid that the killer will try to stop you?”

“A little,” said Meinwen, “but I have to be sure and tomorrow morning I’ll know for certain.”

“Would you like me to stay with you?” asked Peter after a glance at Jean. “You know I didn’t do it and I used to be quite handy on the rugby field.”

Meinwen smiled. “Thank you, but that’s really not necessary.” She leaned in close and whispered. “Besides, Mary is single again, remember?”

Peter smiled. “Good point. Er… You haven’t got some of that love potion you mentioned handy, have you?”

Chapter 33

Meinwen stood at the door to say goodbye to the residents of The Larches. Inside, Jennifer began to tidy and Simon helped with coats. Susan had chauffeured Jean while the rest had come in Nicole’s car, a fortunate circumstance since they were taking back two extra people.

She smiled to see Richard walking arm in arm with Catherine and getting into the back of Robert’s Jaguar. Mary squeezed into the back of the Vauxhall, sandwiched between Peter and Amanda, with Nicole driving. How would Peter choose between Mary and Nicole? Nicole had deemed it a relationship of mutual convenience, but Meinwen was certain there was more to it than that.

“Will they survive the events of the last week or shatter like crystal?” Jennifer stood behind her with a glass of apple wine.

“It’s all politics.” Meinwen watched the two cars head off up the road. “They’ll adjust in time.” She turned to go inside.

Simon paused from piling empty bowls and cups on a tray. “How do you mean? Will they still all live with Richard once he becomes master of the house, do you think? That’s assuming he’s cleared of the murder charge, of course.”

“I think they’ll polarize between Jean and Richard.” Meinwen carried a pair of Royal Doulton cups through to the kitchen. “My guess is that there’ll be two camps and divided loyalties until Richard is mature enough to take over the master’s position.”

“At least he’s married.” Simon wiped his hands on a tea towel. “He won’t be running a harem like Robert. To think that I knew him for ten years and never realized what was going on in that house. It’s disgusting.”

“Why?” Meinwen began filling up the washing bowl with hot water. “You just said you never knew. What harm were they doing to anyone? The only unhappiness was caused by Robert insisting Richard marry Mary.”

“That’s when all the trouble started.” Simon started putting on his coat, although it was a clear night and hardly seemed worth it for the twenty-yard walk up the drive to the rectory.

“The trouble started with the blackmail.” Meinwen looked up at the gibbous moon.

Jennifer, already wearing her fur-trimmed cape, lightly touched her arm. “I’m heading back. It’s been an eventful day and I could do with a cocoa and bed.”

Meinwen pulled her into a hug. “Goodnight then. Thanks for all your help tonight.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Jennifer relaxed under the hug. “Thanks for not telling the police about Richard.”

“Dim problem, cariad.” Meinwen reached out and took her hands. “Just don’t tell Inspector White or he’ll have my guts for garters.”

Jennifer smiled and nodded. “I promise. On my mother’s grave.”

Meinwen leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Coming, Simon?”

The priest nodded. “I’ll be along in a minute.”

Meinwen saw her out then turned back to Simon “Would you like a tea or coffee before you go? Or a hot chocolate if you like. I’m going to have one.”

Simon looked through the kitchen window at his own house where several lights came on. “All right. Any chance of an Irish coffee?”

“Only if you have the whiskey. I’ve no alcohol in the house at all other than a bottle or two of homemade wine, and that’s only for sabbats and esbats.”

“You observe the Sabbath, do you?” said Simon. “Which day?”

Meinwen smiled. “Every three months. Midsummer, midwinter and the spring and autumn equinoxes. The esbats are the four festivals that fall between them.”

“Oh, I see. Dancing naked around stone circles and the like.”

Meinwen laughed. “Sometimes. It’s not a requirement, though, and in the middle of winter I don’t take my clothes off for anybody.” She winked. “Not outside, anyway.”

Simon grinned. “I shouldn’t be listening to this heathen talk.”

“I’m sure you have equally odd rituals, when there are no parishioners to see. “Now how about that coffee?”

“Please.” Simon sat on a pine chair while she boiled a kettle and washed up.

* * * *

“Come to bed, Richard.”

Catherine tugged at her husband’s arm. “I’ve never been able to sleep with you here before and certainly not as lady of the house.”

Richard smiled. “Soon, love.” He stroked her cheek with his finger. “I want to show you something first.”

He led her upstairs to his stepfather’s bedroom. “Have you ever been in here before?”

She nodded. “Once or twice last year. After we fell in love I was careful to avoid Robert’s attention and he never asked for me to join him in here.”

