Dead Woman's Shoes: 1 (Lexy Lomax Mysteries) (29 page)

She unlocked the kitchen door and found herself in a small canine sea. They swarmed in the direction of a larder, where Lexy found a bag of dog biscuits and a stack of small stainless steel bowls. She carefully ladled a pile of biscuits into each bowl, with an additional one for Kinky, and put them down in a row, smiling at the column of waving tails.

She didn’t even hear the back door open.

“Wha’ you doing here?”

It was Hope Ellenger. And she was slurring again.

“Hi,” said Lexy, brightly. “I ran into Guy. He asked me to pop over and feed the dogs. He’s tied up with an emergency – near my place.”

“Why didn’ ’e call me? He always calls me.”

“His batteries are flat. In the phone.”

“But he should’ve asked you to come to me.”

“The main thing is, they’re fed,” said Lexy.

“And yours, too.”

“I couldn’t let him stand by and watch.” Lexy tried an engaging grin.

“I’ll take over from here.”

“Fine. C’mon Kinky.”

Lexy led an indignant Kinky outside. She looked back at the door. Would Hope be all right on her own? Somehow or other Lexy would have to get a message to Guy now, to let him know that his sister was waiting in for him, and she wasn’t best pleased to have been passed over in favour of a scruffy newcomer. Lexy pondered uneasily for a moment.

“Are you still there?” It was Tristan’s voice, speaking quietly on the other side of the wall.

“Yes.”

“Can you pop round quickly?”

Lexy rolled her eyes. Now what? “OK. I’ll see you in a sec.”

She went out of Guy’s gate. “Just got to see Tristan. Five minutes.”

Edward groaned.

“I’ll let him know you’re waiting with the engine running.”

“It’s what I tell all the boys.”

Lexy slipped into the Caradocs’ neat drive. Tristan met her at the door, looking red and flushed with what Lexy hoped was excitement at getting his cat back.

He beckoned her into the hall, after she had told Kinky to stay put outside. “Tammy and I have been on the Internet finding out about Rex cats. Absolute fortune she’s worth.”

A phone rang from another room. “Wait a tick,” he said.

Lexy caressed Princess, who was slaloming around her legs, and studied the photos again. There was one of Tristan dressed ludicrously as Margaret Thatcher in a tight blue two-piece, alongside someone dressed as Ronald Reagan, in a cowboy outfit, and...

Tristan reappeared. “Alternative panto in Lowestoft last year,” he murmured.

He handed Lexy a much larger roll of notes than he had earlier.

“What’s that for?” She couldn’t tear her eyes from the photo.

“Finding Princess, of course.”

“You’ve already given me two hundred pounds. I can’t take any more.”

“You jolly well can, young lady.” He wrapped Lexy’s fingers around it. “Just an extra token of our appreciation. If she’s expecting, we’ll be set up for life. Tammy’s been down at the travel agents already.” He grinned easily. “I’ve been down the pub. Tammy must have come back, and gone straight out again – probably to raid the delicatessen this time.”

“Thanks. I’m j... just glad Princess is back,” stammered Lexy. “I’ll... er... see you...”

“At the ghost walk next Friday?” His eyebrows worked humorously.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there. Tristan – you – er... haven’t seen Sheri-Anne Davis this afternoon, have you?”

His smile became guarded. “No. Why would I?”

“I... no reason. Well, best be off. Thanks for this.”

Lexy pocketed the money and walked quickly back to the Jaguar, aware of Tristan still watching her from the doorstep.

She ducked in. “I think we’ve got a problem.”

“God ’elp us, not another?” Edward’s face became serious at her expression.

“Need to find Sheri-Anne.”

“Why?”

“I’ll just feel happier if we can.”

Edward started the engine. “Village?”

“Yes – quick.”

Edward put his foot down.

“Did you see Hope go into Guy’s place?” Lexy clutched at the dashboard as Kinky shot into the back seat.

“No.”

“She scared the bejesus out of me in there. She must have come in the back way.”

They pulled into the high street. “Where to?”

“Let’s start at the village hall.”

There was a parking space right outside.

“Have you got a key?” Lexy was already jumping out.

Edward groped in the glove compartment. “I wish you’d tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m not completely sure myself.”

