The Tulip Girl (39 page)

‘I suppose they’ll be saying next that I tampered with something in there so that he got a shock and . . .’ Maddie muttered.

‘Don’t worry about that. I can easily prove you know nothing about the workings of the electricity supply. You don’t, do you?’

Maddie shook her head. There was a pause and then she asked, ‘What do they need to test for poison in his body then? Blood samples?’

‘Yes, or tissue or hair or . . .’

‘Hair?’ Maddie was staring at him.

‘Yes, why?’

Excitedly, Maddie said, ‘Mrs Trowbridge cut a lock of hair from poor Frank before they took him away. I saw her do it.’

‘Did she, by Jove?’ Theo too was looking excited and hopeful. ‘Where is it?’

‘It’ll be in her bedroom. Nick could find it.’

He stood up. ‘I’ll go to the farm now and see him, Maddie. This just might save them the trouble of exhuming Frank’s body.’

‘And when they test the hair and there’s nothing there, they’ll let me go?’

‘Oh, you won’t have to wait as long as that. I’ll have you out of here in the morning. What they’ll probably do is release you on police bail to return to the police
station in two or maybe three weeks. That depends on how long it takes them to make their enquiries. But, you must be prepared, my dear, that if they do find traces of arsenic, then . . .’
Theo said no more and when he had left, Maddie felt even more lonely than she had before he had come.

Theo arrived again next morning and demanded her release and Maddie found herself outside the police station, blinking in the sunlight and pulling in great gulps of fresh air.
But before she had time to savour her freedom, Theo was hustling her towards his car.

‘Come on, Maddie, I don’t want us to attract attention.’ He almost pushed her into the back seat and got in beside her, slamming the door and ordering his chauffeur to drive
off immediately.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked as the car reached the outskirts of the town and gathered speed.

Theo leant back against the plush upholstery and sighed. ‘I’m sorry, Maddie, but the locals have you charged, tried and convicted already. They think you’re guilty.’

‘Everyone? Even – even Jenny?’

Theo managed to laugh. ‘Oh not Jenny. Dear, loyal little Jenny. You’d be amazed what she’s been up to on your behalf. It was she who came up to the Hall with the ever-faithful
Steven in tow, to ask me to help you.’

‘She did?’

‘She most certainly did. Quite the little tigress in defence of her own, isn’t she?’

Maddie stared at him. Jenny? A tigress? Loyal, yes, she’d known that. But a tigress? Now this was something new.

‘You know, she intrigues me. In fact, you both do. But – er . . .’ He hesitated before murmuring, ‘But you for quite a different reason.’ Then more briskly, he
asked, ‘Do you know anything at all about her background?’

Maddie shook her head. ‘No. No more than I do about my own. But we’ve a lot in common. We were both abandoned outside the Mayfield Children’s Home. Me at a month or so old
– they were never quite sure just how old I was – but Jen was newborn.’

‘Really? And when was this?’

‘1932.’

She saw his eyebrows rise as, again, he said, ‘Really?’

‘Why?’

But now he seemed disinterested as he turned his gaze away from her. ‘Oh nothing. I just wondered. Anyway . . .’ He reached out and took her hand, ‘I’m sorry, my dear,
but I have to tell you that Nick couldn’t find the lock of Frank’s hair you mentioned, so they are still going to exhume the body. And besides, to be honest, I don’t think they
would have taken just that lock of hair as sufficient evidence, even if we had been able to find it.’

The brief hope that had sustained her through the past night, died.

They were passing through Eastmere now and Maddie became uncomfortably aware of the curious glances of the villagers. Some even took a step towards the car, bending to peer in through the
windows as the vehicle slowed to a halt outside the village shop.

‘You wait here in the car,’ Theo said. ‘I’ll fetch Adam.’

‘Isn’t he at school?’

‘No. We thought it best to keep him at home for a while. He was getting taunted. Children can be very cruel to each other, can’t they?’

Oh indeed they could, Maddie thought grimly, remembering the times when she had championed poor Jenny. And now, ironically, it was Jenny defending Maddie’s son. Life had a peculiar way of
coming full circle, Maddie thought.

Maddie jumped suddenly as an egg splattered against the car window beside her and she heard the jeering of three youths.

‘Lock the car door, miss,’ the chauffeur advised, ‘until you see Mr Theo coming back.’

