The Fall Girl (19 page)

“You think it was just an accident?”

“Of course I do. She was never the sort to take her own life, and I’m just as sure no one took it for her, whatever they might be muttering about in the village.”

“What are they saying?”

“Some reckon it’s something to do with my Gallimores.” Mrs Mangeot’s already sizeable chest expanded as she drew in an indignant breath. “And I’ll tell you
exactly what I’ve told them – there’s no nicer, kinder couple of lads than Ward and Tyman, and their dad’s as soft as a kitten, despite all his bluff ways. That lot
’ud have trouble putting a blooming hen to sleep, let alone pushing a woman over a balcony.”

Lexy tried not to look too slack-jawed at this.

“Anyway, I’d best get on.” Mrs Mangeot picked up her bag, and with a smile at Lexy, disappeared through the door.

Lexy’s returning smile faded quickly. From what she’d just learned, the Gallimores were in it up to their necks as far as Elizabeth’s death was concerned. Was that why they
were so desperate to buy the cottage – because of the forensic evidence that might be still in there if the embers of the inquiry were raked up again by some meddling busybody like
herself?

Or was it something more obvious they wanted from the cottage – something she’d so far missed? Something was nagging at her. She needed to find out more.

Lexy clicked her tongue, and Kinky scrambled sleepily out of the basket and followed her to the living room.

Steve, Bruce, Gabrielle and Ward were sitting together. Rowana was sequestered in a corner with Tyman. Lexy went straight over to them. Now she suspected that Tyman may have been involved in
some kind of cover-up over Elizabeth’s death, she didn’t want him so much as talking to Rowana. And she was going to do her damnedest to halt this sham romance that his brother had
going with Gabrielle.

Tyman and Rowana were looking at a wooden plaque nailed on to a beam. It depicted a devilish face surrounded by leaves and foliage.

“Know what it is?” Tyman was asking her.

“Green Man.” Lexy pushed between them.

“Oh – you... er... know about him, do you?” Tyman turned to her, looking disconcerted at her severe face.

“Brought up with the story. He’s Jack in the Green, the Lord of the Wild.” She glared at him. “The old fertility god that people used to worship before
Christianity.”

Rowana slipped away.

Tyman, still eyeing Lexy askance, nodded. “When the pagans were forced to build churches on top of their sacred groves, they often used to put an image of the Green Man in the rafters.
Just to remind them of the old days.” He paused. “There’s one down in Nodmore, as a matter of fact.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Across the room Gabrielle was chatting about Tom Jones. “It’s amazing how his appeal has lasted over generations.”

“I’m fascinated by all that pagan stuff,” Tyman went on, in lowered tones. “On the last day of August, which is tomorrow, coincidentally, the locals from around here used
to get up before dawn and climb to the King Oak on Freshing Hill to gather a last garland of green leaves and bring it down to their homesteads. It was a good luck ritual before winter.”

“There’s a King Oak on the hill, is there?” Interested in spite of herself, Lexy fingered her silver necklace again.

“Yes – a huge one, about five hundred years old. Must have been planted deliberately, because there are no others of that size and age.”

He took a swift look around the room.

“Fancy going up there tomorrow? At dawn?”

“You serious?” Lexy was on the verge of scornful laughter.

“Why not?”

She thought quickly. Yes, why not? She wanted to get him somewhere on his own, didn’t she? Even though the thought was anathema to her.

“OK.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Gabrielle checked her reflection in a mirror as she, Ward and Steve began to move toward them.

“We were talking about the Green Man,” said Tyman. “I was telling Lexy about the carving in Nodmore church.”

“Green Man?” Steve looked intrigued and Tyman launched into his explanation again.

Lexy saw Gabrielle tug at Ward’s sleeve, and they drifted off. Rowana watched them, chewing a fingernail.

“Don’t worry.” Lexy had said that to Rowana before, the day the girl had first come into her cabin on Clopwolde quay. On balance, Rowana had a great deal more to worry about
now than she’d started with. Funny, that.

Lexy exhaled. She wanted to get back and start putting her myriad thoughts in order. Thankfully, Steve was making going home noises.

“Very kind of you to have invited us,” he said to Bruce.

“My pleasure.” But the look on Bruce’s face told Lexy that the words were empty. He hadn’t managed to persuade Steve to get Rowana to part with the cottage.

