Witch Is When the Penny Dropped (17 page)

Chapter 26

I got a call from Dot Comm. She sounded really upset, and wanted me to meet her at an address which she said was a friend’s apartment. I tried to get more information from her, but she didn’t want to talk over the phone. I jumped in my car, and was there within ten minutes. I knocked on the door, and I could see an eye at the peephole. Moments later the door opened. The woman standing in front of me was barely recognisable as the same one I’d seen at my office only recently. Her hair was untidy, and she looked as though she’d been crying for a long time.

“Come in,” she said, and she led me through to the living room.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“No, not really.”

“Is anyone here with you?”

“My friend, Rita, was here, but I asked her to go out while I spoke to you. Please sit down.”

I did as she asked, and she took a seat opposite me.

“I did what you suggested,” she said. “I waited until Ron went out, and then I searched through all of his papers. You were right. I found a number of documents relating to the purchase of the apartment where Gina was killed, and the name on all of them was ‘Anton Michaels’. It was obvious from those documents that it was Ron who’d paid for the apartment, and he was paying Anton Michaels to pretend to be the owner.”

“Does he know you’ve found this information?”

“Oh yes. I told him.”

I was shocked. That was the last thing I’d expected her to do. If my suspicions were correct, and he had murdered his own brother and sister, Ron Peel was not a man to confront.

“What did he say?” I asked.

“He tried to deny it at first, but it was obviously true. In the end, he just confessed.”

“To what exactly?”

“Everything. He said that from the moment he first saw me, he knew he loved me, and he couldn’t bear to live his life without me. That’s when he decided he had to kill Reg.”

“He told you that?”

“Yes. I was a bit scared because I thought if he’d killed Reg and Gina—he might kill me too. But he said I was the only thing in the world which mattered to him, and he would never harm me. He’s deluded. He thought I’d forgive him for killing Reg because he done it so we could be together. But, I loved Reg—we were going to be married. How could I love the man who had killed him? I told Ron I hated him.”

“What did he say?”

“He didn’t get angry. He just looked really sad. He said he was sorry, and then he left.”

“Where did he go?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say another word. He just walked out.”

“Have you seen or spoken to him since?”

“No. I don’t know where he is. I think there’s a good chance he may harm himself. That’s why I called you. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Okay, well the best thing you can do for the moment, is to stay put. Does he know you’re here?”

“No. He doesn’t know Rita.”

“Good. Well stay here. Don’t go out under any circumstances. If he calls—don’t answer the phone. I’ll go and talk to the police, and tell them everything I know. They’ll send someone to collect you. Okay?”

She nodded.

***

“Well if it isn’t my favourite P.I.” Jack Maxwell had a broad smile on his face. “And what brings you to see me today?”

We were in our usual interview room.

“I have some information about the murders of Gina and Reg Peel, and Anton Michaels. They were all murdered by the same person.”

“And who would that be?”

“Ron Peel murdered all three of them.”

“I assume you have some sort of evidence to back up that statement?”

“Ron has actually confessed to the murders.”

“Confessed to who?”

“To his girlfriend, Dorothy Comm. She’s currently staying with a friend, and she’s understandably scared. I told her that you would send someone to collect her so that she can make a statement. I’m fairly sure when you find Ron, assuming he’s still alive, he’ll make a full confession.”

“How could he have murdered Gina when the only fingerprints in the apartment belonged to his brother who died two years ago?”

“It’s a long story. The short version is that Ron loved Dorothy, but she was engaged to his brother. Ron planned this in meticulous detail. In fact, he planned it two years in advance. He wanted Dorothy, but he also wanted to ensure that he inherited the family fortune which would go to the surviving one of the three children. He had to get rid of Reg in order to win Dorothy, but before killing him, he bought the apartment in which he would later kill Gina. At some point he must have persuaded Reg to go over to the apartment, and while he was there Reg must have left fingerprints on various surfaces, and also on the knife which would eventually be the murder weapon. Ron then preserved that future crime scene under the supposed ownership of Anton Michaels. The apartment basically remained empty for the next two years, apart from the occasional visit from a cleaner. Ron must have thought two years was sufficient time for people not to make a connection between the deaths of Gina and her brother. Once Dorothy had fallen for Ron, the next step in his plan was to ensure that he inherited the money. He orchestrated the water leak at Gina’s apartment, arranged for her to stay at a ‘friend’s’ apartment—the one which he actually owned, and which Reg had visited two years before. Ron killed his sister there, making sure not to leave any of his own fingerprints at the scene. When the police discovered the body, the fingerprints they found belonged to Reg.”

Jack Maxwell shook his head. “How on earth did you put all those pieces together?”

“There were a number of clues. Firstly, when I spoke to the maintenance man at Gina’s apartment, he suggested that the water leak was not an accident. The fact that Gina found somewhere else to live so quickly was a bit too convenient. It was as if someone had been waiting to step in and help. In fact, Ron had done just that. Then after murdering his sister, I’m pretty sure he also murdered Anton Michaels who was the only other person who could link him to the apartment. When I spoke to the previous owner of Anton Michaels’ apartment, she identified Ron as the man who bought it from her. Although she mistakenly thought the photo I showed her was of Reg, the brother who she knew had died in a climbing accident. That’s when I told Dorothy about my suspicions, and she was horrified. She searched Ron’s papers without his knowledge, and found paperwork linking him to Anton Michaels, and the purchase of the apartment. That’s when she confronted him.”

