When Mitch left Laura McVie’s house the following morning, he was beginning to think he might be on to a good thing. Why stop at being estate executor? he asked himself. He already knew that, under the terms of the will, Laura got everything – McVie had no children or other living relatives – and everything was somewhere in the region of five million dollars.
Even if he didn’t love her – and how could you tell if you loved someone after just one night? – he certainly felt passionately drawn to her. They got on well together, thought alike, and she was a wonderful lover. Mitch was no slouch, either. He could certainly make up for her late husband in that department.
He mustn’t rush it, though. Take things easy, see what develops… Maybe they could go away together for a while. Somewhere warm. And then… well… five million dollars.
Such were his thoughts as he turned the corner, just before the heavy hand settled on his shoulder and a deep voice whispered in his ear, ‘Detective Greg Hollins, Mr Mitchell. Homicide. I think it’s about time you and I had a long talk.’
Relieved to be let off with little more than a warning in exchange for cooperating with the police, Mitch turned up at Laura’s the next evening as arranged. This time they skipped the dinner and drinks preliminaries and headed straight for her bedroom.
Afterwards she lay with her head resting on his shoulder, smoking a cigarette.
‘My God,’ she said. ‘I missed this when I was married to Charles.’
‘Didn’t you have any lovers?’ Mitch asked.
‘Of course I didn’t.’
‘Oh, come on. I won’t be jealous. I promise. Tell me.’
She jerked away, stubbed out the cigarette on the bedside ashtray, and said, ‘You’re just like the police. Do you know that? You’ve got a filthy mind.’
‘Hey,’ said Mitch. ‘It’s me. Mitch. OK?’
‘Still… They think I did it, you know.’
‘Did what?’
‘Killed Charles.’
‘I thought you had an alibi.’
‘I do, idiot. They think the burglary was just a cover. They think I hired someone to kill him.’
‘Did you?’
‘See what I mean? Just like the cops, with your filthy, suspicious mind.’
‘What makes you think they suspect you?’
‘The way they talked, the way they questioned me. I think they’re watching me.’
‘You’re just being paranoid, Laura. You’re upset. They always suspect someone in the family at first. It’s routine. Most killings are family affairs. You’ll see, pretty soon they’ll drop it.’
‘Do you really think so?’
‘Sure I do. Just you wait and see.’
And moments later they were making love again.
Laura seemed a little distracted when she let him in the next night. At first he thought she had something on the stove, but then he remembered she didn’t cook.
She was on the telephone, as it turned out. And she hung up the receiver just as he walked into the living room.
‘Who was that?’ he asked. ‘Not reporters, I hope?’
‘No,’ she said, arms crossed, facing him, an unreadable expression on her face.
‘Who, then?’
Laura just stood there. ‘They’ve found the gun,’ she said finally.
‘They’ve what? Where?’
‘In your garage, under an old tarpaulin.’
‘I don’t understand. What are you talking about? When?’
She looked at her watch. ‘About now.’
‘How?’
Laura shrugged. ‘Anonymous tip. You’d better sit down, Mitch.’
Mitch collapsed on the sofa.
‘Drink?’
‘A large one.’
Laura brought him a large tumbler of Scotch and sat in the armchair opposite him.
‘What’s all this about?’ he asked, after the whisky had warmed his insides. ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying. How could they find the gun in my garage? I told you what happened to it.’
‘I know you did,’ said Laura. ‘And I’m telling you where it ended up. You’re really not very bright, are you, Mitch? How do you think it got there?’
‘Someone must have put it there.’
‘Right.’
‘One of the muggers? But…?’
‘What does it matter? What matters is that it will probably have your fingerprints on it. Or the wrapping will. All those greasy smudges. And even if it doesn’t, how are you going to explain its presence in your garage?’
‘But why would the cops think I killed Charles?’
‘We had a relationship. We were lovers. Like I told you, I’m certain they’ve been watching me, and they can’t fail to have noticed that you’ve stayed overnight on more than one occasion.’
‘But that’s absurd. I hadn’t even met you before your husband’s death.’
‘Hadn’t you?’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘Don’t you remember, honey, all those times we met in secret, made love cramped in the back of your car because we didn’t even dare be seen signing in under false names in the Have-a-Nap Motel or wherever? We had to keep our relationship very, very secret. Don’t you remember?’
‘You’d tell them that?’
‘The way they’ll see it is that the relationship was more important to you than to me. You became obsessed by jealousy because I was married to someone else. You couldn’t stand it any more. And you thought by killing my husband you could get both me and my money. After all, you did prepare his will, didn’t you? You knew all about his finances.’
Mitch shook his head.
‘I would like to thank you, though,’ Laura went on. ‘Without you, we had a good plan – a very good one – but with you we’ve got a perfect one.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean you were right when you suggested I had a lover. I do. Oh, not you, not the one I’m handing over to the police, the one who became so obsessed with me that it unhinged him and he murdered my husband. No. I’ve been very careful with Jake. I met him on the Yucatan peninsula when Charles and I were on holiday there six months ago and Charles went down with Montezuma’s revenge. I know it sounds like a romantic cliché, but it was love at first sight. We hatched the plan very quickly and we knew we had to keep our relationship a total secret. Nobody must suspect a thing. So we never met after that vacation. There were no letters or postcards. The only contact we had was through public telephones.’
‘And what happens now?’
‘After a decent interval – after you’ve been tried and convicted of my husband’s murder – Jake and I will meet and eventually get married. We’ll sell up here, of course, and live abroad. Live in luxury. Oh, please don’t look so crestfallen, Mitch. Believe me, I am sorry. I didn’t know you were going to walk into my life with that irresistible little confession, now, did I? I figured I’d just ride it out, the cops’ suspicions and all. I mean they might suspect me, but they couldn’t prove anything. I was in Windsor staying with friends. They’ve checked. And now they’ve got you into the bargain…’ She shrugged. ‘Why would they bother with little old me? I just couldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. You’ll make a wonderful fall guy. But because I like you, Mitch, I’m at least giving you a little advance warning, aren’t I? The police will be looking for you, but you’ve still got time to make a break, leave town.’
‘What if I go to them, tell them everything you’ve told me?’
‘They’ll think you’re crazy. Which you are. Obsession does that to people. Makes them crazy.’
Mitch licked his lips. ‘Look, I’d have to leave everything behind. I don’t even have any cash on me. Laura, you don’t think you could-’