However, Bruce wasn’t disgruntled enough to make them walk home.

“Won’t hear of it. No trouble to take you back. One of the lads will drive, eh, Ward?”

Gabrielle’s prediction had been correct.

Ward nodded and produced a set of keys from his pocket.

Bruce and Tyman accompanied them into the moonlit yard. Tyman drew Lexy to one side.

“See you at quarter to six tomorrow morning. At the back gate of the cottage.”

“I’ll be there.”

Ward stood by the open door of the Land Rover, his deep frown illuminated by the interior light.

Gabrielle dived into the front passenger seat, meaning that Lexy, Steve and Rowana had to squash in the back, being thrown against each other as they sped up the track. Lexy wasn’t finding
it too much of a problem being thrown against Steve.

Before they knew it, they had been deposited outside Four Winds, and the Land Rover was bouncing back down the track, the headlights wildly illuminating the woods. Lexy wondered if Ward was
watching them from the rear view mirror. If so, would he clock the triumphant expression on Gabrielle’s face?

“Well, say what you like about them,” Gabrielle proclaimed to her father. “I think the Gallimores are really nice. And generous.”

“They weren’t being generous,” snapped Rowana, as they turned to go into the cottage. “They were just showing off how rich they are, with their artichokes and
housekeepers.”

“Not forgetting the Chablis, and ten quid cigars,” said Steve. “They were certainly trying to push the boat out – probably because Bruce is so keen to buy the
cottage.”

“Good. That means he’ll pay over the odds. Did you manage to do a deal, Dad?” Gabrielle asked.

Steve glanced at Rowana.

“I don’t want him having it,” she said.

“Well, that’s bloody ridiculous,” said Gabrielle.

“Oi – language,” said Steve.

“After four hours of Bruce Gallimore effing and blinding, you’re having a go at me for one word?”

They went into the kitchen.

Lexy switched on the kettle. “Tea, anyone?”

“I’ll have a coffee,” said Gabrielle. “Two sugars.”

“Coming right up.” Over her head if she wasn’t careful.

“It’s just that I feel attached to this place somehow,” Rowana said, as if trying to soften her earlier words. “Almost as if I don’t want it to go out of the
family. I certainly don’t want it going to the Gallimores.”

Steve looked stricken. “Sweetheart, I really like it here, too.” He paused, looking around. “In fact, I love it. But we – you’ve – got to sell. We’ve
got no choice. Not if you... we... want a new cake business.”

Rowana sighed. “I know. But not to them.”

“What is your problem?” snapped Gabrielle.

“Listen,” said Steve, “I feel the same about not wanting Bruce Gallimore to get his hands on it. I reckon he’s got some plan or other for this hill. But being practical,
he will give us a good price for it.”

“No! I’m never going to sell it to him. I don’t even want to talk about it.” Rowana left the kitchen abruptly.

“I’m off, too,” said Gabrielle, stirring the coffee that Lexy had silently placed on the table. “But I’m not sleeping in Elizabeth’s room where she...
Rowana... wait...” She followed her sister, slopping coffee.

“Look, I’m going to nip along to bed, too,” said Lexy. With the Patersons suddenly moving in, it all felt rather awkward, like she was a house guest who had overstayed her
welcome.

Steve pushed back his shock of hair. “Stay a minute.”

She looked at the kitchen clock. She had to be up soon. In five hours, to be precise.

“OK. I’ll just finish my tea.” She sat opposite him. Raised voices came from upstairs.

He rolled his eyes. “What would you do?”

“What? About the cottage?”

“Yup.”

Lexy thought for a moment. “I’d leave it to Rowana to decide. She’s quite a sensible kid." Apart from an unfortunate habit of dabbling in the occult.

“I knew you’d say that.”

“So why’d you ask?"

“Perhaps I still needed to hear it."

Kinky whined and raked Lexy’s knee softly.

“You knew Elizabeth, didn’t you?" Lexy asked.

“I think you’ve already guessed the answer to that.”

Lexy’s heart started thumping.

“I knew her a long time ago." Steve’s voice was low, eyes automatically reaching to the ceiling, the bedroom where the girls were.

Lexy dropped her voice too. "So why tell everyone, including your daughters, that you’d never met?”

