Caroline Graham - The Killings at Badger's Drift

She gulped her tea. ‘Easier said than done.’

‘Oh I don’t know. When I start my European junketings I shall need a totally subservient dogsbody cum model. I might take you along.’ And then he kissed her. Full on the lips.

Judy closed her eyes. She smelt the cedar needles and the sweetness of ginger, felt each individual moist cake crumb on her fingertips, heard a blackbird sing. The kiss lasted a millionth of a second. And a hundred years. Even as she thought I shall remember this moment all my life it was over.

‘I said do you want some more coffee?’

Judy looked blankly at her stepmother. ‘No thank you.’

‘Trevor?’

No reply. Barbara poured a second cup for herself, unrolled the latest edition of Country Life , then pushed it aside in disgust. Much more of that and she’d be into hairy stockings and lace-up walking drawers. No one read the thing anyway. It went straight into the waiting room. She decided to cancel it and place an order for something a bit more spicy. That’d gee up the golden oldies’ blood pressure. She nibbled a buttered soldier and glanced slyly at her husband’s tie. What with that and Judy looking like something out of a McDonald’s ad the day was off to a flying start. And there were only (eyes down to the diamond-studded wristwatch) six hours to go to nookie time. The doorbell rang.

‘Who the hell is that at this hour of the morning?’

‘I’ll go.’ Barbara sauntered out to return with Chief Inspector Barnaby.

‘What time of day do you call this?’ asked the doctor angrily.

‘Miss Lessiter?’

‘Yes?’ Judy scrambled to her feet like a schoolgirl. ‘What is it?’

‘Just one or two questions about yesterday afternoon if you would? Your whereabouts -’

‘We had someone here last night asking about all that,’ snapped Lessiter.

‘That’s all right,’ said Judy, ‘I don’t mind going through it again. I was here all the time. I had the afternoon off. And my friend Michael ... Michael Lacey was here too. He was doing some preliminary sketches for a painting he’s hoping to start soon.’

‘Could you tell me when this was arranged?’

‘Well I rang him up ...’ Barbara Lessiter covered a smile with her hand, but carelessly. ‘Although actually the first thing he said was “Oh - I was just going to ring you”.’ She stared at the two people sitting at the table. She looked defiant and vulnerable. ‘Why is it so important?’

‘Someone has stated that they saw Mr Lacey enter the Rainbird house around four p.m.’

‘No!’ Judy cried out in horror. ‘It isn’t true. It can’t be. He was with me. Why is everyone always picking on him? Trying to get him into trouble.’

This time Barbara did not even try to conceal her smile. Judy wheeled round and pointed at her stepmother. ‘It’s her you want to talk to! Why don’t you ask her a few questions?’

‘Me?’ Amused and amazed.

‘Ask her where her fur coat is. And why she’s trying to find five thousand pounds. Ask her why she’s being blackmailed!’

With a shout of rage Barbara Lessiter leapt up and flung her coffee in her stepdaughter’s face. Judy screamed, ‘My dress ... my dress!’ Doctor Lessiter seized his wife, holding her arms by her sides. Judy ran from the room. Her father hurried after her. Barbara, suddenly released, flopped into the nearest chair. There was a long silence.

‘Well, Mrs Lessiter?’ asked Barnaby. ‘Why are you being blackmailed?’

‘It’s absolute nonsense. I don’t know where the silly cow even got such an idea.’

‘Perhaps I should tell you that we have removed a good many files, copies of letters and documents, from the dead woman’s house.’ This time the silence was even longer. ‘Would you prefer to come to the station -’

‘Christ, no. Hang on ...’ She crossed to a Welsh dresser, shook out a cigarette with shaky fingers and lit up. ‘I had a letter from her about a week ago.’

‘Signed?’

‘That’s right. Your friend Iris Rainbird. On her horrible lilac writing paper that stinks of dead flowers. It just said that they knew what was going on and if I didn’t want my husband to hear all the juicy details it’d cost me five thousand quid. She’d give me a week to raise it then be in touch again.’

‘And what was going on?’

‘Me and David Whiteley.’

‘I see.’ Barnaby’s mind back-tracked. She could have been the woman in the woods (no checkable alibi). And David Whiteley the man (Ditto.) At the time Miss Simpson was killed she was vaguely driving round. And she could, just about, have squeezed through the larder window. He hesitated and was wondering how most delicately to phrase his next question when she answered it for him.

‘We used to use his car. The seats let down. He’d tell me where he was working. I’d drive there. Hide my car behind a hedge or some trees and we’d climb into the estate for half an hour.’

One up for Sergeant Troy, thought Barnaby. ‘And you think that one of the Rainbirds must have seen you?’

‘Oh no.’ She shook her head. ‘Impossible. But there was one occasion ... we were supposed to meet around three and Henry kept him all afternoon at the office. And when five o’clock came and I knew he’d be home I drove round.’ Barnaby remembered the notebook. Mrs L drove into the W garage. And the red star.

‘It was something we agreed I’d never do because of the risk but I couldn’t wait, you see. I had to have him.’ She stared at Barnaby defiantly. ‘I suppose that shocks you?’ Barnaby managed a look of mild reproach. ‘And he was just as bad. He didn’t even let me get out of the car. Then we went upstairs and started all over again.’

There was nothing amative in the description. She did not even use that consoling euphemism ‘making love’. Love, as Barnaby understood the word, probably didn’t enter into the arrangement at all. He asked if they had spent any time together yesterday afternoon.

‘Yes. We met about half-past three. He was shifting the combine so he didn’t have the Citroën. We managed in the front seat of my Honda. We were together for about an hour, I suppose.’

‘Well, thank you for being so cooperative, Mrs Lessiter.’ Barnaby turned to leave. ‘I may need to talk to you again.’

‘Well, you know where to find me.’ She turned also, then stopped, staring over his shoulder. Her husband was standing in the doorway. Barnaby glanced at the man as he left. Rage and triumph struggled for supremacy on the doctor’s features.

When the door had closed behind the chief inspector Trevor Lessiter said, ‘I shouldn’t be too sure about that.’

‘How much did you hear?’

‘More than enough.’ The rage and triumph dissolved into a look of intense satisfaction. He gazed at her, a close and rewarding scrutiny. She had started coming down to breakfast without what she called her warpaint. Something she would never have done when they were first married. And her age really showed. She wouldn’t find another mug like him in a hurry. But maybe she wouldn’t have to. If she came to heel. Did as she was told. She had too much time on her hands, that was her trouble. Too much time and too much money. Her allowance could go for a start. So could the car. And Mrs Holland. Keeping a house this size clean and in order, cooking for three, gardening, the ordinary duties of a doctor’s wife should keep Barbara occupied. And at night there’d be other duties. And he’d make damn sure he wasn’t sold short there, either. Once a night every night and more if he felt like it. Then there were lots of little variations he had picked up at the Casa Nova. She could learn all those just to be going on with. He’d still go to the club of course (couldn’t disappoint little Krystal) but not nearly so often. At the thought of the money he had spent there over the last couple of years while his wife had been ... He remembered his blood pressure and tried to take it all more calmly. Yes, the bitch had a lot to make up for (every locked door, every headache, every cutting remark) but make up for them she would or out she’d go. He recalled the tasteless tatty hole where she’d been living when they first met. That should have told him something about her for a start. She’d do anything before she’d sink back to that. She’d dance to his tune all right. He visualized a future rosy with sensual delights and started to explain the situation to his wife.