The Collared Collection (41 page)

Sam was transfixed, gazing at his little sister, who was snoozing in her Perspex cot, wearing the cute pink bonnet he’d bought for her. A huge, proud smile permanently on his lips, and he hadn’t said a word for a very long time – Callie gathered he approved of the newest addition to the family.

David, Susan, Simon, George, and Harry were all gathered around the bed and though she felt exhausted, she was deliriously happy.

Susan said, ‘You mustn’t worry about not finishing your paper, Callie – that will be taken into account when they collate your marks.’

‘Not if Miss Puce has anything to do with it.’

‘Who?’

‘The adjudicator – she’ll have them deduct marks because I caused a scene. And she’ll most likely send me a bill for mopping the floor … you had to be there.’

‘Mmm …that Charlie’s a really nice bloke, isn’t he? I may have to revise my opinion of London cabbies.’

‘Don’t be too hasty, he was the fourth one I tried to hail.’

She giggled and looked over to the crib. ‘Elizabeth Bennett – that’s a lovely name, very Jane Austen, but spelt wrong. Are you giving her a middle name?’

‘Yes – her full name will be Elizabeth Charlotte Paige Bennett.’

‘Wow, she’s going to curse you when she has to fill in forms. I must say I’m deeply honoured, though. Thank you very much.’

‘You’re welcome – but I’m afraid you’ll always be Susan to me. I can’t get my head around calling you Paige – and especially not Paigey!’

‘So, Charlotte is after Charlie the cabbie?’

She grinned. ‘The least we could do.’

Alex came back into the room with a can of Coke from the machine. ‘Hey, Mum – look who I found outside!’

‘St John! How lovely to see you – you shouldn’t have come all this way.’

‘I’m afraid I’m mixing business and pleasure, old thing, but I wanted to come anyway.’

‘Then if Sam will allow you, I’d like you to meet Miss Elizabeth Bennett.’

St John crept over to where the baby lay, newly awake and snorting. ‘Oh Callie! She’s beautiful, truly beautiful – Buffy would be so very proud … may I hold her?’

‘Of course; would you do the honours, please, Sam?’

He lifted his sister as though she were the most precious and delicate china. Callie wondered how much that would change in a few years, when she was pinching his stuff and acting like a brat, showing off and being a nuisance in front of his friends.

St John stroked the baby’s cheek very gently. ‘Hello, Elizabeth.’ Tears rolled down his face. ‘I’m afraid you have a very hard act to follow, old thing.’ There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. But the atmosphere was immediately lightened when he suggested, ‘Perhaps I could paint your portrait soon, would you like that?’ Thank goodness she wasn’t old enough to say yes, Callie thought.

George, Harry, and Simon took their leave – they were making for the nearest pub, to wet the baby’s head.

David said, ‘Now we have you alone, Callie and I would like to ask you, Susan and you, St John, to be Elizabeth’s godparents. That’s along with my brother and sister.’

‘Yes, please!’ said St John.

‘Count me in,’ said Susan, ‘and while we’re all in a celebratory mood, I have some good news of my own to share with you.’

Callie knew immediately what it was. ‘You’re going to marry Barney?’

She nodded and grinned, ‘I am.’ She thrust a huge, twinkling diamond under her nose.

‘Susan,’ she breathed. ‘That’s an exquisite ring – many congratulations. I told you he was a lovely guy. The wedding … will it be a secret service?’

Susan groaned. ‘Callie! That’s a criminal joke – actually, I’m leaving my job. It wouldn’t do for us both to be spooks and anyway, the boss wouldn’t allow it.’

‘Then come back to Montague’s!’ she cried. ‘You can supervise me as a pupil – oh, do say you will!’

She smiled. ‘Maybe …’

Callie knew she would. ‘Before I forget, St John, what was the business part of your visit?’

‘Nothing too taxing, old thing – I just need some papers countersigned for The Buffy Fund.’

He was referring to the charitable trust they’d set up with the money and proceeds from assets that Callie had inherited, lost, and then re-inherited from Ginny. Though she didn’t want to touch a penny of it personally, she could ensure the money was used in a good way – perhaps offsetting a little of the harm Ginny had done during her lifetime. Broadly speaking, the mandate of the fund was to release money to help, in any practical way, the victims of crime – most specifically the parents of murdered or abducted children, and those who had been raped, either male or female. In the grand scheme of things, the fund was small fry, but without the constraints of the larger charities, St John as Secretary and Treasurer was proving invaluable when it came to finding deserving recipients.

Her last visitors were preparing to leave when a nurse knocked and entered, carrying a large bunch of pink helium balloons. One balloon proclaimed ‘It’s A Girl!’ and the other seven or eight were smaller, pink hearts.

She handed them to Callie. ‘There you go, Mrs Ashton-Bennett – I nearly took off with this lot!’

‘
To Callie, from Mum x
. How odd, David – your mum has already sent a huge bouquet. Anyway, I always call her Joan.’

‘Let’s see,’ said Susan, reaching to take the card.

She squinted as she tried to decipher the hieroglyphics … then she gasped.

‘Oh my God …’

‘What? What is it?’

‘The card doesn’t say Mum, Callie – they’re from
Mimi
…’

The End

Also by

Nell Peters

By Any Other Name

Emily Kelly cannot believe her luck when she is employed as companion to wealthy old Sir Gerald Ffinche. (OK, luck had nothing to do with it – but all’s fair in love and job-seeking, right?)

She soon settles in chez Ffinche and builds an excellent rapport with Sir Gerald – but it’s his son Richard who really interests her, and they quickly become inseparable.

However, it seems their happiness has enraged someone closely associated with the family, and a series of tragic events is set in motion. Subtle clues are left to incriminate Emily and when she determines to expose the real culprit, she is spoiled for choice. As the body count mounts, Emily and Richard – and the police – are perplexed. They’re clearly looking for someone who projects a mask of sanity to the world whilst being dangerously disturbed: but who?

With a whole shoal of red herrings and a plot that veers from the almost cosy to a taut psychological thriller, By Any Other Name is an enthralling, chilling whodunit.

More Crime Fiction from Accent Press

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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016

ISBN 9781910939154

Copyright © Nell Peters 2016

The right of Nell Peters to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN