‘But we’re not going to Portpatrick,’ I said. ‘Constable Reid, you can have St Columba’s on me. I expect you’ll want to go and arrest Ivy Shanks and Miss Barclay and Miss Christopher. But first, can you please take me home? And Miss Lipscott too?’
Reid gave me a long cool look, which I met for a while before dropping my eyes.
‘Miss Lipscott’ll need to come wi’ me,’ he said. ‘To make a statement, at least. It’s up to the Fiscal if it’s more.’
‘Only if she saw the incident,’ I said. ‘Only if she witnessed Aldo’s suicide, surely.’
Alec gave a low whistle.
‘Constable?’ said Fleur. ‘I killed him and if you say I must be arrested and tried then so be it. But what about Sabbatina? She has no relations living now – not closer than Italy anyway – and I would surely be more use as her guardian than as a prisoner?’
Alec and I exchanged a glance. Fleur, we knew, would be very lucky to get away with prison. A jury, hearing of the drugs and the lovers, not to mention the telephone call covering up Aldo’s crime, would more likely call to see her hanged.
‘Tonight was self-defence,’ said Reid. ‘That I’ll give ye. But here’s what’s stickin’ in ma craw: sayin’ ye didn’t know who the corpse was.’
‘I was frightened,’ said Fleur.
‘And then pretendin’ to be her!’ Reid said. ‘Makin’ fools o’ us all.’
‘It was Joe’s idea,’ Fleur said. ‘He thought it up in a flash. He’s cunning that way. And I was too frightened not to go along with it. He threatened such dreadful things.’
‘But you were away out of it by then,’ Reid said.
‘Oh no!’ said Fleur. ‘You misunderstand me. I wasn’t frightened for myself. It was Sabbatina. He said he would tell her about us, and tell her I never cared for her. He said he would put her in an orphanage and not even tell her why.’
‘And yet you left her with him?’ Alec said. ‘A man like that?’
‘I was going to send for her,’ Fleur said. Her voice had dropped down to a whisper. ‘I would have written and sent her train fare. It was just all so confusing. Jeanne running away and me trying to pack and Ivy Shanks pecking at me like a carrion crow. Joe too. He wouldn’t stop. And then Rosa’s body. I just- I ran away.’ She gave a tremendous sniff and then looked Alec in the eye. ‘You’re right, Mr Osborne,’ she said. ‘Running off and leaving Sabbatina there was a dreadful thing to do. A weak, thoughtless thing. Maybe I’m not fit to be her guardian after all.’
‘Oh no you don’t,’ I said.
‘I’ll come with you, Constable, and take my chances,’ said Fleur.
‘Not this again,’ I said. ‘Fleur, please. You are not responsible for everything that happens in the whole wide world, you know.’ And I gave both Alec and Reid a look from under my eyebrows, that told them exactly what I thought of them for torturing her. Reid shifted in his seat, but Alec is used to my looks and took this one without blinking.
‘On the other hand,’ said Reid, ‘Sergeant Turner wouldn’t like it that the story he wouldn’t swallow is right enough after all. He’d no’ like that one wee bit. He’d take it out on Cissie and me.’
‘There’s a boat out in the sea loch and a body in the water,’ I said. ‘What could be neater? A woman missing, a body found, her husband gone, his body found too?’
‘Only how would we explain him bein’ all the way up here?’ said Reid.
‘I could help with that perhaps,’ said Fleur. ‘I did offer the Aldos the chance of a summer holiday here. So he knew of the place, you see.’ She gulped and swallowed hard. ‘I wanted to bring Sabbatina here. I wanted to show her my home.’
‘This isn’t your home, darling,’ I said. ‘Show her Pereford. Take her down to Mamma-dearest and Batty Aunt Lilah and let Pearl and Aurora loose on her. If anything could make up for losing her parents that way, Pereford can. That’s what you need, too. Go home.’
‘Aye well,’ said Reid. ‘I can get you as far as Perthshire anyway.’
So we detoured on the way south again and reached Gilverton after sunrise, trundling up the drive towards the shuttered house, only the gardeners up and about and waving uncertainly at the unfamiliar motorcar as it passed.
‘Are you looking forward to seeing Mademoiselle Beauclerc?’ said Alec to Fleur. She had been quiet and deeply morose as we travelled, but now she roused herself and gave a smile.
‘If she’ll forgive me.’
‘Of course she will. You thought she’d be safer at Low Merrick Farm than running away with you, and you were right. Aldo might have killed both of you.’
‘And Jeanne had only just stopped thinking death would be welcome,’ Fleur said.
‘Do you know her story?’ I asked her. ‘Why was she open to blackmail?’
‘The usual,’ she replied. ‘The kind of thing that would be winked at if she were a boy. And she held out for so long, but Shanks just ground away at her. She had to run to the Patersons’, Dandy. You’ve no idea what Ivy Shanks is like. And she does it all with a smile on her face as if it’s funny.’
Alec nodded with understanding, but when Fleur spoke of Jeanne’s sins I had felt a small cold hand creep under my ribs and squeeze some organ it found there.
The car drew up and the front door opened. I steeled myself for Pallister, but it was Donald who burst out, still in his dressing gown and with a smile on his face the size of the sun.
‘Mother!’ he cried. ‘Welcome home. What on earth are you wearing?’
‘What are you doing up?’ I said. ‘It’s…’ I glanced at my wristwatch but of course it was ruined.
‘I can’t sleep,’ said Donald. ‘I’m too bursting with joy. Thank you, Mother, for sending her.’ And with that he disappeared and his place on the doorstep was taken by Hugh.
‘Dandelion,’ he said.
‘Oh dear,’ said Alec’s voice behind me in the shadows of the motorcar.
‘Who’s that?’ Hugh said, glancing at the driver’s seat.
‘Constable-’ was as far as I got.
‘Brought home by the police now!’ said Hugh. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Portpatrick,’ I said. ‘You knew that.’
‘Nonsense,’ he barked. ‘I rang and rang.’
‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Yes. And Somerset. Pereford. Hugh, look who’s here. It’s Fleur. Johnny Lipscott’s youngest child.’ I smiled my most winning smile and wiggled my eyebrows significantly too.
‘Is it?’ said Hugh and gave a short bow to Fleur. His manners, even when he is in a rage the size of the current one, are always civil. He leaned towards me. ‘It might well be Johnny Lipscott’s youngest child,’ he said through gritted teeth, ‘but she’s too late.’
Then he spun on his heel and marched inside again.
‘Off you pop then, Dan,’ said Alec, struggling against a surge of laughter which would kill his broken rib. ‘Constable Reid, if you’d be so good as to take me another seven miles, I think I might just as well go home. Perhaps a more restful atmosphere for my recuperation. And Miss Lipscott? If things get too hot here, you’re very welcome to join me.’
‘Not so fast,’ I said to him. ‘Reid, could you wait here, please?’ I scrambled out of the motorcar. ‘Or I tell you what,’ I went on, turning back, ‘trundle round to the kitchen door and get my good Mrs Tilling to make you each a bacon sandwich.’ Then I sped off after Hugh.
He was nowhere to be seen – he can vanish like a cloaked conjuror when the mood takes him – but it was not difficult to guess where he would have gone to earth in the kind of temper he was in this morning. I rapped on his business-room door and entered without waiting, to find him sitting amongst the plans and papers which normally soothe him.
‘How far can it possibly have gone?’ I asked. ‘Not breach of promise already surely?’
‘If only!’ cried Hugh.