Nine Ten Begin Again: A Grasshopper Lawns affair (17 page)

‘I do want to see him.’ She gave him a puzzled glance and he shook his head slightly impatiently.

‘You’ve been dating the man a few times a month for what, five years? More?’

‘It’s not really dating, Donald. He
dates
several women who are determined to marry him, and he knows with me he can relax. We flirt a little, laugh at each other’s jokes. And he knows about you.’

‘Knows what?’

Edge glanced again into the back, but Hamish was still sleeping, his mouth slightly open.

‘Knows I am hopelessly besotted. He wished us good luck. He also said he thought I’d need it.’

‘Ouch.’

‘No, it’s probably almost exactly what I would have said if he’d told me he’d settled for one of his harem. Which I think he will do, fairly soon. He’s a nice man—well, I thought he was a nice man. That’s why I’m shocked.’

‘He’s obviously not the caller, Hamish would have recognized his voice. Do you think it was Thomas or Simon?’

‘It’s likely. Oh, I thought of a way we could separate Thomas and Simon. Couldn’t we ask Seb’s Hugh? If he says Simon is in the office, when we know Thomas is at the Lawns, that would do it.’

Donald drove for a while in thoughtful silence. ‘Hugh might be able to look into what Simon’s doing, as well. Find out if there’s any link to the Lawns at all. Mind you, I don’t know if banking honour allows it.’

‘He dislikes Simon very much indeed. He might stretch a point. Worth asking.’ She reached across and turned up the radio slightly as “I need a hero” played, smiling mischievously at Donald. ‘You have to allow me this one. You’ve been my hero in the past. My life saver. Literally.’

‘Hush, you’ll wake Hamish. I find it a bit odd to be a soundtrack.’

‘You never know, you may hear one that reminds you of me one of these days.’

He grinned. ‘You bowled me over in your
Grease
outfit; it has its own song and the words are entirely appropriate. I’ll serenade you one day if you get me drunk. Even teach you the dances, I toured with the show long enough.’ He paused. ‘It didn’t worry you at all, Patrick wishing you luck?’

‘Everything in life needs good luck. I think we’re pretty lucky already. I thought the trickiest part would be spending time together but this whole trip, I’ve never once found myself giving you odd looks and wondering why you were there, or why I was. I didn’t expect you to last the whole two weeks, it must be said, although I’m glad you did. You must have a ton of things to do when you get back.’

‘Yes, I do, but I was enjoying myself. I kept thinking I’d stay just one more day. But then I’m very placid, you’re the neurotic one.’

She huffed with laughter at his complacent expression, and reached into her handbag as her mobile phone rang. ‘Oh, good, it’s Kirsty. Hello, darling, should I put you on speaker phone?’

Donald reached over to turn down the radio volume.

‘Rather not. I’ll tell you first and I can repeat it if you want to go on speaker afterwards. Is Hamish with you? Okay, going through the questions you raised. Hamish’s son Stuart gave us the photographs and recording. Three sets of prints on both photographs, but they belong to Hamish and his sons, which is about what we’d expect. The photographs have gone to the techies for proper checking, but we obviously hoped for a quick lead. We listened to the recording, asked Thomas Morrison to come in, and the voices match. However, he agreed immediately that he had phoned Hamish
—
he’d heard from Joey what was going on and was genuinely trying to be helpful. Joey
is
his uncle. We tried to phone Simon Henderson at the bank, to try for a voice match, but he’s on sick leave for work-related stress, working from home. The director he reports to refused to give us his address or contact details unless he’s being charged with something, which of course he isn’t. They wouldn’t even give us a photograph of him, so the only one we have is his LinkedIn one. It
could
be Thomas, but it’s not a given: the man in the photo is younger and thinner, wears heavy glasses. Patrick handed over the Trust accounts earlier in the year to his partner, but they both went to the Lawns this morning to do a thorough audit, in view of Jemima’s death. He says everything is in good order, nothing looks odd and not a penny is missing from any of the accounts. I met them there and he seemed exactly as he always was. Friendly and normal. He asked after you and said to say hello. There was no way I could ask about his talk with Hamish without letting on that Hamish had been in touch, and you’d asked me not to say anything about that. So far the only things that look ominous are the photographs and Jemima’s role, and we’re no further forward on that. That’s why I didn’t want to go on speaker phone. I’m not saying Hamish got the wind up about nothing, but we’ve got nothing to act on unless the techies can give us something on the photies. Iain’s under pressure now to justify putting full-time security on the family, so the younger brother and his wife have moved into Stuart’s. We’re getting an alarm and CCTV fitted now, and a patrol car will do regular checks. If you could drop Hamish off there, they’ll all be safely in one place. I’m sorry, that’s the best we can do under the circumstances.’