“A small snippet would suffice.” He unlocked the door and stood aside to let Lexy into the foyer.

“Where are all the costumes kept?” she demanded.

“In the wardrobe room of course.”

“Show me.” Lexy felt urgency grabbing at her in a distinctly over-friendly way.

Edward, still grumbling, flicked a couple of light switches and took Lexy through the double doors into the hall, and up some stairs to the left of the stage, Kinky at their heels.

“It might be locked. Don’t make me break the law for the third time in a week.”

But the wardrobe room door had been left ajar. Lexy gave it a push, and they went inside. Rails of garishly coloured theatre costumes lined the walls, and an open cupboard stood in a corner full of wigs, folded scarves, hats, bonnets and gloves.

Watched quizzically by Edward, Lexy quickly flicked through the clothing on the rails and examined the accessories in the open cupboard, before turning away, disappointed. Then her eye fell on an old trunk that, judging by the tracks in the dust, had recently been pushed under a wide shelf.

“Help me.”

Edward sighed. “It’s only going to have some mangy old costumes in it from
The Importance of Being Earnest
. Now, there was a good play. My finest hour, in fact.”

They heaved the trunk back through the dust. Lexy flipped the catches and pushed the lid back.

Kinky began to whine.

A blue skirt and blue fitted top, size 22, lay inside, spattered with dark red stains, together with a piled-up wig that had been dyed the colour of rust.

20

“That wasn’t in The Importance of Being Earnest...”

“I know. It featured in a different drama. A real-life one. Come on! We really do need to find Sheri-Anne.”

Lexy was already heading back down the stairs. She heard Edward bang down the lid of the trunk and shove it back under the shelf, Kinky still whining insistently. He must have smelled the blood.

Edward and Kinky caught up as she strode through the silent hall.

“You’re making me very nervous now, sweetie,” Edward panted. “Why have we got to find Sheri-Anne?”

“I think she might be able to shed some light on Avril’s murder. And because of that she’s in danger. Let’s just get out of here. I’ll tell you when we’re somewhere safe. I feel like someone here’s listening to us.”

They burst into the high street. A passing group of tourists looked at them askance.

Edward locked the door, fumbling with the key.

“Where’s your mobile?” Lexy snapped.

“It’s in the car. Who are you going to ring?”

“Milo.” She pulled the detective’s card from her bag and prodded out the number on Edward’s phone. It went straight to voicemail. She cursed.

“It’s me. If you get this, can you come straight to Clopwolde? I think Sheri-Anne’s in danger. We’re just going over to the vet’s surgery now to look for her.” She pushed the phone back at Edward and, grabbing Kinky, began to cross the road.

“Oh-oh, there’s Tammy.” Lexy pulled Edward down behind a parked car. “Don’t want to get caught up with her again.”

“Why did you have to pick a bloody Mini to hide behind? I’m much taller than you, in case you hadn’t noticed, and my knees aren’t what they used to be. And people are looking at us.”

“Shut up and pretend you’ve lost something.” Lexy peered through the car windows at Tammy’s ample, receding form.

“OK – she’s...” Lexy stared down at the car. “Edward – this is
Sheri-Anne’s
Mini. She must be in the surgery.”

They darted down the narrow alley to the vet’s.

“Looks closed.” Edward checked his watch.

“She’s been known to work late.”

Lexy tried the door. It was unlocked.

She and Edward exchanged a glance.

“I’m going in,” said Lexy, “but can you stay out here? Let me know if anyone turns up?”

“Who’s likely to turn up?” Edward said, exasperated.

“I told you – I’m not sure – yet.”

“You owe me a very large Pimms in the pub later.”

“Done.” Lexy walked into the waiting room. Kinky followed reluctantly, and hovered by the door, one slim paw raised, ready to dash out at a moment’s notice.

“Sheri-Anne? You in here?” Lexy crossed to the reception desk. There was an empty vodka bottle at the back of the shelf. Presumably what Hope had been knocking back before she went over to Guy’s bungalow earlier.

Outside, she heard Edward start to warble
Some Enchanted Evening
. Very appropriate. This was shaping up to be one of the least enchanted evenings of her whole life.

Lexy checked the small office behind reception. Empty. There was a door at the back. She walked over and opened it. It led to the drug room at the back of Guy’s surgery.

