remember saying anything to Seema. But she was a very good listener – she always seemed so sympathetic.’
‘You didn’t feel you could say anything to Piers,’ said Morgana. ‘Who else were you to turn to?’
‘And you are terribly indiscreet,’ said Dr. Muriel, offering the plate of tea cakes to Emily. ‘I knew that Emily had lost her job, for example, only hours after Emily herself had told you.’
‘Oh, Ems,’ said Victoria. ‘I know I offered you some work, but I think you might need to go back to the agency on Monday. I’m not sure we’ll be up and running at Showstoppers for a while. You know?’
‘That’s OK, Victoria,’ said Emily. ‘I’m used to it. Thanks for asking me, anyway. You did tell Seema about that video. Then when David tried to enrol Dolly at Showstoppers, it gave Seema the idea of sending the poison pen letters and hinting that David was responsible, to upset you.’
‘But what about Mr. Barrymore?’ said Victoria. ‘Yes, he was an ugly, bald fat man in an England shirt who tried to get me to give up my school premises so he could turn it into overpriced flats for young professionals – but that didn’t mean he deserved to die.’
‘He was the one who knocked Dizzy on the head,’ said Emily. ‘He’d been standing at the door to the office and overheard that there was a video you’d made with your boyfriend when you were a drama student. I think maybe he thought it would be, you know…’
‘Stimulating, rather than artistic,’ said Dr. Muriel, dabbing with a handkerchief at a spot of melted butter that had dripped onto her jersey.
‘He certainly seemed very keen to get a look at it,’ said Emily. ‘I can’t believe I thought David might have bashed Dizzy.’
‘It’s not such an outrageous idea,’ said Dr. Muriel. ‘After all, David Devereux does sometimes seem to be too good to be true.’
‘Never mind him,’ said Morgana. ‘Wasn’t there also a dog that died? Killing a dog is unforgiveable.’
‘I think Seema was responsible for the death of both landlord and dog,’ said Dr. Muriel. ‘The police are interviewing her now, of course. But I think they’ll discover her motive was to drive Victoria to have a nervous breakdown and hand over the daily running of the school to Seema, while also removing any worries about Showstoppers having to move to new premises, of course. It wasn’t very far from the school to the landlord’s cottage. Seema could have nipped down there at any time and tampered with the wiring – she seemed to fancy herself as something of dab hand electrician, on top of everything else.’
Emily continued, ‘The “rictus smile” on Barrymore’s and Precious’s faces was caused by the electric shocks they received when Seema went to the cottage and tampered with the wiring earlier this morning. Seema would have seen Dizzy swipe the video from her desk and then seen Mr Barrymore sneaking off after him–’
Dr. Muriel interrupted excitedly, ‘And she’d have known she had just enough time to go to the cottage and wire up the taps in the kitchen. The current passing through him would have made the landlord’s body stiffen, his hands gripping the taps and keeping him standing upright. It would have contorted his face into something that David Devereux might have mistaken for a smile as he walked past the kitchen window.’
‘Mr. Barrymore didn’t die laughing,’ said Emily, ‘though when you asked James, the police constable, and he didn’t deny it, Victoria, it fitted with your “dying of laughter” theory about the video. Of course, Seema knew it would.’
Dr. Muriel said to Victoria, ‘But still you refused to give up on the show and stand down from the school. So next Seema tried tinkering with the wiring at the school so that when the metal of your tap shoe struck the live wires poking out from just under the stage, you’d get a shock. The faulty wiring would be blamed on Mr. Barrymore or Dizzy, or
‘You didn’t feel you could say anything to Piers,’ said Morgana. ‘Who else were you to turn to?’
‘And you are terribly indiscreet,’ said Dr. Muriel, offering the plate of tea cakes to Emily. ‘I knew that Emily had lost her job, for example, only hours after Emily herself had told you.’
‘Oh, Ems,’ said Victoria. ‘I know I offered you some work, but I think you might need to go back to the agency on Monday. I’m not sure we’ll be up and running at Showstoppers for a while. You know?’
‘That’s OK, Victoria,’ said Emily. ‘I’m used to it. Thanks for asking me, anyway. You did tell Seema about that video. Then when David tried to enrol Dolly at Showstoppers, it gave Seema the idea of sending the poison pen letters and hinting that David was responsible, to upset you.’
‘But what about Mr. Barrymore?’ said Victoria. ‘Yes, he was an ugly, bald fat man in an England shirt who tried to get me to give up my school premises so he could turn it into overpriced flats for young professionals – but that didn’t mean he deserved to die.’
‘He was the one who knocked Dizzy on the head,’ said Emily. ‘He’d been standing at the door to the office and overheard that there was a video you’d made with your boyfriend when you were a drama student. I think maybe he thought it would be, you know…’
‘Stimulating, rather than artistic,’ said Dr. Muriel, dabbing with a handkerchief at a spot of melted butter that had dripped onto her jersey.
‘He certainly seemed very keen to get a look at it,’ said Emily. ‘I can’t believe I thought David might have bashed Dizzy.’
‘It’s not such an outrageous idea,’ said Dr. Muriel. ‘After all, David Devereux does sometimes seem to be too good to be true.’
‘Never mind him,’ said Morgana. ‘Wasn’t there also a dog that died? Killing a dog is unforgiveable.’
‘I think Seema was responsible for the death of both landlord and dog,’ said Dr. Muriel. ‘The police are interviewing her now, of course. But I think they’ll discover her motive was to drive Victoria to have a nervous breakdown and hand over the daily running of the school to Seema, while also removing any worries about Showstoppers having to move to new premises, of course. It wasn’t very far from the school to the landlord’s cottage. Seema could have nipped down there at any time and tampered with the wiring – she seemed to fancy herself as something of dab hand electrician, on top of everything else.’
Emily continued, ‘The “rictus smile” on Barrymore’s and Precious’s faces was caused by the electric shocks they received when Seema went to the cottage and tampered with the wiring earlier this morning. Seema would have seen Dizzy swipe the video from her desk and then seen Mr Barrymore sneaking off after him–’
Dr. Muriel interrupted excitedly, ‘And she’d have known she had just enough time to go to the cottage and wire up the taps in the kitchen. The current passing through him would have made the landlord’s body stiffen, his hands gripping the taps and keeping him standing upright. It would have contorted his face into something that David Devereux might have mistaken for a smile as he walked past the kitchen window.’
‘Mr. Barrymore didn’t die laughing,’ said Emily, ‘though when you asked James, the police constable, and he didn’t deny it, Victoria, it fitted with your “dying of laughter” theory about the video. Of course, Seema knew it would.’
Dr. Muriel said to Victoria, ‘But still you refused to give up on the show and stand down from the school. So next Seema tried tinkering with the wiring at the school so that when the metal of your tap shoe struck the live wires poking out from just under the stage, you’d get a shock. The faulty wiring would be blamed on Mr. Barrymore or Dizzy, or
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