“I goddamn know my history. I lived it. You bloody well don’t need to recite it for me. But unless I spent a decade or two of my history in some sort of fugue, I don’t recall ever lifting a hand against anyone.”
“No one,” Valerie said, “lifted a hand against Ian, either. That’s not how he died.”
“Then what the hell— ”
“Valerie,” Bernard said. “This will make things worse.”
“They can’t get worse,” Nicholas said. “Unless there’s another reason Mother wanted Scotland Yard up here. Want me to think that, do you? Are they investigating Manette? What about Mignon? What about Fred? Or has he just continued running to do Manette’s bidding as usual?”
Manette said, “Don’t you dare take this out on Freddie. And yes the detective has been to see us. And the first we knew there was a detective was when we had a Scotland Yard ID shoved under our noses.”
“Well at least you got that much,” he said. And to his mother, “Have you any idea— any bloody idea at all— ”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ve hurt you, and I’m sorry. But there are things beyond your hurt— ”
“Like what?” he shouted. And then the pieces seemed to fall into place. “Is this about the family business? Who gets what. Who runs what. Who has the power. And when and how.”
“Nicholas, please. There are other things— ”
“D’you think I care about any of that? D’you think I want it? D’you think that’s why I’m here, back at home? I don’t give a toss who runs the business. Give it to Manette. Give it to Freddie. Give it to someone off the street. Do you have any idea what this has done to Alatea, having someone actually come into our home, someone prowling round pretending to be… This… this investigator of yours has lied to us from the first, Mother. Do you understand that? She’s come to the house, she’s told a stupid tale about why she’s here, she’s frightened Allie, who now, apparently, thinks… Oh God, I don’t know what she thinks, but she’s in a state and if she thinks I’m using… Don’t you see what you’ve done? My own wife… If she walks out on me…”
“She?” Bernard spoke. “‘She’s come to the house’? Nick, what are you talking about?”
“What the hell do you think I’m talking about? Your sodding Scotland Yard investigator.”
“It’s a man,” Valerie said. “Nicholas, it’s a man, not a woman. It’s a man …We know nothing about— ”
“Oh too right, Mum.”
“She’s telling the truth,” Manette told her brother.
“He has someone with him,” Bernard added. “But it’s another man, Nick. A forensic specialist. Another man. If a woman’s been to Arnside House to talk to you and Alatea, it’s to do with something else entirely.”
Nicholas blanched then. He was making connections rapidly. Manette could see that much as the thoughts passed quickly across his face.
Unaccountably he said, “Montenegro.”
“Who?” Bernard asked.
But as swiftly as Nicholas had entered Ireleth Hall, just as swiftly he left it.
LANCASTER
LANCASHIRE
Deborah’s two hours in a parked car with Zed Benjamin were broken only by a single call on her mobile. She thought it might be Simon, and she glanced to see, rapidly assessing whether she should answer or let it go to her voice mail rather than risk something less than an “official” conversation in the presence of the journalist. It was Tommy, though. She reckoned she could work with that.
She said to Zed, “My guv,” and when she answered she said, “Inspector Lynley. Hullo.”
“That’s a formal touch.”
“All due respect,” Deborah told him cheerfully. She felt Zed’s eyes on her. She kept her own fixed on the disabled soldiers’ home.
“If only I received that at work,” Tommy said. Then, “I’ve met up with Simon.”
“I thought you might have done.”
“He’s unhappy with both of us. With me for getting you into this. With you for not getting out of it. Where are you now?”
“Still in Lancaster.”
“How did you get there?”
“What d’you mean?”
“Deborah, Simon’s rung me from your hotel.”
“You said you saw him.”
“This was afterwards. He went back to the hotel, you were gone, but your hire car’s there. He’s obviously concerned.”
“Not enough to ring me.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Deb. Have some pity on the man. He knows you’re in a temper. He knows you won’t answer the phone if you see he’s the caller. How did you get to Lancaster?”
She had no choice, but she did need to be careful with her phrasing. “Mr. Benjamin from The Source is working with me at the moment, sir.”
She heard his mild curse so she quickly went on. “I’m waiting to speak to the woman who was with Alatea. They paid a call upon someone at the Faculty of Science and Technology and we need to know why.”
“Deb.” She could hear in his voice that he wasn’t sure what approach to take with her just now. What would work? he was wondering. An appeal to her wiser nature? A veiled reference to their own past as lovers? It was an interesting position for him to be in, she reckoned.
He said, “You know Simon wants you back in London. He’s worried.”
“I don’t think London’s wise at the moment. I’m very close to something here.”
“That’s exactly what he’s worried about. You’ve been too close to a murderer once before.”
Guernsey, she thought. Like Bogart and Bergman when it came to Paris, she and Simon would always have Guernsey. All right, she’d been hurt. But she hadn’t died. She hadn’t even been close to dying. And this was different since she had no intention of ending up inside an earthen chamber with someone in possession of an antique hand grenade. She said, “This is important somehow. A loose end needing to be tied.”
“It’s hard to disagree with the science behind someone’s death, Deb. Simon’s conclusions are sound.”
“Perhaps. But there’s more here than his conclusions,” she said.
“I don’t disagree. You’re obviously finding Alatea Fairclough one of them. I have Havers on her in London, by the way.”
“So you see— ”
“As I said, I don’t disagree. It’s Simon I’m concerned about, frankly.”
“So you do think he could be wrong?”
“He’s far too preoccupied with you. That sometimes blinds someone to what’s right in front of them. Still and all, I can’t allow you— ”
“No one’s allowing anything.”
“Dreadful choice of words. I can see we’re going to go round and round. If nothing else, I do know you. All right, have a care. Will you do that much?”
“I will. What about you?”
“There are a few loose ends on my end as well. I’ll be doing some tying. You will ring me if there’s any reason at all, won’t you?”
“Definitely, Inspector.” She rang off at that. She glanced at Zed Benjamin to see if she’d carried off the conversation without raising his suspicions. But he was in the process of sinking down into his seat as best as he could. He nodded in the direction of the soldiers’ home. Alatea Fairclough and her companion were just making the turn into the car park.
Deborah and Zed remained where they were, and in less than a minute, the other woman came round the side of the building and went inside. Shortly thereafter, Alatea drove out of the car park, heading off in a direction that suggested she was going to retrace her route to Arnside. This was well and good, Deborah thought. It was time to see what she could get from this other woman.