The House of Women (17 page)

2

Leaving for work before the postman made his way along the narrow street, McKenna saw the blue-garbed figure with his big heavy bag toiling up the steep hill towards his house as he drove down, and as the postman waved and smiled, wondered what more unsuspected horrors lurked in the depths of that bag.

Diana Bradshaw was also early to work.
‘I hear you have Polgreen in custody,’ she said amicably, then suddenly frowned. ‘Is it true Prys was out with him last night?’

‘
He’s already been counselled over the matter,’ McKenna said. ‘Is there any news about your car?’

‘
My husband bought it not long before we moved, you know, and it hadn’t even had a scratch, and now it needs a total respray.’ She looked unaccountably saddened, he thought, rather than angry, as her words suggested. ‘Why do people do these things? Is it mindless vandalism, or sheer envy?’ She tapped her fingers on the desk, and he noticed her nails were newly lacquered. ‘At one time, if people wanted something, they earned it for themselves, but now, they just destroy what others have worked and saved for, because they think the world owes them a living. It makes me despair!’

‘
Did you give a description of the girl?’

‘
All I saw was a typical bottle blonde. You know the type: hard-faced and completely amoral. You see it in their eyes.’

‘
We could turn up thousands looking like that,’ commented McKenna, making his way to the door.

The decorators were squatting on upturned paint cans outside his vacated office, smoking, and drinking from an array of thermos flasks by their feet.
‘Bloody hot again, isn’t it?’ one of them commented. ‘Too hot for the paint to dry hard. It’s still tacky, so we might have to come back to finish off when the weather turns.’

Rowlands waited by the door of the temporary office.
‘They’ve been sitting there for the past half hour.’

McKenna scowled.
‘They can sit there all day as far as I’m concerned. Shut the door, and sit down.’ Pulling cigarettes and lighter from his pocket, he said: ‘Janet passed on a hit of gossip you’d passed on from your wife. I don’t like people talking about me behind my back.’

‘
It’s not like that.’ Rowlands lit his own cigarette. ‘My wife’s friendly with the wife of an inspector at headquarters, and it’s the talk of the place. I’ve heard plenty of comment here, as well.’

‘
I’ve already discussed the matter with the chief constable.’

‘
With respect, sir, I don’t imagine for one moment he gave you the real facts, because he’d lose too much face admitting to such shenanigans.’ Reddening slightly, he took a deep breath. ‘Bradshaw’s fraud unit was investigating the director of that construction company which collapsed owing millions, and put hundreds out of work. He’d been skimming off profits for years, moving the cash way outside our jurisdiction into offshore accounts, under company covers which were nothing more than a name and a box number in some remote place. The job was a nightmare.’

‘
So?’

‘
So, hard-faced bastard that he is, he set up a new business, buying building society repossessions at real knock-down prices, then reselling at a huge profit.’ Pausing to knock ash from his cigarette, Rowlands went on: ‘One couple who’d lost their home were sued by the building society for an outstanding mortgage balance of nearly fifty grand. Their house had been sold for £23,000, when it was worth at least £100,000, even in a depressed market, so they alerted us.’

‘
Very interesting, and a fairly typical sign of the times, but I don’t see the connection.’

‘
By trawling Companies House records, one of Bradshaw’s team discovered the owner of the property business was the man they were investigating, but she told him to forget it. He carried on digging, anyway, found all the houses were valued for very much less than they were worth by one surveyor working for one estate agent, and went back to her. She threatened him with disciplinary action for disobeying her orders.’ Smiling rather bitterly, Rowlands stubbed out his cigarette. ‘He soon discovered she’d bought her nice new house through the same channels, but
after
she’d first been alerted, so he grassed her up to the hierarchy, and here she is. So, basically, sir, you’ve been stitched up.’

‘
Or turned into a fleeced lamb fighting a wind tempered to another, and as it’s history anyway, neither makes a difference,’ McKenna commented. ‘However, I’m not alone in weathering that kind of storm, so perhaps you could deploy your energies to absolve George Polgreen of responsibility for Ned’s death, in the face of evidence to the contrary.’

