The Fall Girl (15 page)

“Anything wrong with that?”

“Suppose not.”

“I think I’d be pretty proud of Elizabeth if she was a friend of my family.”

“But that’s just it. She was only friends with my mother.” Rowana followed Gabrielle and Lexy into Elizabeth’s bedroom.

“So this is where she... ?” Gabrielle stared over at the window.

“Yup.” Lexy watched Rowana go pale.

Gabrielle grabbed the binoculars. “He’s just driving through the farm gate.”

“Hope it was open.” Rowana stood behind her, hands knotted together. “Why can’t we have someone normal for a father? He’ll probably pick a fight with one of them
and get himself beaten to a pulp.”

“Looks like he’s run over a hen.” Gabrielle focused the binoculars.

“Terrific,” said Lexy.

“Oh no, it’s all right, it’s a cat.”

“So that’s all right is it?”

“No – I mean it’s a cat, and it’s all right. Touchy, aren’t you?”

Lexy gritted her teeth.

“Now he’s knocking on the door – someone’s let him in. Might be Ward.” Gabrielle flushed pink.

Rowana noticed it too. “So what happened when you went back to Pilgrim’s Farm?” she enquired, her voice casual. “Anything interesting?”

Gabrielle shot her a calculating look. “Maybe.”

“So?”

“Let’s just say that Ward Gallimore didn’t only bandage my knee in the bathroom.”

Boy, was she pleased about something.

“What else did he bandage?”

“God, Rowana, I meant that after he bandaged my knee, he took hold of me and kissed me.”

“I don’t believe you!”

Gabrielle giggled. “I can’t help it if Ward fancies me. It’s a free country.”

“Even so, you can’t get involved with him!” It hadn’t been quite what Lexy had meant to snap.

Gabrielle jumped down her throat immediately. “Why not? You jealous?”

Get real. “No. It’s just that...” Lexy wasn’t quite sure how to put this. “He... well, you don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s
after.”

“Think I can guess.”

“What I mean is...”

But Gabrielle had turned back to watch the farm again. “Hey! There’s someone down there looking at
us
through binoculars! Hope they can’t lip read.” A silly smirk
spread over her face. Was she actually vain enough to think that Ward was seeking her out like some lovesick Romeo?

“May I see?” Lexy took the binoculars. She was right. A dark figure by an outhouse in a paddock had lenses trained on Four Winds Cottage. Was it Ward, Tyman or Bruce? The figure was
in shadow, too difficult for her to make out, but someone was definitely keeping an eye on them. Lexy was willing to bet that ogling Gabrielle wasn’t their main incentive. So, what were they
up to?

Several minutes passed. Gabrielle, bored of holding a pose at the window, began opening drawers and cupboards. “Would you look at this!” She held up a blue, flowery nightdress.

“Not everyone shares your impeccable dress sense,” said Rowana.

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Was that directed at her? Lexy bit back an urge to retaliate.

“So, how come you have a chihuahua?” Gabrielle was now looking unfavourably at Kinky, who was minding his own business on the bed. “Is he, like, a fashion accessory?”

“Do I look like a fashion victim?” Lexy lowered the binoculars, forcing an easy smile.

“So you never carry him around in a designer handbag?”

“I’m not sad enough to own a designer handbag.”

Gabrielle’s carefully plucked eyebrows shot up.

“How did you really get him?” Rowana said.

“His owner died,” said Lexy. “And just before she went, she asked me to look after him.”

“What a drag,” said Gabrielle.

“Some might say so.”

“You could have taken him to Battersea or somewhere. I mean, it wasn’t like his owner was going to know.”

“Funnily enough, that was what my ex suggested. But I’d made a promise,” said Lexy.

“So?”

“I keep my promises.” It was the Romany in her. “Anyway, Kinky grew on me. He’s a damned sight more polite and intelligent than some people I meet.”

The sapphire eyes grew hard.

“Let’s go downstairs,” said Rowana. “I’ve got some chamomile tea.”

“And that’s meant to tempt me?” Gabrielle was now contemplating an ancient teddy bear that sat forlornly on Elizabeth’s pillow.

She checked the label in its ear. “Thought so. It’s a Steiff – they can be quite valuable – so Russell says. He was really into collectibles. Sweet, isn’t
it?”

She hugged the thing. Then, to Lexy’s astonishment, her face creased up into tears.

Rowana, clearly used to these mood swings, produced a tissue.

