Pauline Rowson - In for the Kill

‘I’ve just left Steven alone with Percy for a while and stepped outside,’ she said.

I was surprised that I had room to feel a stab of sorrow in my rapidly hardening heart.

‘Scarlett, this is important. The lady who cleaned my houseboat for me, before I came out of prison, do you know her?’

‘Angela? Yes, I work with her at the hotel. Why?’

‘I’ll explain when I see you. Do you know where she lives?’

‘What is this, Alex?’

‘Just tell me, Scarlett,’ I said urgently.

‘Victoria Lane, Nettlestone. Number twenty-four –’

I cut her off. As I drove through the wet night I considered the facts again. If my family were on the Island and Rowde had brought them here, then he was in league with Miles. Rowde had known about the three million pounds when we had been in prison together, but how had he known where to find Westnam? And where to find me? Miles had obviously told him. Gus’s words came back to me. ‘He knows every move you make almost before you make it.’ Of course he did. I told him.

Miles knew when I was being released. Miles knew scumbags like Rowde. Miles knew I had been going to see Joe on the morning he was killed. And I guessed that Miles had asked Joe to give him the reports on my investigation and had then extracted certain pieces of information from them before passing them on to me when I was in prison. Miles had got the press cuttings for me, and had the opportunity to remove those he didn’t want me to see. What an idiot I had been not to see it before.

I located the small terraced house and was relieved to find a light still on. Angela eyed me warily and kept me standing on the doorstep.

Behind her was a burly man with a full beard, glowering at me, her husband I guessed, who was ready to defend his wife, or call the police, if I threatened trouble.

I hastily apologised for the lateness of my visit and said, ‘I need to know why Mr Wolverton asked you to clean for me. It’s urgent and I can’t really explain now? How do you know him? Has he got a house here on the Island?’

She looked at me with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t cleaned for him before.’

Damn. I was wrong. I couldn’t be. ‘So why did he ask you?’ I repeated as patiently as I could.

‘I was recommended.’

‘By whom?’

‘Scarlett.’

‘Scarlett!’ I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. How did she know Miles? She couldn’t be part of this surely?

Angela said, ‘Scarlett told me that Mr Wolverton was looking for someone to clean your houseboat before you – came home.’

‘Why didn’t she do it herself?’

Angela shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Didn’t want to, I suppose.’ She was closing the door on me as she spoke and I let her.

Why hadn’t Scarlett told me that she’d recommended Angela when I’d telephoned her earlier? Was she hiding something? Was she involved in this? My stomach churned at the thought. I had trusted to her. I liked her; no, it was more than that.

I drove to the hospital, where I found her sitting in a small waiting room with Ruby.

‘Percy died a few minutes ago,’ she said. Her eyes were red where she had been crying. Surely she couldn’t have deceived me! She couldn’t be in league with Miles. I remembered her dishevelled appearance when she’d answered the door to me once, when Ruby had been at the day centre and I’d just returned from hospital. I had thought she was with a man then. Could it have been Miles? I felt sick at the thought.

She said, ‘Steven’s still with him. I shall drive him home when he’s ready to go. Your lawyer friend wasn’t much good. He couldn’t get away quick enough.’

‘Has he got a house on the Island?’

She stared at me in surprise. ‘How the hell should I know?’

Was she telling me the truth? Perhaps he was keeping them on his boat. Was it moored up at Bembridge or Cowes? Christ, I was clutching at straws! Miles might not have anything to do with their kidnap. But Miles was Hugo’s grandson, which meant he had to be Andover.

It was clear by Scarlett’s expression that she didn’t much like Miles. Was it an act or genuine?

I didn’t know who I could trust anymore.

‘Why did you recommend Angela to clean my houseboat,’ I asked as calmly as I could whilst my mind was racing and my heart pounding fit to burst.

Scarlett looked exasperated. ‘What is all this about Angela?’

‘Did you know Miles before I came out of prison.’ I watched her closely for a reaction.

‘Didn’t you hear me say Percy’s just died. Is that all you can think about, who cleaned your sodding houseboat?’

‘Scarlett, my family are being held hostage. Just tell me the bloody truth, how deep are you in all this?’

‘All what?’ she blazed, her face flushing. ‘You think I could hurt your family? You think I’m a crook like my dad was? Bugger off, Alex.’ She turned away from me. I grabbed her arm.

‘Gladly, but not until you tell me truth.’

‘Truth! What is the goddamn truth? That my mother’s dying before my eyes, my father in-law’s just died of a heart attack brought on because of the truth of what happened nearly seventy years ago, and my ex-husband’s been arrested for murder because he told the truth about following Deeta. The truth is that I’m scrimping and slaving away in a menial job to make enough money to keep myself and my mother alive.’ Tears sprang to her eyes. ‘The truth is that life stinks and so do you.’

‘Scarlett, I’m desperate –’

‘And what do you think I am?’ Suddenly though her sorrow overcame her anger. Her body slumped. In a flat voice she said, ‘I saw your lawyer friend at the airfield one morning. I’d gone to talk to Steven about something. Steven introduced me –

‘Steven knows Miles!’ Now I was surprised.

‘Yes. He regularly flies into Bembridge. I didn’t know that of course. Steven’s only just told me.

He didn’t realise it would be Miles who would turn up to represent him. Your lawyer friend asked me if I knew any cleaners. He told me you were coming out of prison and your houseboat needed cleaning.’

I reeled with what Scarlett was telling me.

Miles had a pilot’s licence! I saw in my mind’s eye his hand waving from the window of his car as he headed towards St Helen’s on the day of my release. Of course, how easy for him to double back, follow me, and see me take the path across the airfield to Brading. All he had to do was climb into an aeroplane and watch for my return. Or perhaps he had been working with Deeta and she had called him to say I was leaving Brading Church. And it wasn’t a boat that had brought my family here, but an aeroplane. Miles had flown them into Bembridge. Where would he have taken them? It explained how Steven knew about my release from prison.

Scarlett said, ‘I didn’t want him to know I was a cleaner. It was my stupid pride. I gave him Angela’s name. She cleans for the London lot that invade Seagrove Bay in the summer months.’

Just then Steven entered. Scarlett turned her back on me. ‘Are you ready to go home?’

He nodded. His face was ashen and there were dark circles under his dull, sad eyes. ‘The police want me to report to them tomorrow.’ He addressed his remark to me. ‘They think I killed her.’

‘Have they charged you?’

‘Not yet. I told them I would call into the station tomorrow with Mr Wolverton.’

‘Steven, did Miles Wolverton fly in here yesterday with a woman and two boys, one dark haired, the other fair,’ I asked impatiently.

Scarlett glowered at me. Steven looked dazed.

‘No.’

I cursed.

‘But I think that was Miles Wolverton flying the day you said that aeroplane buzzed you,’ he added.