It was all over. He had been a fool to imagine otherwise.
I must see to that bonfire, he thought.
Back at Ospreys Major Payne was taking command. ‘I would like you to call the police,’ he told Greg. ‘Say we’ve found the body of Father Lillie-Lysander.’
‘Is that him? The priest who disappeared?’
‘Yes. The blood on the sheets and on Renshawe’s pyjamas is his.’
‘The priest’s blood!’
‘Yes. Nurse Wilkes will have to answer some awkward questions.’
‘Oh, that’s too bad!’ cried the good-natured Greg. ‘Just when she won the lottery -’
‘She didn’t win the lottery. What I think she got was part hush money, part reward. I think Nurse Wilkes was generously remunerated for her cooperation. Where’s that bin-liner exactly? The one with the bloody things?’
‘In the big container.’
‘Better get it back into the house – make sure it is the right one. The police would be jolly interested in the bloody things.’ Payne paused. ‘Lord of the flies.’
‘What’s that?’ Antonia said.
‘Beelzebub… Remember Beelzebub, my love? The priest’s face was covered in flies. An association of ideas,’ Major Payne explained. ‘The Pharisees accused Jesus of performing miracles in the name of Beelzebub, who was a demon – some say Satan himself… I don’t know. Not fair, perhaps, at this early stage. I shouldn’t make precipitate judgements. I may be doing the priest a terrible injustice, but then the cloth does attract some strange individuals. I mean I am assuming he was a bad hat. I’ll tell you what. Let’s have a word with the Master of Ospreys. I want to see him before the police arrive. Come along. It should be jolly interesting. Though I doubt if he’ll tell us the truth. Why should he?’
They saw Greg pick up the phone. When they were in the hall, Antonia asked, ‘What do you think happened?’
‘Well, I may be entirely wrong, but I have an idea that it was Ralph Renshawe’s hand that held the fatal knitting needle that unleashed the gore – which doesn’t necessarily make him into a killer, if you know what I mean.’
Antonia said, ‘He wouldn’t have had the strength for a powerful lethal upward thrust, would he?’
‘No. He wouldn’t have been able to get the body out of the room and drop it in the well either. Someone helped him.’
25
Le Malade Imaginaire
Ralph Renshawe squeezed her hand. ‘Listen. I’ve worked it all out. It is my nephew who was behind it. Father Lillie-Lysander was Robin’s agent. He was a friend of his, apparently. They were at school together. Saunders told me about it. It slipped out – he didn’t intend to tell me, but he got muddled. The old fool.’
‘You didn’t know they were friends?’
‘I had no idea. Of course not. I am very cross with Saunders for not finding a priest himself. I commissioned him – and he left it all to Robin. To Robin! I am sure the priest was acting on orders from Robin. They were planning to share my fortune. I am sure it was all Robin’s idea. Money, my dear, is the root of all evil.’
‘Money’s horrid. I entirely agree,’ Beatrice breathed. ‘Yes.’
‘I’d have shown Father Lillie-Lysander the door right away,’ Ralph Renshawe went on. ‘I’d have banned this perfidious priest from coming anywhere near the house. To think that I’d been confessing to the Devil! Oh Bee, I will never forget those eyes above me – getting closer – cold, inhuman, the eyes of a beast! There was a smile on his lips – he looked as though he was enjoying himself.’
‘You must tell the police about it, Ralph. Honestly. You must tell them about the connection between your nephew and the priest.’
‘No – for my late sister-in-law’s sake, I won’t. My sister-in-law was a saint.’ Ralph Renshawe picked up the fan. ‘But Saunders will probably tell them. Saunders is scared, shaking in his boots. Well, I intend to sack Saunders. I feel hot, Bee. This seems to be a good sign. I was always cold before.’ He had started fanning himself. ‘Do I look terribly eccentric?’
Bee giggled. ‘You do, rather.’
He pressed her hand again. ‘I hope to see more of you in future, my dear. You will come again, won’t you?’
‘Of course I will.’
‘Won’t your husband mind?’
‘He doesn’t need to know.’
‘Wicked girl,’ he said. ‘Would you give me a kiss, or am I too repugnant?’
‘No, of course not, my sweet. Here.’ She bent over and kissed his forehead. ‘When you do feel better, Ralph, we can go to Baudolino’s, for a symbolic drink – to exorcize the past,’ she whispered. ‘Or would that be in poor taste?’ The door opened and Antonia and Major Payne appeared.
‘Who are these people?’ Ralph Renshawe asked.
‘Dear friends of mine. Hugh and Antonia Payne. They brought me here.’
‘Sorry for barging in like that. I was wondering whether I might have a word with Mr Renshawe,’ Major Payne was at his most clipped.
Ralph Renshawe had dropped the fan and slumped down between the pillows. ‘With me? What about?’
Antonia stared at the lipstick mark on his forehead. Can’t be dying, she thought.
Payne cleared his throat. ‘The police will be here any moment -’
‘They’ve already been here, ‘ Ralph Renshawe said. ‘The police don’t scare me. They are looking for Father Lillie-Lysander. Well, I can’t help them. I know nothing about his whereabouts. Nothing at all.’
‘He’s turned up, actually.’ Major Payne paused. ‘In a short while Father Lillie-Lysander will be in the capable hands of the scene-of-crime fellows.’
Beatrice gave a little gasp. ‘What do you mean, Hugh?’
‘I should have said his body. He is dead. He’s been murdered.’
Ralph Renshawe’s pale tongue flicked across the lips. ‘You found his body? Where?’
‘In the garden.’ Payne waved towards the windows. ‘The priest’s in the hole. I mean the well.’
‘In the wishing well!’ Beatrice clutched at her throat.
‘That is where the body was dropped. Somebody clearly wished him dead.’ Payne paused but Ralph Renshawe said nothing. ‘Father Lillie-Lysander was stabbed with one of Nurse Wilkes’ knitting needles. It was on your bedside table, wasn’t it, Renshawe?’
‘I don’t know what you are talking about.’
‘I think you do. The needle pierced the priest’s jugular. There was blood. Father Lillie-Lysander bled over your bed. You made Nurse Wilkes clean it up. You paid her handsomely to keep her mouth shut. It happened on the morning of the 26th. Two days ago. Your solicitor was coming at eleven o’clock. Father Lillie-Lysander died at least half an hour before that – the question is why? Why did he have to die?’
Ralph Renshawe looked at him. ‘Who are you?’
‘I have a theory. The padre was about to bump you off – no, not with the knitting needle – by some other ingenious means.’ Payne frowned thoughtfully at the pillows at the foot of the bed. ‘However, the murderous attempt was foiled.’ Payne raised his eyebrows at Beatrice who had stifled a cry. ‘I do believe someone popped in through the french windows and rescued you.’
‘You sound like one of those vacuous army majors.’
‘I am a major, but I am far from vacuous.’
‘Bee, my dear, would you tell your friends to go away? I am afraid I am awfully tired.’ Ralph Renshawe shut his eyes.
‘It had something to do with your will, hadn’t it?’
‘I know nothing about it, Hugh,’ Beatrice whispered. ‘Nothing at all.’
‘I didn’t mean you -’
Ralph Renshawe murmured, ‘Why should I tell you anything?’
The sound of a siren came from outside.
‘The police,’ said Antonia.