“He’s not worth it, Gabby.”

“I know,” Gabrielle flopped on to the bed. “But I can’t help it.”

Kinky, disconcerted, backed away, and slid inelegantly to the floor.

Lexy turned to the dressing table, both to hide a smile at her clownish dog, and to hide her embarrassment at Gabrielle’s scene. Didn’t work. The mirror reflected the two Paterson
sisters.

“Why do I miss Russell so much?” Gabrielle blubbed, still gripping the unfortunate bear. “I thought I might be getting over him by now, but I’m not.” She blew her
nose loudly. Not on the bear – Lexy checked. “Stupid, isn’t it? I’m in love with a complete and utter dork. And the last thing I expected was to see him with another
woman.”

“Perhaps he just has irresistible animal magnetism,” soothed Rowana.

“Don’t be stupid. It’s his money.”

Well, at least Gabrielle had said it before Lexy did.

“Let’s face it, he was always going to have gold diggers throwing themselves at him. The fact is, money makes a man look attractive. Even when he’s quite ugly.”

“That the sort of sweet nothings you used to whisper in his ear?” Lexy couldn’t help herself.

“You don’t know one single thing about this.” Gabrielle turned livid eyes on Lexy, balling up the tissue and dropping it on the floor.

Lexy held her hands up in a conciliatory gesture.

Rowana led Gabrielle out, throwing a reproachful look behind her.

When Lexy went downstairs a few minutes later, they were sipping pale yellow tea. Rowana pushed a mug towards Lexy.

“Thanks. Sorry about upstairs,” Lexy said to Gabrielle. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

She shrugged. “It’s what everyone thought, anyway.”

“Oh, thanks, Gabrielle. I...” But Rowana’s protest was interrupted by the growl of Steve’s van engine again.

Rowana immediately rushed to the door. “Bet he’s got a black eye.”

Far from it. Her father seemed to have forgotten all about his earlier rage, and was full of the farm. The Gallimores had clearly done a number on him.

“They’ve got an amazing collection of animals down there, and they make all their own dairy products with goat and sheep’s milk. It’s quite an industry.”

“They milk sheep?” Gabrielle looked disgusted.

“What about the bull?” Lexy ventured.

“Oh, Edgar – he’s a real character. A White Park. It’s a breed that’s been around since Roman times. Anyway, he’s safely back in his paddock now. He’s
not really dangerous, Bruce was telling me, just a bit playful.”

Lexy thought back to Ward’s desperate hammering on the door that morning. Playful?

“So,” went on Steve, “we’ve all been invited down to the farm tonight for a meal. You too, Lexy.”

Lexy nearly choked on her chamomile brew. “Unexpectedly friendly,” she managed.

“I expect they feel guilty about the bull,” said Steve. “I was rather annoyed when I first went down there.”

“Perhaps there’s another reason.” Gabrielle gave a self-satisfied smile. “We’ll have to go back to the B&B, Dad. I need a change of clothes. Shame about that
horrible little shower there – perhaps I’ll have a quick soak in the bath here before we go.”

Rowana was watching her sister with troubled eyes.

“I’ll go and have a look at these motors, then,” said Steve. “A cup of tea and a sandwich wouldn’t go amiss. Normal tea,” he added, glancing at Lexy’s
cup.

“I’ll bring it out to you.” Rowana began rooting through a carrier bag they had brought with them.

The back door shut. From upstairs came the sound of running tap water.

“I suppose they’ve invited us down there tonight so that Bruce can do some more work on persuading us... me... to part with the cottage,” said Rowana.

“Reckon you’re right, there,” said Lexy.

“But then, I guess if they’re making us a decent offer on this place perhaps we should accept, and move on.” Rowana started buttering bread. “After all, selling it is
what we’re meant to be doing. We won’t be able to start up a new business otherwise.”

She paused. “Trouble is, I’m not sure I want to give up it now. I thought I’d hate it here because it would be a constant reminder of Elizabeth’s death, and my part in it
and... ”

“Rowana – I’ve told you – you didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“I know. But, the thing is, I already feel really at home here. The countryside is beautiful, and there’s a kind of peace about it that... I dunno...”

“Appeals to your aesthetic soul?” Lexy supplied, half in jest. She knew where Rowana was coming from.

“Yes, exactly that. And I love it that Elizabeth’s made a little art studio.”

