‘What witches?’
‘The Witches of Kinderhook. I mean James’ ex – Melisande – and her sister – what was her name? Winifred? Actually, she’s the scarier of the two. She looks like the nice one, but she freaked me out at that party. It’s the way she smiles-’
‘Are you really standing outside Kinderhook?’
‘Yep. I am talking to you on my mobile… Their house is dark… No. One window is very dimly lit. Whose room is that, I wonder? The witches may be casting midnight spells… Now I am turning round… Now I am looking at your house. I know which one it is. Your house is dark too.’
‘Are you serious? Are you really in our street?’
‘Totally. I am looking at your house at this very moment. I can’t see much because your house is dark. All your windows are dark.’
‘What’s going on, Hugh?’ Antonia turned on the bedside table lamp.
‘You turned on the bedside light just now – or your wife did,’ said Moon. ‘It’s an upstairs window. Doesn’t that freak you out?’
Payne turned towards Antonia. ‘Moon is actually in our street – looking at our house.’
‘Will you give me a cup of coffee? I’m freezing,’ Moon said. ‘I have started walking towards your house… I am actually standing at your front door now… You’ve got a cool knocker. Is that a tiger’s head? Or a lion’s?’
‘A lion’s,’ Payne said mechanically.
‘Shall I ring or knock? I’ll ring – is that OK? Now I am ringing your bell-’
Her phone went dead. The next moment they heard their front door bell ring.
As Major Payne donned his yellow dressing gown with its very vivid scarlet lining and lapels and put on his slippers, he wondered whether he would get one of those instantaneous flashes of intuitive certainty the moment he clapped eyes on her. Would he be able to say at once, Yes, she killed her mother? He knew it was an absurd idea, yet his heart beat fast in his chest. He turned on the lights and he started walking down the stairs. It was three in the morning, the clock on the wall told him.
He unchained the front door. Moon entered the hall and followed him into the drawing room.
‘Were you asleep?’ she asked.
‘Well, yes. Does that surprise you? It’s three in the morning.’
‘Is it? I thought it was ten to midnight. Sorry. I thought you might be watching telly or reading a book or playing cards with your wife or something.’ Her voice sounded hoarse and she was shivering. She sat down in one of the armchairs and crossed her legs.
Black spiky hair. They all seemed to have spiky hair nowadays. Lowish forehead, slightly oriental eyes, broad full mouth. Attractive, in a gamin kind of way. Her face was white, the dark eyes looked feverish. He couldn’t see the pupils, but then his eyelids were still gummed by sleep. Had she taken some substance? Her lips were bluish. She must be frozen. She wore black mittens and the long black coat. The shinel with the bloodstains. Also jeans and boxfresh trainers with orange laces.
Did she look like a killer? Payne found his eyes straying to the girl’s hands. What was it Morland had said? Moon had broken her wrist a couple of months ago, ergo she wouldn’t have been able to lift a heavy samurai sword, let alone deliver a lethal blow with it.
There was something vulnerable about her – in spite of, or was it because of, her ultra-casual manner? Only sixteen – looked older, though. What a pedigree! Mother beheaded, father in jail…
‘It’s warm in here,’ she said, looking round. ‘Cool room.’
‘Isn’t that a contradiction in terms?’
‘You are funny.’ Suddenly she sat very still and fixed him with her dark eyes.
‘I’ll put the kettle on,’ Payne said. ‘You said coffee, right? Not tea?’
‘No. I hate tea. Coffee. Black. Three sugars. I drink it mega strong – three or four spoonfuls, if it’s instant.’
‘Won’t that be too strong?’
‘I like it mega strong. You look sleepy.’
‘I feel sleepy.’
‘Did I wake you up?’
‘I believe you did.’
‘You’ve got stubble. You haven’t shaved, have you?’
‘It’s three in the morning.’
As he walked towards the kitchen, Payne wondered if there was something particularly valuable in the drawing room that was small enough for her to pinch and drop into the shinel’s – no doubt – bottomless pockets. One of Antonia’s amber cats – the tiny but exceedingly precious Wedgwood vase – or perhaps his great uncle’s silver snuff box?
Five past three. Payne didn’t care for the appraising look she had given him. The girl’s gaze seemed to hold a certain suggestive element
… He was old enough to be her grandfather… He shouldn’t have let her in… Most unwise. Might make all sorts of claims afterwards. Must try to get rid of her as soon as possible. Put her into a cab and despatch her back to Kensington… The tube closed at half past midnight… How long had the girl been standing in their street?
Heaven knew when he’d be able to get back to bed, if at all… He heard Antonia’s voice coming from the drawing room. She’d come down and was talking to Moon.
Placing the three steaming cups and the tin of Fortnum amp; Mason’s chocolate biscuits on the tray, he carried it gingerly to the drawing room.
Suddenly he was possessed by the not entirely rational conviction that Moon could not have murdered her mother, that suspecting her was a waste of time, that it was somewhere else they should be looking for the killer…
15
Feast at Midnight
‘Moon’s been outside since half past two,’ Antonia said brightly. She was wearing her blue dressing gown.
‘Dangerous, being out so late,’ Payne said, placing the tray on the low table between the sofa and Moon’s chair. He stole a glance at the mantelpiece: his great uncle’s snuff box was still there. ‘A girl, on her own… London can be a dangerous place… How old are you exactly?’
‘Fifteen and three months. D’you think I am very young?’
‘I do. Morland said you were sixteen and a half.’
‘Who’s Morland? Do you call James Morland? That’s funny! He is such a fool.’ She laughed. ‘He’s fat. He needs to exercise. I hate fat men. He hates me. James and my mother were locked in a lewd and lascivious cohabitation…’
Payne glanced at the clock. ‘Weren’t you afraid to be out so late?’
‘Nope.’ Moon picked up her cup. ‘God hasn’t given me the spirit of fear, but of love and power and a sound mind. That’s what they said at my boyfriend’s church in Pennsylvania… My ex-boyfriend… See what I’ve got here.’ She pushed her hand inside her shinel and drew out a piece of lead piping.
‘An offensive weapon, eh?’ Payne’s eyebrow went up. ‘If the police were to find it on you, you’d be in trouble.’
‘It’s for self-defence. It’s dangerous to be out so late, you said that yourself. I’m already in trouble. The police think I killed my mother. I’m always in trouble.’ Moon sighed. ‘They kicked me out of my first school because they caught me bunning a zoot. Then I was kicked out of my second school.’
‘Why was that?’
‘That was because I used to write letters to teachers I liked. I know it makes me look like a psycho, but I’m totally normal. The police think I killed my mother. They never actually said it – I guess it’s totally against the law to make accusations without any proof.’
‘And what was your midnight vigil in aid of?’ Payne sat down on the sofa beside Antonia.
‘I’ll tell you, but you must promise not to tell the two witches.’
‘If by witches you mean Melisande and Winifred, that’s not a very nice way to talk. They were very kind to you,’ Antonia said.
‘You drank all their Coke and ate most of their sandwiches and cake,’ Payne put in.
‘You are right. I guess I’m not a very nice person. But there are things you don’t know.’
‘Oh? What things?’ Antonia asked. She took a sip of coffee.
‘Weird things. Crazy things. Things no normal person would think of doing.’
‘Really? As bad as that?’ Payne said. ‘This sounds terribly interesting.’