Remiss of someone to leave the place unlocked. Lexy walked through, opened the back door of the vet’s surgery and went in.

Edward’s singing filtered in through a small, high window – open a fraction, but barred. Obviously designed to prevent escape bids by panicking pets. Lexy glanced up at the gruesome, yellowing St Bernard’s femur on the wall. She remembered looking up at that same bone when she had brought Kinky in to be stitched up.

Except there was something different about it now.

Lexy walked around the examination bench and took a closer look. The bone had been taken down and put back the wrong way round. The heavy knuckle end was now balanced precariously on the smaller of the two brackets.

In the waiting room beyond, she heard Kinky give a small growl.

“Fools want to tell you, wise men never TRY...”
Edward was working up to a crescendo. Kinky barked. Lexy was surprised he wasn’t howling.

She opened the door to the waiting room.

“SOME ENCHANTED EVENING...”

But there was a different voice singing alongside Edward’s. Right behind her in the surgery.

Lexy spun around.

“Christ! You scared the life out of me!”

Tristan Caradoc shook back his mane of hair. “I’m mortified, darling. I didn’t think my singing was
that
bad.”

“Did you just arrive?” What was Edward playing at? Apart from trying to deafen everyone within a five-mile radius of Clopwolde.

“I was here already, actually. That’s why the front door was open.” Tristan swung a key from his hand. “So – did you find Sheri-Anne?”

“No. But we think she’s in some kind of trouble.”

“She will be when I catch up with her. I’ve been looking everywhere for the little cow.”

“This is serious,” Lexy snapped. “If she’s not here, we need to get out there and look for her.”

“Not you, Lexy Lomax. Oh, no. You’ve caused me quite enough trouble today. What you need right now is a nice little sleep.”

Tristan brought his right hand up. In it he held a syringe full of a colourless liquid.

Kinky, now standing in the half-open doorway, gave a low growl.

“Don’t make me laugh, you little prick.” Tristan made a sudden darting move around one side of the examination bench, slamming the door shut on Kinky and forcing Lexy around the table, effectively trapping her against the back wall.

Kinky immediately set up a volley of barks on the other side of the door.

“Charming,” remarked Lexy, her eyes flickering around the room. She gave an involuntary glance up at the bone, now balancing on the edge of the bracket above her head. That door slam had very nearly brought it down on top of her.

The drug room was on her left now. Through the small barred window opposite came the rousing strains of
Bloody Mary.

“Edward!” Lexy suddenly screamed at the top of her voice. “Ed-ward!”

But Edward was in full flow and didn’t miss a beat.

Lexy’s eyes met Tristan’s.

“Didn’t you know?” he mocked. “The motto of the De Glenvilles is
Me First
. He’s far too enchanted with his own magnificent voice to hear yours. Which is just as well.”

Lexy tried to smile. “So, when did you first realise that Princess was something far more significant than an odd-looking litter runt?” she asked, conversationally.

Tristan eyed her. “So you’ve cottoned on at last?” He gave her a lop-sided smile. “It was dear Avril who spelt it out to me, actually. Lucky – she might have told Tammy first, then things would have been quite different. As it was, Avril popped round to see Tammy one morning – it was quite some months ago – something to do with a raffle, I think. It wasn’t long after we’d got Princess. Avril, being a cat person, noticed something familiar about our little bundle of joy that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Not at the time, anyway. But a day or two later, the penny must have dropped. So she collared me in the high street.
Did you know you might have a new breed of cat there, Tristan?”
He did Avril’s flat, penetrating accent very well. “
A Rex?
”

Tristan flicked his hair back. A small drip of liquid fell from the syringe.

“I popped into the library. Checked it out for myself. The woman was right. And when I dug a little deeper, I realised that, far from having the runt of the litter, we had the jewel in the crown.”

He drew a self-satisfied breath. “Just think. A new breed of cat. She would command thousands. And if she was bred back to her daddy – well...” He shrugged. “World was my oyster.”

“Just
your
oyster? What about Tammy’s?”

“I wasn’t going to tell
her
. Truth is, Tammy and I haven’t been getting along too well since the old girl’s stage career fizzled out, and, most unfortunately, her looks with it. Even with black leather and lace it was becoming a struggle.”