‘And has Elizaveta ever asked you to do something you didn’t want to do?’
‘All the time.’ Olly grinned ruefully. ‘Mind you, I usually end up doing it. As I said, she can be very persuasive.’
Jude and Carole exchanged a look and there was instant understanding between them. As a result, it was Carole who said, ‘We talked to Gordon Blaine after we left after Elizaveta’s “drinkies thing” on Saturday.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘I gave him a lift. His car had broken down.’
‘God, not again. I must say, for the engineering genius Gordon always claims himself to be, a surprising number of his projects fail to function.’
‘But his gallows functioned,’ said Carole. ‘Almost too well.’
‘Yes,’ Olly agreed soberly.
‘On Saturday he was talking to us about a previous “drinkies thing” of Elizaveta’s. The one the night before Ritchie Good died.’
‘Oh?’
‘And he said he’d described to everyone exactly how his gallows were going to work.’
‘I remember that. Elizaveta was very intrigued – again regretting that she wouldn’t be at the next day’s rehearsal and so miss the demonstration. She was quite incapable of being “hands off” with anything to do with SADOS.’
‘And Gordon described how easily the noose could be switched, did he?’
‘Certainly did.’
‘So did Elizaveta make any comment on that?’
‘Only a joking comment.’
‘What?’ asked Carole sharply.
‘She said, “So if one wanted to get rid of a member of the Devil’s Disciple company one would have the means readily to hand.”’
‘And that was a joke?’
‘Well, I assumed so at the time,’ replied Olly, starting to look a little uncomfortable.
‘Did she say anything else?’ asked Jude.
‘Yes. She said, “I wouldn’t be at all upset if someone were to engineer a little accident between Ritchie Good and those gallows.”’
‘Did she?’ said Carole.
‘Yes, but I mean, it was a joke. At least, everyone laughed. Elizaveta had been bad-mouthing Ritchie all evening, in her customary very bitchy, funny way. What she said about the gallows just continued in the same vein. Which was why we all laughed.’
‘And you don’t think anyone took it seriously?’ asked Carole.
‘Oh God, no.’
‘“Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?”’ murmured Carole.
‘I’m sorry? What on earth are you talking about?’
‘It’s what King Henry II said about Thomas à Beckett. And some listening knights thought they saw a way of getting into the King’s good books, so they went straight down to Canterbury and murdered Beckett.’
‘Are you suggesting that’s what Elizaveta was doing? She hoped someone would pick up the hint, swap the nooses on the gallows and cause Ritchie’s death?’
‘It’s a possibility, wouldn’t you say?’
‘It’s a possibility in one of those stage thrillers SADOS used to keep doing. I wouldn’t have said it was a possibility in real life.’
Carole shrugged. ‘Stranger things have happened.’
Olly let out a chuckle which stopped halfway. Then he looked anxiously from one woman to the other. ‘You’re not suggesting I followed through Elizaveta’s suggestion, are you?’
‘Well, you weren’t around in the Cricketers after the rehearsal ended. Davina went back to St Mary’s Hall to find you.’
‘Yes, but—’
‘And,’ Jude chipped in, ‘you did benefit quite directly from Ritchie’s death. No other way you’d have got the part of Dick Dudgeon, was there?’
Again Olly Pinto looked from one to the other. Then, with considerable dignity, he said, ‘Well, I can assure you I did not do what you’re suggesting. I’ve allowed myself over the years to be manipulated in many ways by Elizaveta, and I’ve been persuaded into doing a good few things that I didn’t want to do because of pressure from her, but I would never do anything criminal.’
‘But do you think it’s possible,’ Carole persisted, ‘that Elizaveta did plant the idea of switching the nooses, in the hope that someone, wishing to curry favour with her, might act on the suggestion?’
‘The thought hadn’t occurred to me but, though it seems pretty unlikely, I wouldn’t put it past her. Elizaveta likes sort of giving tests to her supporters, always threatening them with the ultimate sanction – the withdrawal of her patronage.’
‘So, Olly, who do you think might have wanted to curry favour that much?’
He was silent for a moment, then said, ‘I don’t think it would be one of the people who’s been part of Elizaveta’s circle for a long time. We’re all fond of her and want to keep in her good books, but we’re also quite realistic about her. We know she can be a bit of a monster, so we take quite a lot of what she says with a pinch of salt.’
‘So one of the more recent additions to the charmed circle …?’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Who?’
‘Well,’ Olly replied slowly, ‘the newest regular – and indeed the one who seems most eager to please – is Storm Lavelle.’
TWENTY-NINE
Jude rang Storm that evening, but got no reply from either her landline or the mobile. She left a message on each, calming herself so as not to sound alarmist and asking Storm to ring her back.
The reply came the next morning, the Tuesday, just as Jude was washing up her breakfast things. ‘Hello?’
‘Oh, it’s Storm, returning your call. What is it? Have you got transport problems for rehearsal tonight, because I’ll happily give you a lift.’
‘No, it’s not that.’ Storm sounded so cheerful, so full of life, that Jude found it really difficult to bring up the subject she wanted to discuss. ‘Actually, it’s in relation to you and Ritchie Good.’
‘Oh?’ The caller’s tone changed instantly, from open and enthusiastic to crabby and suspicious.
‘And it also concerns Elizaveta Dalrymple.’
The call was instantly ended. Jude tried ringing back straight away, but the mobile had been switched off. And calls to the landline switched straight through to the answering machine.
Jude didn’t finish tidying up breakfast. She went straight round to High Tor.
The two neighbours quickly agreed that it was time to confront Elizaveta Dalrymple. ‘There was no way she could have done it herself,’ said Carole, ‘but if she set up Storm …’
‘I’m still finding it difficult to cast Storm in that role.’
‘Maybe, but that’s just because she’s a friend.’
‘Yes, I know.’
‘And from all the encounters with murderers you’ve had, you should know by now that appearances are very rarely other than deceptive.’
‘I know all that too.’
‘Come on,’ said Carole brusquely, ‘I think you should ring Elizaveta and find out when we can see her.’
‘Why me?’
‘Because you know her better than I do.’
It was only when she had dialled the number that Jude realized that the two of them had spent almost exactly the same amount of time in Elizaveta Dalrymple’s company. Still, there were times when arguing with Carole just wasn’t worth the effort.
The late April weather, particularly benign that morning and with a promise of summer, had brought a surprising influx of tourists to Smalting. All the parking on the road facing the sea was taken and Carole was annoyed to have to pay at the small car park at the end of Elizaveta’s road.
‘Will we be out within the hour?’ she asked as she took her change purse out of her neat and nearly empty handbag.