“It was a complicated situation. I met Elizabeth through Jackie. Then Jackie and I had a
...
kind of parting of the ways with her. I mean, I haven’t seen her since Jackie died.
Elizabeth never told us she’d left everything to Jackie in her will, let alone that it would go to Rowana if Jackie died.”

“So you haven’t seen Elizabeth since 1990?”

“No. Why d’you ask?”

Lexy chewed her lip. She reached in her pocket and pulled out the photo of the three Patersons, and handed it to him.

“Where did you get this?"

“It was in the piano stool." She jerked her head towards the living room.

“The piano stool." His lips twisted.

“Along with this other photo." She found the one of Elizabeth in her bag. Steve took it, looked at it for a second and put it down, his eyes averted. He placed the other one on top.

“The date on that photo of you three is last year," said Lexy. “Do you think Elizabeth took it?”

He looked at it again. “Could have done. Poor Elizabeth. I didn’t realise...”

“Realise what?" Lexy knew she was pushing it. Steve’s face tightened.

“Like I said, it’s... complicated. Elizabeth did Jackie a big favour. And Jackie did Elizabeth one back.”

Mutual favour between the two women?

“Anyway, it’s all in the past now, and I want to leave it there.” Steve softened this with a smile. “And enjoy the present.”

Kinky gave a louder whine, and a more painful scrape down Lexy’s shin.

“Jesus.”

“Probably wants his bone back.” Steve jerked his head at the sink, where the knuckle bone had landed and still lay.

“That was quite some shot of yours.”

“Not bad, huh?”

They both started laughing, faces leaning in together.

Steve took hold of Lexy’s hand and their eyes locked for a moment.

Kinky gave another insistent yelp.

Gritting her teeth, Lexy took her hand back, pushed herself up and replaced the photos in her pocket. “Look, Steve, I’m going to have to hit the sack.” Before she did something
she might regret.

She was aware of his dark blue eyes on her as she shook out half a packet of Doggy Chomps for Kinky.

“Want me to lose that bone?” he asked.

“It did seem to bring out the worst in Kinky. But what’re you going to do? Bury it?”

“Funny girl. I’ll sling it over the cliff tomorrow.”

“Good idea. Thanks. Just make sure there’s no one down below.”

She shot him a quick smile, then dived out of the kitchen, shepherding Kinky before her.

“Blimey, that was a close one, pal,” she muttered. “I nearly jumped on him. Don’t know what came over me.” The dog gave her a reproving look. “It’s not
like I need any more complications in my life right now.” Fanning herself, Lexy nipped upstairs to the bathroom.

On the landing, she could hear muffled voices. Gabrielle and Rowana were still up. They had obviously decided to share the guest bedroom.

“Well, you seemed to enjoy the evening.” Rowana sounded resentful.

“Oh, yes. Especially certain parts of it,” Gabrielle purred.

“Which parts?”

Lexy was only too aware of which parts.

“Ah, that would be telling.” Gabrielle’s voice lowered.

Lexy found herself creeping along the landing.

“Which you clearly want to do.”

“All right. The part I spent in Ward’s bedroom.”

“Gabby!”

“It’s OK. I didn’t go that far. But I think he likes me.”

“But surely you’re not serious about him? I mean, for a start he’s so old. He’s got to be thirty.”

Lexy rolled her eyes. Cheers, Rowana.

“So what? I like older men.” The bed creaked. “If I can’t have Russell, I can at least console myself with someone else. And you can’t tell me that Ward isn’t
a good catch.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I wouldn’t mind being a farmer’s wife.”

“Gabrielle, you’re mental! You only met him today. You can’t be thinking of marrying him already.”

“Why not?”

“Well, he’s...” Rowana spluttered. “I mean, you hardly know him. He might have... bad habits.”

Gabrielle broke into giggles. “What do you mean? You’re not jealous, are you?”

“No!”

“I was hoping you might have got chatting to Tyman, but the squatter got her claws into him first.”

“Squatter?”

“Her with the tattoo. Our unwelcome guest.”

Bit harsh.

“Actually, she’s really nice, she’s a friend of Elizabeth, and she’s got every right to be here, in my cottage.”

That was more like it.

“Your cottage. I was wondering when you’d bring that up. OK, Rowana, you’re the one who got lucky with the will. But that’s not going to stop me making my own
luck.”

“What – by marrying a rich bloke? If you want money, why don’t you earn some yourself?”

“Listen to you.”