‘Oi, you!’ Startled again, Maddie glanced round but then she saw that the shout had come from Steven who had appeared in the shop doorway. She saw him jump down the three steps and
run after the youths.

Maddie sat huddled miserably in the back seat feeling more of a prisoner now than she had in the cold, dark cell at the police station. Through the rear window she watched as Steven caught up
with one of the lads, grabbed hold of him and shook him, shouting and shaking his fist into the lad’s face. The boy – little older than Adam, she saw now – looked frightened out
of his wits. His two mates had disappeared round a corner, leaving him to face the man’s wrath alone.

At least someone’s on my side, Maddie thought. And Stinky Smith of all people.

‘Maddie, oh Maddie.’ Jenny’s smiling face was suddenly outside the car window and as Maddie released the lock on the door, she climbed in and sat close beside her, putting her
arms around her and holding her close. ‘Thank goodness, Mr Theo got you out of that dreadful place. How are you? Are you all right?’

Maddie avoided answering her question by asking another. ‘How’s Adam? Is he all right?’

‘Sort of. He’s upset that his so-called friends have all turned against him.’

‘Oh Jen. Thank God for friends like you and – and Steven. What would I do without you?’

‘Silly thing,’ Jenny laughed. ‘We’re sisters. Remember?’

She looked over Jenny’s shoulder and saw that Theo and Adam had appeared now at the top of the steps. With his hand resting protectively on the boy’s shoulder, Theo seemed to be
looking up and down the street before they emerged from the doorway. At the sight of her son, Maddie’s heart turned over. She had been away for only a short time and yet it had seemed an
eternity. As she looked into his eyes, she could see that it had left its mark on Adam too. The boy had grown up overnight, it seemed. And there was something else, too. More than ever, he was like
his father.

She was never going to be allowed to try to forget Michael, she thought, for with her every day was a living, breathing reminder.

‘Won’t you stay here with us?’ Jenny was urging her, bringing her thoughts back to the present.

‘What? Oh no – no, thanks. I must get back to the farm. There’s work to do.’

Jenny’s eyes were still troubled. ‘Do you really think you should go back there? I mean – Nick’s still there.’

‘Nick? Why shouldn’t he be there?’ Maddie searched her friend’s face. ‘You don’t mean – oh you can’t mean – that Nick thinks I’m
guilty.’

‘No, no, he doesn’t, but . . .’ Jenny turned away, ducked her head and got out of the car. ‘Mr Theo, she wants to go back to the farm.’

Then Theo came to the car and, though he made no effort to get in, he bent down and looked in at her. ‘Don’t you think it might be better for you to stay here? Mrs Grange is
agreeable, if that’s what’s worrying you. Or you can come to the Hall if you prefer.’

‘No, no, I must get home.’

‘I don’t like you being out there on your own. The feeling in the village is far worse than I had imagined. Jenny and Steven – and young Adam – have just been telling
me.’

‘Then it would be far worse to stay here,’ Maddie argued reasonably. ‘And I’d be putting innocent people – Mrs Grange and Jen – at risk too.’

Theo seemed to be struggling with some inner conflict.

‘What?’ Maddie asked. ‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ he said swiftly, a little too swiftly to be convincing. It was as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know whether he should do so. Eventually, he said,
‘Well, at least let Adam stay here. Please, Maddie. We’ll bring him to the farm to see you. Every day. I promise. But just let him stay here with them. At least – for the time
being.’

Much as she wanted to be with her son, Maddie nodded. ‘All right then, but just let him get into the car for a minute. Let me talk to him.’

Theo straightened up and beckoned to the boy.

‘Oh darling,’ Maddie put out her arms as he climbed in beside her. ‘This is all a horrible mistake. You don’t believe I did anything wrong, do you?’

‘Oh Mam . . .’ Suddenly he was grinning at her. ‘Of course I don’t. None of us do. Only the stupid villagers who don’t know you.’

She hugged him to her. ‘That’s all right then. I can stand anything if only you believe in me.’

He put his arms around her waist and buried his face against her shoulder. His voice was muffled as he asked, ‘Are you sure you’re going to be all right at the farm?’

‘Of course, I am. Nick’s there.’

Adam raised his head and as she looked down into his upturned face, Maddie shivered suddenly at the strange expression in the young boy’s eyes.

