The Fall Girl (21 page)

When she came back down, her hair washed, towelled dry and sticking up all over, Gabrielle appeared and began banging cups and saucers around.

“What’s the matter with her?” Steve mouthed.

Rowana shrugged and sloped out of the kitchen, her face preoccupied.

A buzz came from Lexy’s bag. Her phone. The elusive signal was back. Quickly she checked her message box. There was a text from Milo.

Need to see u

She tapped a message back.

Still at 4 Winds.

The reply came straight back.

B there 10 mins

Now what? At least he was still talking to her. Lexy downed a cup of tea and went to wait by the gate. Milo’s white estate appeared promptly. He leaned over and held the passenger door
open.

“Want to get in?”

“You sound serious. Where are we going? Down the station?” Lexy clicked to Kinky, and he scrambled through to the back seat.

“Away from here.” Milo looked over at the van. “Are the Patersons still around?”

“Yup. They’ve decided to stay for a couple of days.”

“Cramping your style a bit?”

“No – it’s nice having the company.” If a little dramatic.

They bumped down the track through the sunlit trees.

“What’s up, then?” Lexy asked.

Milo shot her a look. “Your husband. He got drunk last night in the Jolly Herring and started asking about you.”

“Oh, crap.” Lexy wound her window down. She still felt queasy and the thought of Gerard wasn’t helping. “So it’s not just coincidence he’s in
Clopwolde.”

“Apparently not.”

“Anyone let the cat out of the bag?”

“Nope. It was just Lonny and his mates down there. He called me. Gerard was offering large sums of money to anyone who could tell him where you were.”

“That’s not good. What happened?”

“I went down there and warned him off.”

“No!”

“Yes. First he tried to bribe me, then he threatened me. Obnoxious pillock. I was one centimetre away from arresting him.” He turned his cool grey stare on Lexy. “How did you
put up with it for all those years?”

She looked away. “It wasn’t as bad at first. He was OK when things were going well and he had lots of TV work. Then the booze and coke kicked in. I told you the rest yesterday.
It’s not easy trying to get away from someone like that.”

“I wonder how he tracked you down?”

“Probably got a private investigator on the job.” Lexy’s mouth twisted. “Don’t know why I tried to kid myself I could ever hide from him, anyway.”

Milo slowed. They were approaching the driveway leading from Pilgrim’s Farm. The Gallimores’ Land Rover was blocking the path.

He drew to a halt behind it. Bruce, who hadn’t even noticed them pull up, was leaning out of the window yelling to Ward, who was in the adjacent field. Lexy sank down in her seat.

“... and remember to lock up that Old Spot boar, or we’ll be up to our tits in swine again. Talking about infatuated males, where the ’ell is Tyman?”

“No idea. Haven’t seen him today.”

Lexy couldn’t help snorting.

“Well when you do, tell him to get that other matter sorted out, once and for all – and I don’t care how he does it. D’you hear?”

“I imagine the whole county can hear.”

Milo turned quizzically to Lexy. She held up a hand. She wanted to see whether Bruce expanded on ‘that other matter’.

He didn’t. He started the Land Rover, and shot off down the track, without so much as a glance in his rear view mirror.

Milo let the clutch out, and Ward looked up.

“Dare I ask what you’re doing in the footwell?” Milo touched the brake again.

“Dropped my phone. Keep driving.”

“Not hiding from the Gallimores then?” The car rolled along the track and Lexy watched Milo make a curt nod in Ward’s direction.

“How was dinner last night, by the way?” he said.

“Look, I’m sorry about that. The only reason I accepted the invite was because I wanted to do some more digging. I wanted to find out where they all were at nine o’clock on the
morning Elizabeth died.”

“And did you?”

Lexy struggled back up on the seat. “Yes – as a matter of fact. I spoke to their housekeeper, and she said that Bruce was having breakfast at the time, and Ward had been checking
their quarantine area out the back of the farm.”

“Quarantine area?” Milo frowned. “Suppose they must import animals.” He touched his indicator and turned into the lane. “So only Tyman was on the scene.”

Lexy nodded. “Seems that way.”

“Think he did it?”

“I think he knows something. I think they all do, actually. Tyman’s very tense about it. I was going to tackle him about it earlier this morning.”

Milo raised his eyebrows. “How early?”