‘No, I understand. Did you speak to Joey yourself? I mean Thomas has always said he’s was Joey’s nephew, he’s not going to change that story.’

‘And Joey told Katryn he was. So no, I didn’t speak to him. To be honest, I didn’t think Thomas was that bad. Unappealing, but not villainous. He certainly didn’t call me or Katryn Doll, but Vivian was in Frail Care to see Matron about her cough, she came across to see how we were getting on with the audit and he was there in the office, doing some work for Katryn. He did give her a rather foul smile but he could genuinely fancy attractive older women. Or think that they
want
a man to be heavily flirtatious. He probably thinks he’s being charming.’

‘Ew.’ Edge disagreed firmly. ‘But the link with Jemima?’

‘Oh aye, Iain did ask him about that. He sweated furiously, and blinked, and said it had been a real surprise that she was the bursar at his new job. He had met her socially a few times, dated a bit, and he thought she was a very nice woman. And wasn’t it a small world. He said he was horrified to hear about her death but she did walk a dangerous line in her social life, used to go out on her own looking for masterful men. I nearly threw up. If he had anything to do with her death and could look Iain in the eye and say that, he’s a psychopath. But we’re still officially calling that a suicide while we poke around, and I could hardly trot William out as a witness, especially as William didn’t see them together, only at the same club. You and Donald couldn’t even say as much for sure from what you told me. Or am I wrong?’

‘No.’ Edge nibbled her thumbnail. ‘Damn. It seems an awful lot of coincidences, Kirsty.’

‘Ken. Deliver Hamish to his son’s house. We’re still looking, but, if nothing else, anyone watching now knows the polis are involved and that might give them pause.’

‘Okay. And thanks.’

‘You’re welcome. Say hello to Unca Donald.’

‘Yes I will, and hi to Drew. We’re just short of Manchester so, all going well, we’ll be back soon after ten.’

She clicked the phone off and glanced round. Hamish’s eyes were open and he looked nervous. ‘Kirsty said to take you to Stuart’s. They’re expecting you and surveillance equipment is being fitted there right now. The photographs are with the experts. She said the man who phoned you was Joey’s nephew Thomas, trying to be helpful, and you mentioned the photos before he did. How would Joey know?’

He frowned, thinking back. ‘Joey knew about my son, of course
—
he and I have been friends for years
—
but I never met his nephew. Why would
he
phone me? I’d need to listen to the recording again. I thought he knew about the photos.’

‘Well, we’ll stay in touch. I take it you don’t want to tell the Trust yet that you’re back?’

He shuddered and shook his head and didn’t speak again until they were by-passing Glasgow, when he roused himself to give Donald directions to Stuart’s house in Falkirk. When they arrived he thanked them distractedly, and hurried indoors.

Edge told Donald the rest of Kirsty’s news as they drove back to the Lawns. He stopped the car level with her apartment, engine running, and reached across her to open her door.

‘I’ll put the car away; we can sort the cases tomorrow. I want you to keep Odette with you. I really don’t like the thought of Thomas wandering around with a master key. She’s no Maggie, but at least she can raise the alarm.’

‘Okay.’ She looked at him uncertainly, got out and opened the back door for the dog. As she closed the door again he half raised his hand and drove away. Odette looked after him with the same forlorn look she suspected was on her own face, and she gave herself a quick shake.