Nick came towards her with his arms outstretched as the car drew into the farmyard.

‘Maddie! Thank goodness you’re all right.’ He was smiling happily, his face alight with relief. He hugged her to him and then held out his hand towards Theo. ‘Mr Theo.
How can we thank you enough for your help?’

To Maddie’s surprise, Theo ignored Nick’s outstretched hand and instead said curtly, ‘It’s not over yet. I should wait for the outcome of the post-mortem before you begin
to celebrate.’

But Nick’s smile stayed in place. ‘What can they hope to find from that?’ His tone was derisory. ‘They’ll find arsenic in his body, I don’t doubt.’

Maddie felt a shiver of alarm as she glanced at the frown on Theo’s face. ‘Why do you say that?’ he asked Nick sharply.

Nick shrugged. ‘Stands to reason. It’s in the ground all around here, isn’t it? It’s used in weedkillers, isn’t it? More than likely the ground is sodden with
it.’

Theo said nothing but his steely gaze never left Nick’s face.

‘May we you offer you a drink, sir?’ Nick said.

‘No, thank you. I must be on my way.’ Now his glance lingered on Maddie. ‘If you need anything, you know where to find me.’

With that, he gave a curt nod towards Nick and climbed back into the car. Nick put his arm around her shoulders as they stood and watched the driver reverse down the track and into the lane.

‘Phew. Thank goodness he’s gone. Poking his nose in where it’s not wanted.’

‘Oh Nick, don’t say that. He got me out of that awful place.’

‘He got there first, I’ll grant you. And with his position around here, they would listen to him. But don’t think the rest of us weren’t trying.’ For a moment there
was belligerence in his tone. ‘We don’t need his sort. I’ll look after you, Maddie. It’s just you and me now. We’ll be all right together.’

Deliberately, she asked, ‘How’s your mother?’

‘Much better. They’re talking about her coming home the day after tomorrow.’

‘What? Here?’ With bitter sarcasm, she added, ‘You mean they’re actually going to let her come back here where I might try to poison her again?’

‘Oh, I’ve explained all that to them at the hospital. I told them it was all a dreadful accident. Mam must have somehow been mixing up the weedkiller and then gone back to her
baking. They seemed to believe me. Now, come on in. I’ve got a lovely meal ready for you to welcome you home. See, I knew they’d have to let you go. They can’t prove a
thing.’

They were walking towards the house as Maddie said thoughtfully, ‘But your mother never touches the outside work. She never has anything to do with the weedkiller.’ She stopped and
stared at him. He had moved ahead of her a little before he turned to glance over his shoulder at her and said, ‘I know that and you know that. But they don’t.’

‘That’s not the point. How did your mother come to get arsenic in her system, then?’

Nick shrugged and spread his hands. ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’

‘You mean, you think I did it?’

‘’Course not.’

‘Then how . . .?’

He came towards her again and put his arm about her shoulders and tried to draw her towards the house. ‘I’ve told you. Somehow, it was a dreadful accident. Do stop worrying about it,
Maddie. I’ve got you home and all to myself. I’ll look after you. I won’t ever let anyone take you away from me again.’

For the moment, Maddie allowed him to usher her into the house, through the wash-house and the kitchen and into the living room where, she had to admit, a wonderful spread awaited her.

‘Oh Nick,’ she was moved to say. ‘You’ve done all this? For me?’

For the rest of the evening, Nick laughed and joked and kept the conversation away from what must have been at the back of both their minds. Maddie tried to respond, was grateful for his efforts
in trying to take her mind off things, but she was worried for Adam and anxious about the impending post-mortem. As Theo had said, it wasn’t over yet.

As he locked up for the night, Maddie was surprised to see Nick take the shotgun from its usual corner behind the door in the living room and place it on the kitchen table. ‘Just in case
we get any unwelcome visitors from the village,’ he said, winking at her.

‘Nick, you can’t do that. Oh, don’t let’s cause any more trouble.’

‘It’s all right. It isn’t loaded. It’s only just to frighten them off. You go up to bed, Maddie. I think I’ll stay down here and keep watch.’

‘You’re making it sound like a siege.’

‘It may well be. You’ve never been on the receiving end of these folks’ viciousness. But me and my mam have.’

‘Whatever do you mean?’

‘It’s a long time ago now, but I tell you, you don’t know ’em and what they can do. Not like I do.’