*

The forensic evidence taken from Ned’s rooms was processed and tagged, matched and cross-referenced with the fingerprints and other samples taken from Edith, her daughters, and her visitors. At some time or another, all of them had entered his room and left residues to tell the tale, but in his conflict with death, Ned tore flesh only from his own body, leaving its shreds under his nails. Except for Mina’s, all the urine samples showed varying traces of tetracycline, while the chrome bracelet was bereft of even a smear of fingerprints.

‘
That’s unusual,’ Janet observed, leafing through the spill of paper from the fax machines. ‘Jason Lloyd’s fingerprints are almost non-existent.’

‘
Why?’ McKenna stifled a yawn.

‘
There’s a lot of abrasion.’

‘
Not uncommon with manual workers and people who handle chemicals. We wouldn’t get decent impressions off the decorators, either.’ Yawning again, he asked: ‘Have the other tenants at George’s house been interviewed yet? Did anyone hear the burglary?’

‘
He’s the only one of the students not away for the summer vacation,’ Janet said. ‘And the neighbours heard nothing because there was a very rowdy party going on in someone’s back garden.’ She made a neat pile of the flimsy paper, and placed it on the desk. ‘What shall I do now, sir?’

‘
Sit in while Rowlands interviews George, then check his whereabouts last week, because unless he was here in Bangor when he claims to have been at home in Notting Hill, he couldn’t have tampered with Ned’s food.’

‘
Unless he had an accomplice,’ Janet suggested, ‘but I think whoever poisoned Ned deliberately planted the bracelet.’

‘
Quite, which leaves us back where we started,’ McKenna said testily. ‘Dewi’s at the house examining the rest of the books and documents, and looking for the letters, address book and photos George says have gone missing. If he doesn’t find them, you and Rowlands can consider executing a search warrant later today. I’m going to see Ned’s family.’

‘
Edith’ll have a nervous breakdown if we arrive with a warrant.’

‘
I’ve already alerted Dr Ansoni, and Ms Bradshaw knows we’ll need extra bodies for the search.’

‘
Her car’s an awful mess. Have you seen it? I didn’t know brake fluid could do that to paint.’ She rose, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. ‘She must be having a courtesy car while hers is away, because I don’t know how she’ll get home tonight without one. I saw the breakdown truck when I was downstairs getting these faxes.’

*

As McKenna walked quietly along the corridor on his way out, Diana waylaid him, throwing open the door of her office, and smiling brightly. ‘I need a favour,’ she admitted. ‘I want my car done today, if possible, so could you recommend a reliable repair-shop?’

‘
But Janet saw the breakdown truck take it away not long ago.’

‘
What?’ Her face blanched. ‘She can’t have done! Oh, my God! It’s been stolen!’

*

Leaning against the wall outside the interview room, waiting for George to be brought from the cells, Rowlands said: ‘I suppose this is what hell breaking loose might sound like.’ Telephones bleeped, fax and teletype machines chattered, footsteps rattled, and voices shrilled, Diana Bradshaw’s the most stridently. ‘All this fuss over a bloody car!’

‘
It’s a nice car,’ McKenna commented.

‘
And a nice price, too,’ added Rowlands. ‘Maybe she’s got shares in the property company.’

‘
Heed a word of advice, Ian, before it becomes necessary to give you a word of warning,’ McKenna said. ‘You’re fast becoming very hostile towards her, and it’s fast becoming very noticeable. Others will be only too eager to follow your example, and I don’t want rumours about sexual or other kinds of harassment finding their way to headquarters. Nor do I want to be accused of promoting slander.’

‘
Point taken, sir.’ Pushing himself away from the wall as George came into view, trudging in the wake of a uniformed constable, he added: ‘I think she’ll manage to dig her own grave, without my help, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.’

3

No silver car graced the sunlit quiet of Glamorgan Place, but Dewi’s stood at the kerb, bodywork pristine, hood folded down. McKenna parked in the gap behind, and sat for a moment, admiring the other vehicle and savouring an unwholesome delight in Diana Bradshaw’s loss, for although no compensation for his own, it might augur enough for retribution.