“Good.” Richard led her inside and kissed her on the neck, drawing a moan from her lips as she surrendered to his touch. He slipped the buttons of her blouse and dropped it to the floor, then released her breasts and let them stand free, pert from the desire flowing through her. Her skirt soon joined the blouse. “Soon all this will be mine…”

Catherine nodded and her eyes closed, floating on his touch. His tongue across her nipples took her to the edge of bliss.

“…but you already belong to me.”

* * * *

Simon stirred chocolate powder into the froth on his coffee. “What did you mean when you said the only unhappiness at The Larches was when Robert arranged the marriage?”

“Exactly that,” Meinwen said. “The dynamics of the household was arranged around a tribal system with Robert at the top as the lord and the others all had a predefined niche in the microcosm of the house. He was the chief and the rest, apart from Richard and perhaps Mary, were his subjects.” She finished washing up and dried her hands, leaving the dishes to dry naturally. Picking up her hot chocolate, she returned to the living room and sat on her computer chair. Simon followed and settled into the armchair Jean had used.

Meinwen took a sip and yawned. “Robert’s sudden death changed the dynamics of the family. In one night it became a houseful of subjects with no one in charge. They carried on as normal as best they could but it was like a spinning top with nobody to wind it up again. Eventually it would have just tipped over on its side and stopped.”

“So Jean took over?”

“Apparently.” Meinwen nodded and sipped her coffee. “She was the eldest and most experienced. It’s hardly surprising they looked to her for direction. Had Richard been there they would probably have looked to him instead.”

“So will he have his own harem?”

Meinwen nodded. “Probably. Either they’ll sort themselves out into a single unit again or they’ll splinter into smaller groups, like part of a tribe breaking away to start another.”

“Oh God!” Simon put his head in his hands. “The rot will spread.”

“Don’t be silly.” Meinwen snorted and put her cup down at the side of her keyboard, hitting a few keys as she turned back. “They’re a stable, polyamorous community. They do no harm to anyone. Some of your Christian groups would do well to emulate them.”

“Rubbish. One man, one woman. That’s the natural way of things.”

“Not according to the Mormons.” Meinwen raised an eyebrow. “And what of love? Even your Jesus said to love one another. “

“In matrimony.” Simon waved away the argument. “It’ll all change when one of them is declared the murderer.”

“If you say so.” Meinwen smiled and picked up her coffee again. The computer bleeped but she ignored it.

Simon leaned forward, nursing his coffee. “Why did you give the killer until the morning to confess? Surely you’re putting yourself in danger.”

“Why? Why do you think? Why would I give a killer another twelve hours freedom?”

“To let him get away?” Simon shook his head. “You’re one of them, aren’t you? One of these poly-wotsit subjects. You know Richard is the killer and you want him to get away so you can join him afterward.”

Meinwen laughed. “Certainly not. Think again, but be reasonable this time.”

Simon looked at her, his mouth open. “You don’t know who the killer is! That’s clever. You want him to think you know and confess so that you look good when you say you ‘knew all along.’”

Meinwen rocked her office chair. “That’s a good theory but you’re quite wrong. I know exactly who the killer is. I’ve set it all out in an email to the police which will be sent off in the morning.”

“You haven’t sent it yet?”

She shook her head. “Not yet, no, though it will go automatically whether I’m here or not.” She smiled. “Third and final guess.”

“All right.” Simon closed his eyes. “You’re setting a trap for him to try to come after you. That would force his hand and prove without doubt who the killer is.”

Meinwen leaned back and half-closed her eyes. “I’ve no need to do that. I have all the evidence I need to send the killer to prison.”

Simon sat waved a hand dismissively. “All right. I give up. Who is the killer?”

Meinwen smiled. “Let me tell you how I worked through the clues. See if you can come to the same conclusion as I did.”

Simon put his cup on the coffee table and sat up, brushing away the lock of hair that habitually fell over his eye. “Go on then. This is exciting.”

Meinwen raised an eyebrow. “The first clue is the telephone call. Richard had no motive to make it. If he was the killer, he would have wanted to get as far away as possible before anyone found the body and if he wasn’t the killer he wouldn’t have made it anyway.”

“That makes sense, I suppose. So you’ve eliminated Richard purely on the phone call I received?”

“Not quite, no, though it gave me the impetus to believe he didn’t do it. Who else would make that call, and why would they say they were Amanda? At eleven-fifteen all the residents except Richard were at the house, so it couldn’t have been one of them at the station. That means that it must have been an accomplice of the murderer.”