‘Come on, Odette. We’ve been dumped for the night. Girls night in for us.’

The apartment, after being empty for nearly a fortnight, wasn’t very warm when she let herself in but she left the dog in front of the fire and had a leisurely bubble bath, then dressed slowly in flannel pyjamas and her padded dressing gown. He was, of course, quite right. She was tired, and the long drive would have been even more tiring for him, and he’d have messages and mail to check. They’d not spent a night apart since his return from London, and it wasn’t supposed to be that sort of relationship, not at all. Should she not have passed on Kirsty’s teasing Unca Donald comment? But he had laughed.

She made herself cocoa and sat listlessly at her computer to check for any emails that might have come in during the drive, and to check Facebook and Twitter for interesting updates. There was a fairly complicated question from Shona but she couldn’t concentrate and stared blankly at the screen as she drank her cocoa. Odette whined, and came over to rest her chin on Edge’s lap, and she stroked the dog’s narrow head absently.

‘I don’t know why, Odette. He doesn’t do things the way normal men do. Or do you want walking?’

She glanced at the clock as she opened the door—half past eleven. Late night walk and then bed, and a good night’s sleep, although after the first day or two, she hadn’t had any problems sleeping with him there. She walked briskly down the dimly-lit walkway, past his darkened apartment to the lit and extended covered area outside the laundry and waited patiently while Odette nosed around, shivering slightly as the cold breeze nipped mercilessly at her flannel-covered legs. Was his car even in its garage? She wasn’t going to look, but for the first time in her life knew the gnawing of uncertainty. Was this what her previous lover used to feel? Not much fun. Not much fun at all. She’d always believed that jealousy was pointless, rooted in insecurity. Either one was secure in the relationship, in which case it was ridiculous, or had reason not to be, in which case, in her calm judgement, it was time to walk away.

Suddenly it didn’t seem so clear-cut, and she didn’t like it. Vivian’s apartment was next to the laundry and she glanced longingly at the dark windows. Vivian was either asleep or at William’s. She looked across at the row of bungalows just as his lights blinked out and suddenly felt very alone in the dark night. She cleaned up after the whippet and headed back home. Odette stopped outside number ten and she patted her sympathetically, then tugged her on towards number twelve, stopping mid-stride as she realized her door stood open. Her heart gave an odd little skip, but Donald had left Odette with her for a reason: there was more than one person with the key to her door. Even as she stood frozen to the spot he burst from the apartment, saw her and crossed to her in two strides.

‘God! You’re all right!’

To her own extreme surprise and embarrassment she burst into tears.

~~~

‘I wanted to talk to William about Jemima and Thomas, what he saw. I knew there’d be things he wouldn’t say in front of either of you, William’s quite prudish.’

Odette had happily settled in front of the fire, half-lying on Donald’s feet, and they were sitting together on the sofa, his arm comfortingly round her. She snorted at that and he patted her shoulder reprovingly.

‘Prudish in his own way. When it comes to you and Vivian. I couldn’t think how to say where I was going without telling you that you couldn’t come too, that he wouldn’t want to offend your delicate sensibilities. I thought best to say nothing at all and explain afterwards. It took longer than I anticipated. I opened the door to let Odette out for her late walk, and nothing. Neither of you there. My heart nearly stopped.’

‘Donald, don’t ever do that again. Say something. Say you’ll tell me later, if you like. But you looked at me and drove off.’

‘Do any men understand women? I need lessons. I thought it went without saying that I’d come back at least to say good night, even if you wanted to sleep alone for your first night back.’ She shook her head mutely and he caught her chin in his familiar gesture and lifted her face. ‘Not obvious? Or you didn’t want to be alone?’

‘No. And no. And women don’t understand themselves sometimes. But if you had told William that you dropped me off, told me to keep the dog to keep me safe and driven away, he might have had some advice.’

‘You’re so confident, and so unruffled. You take everything in your stride, even an unexpected lover on a really important business trip. I hate that I made you cry.’