Maxwell had the same horrified expression on his face as I had when she’d told me that.

“Why would she do that?” he said. “He could have killed her too.”

“That’s what I said, but it appears that Ron Peel is besotted with Dorothy, and would never do anything to harm her. He really believed she’d love him all the more for having committed those terrible crimes so they could be together. But of course Dorothy was appalled that he’d killed his brother and his sister.”

“So where is he now?”

“I don’t know. Dot told him she was going to the police, and he just left. I think there’s a strong possibility you may be looking for a body.”

Chapter 27

Sometimes it was nice to just sit at my desk and do nothing. Or at least that’s what I told myself when I had no cases to work on. I hadn’t had a sniff of a new case since the Peel murders. Ron Peel, who had eventually been found alive, had confessed and was now serving several life sentences.

“Hey, daydreamer.” Winky jumped onto my desk.

“I’ve told you not to jump on here.”

“It was the only way to get your attention. I’ve been waving at you from the window sill for the last ten minutes. Goodness knows where your head was at.”

“What do you want?”

“Just to remind you that you promised to take me to the darts tournament.”

“Did I?”

“You know you did. We’ve had this discussion.”

“Okay, when is it?”

“It’s in a couple of weeks’ time. I’m not sure whether I’m going to take Bella or Cindy.”

“Hold on a minute. I said I’d take
you
to this silly tournament. I didn’t say anything about taking your entourage.”

“It will only be the two of us. It’ll be me and A N Other. I just haven’t decided which A N Other it will be yet. It depends which of them treats me best between now and then.”

“You do realise this is no way to conduct a relationship, don’t you?” I said. “You shouldn’t toy with their affections.”

Winky gave me a look, and I knew I’d said the wrong thing. Any minute now I was going to get the usual lecture about
my
love life. But before he could lay into me, I changed the subject.

“When will I get my share of the advance for your book and the movie?”

“There isn’t going to be a book.”

“What? Why not?”

“Writer’s block. The juices have stopped flowing.”

“Well get them flowing again.” In my mind, I’d already spent my share of the royalties.

“You can’t rush these things. Do you think Dickens simply knocked his stuff out?”

“Are you seriously comparing yourself to Dickens?”

“Of course not. The man was just a hack compared to me which is precisely why I have to wait until the creative juices start to flow again.”

“Well get them flowing soon. I have dresses to buy and holidays to book.”

The door opened, and Mrs V sneaked into the room.

“Mrs V? Is everything okay?”

“Shh,” she said, as she walked over to the desk.

Winky gave her a suspicious look.

“There’s a woman out there, and she’s a bit—” She looked around to make sure the woman hadn’t followed her. “Well—she’s a bit strange, and very scary. And, I know this is a horrible thing to say, but she’s really ugly.”

“Look, if Grandma’s out there, just send her in.”

“No, no, it’s not your grandmother. This woman is way more ugly than she is.”

That was impossible.

“Who is she? Did you get her name?”

“She doesn’t have an appointment, but she insists that you’ll agree to see her. Her name is Chivers, Martha Chivers.”

My blood ran cold. Ma Chivers, here in my office? What could she want with me?

“What do you want me to do, Jill? I don’t think I dare tell her to go away.” Mrs V said, looking back at the door to the outer office.

“It’s okay, you can send her in.”

“Okay then, but if you need any help just shout, and I’ll call the police.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be okay.”

Mrs V left my office, and moments later in walked Ma Chivers. I’d seen her on a couple of occasions now, but I’d never been this close to her before. Boy was she ugly! Winky jumped off the desk and skidded as he ran under the sofa. I couldn’t be sure, but it looked as though he was trembling, which was understandable given the circumstances.

“Jill,” Ma Chivers said, as she strode across the room. “Good to meet you.” She held out her hand which was all wizened and warty—and she expected me to shake it.

Ugh! What was I to do? I had no choice. It felt like she was going to crush my fingers. I tried to smile, but it wasn’t easy.

“How can I help you, Mrs Chivers?”

“Please call me ‘Ma’. That’s what all my friends call me, and I’d like to think that we could be friends, Jill.”

She took a seat, and I followed suit.

“So, how can I help you today—Ma?”

“It’s more a question of how I can help you, Jill. I’ve heard such a lot about you. Some quite remarkable stories. You seem to have achieved so much in the short time since you discovered you were a witch, but frankly dear, you could achieve so much more. I can’t help but feel you’re being held back. Your mother was a level six witch, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t make it to that level too—and very soon. But you’ll never do it under the guidance of your grandmother. I’m sorry to have to say this, but Mirabel simply isn’t the witch she once was. You deserve the best. You deserve someone who can nurture your natural talents.”

I really did not like the way this was going. I had a horrible feeling I knew what was coming.

“And so, Jill, I’ve decided that I should take responsibility for your development from now on. I think you and I will make an excellent team. What do you say?”

Oh bum!

**********

More mystery, magic and custard creams to be found in:

Witch Is When The Floodgates Opened

(Witch P.I. Mysteries #7)

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