“We’d arranged to walk up the hill.”

“I see. And?”

“We got parted and I ran into Ward.” That was one way of putting it. “He was trying to convince me that Tyman was mad, bad and dangerous to know. But I got the impression that
he was using that as an excuse to put me off any further contact with him, in case he gives something away.”

“You mean, if there’s something dodgy about Elizabeth’s fall, something to do with the three of them, he’s the one most likely to break down and confess?”

She nodded. “Think he’s quite vulnerable. Last night we got talking about his mother, and the accident on the high wire.”

“Oh, yes? What was his version of events?”

Lexy thought back. “He never said,” she admitted. “He got me talking about my mother instead.”

“Good at diversionary tactics, then.”

“And I went right along with it.”

“Never mind – you’re not the first investigator to get caught like that.”

“Next time I’ll have to apply the thumbscrews.”

“Always works for me.”

“Where are we going, anyway?”

“Thought we’d grab a coffee from the machine in that shop in the village.”

The currant-eyed woman looked up with sharp interest as they came in. While Milo worked the coffee machine, Lexy approached the counter.

“Hi, there.”

“Hello, luvver. Still ’ere, then, are you?”

No, this is a cardboard cut-out. Lexy forced a smile. “It’s taking a while to sort out.”

“Met them neighbours of yours down the farm yet?”

“What – the Gallimores? Yes.” Had she ever.

“Made an offer for the cottage yet, ’ave they? Some of us ’ere reckon it was pretty convenient for them Gallimores, Elizabeth ’aving that accident.”

Milo came up behind them.

“Two coffees, thanks. And a
Guardian
.”

The electronic till warbled. “There you are, sir.” Maureen handed Milo his newspaper and change. As they left the shop, her sideways glance at Lexy seemed to say “You mark my
words.”

Lexy felt dazed. How the hell did she know?

“What was she on about?” Milo glanced over at Lexy as she buckled her seat belt.

“She knew the Gallimores have been trying to buy Four Winds Cottage.”

Milo frowned. “You haven’t been saying anything, have you?”

“Well – duh. I’ve hardly been broadcasting it.”

“Perhaps someone overheard them talking to Steve in the pub.”

He drove to a car park that overlooked the shingle beach.

“Go on down,” Milo said. “I’ll be there in a sec. Just got a call to make.”

Lexy and Kinky went down the steps to the beach. Kinky ran ahead, clearly delighted to be somewhere that wasn’t Four Winds Cottage.

Lexy stared out to sea, her eyes a narrow slit as she thought about Gerard. How had she put up with him for all those years? The womanising, the fragile ego, the alcohol... Lexy could almost
smell the alcohol again.

She was suddenly aware of someone descending the steps behind her, whisky-laden breath preceding him on the breeze.

Lexy turned sharply. It was Archer Trevino. He bowed extravagantly as he passed, and gave her the full force of those wicked black eyes.

He would have been very attractive once, Lexy thought, watching him walk slowly along the beach, smoke unfurling from the cigarette clamped between his teeth. He stopped once and coughed.

“The tortured artist,” Milo murmured, coming lightly down the steps.

“Wonder why he took to daytime tippling?” Lexy perched on the concrete sea wall behind them, untwisted a roll of sugar into her coffee and stirred it in with a wooden spoon.
“Speaking of which, what am I going to do about Gerard?”

Milo propped his lanky frame beside her. “I’m wondering if the best thing is to face up to him.”

Lexy shook her head. “You don’t know him.”

“I can be there.”

“Thanks, Milo. But you can’t always be there. I honestly think it’ll be best if I stay put until the antiques fair is over.”

“And hope no one succumbs to the reward he’s offering for information.”

“None of the Clopwolde quay lot know I’m here.”

“Word travels.”

“Thanks. How much is he offering, anyway?”

“Five hundred.”

“Huh! Thought I was worth more than that.”

“Pretty tempting, even so, for anyone with no scruples.”

He dropped her back at Four Winds at midday. The sun was illuminating the hill, and Lexy leaned back against the warm, rough wall of the cottage, shutting her eyes. She didn’t like it that
Milo was getting dragged into her messy marriage situation. What if he ended up arresting Gerard? The whole complicated story about the stolen money might have to come out.