She’d mentioned that earlier, when she’d had that odd exchange with her dad, which seemed to put her on the verge of tears.

“You paint, do you?” Lexy asked.

“Yes.” She shot a look at Lexy. “Promise you won’t tell, but I’ve been offered a place at an art college in London. Just found out before we left the
shop.”

“Well, that’s wonderful!”

Rowana sighed. “Thing is, I can’t accept it. Dad and Gabrielle are going to need me when we start the new business.”

So that was it.

“They could advertise for someone.”

“It would be too expensive to hire a new employee, when we’ve got me for practically nothing. Anyway, we can’t afford the college fees.”

“Rowana, you are actually quite well off, compared to most teenagers,” Lexy reminded the girl.

“I can’t use Elizabeth’s money to put myself through college.”

“But it’s your money now.”

“And I said I’d give it to Dad for the business. All of it. Because there’s a part of me that will never stop feeling guilty until I know the real reason for
Elizabeth’s... accident.” She gave Lexy an apologetic smile.

Perhaps it was time to level with her.

“Look, Rowana. I want you to stay calm about this, OK?”

Rowena’s smile faded. “What have you found out?”

“Nothing definite. But I think the Gallimores might have had something to do with Elizabeth’s death.”

“The Gallimores?” Rowana looked ready to panic. “But, Gabby... and Ward... and we’re meant to be going there tonight.”

“Like I said, stay calm.” Lexy indicated upstairs towards the bathroom, from where a faint, tuneless singing was coming. “Nothing else is going to happen. It would be too risky
for them. I’m just working on the idea that if one or all of them were involved, their incentive was to get their hands on this cottage.”

Rowana was watching her, eyes wide.

“Since I first ran into them up here, they made it obvious that they expected to buy the place – they’d banked on it going on the open market after Elizabeth’s death.
They had no idea that she’d left the place to an old friend. They were completely staggered when they found out.”

“As if their master plan had fallen through?” The girl was pale.

“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”

“But why would they want this place so much?” She gazed around, mystified.

“They own all the rest of the land on this peninsula. Having the cottage would give them ownership of the whole of Freshing Hill.”

“What’s so great about that?”

“Might make a nice golf course. Bit steep in places, but golfers enjoy a challenge.”

Rowana’s face creased in dismay. “You mean they’d sell it to a big corporation? This piece of countryside?”

“I’m only saying they might – if they needed the money. It would give them an incentive, wouldn’t it? A motive.”

“Bruce certainly didn’t waste any time last night in offering to buy it,” said Rowana in consternation. “Did you see his face when Dad said we’d think about it and
let them know if we decide to sell?”

“Black as thunder.” Lexy confirmed.

“Well, I’m never going to sell it to them, now. Whatever they offer me.” Rowana viciously sliced tomatoes.

“Glad to hear it.” Lexy truly was.

“So it’s just like I said – they really are going to be working on Dad tonight, to try to get him to persuade me to sell them the cottage.” Rowana put her hand to her
mouth. “And Ward’s doing the same with Gabrielle. He’s just using her.”

And Tyman would be concentrating on Rowana. Wonder how long it would take her to work that out.

“We can’t let the Gallimores know anything’s up,” said Lexy. “You mustn’t give the game away by telling your dad, or Gabrielle, not until I’ve checked
out their alibis.”

Rowana clenched her jaw. “OK.” She loaded sandwiches on to a plate. “God, poor Gabby, she’s been really unlucky in all her relationships.”

“Perhaps it’s something to do with her motivation.”

“What – you mean money?” Rowana considered. “I know what you’re saying, but I reckon this thing she had with Russell was different. Although she always put on this
cool act about it not being serious, I watched them together, and I think she was starting to get really fond of him.”

“Hence the tears earlier?”

“Yes. He was a bit of a berk, but he was a nice berk. At least, we thought he was. And he was absolutely over the moon when Gabrielle agreed to get engaged. Or rather, when she suggested
it.”

Lexy smiled to herself. “How did she meet him?”

“He used to come into the shop and gaze at Gabby over the macaroons. Like I said before, he’s in his thirties, practically bald, bit soft – but he’s loaded, he had a
Ferrari, and some other little sports car – a Lotus – and he took her to all the best places.”

Lexy was about to make a cynical remark, when she remembered a certain teenage girl who used to live with her dad in a caravan, until Gerard Warwick-Holmes came along in his flash 4x4 and
seduced her with the promise of the high life.