As he walked up the drive, Edith appeared at her front door and skittered down the steps, agitated and almost feverish.
‘Is it true about George?’ she panted, snatching at his arm. ‘I can’t believe it! I simply can’t! He would
never
hurt Ned, not in a million years!’

‘
I can’t discuss him,’ McKenna said. ‘I’m sure you understand why.’

‘
You’ve made a mistake.’ Edith blocked his progress, jerking from one foot to the other like a bird. ‘You’ve made a
terrible
mistake.’

‘
I can’t talk about it,’ McKenna insisted.

‘
Then tell me if the drugs were in my milk. I’ve a right to know.’

‘
Can we go indoors?’ He moved on, Edith almost running at his side. ‘You seem rather tense and upset.’

She stopped suddenly, and swore. He turned to face her, unreasonably shocked, to see tears in her eyes.
‘What did you say?’

‘
Something very coarse!’ she snapped, brushing away the tears impatiently. ‘I’m sick to death of being treated like a child or a simpleton! I’m tired of being patronized, of having people tiptoe around me as if they’re treading on egg shells, or even worse, as if they’re in a minefield.’ She stamped up the front steps, and into the hallway, forging a passage through the colours splashing down the staircase from the landing window. ‘Yes, I am tense,’ she announced, pushing open the sitting room door so violently it ricocheted off the wall, ‘and yes, I’m upset! I’ve had a murder in my house, and now you’ve arrested the one person, the
only
person, who couldn’t be responsible. George wasn’t here last week. He hadn’t set foot in this house for almost a month.’

‘
I see.’ McKenna stayed by the door, watching her pace the room.

She wore another of her shapely, pretty dresses, the long skirt flowing in the draught her movements created. As she reached the fireplace at the end of her second circuit, she halted.
‘And I expect I’ll become even more tense and upset,’ she added. ‘I’ve stopped taking those bloody drugs. I flushed them all down the lavatory, so by this evening, I’ll probably be climbing the walls, and by tomorrow, I’ll no doubt want to slash my wrists. But whatever I do,
I’ll
be doing it, not those cursed tablets!’

‘
You don’t have to go cold turkey. There are medicines to assist withdrawal.’

‘
I know there are.’ Edith nodded. ‘Different bloody drugs to snare you like a gin trap. I’d rather suffer, thank you!’

‘
You will, too. Don’t you think you should tell your doctor?’

‘
Why? What’s he going to do? It’s a doctor’s fault I’m like this to start with.’

‘
The determination that’s keeping you going at the moment won’t last,’ McKenna said. ‘I know. I’ve tried to stop smoking.’

‘
Phoebe will help me.’ A smile flickered in Edith’s eyes. ‘She helped me throw the things away. Annie will, too.’

‘
Isn’t it a large burden to put on their shoulders?’

‘
They can bear it. They’re strong.’ She sighed. ‘Mina isn’t, poor child! She’s too much like her father.’

‘
Where are the girls?’

‘
Mina’s at work, Annie’s gone to the farm with Bethan, and Phoebe’s upstairs with your young man, making sure he doesn’t damage Ned’s things.’

‘
He’s not a vandal, Mrs Harris.’

‘
I didn’t mean that kind of damage! She’s doing what George should be doing, only he can’t, because you’ve locked him up.’

*

Phoebe had been crying. Tell-tale blotches disfigured her face, exaggerating the relics of her fight with Mina. ‘You’ve got to let George go!’ she told McKenna.

‘
I can’t talk about George,’ he said. ‘And neither can Dewi.’

‘
Oh, him!’ She favoured Dewi with a look of near disgust. ‘He acts like he works for MI5 instead of the local cops. Still, I suppose with his fancy car and some pretend big secrets, he feels more of a man.’

‘
You’re being rude,’ McKenna said. ‘And on the subject of secrets, someone mentioned you like a few of your own. Is there anything you should have told me that you haven’t?’

‘
Who said that?’ she demanded.

‘
Never mind who.’

‘
People have no right to talk about me when I’m not there!’

‘
Everybody gossips,’ Dewi said. ‘It’s fun, and you do plenty.’ He shifted a pile of books to the window-ledge. ‘And it
wouldn’t
be fun if the person you’re talking about could hear, so stop acting silly, and answer Mr McKenna.’

She looked from one to the other, then said, rather sulkily:
‘I’d tell you if there was.’

‘
Good.’ McKenna smiled.

‘
And will you tell us about George as soon as you can?’

McKenna nodded.

‘He didn’t do it, you know.’ Phoebe was adamant. ‘He wouldn’t, and he couldn’t, anyway, ’cos he wasn’t here.’

‘
So your mother said.’

She picked up another stack of pamphlets and loose papers from the floor, and held them in her lap, one hand on top.
‘We chucked Mama’s tablets down the toilet. Did she tell you? I only hope Annie gets back before Mama needs her next fix.’

‘
I suggested she call Dr Ansoni,’ McKenna said.

‘
She won’t.’ Phoebe was certain. ‘She’ll just suffer. I dare say we will, too.’ She gazed through the window, a strange expression on her face. ‘I wonder what sort of person she’ll become when she’s off the drugs.’ Turning to McKenna, she asked: ‘Will we have a different mother, d’you think?’

‘
I don’t know, Phoebe. I don’t know if tranquillizers change a personality, or just blunt the sharp ends of it.’

‘
Minnie’s tablets didn’t do much for her, except make her rattier than usual. I didn’t see that happy feeling people talk about.’

‘
Not everyone reacts the same.’

‘
Obviously not!’ the girl said tartly. ‘Else we’d all be dead, like Uncle Ned, wouldn’t we?’ Her face suddenly threatened to crumple into misery again. ‘That’s why Mama threw away her pills. She said if she hadn’t been drugged out of her skull, she might’ve noticed something wrong, or chucked the milk before Uncle Ned had any, and he’d still be alive.’

‘
It’s not her fault, and we’re not sure the milk was to blame.’

‘
Oh, you are patronizing!’ Phoebe slammed the papers on the desk, and stood up. ‘You really are!’

‘
I think it’s one of those times when we can’t say right for saying wrong, sir,’ Dewi offered. ‘Phoebe’s pretty angry about George getting arrested.’

‘
Phoebe’s
very
angry about George getting arrested!’ She mimicked his voice, deliberately provocative.

‘
I’m not surprised you get the odd smack in the mouth off your sister,’ Dewi told her. ‘You’re lucky I’m trained to keep my temper under control.’

‘
Is there any prospect of constructive input from either of you?’ McKenna asked wearily. ‘Or will you fight like cat and dog all day?’

‘
Tom!’ Phoebe wailed, rushing to the door. ‘Where is he?’ She ran along the landing, calling, then they heard a huge sigh, a sudden laugh, as the cat came into view, stretched out across the top of the stairs in a bright beam of sunshine.

‘
Go easy on her,’ McKenna said quietly.

Dewi smiled.
‘She’s a good kid. I like her sort of spirit.’

McKenna sat on the window-ledge, and lit a cigarette.
‘You may be called back to the station. Ms Bradshaw’s car was hijacked from the yard right under our noses.’

‘
You’re kidding!’

‘
Janet saw the breakdown truck taking it away, and, like several others, thought nothing of what seemed a very obvious and logical thing to be happening to a damaged car.’

‘
That’s very, very clever,’ Dewi commented. ‘And how do the villains know which car to nick unless it’s been marked for them beforehand, in more ways than one?’

‘
Rowlands is way ahead of you.’ McKenna smiled. ‘“Sprayed by brake fluid” has already been added to his rapidly growing cross index.’ He rose, brushing dust from his trousers. ‘I’m off to see Ned’s family, and I don’t expect to be back until late.’

‘
D’you want to borrow my car?’ Dewi asked, taking the keys from his trouser pocket. ‘It’s a nice day for an open-top drive.’ He grinned. ‘And unlike us last night, you could get lucky, and find the woman of your dreams. We got tagged as a couple of queers, out posing.’