A high hammering sound penetrated her thoughts. It was coming from the shed, and was accompanied by whistling. She smiled to herself. The sound of a man happy in his work.

Kinky, on the other hand, had assumed his usual Four Winds demeanour, and was slowly circling the garden, tail down, nose to the ground. Every now and then he looked over at her anxiously, as if
to check she was still there. It occurred to Lexy that the chihuahua had rarely let her out of his sight when they’d been at the cottage, except when she went up the hill that morning.
“Shame you weren’t with me then, mate,” she murmured. “You would have given both those Gallimore brothers a run for their money.”

She squinted. Something was glinting in the sun. Shading her eyes with her hands, Lexy looked towards Pilgrim’s Farm. Someone down there had the binoculars out again! Lexy’s face
set. Right. Two could play at that game.

She swung round to the back garden, and through the open kitchen door. Gabrielle was still there, sitting at the table with a glass of water in front of her. She looked unusually serious, as if
she had been doing some unaccustomed deep thinking.

“Hi,” said Lexy, striding past her. “How’s it going?”

“No, thanks,” the girl murmured.

Rolling her eyes, Lexy went up to Elizabeth’s room, which Steve appeared to be occupying now, given the jeans, spanner, screwdriver and tape measure on the bed. A book lay open on the
pillow. Lexy glanced at it.
Miller’s Antiques and Collectibles
. Bit of light bedtime reading.

She took up the binoculars, and focused on the farm. It was Tyman. She could just about make him out, his sights fixed on Four Winds Cottage. As she watched, muttering under her breath, she saw
him lower them and walk across the yard. Moments later Ward appeared and Tyman handed him the binoculars. He got into the Land Rover, and began to back it out. Were they watching the cottage in
shifts? And what was Tyman up to now?

Following a sudden impulse, Lexy clicked her tongue at Kinky, who had followed her up there, sped down the stairs, grabbed her jacket and bag and made for her car.

Steve was walking awkwardly across the lawn carrying a car bonnet. “You off somewhere?”

“Yup. Just remembered something I need to do.” Lexy yanked open the car door.

“Something important, by the looks of it.”

“Not really. Just need to get my post from back home.”

She bundled Kinky unceremoniously into the car, and accelerated off, giving Steve a wave.

He waved back, watching her leave, smudges of oil on his cheeks and forehead.

Tyman had left only a few minutes ago. She ought to be able to catch him up. He might be going on a perfectly innocent trip to the shops. But it was there just the same. The feeling that he
might be driving to some destination that would give her that vital clue, the one she needed to figure out why the Gallimores were acting like Four Winds Cottage was a time bomb.

The Panda jolted down the hill, Kinky bouncing balefully around on the passenger seat.

Lexy caught up with the Land Rover on the outskirts of Clopwolde village. She hung back, aware that the lime green car wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. She also felt extremely reluctant to
get too close to the place. The antiques fair would be in full flow that day, and Clopwolde wasn’t big. If someone local had decided to take Gerard’s bribe money, it would be an easy
thing to let him know that the girl with the chihuahua was at large.

However, Tyman turned up a road that led to an out-of-town supermarket. He was going shopping after all. Typical.

Nevertheless, she decided to wait and see where he went next.

Lexy watched him drive into the car park, gave him a minute, then drove up there herself, pulling up behind an ostentatious, gas-guzzling 4x4 BMW.

She got out and watched him go in, then took her phone from her bag and checked the messages. There was a voicemail from Edward.

‘Come and rescue me, sweetie, for pity’s sake. I can’t take much more of this antiques debacle. Peter’s being unbearable. Your kittens are darling, by the way, thank you
very much for asking. Now – call me before I have a hissy fit’.

“Oh, crap.”

Lexy pressed a couple of buttons. She was taken straight to Edward’s voicemail.

“Hi. Really sorry I haven’t been in touch. Things got a bit complicated here. I’ll come over this afternoon.”

She flipped the phone shut, and leaned against the Panda, closing her eyes. No wonder Edward sounded aggrieved. She hadn’t given one thought to poor Princess and her kittens in the last
couple of days. Although it could be argued that she’d had a lot on her plate. Nevertheless, it was still inexcusable, when her friend was putting up the whole feline dynasty for free in his
best wardrobe. She’d better get him a peace offering. Something in chocolate. And perhaps some...