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Authors: Sally Quilford
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Pendleton's
maiden name was Trefusis. I'd bet anything that she was related to Colonel
Trefusis. And Turner said something about someone murdering their uncle for
twenty thousand pounds, then stealing a car and driving away. Oh it's all
fitting together, Drew.”
“Wouldn't people in Midchester have known if Colonel
Trefusis had a relative who was murdered? It's not the sort of thing one can
hide.”
“Aunty Peg said that people hardly knew him in
Midchester. They hadn't had time to pry. He'd only lived there a few weeks when
he was murdered. Remember, Edith was just about to start work for him. He'd
barely set up his household. And even if people had connected him to Queenie
Pendleton, he only had to deny it for the gossip to stop. I remember him, you
know. Vaguely. He seemed at the time to be a lonely, unhappy man.”
“No, darling, I think you're just believing that now
because you believe he's related to Queenie Patterson.”
“Edith would be just the right age,” said Meredith
thoughtfully. She was trying to ignore the fact that Drew had called her darling,
but the warm tingle in her spine wasn’t going to let her forget.
“Don't you think Trefusis would have known if he was
employing his own relative?”
“Perhaps he did know. Perhaps he just wanted to help
her. Then Edith arrived earlier than she pretended, killed him, inherited his
money...”
“Then with twenty thousand pounds in the bank,
worked as a housekeeper for the vicar?”
“Yes, but she’s in love with Peter Mortimer. Anyone
can see that. She’d be his slave if he asked her to be.”
“Make up your mind, Meredith. She's either a matricidal
witch, intent on attaining a fortune, or she's a hopeless romantic, willing to
hang around the place where she's just murdered someone else so she can keep an
eye on the love of her life.”
“We're not dealing with a rational person here,
Drew. If she's a psychopathic killer...”
“Why psychopathic? I thought she murdered Trefusis
for the money.” Drew frowned.
“But that’s not why she killed her mother, if she
did. Who knows why she did that?”
“Unless her mother had a fortune to leave her. But,”
Drew ran his hands through his hair. “Didn't Edith's mother die just before
Edith came to work for Trefusis?”
“She could be lying. So that no one knows her mother
died many years earlier than that.”
Drew looked at his watch. “If we're going to make
dinner with the Mortimers, and talk to Bert first, we'd best be going.”
“Just give me a moment to write this down,” said
Meredith, taking her notebook out of her handbag. “And I need to drop in on
Aunty Peg. You can come if you want. We can tell her what we know so far.”
Chapter Six
When they returned to Midchester they found Betty
working alone in the strawberry field. Drew and Meredith picked up a punnet
each from the table at the entrance, paid their money, and went into the field.
“I'm beginning to feel like that Agatha Christie
book,” said Betty, pouting. “The one where all those people on the island die
off one by one.”
“When did you last see Bert?” asked Meredith.
“This morning. We had a row...” Betty paused. “Miss
Bradbourne...”
“Call me Meredith.”
“Meredith, can I talk to you alone for a bit? Sorry,
Drew, but there's some things I can't discuss with you.”
Meredith felt a brief swell of pride. It was nice to
know she had her uses.
“I'll go and pick some strawberries for Aunty Peg,”
said Drew, wandering off to another lane somewhere in the distance.
Meredith knelt down next to Betty, and started
picking a few strawberries herself, so that she wouldn't get Betty into
trouble. “What is it Betty?”
“I don't know what to do for the best,” said Betty,
her eyes filling with tears. “You see, I love Jimmy, but I think I'd be better
with Bert. He's got an O-level. In
maiden name was Trefusis. I'd bet anything that she was related to Colonel
Trefusis. And Turner said something about someone murdering their uncle for
twenty thousand pounds, then stealing a car and driving away. Oh it's all
fitting together, Drew.”
“Wouldn't people in Midchester have known if Colonel
Trefusis had a relative who was murdered? It's not the sort of thing one can
hide.”
“Aunty Peg said that people hardly knew him in
Midchester. They hadn't had time to pry. He'd only lived there a few weeks when
he was murdered. Remember, Edith was just about to start work for him. He'd
barely set up his household. And even if people had connected him to Queenie
Pendleton, he only had to deny it for the gossip to stop. I remember him, you
know. Vaguely. He seemed at the time to be a lonely, unhappy man.”
“No, darling, I think you're just believing that now
because you believe he's related to Queenie Patterson.”
“Edith would be just the right age,” said Meredith
thoughtfully. She was trying to ignore the fact that Drew had called her darling,
but the warm tingle in her spine wasn’t going to let her forget.
“Don't you think Trefusis would have known if he was
employing his own relative?”
“Perhaps he did know. Perhaps he just wanted to help
her. Then Edith arrived earlier than she pretended, killed him, inherited his
money...”
“Then with twenty thousand pounds in the bank,
worked as a housekeeper for the vicar?”
“Yes, but she’s in love with Peter Mortimer. Anyone
can see that. She’d be his slave if he asked her to be.”
“Make up your mind, Meredith. She's either a matricidal
witch, intent on attaining a fortune, or she's a hopeless romantic, willing to
hang around the place where she's just murdered someone else so she can keep an
eye on the love of her life.”
“We're not dealing with a rational person here,
Drew. If she's a psychopathic killer...”
“Why psychopathic? I thought she murdered Trefusis
for the money.” Drew frowned.
“But that’s not why she killed her mother, if she
did. Who knows why she did that?”
“Unless her mother had a fortune to leave her. But,”
Drew ran his hands through his hair. “Didn't Edith's mother die just before
Edith came to work for Trefusis?”
“She could be lying. So that no one knows her mother
died many years earlier than that.”
Drew looked at his watch. “If we're going to make
dinner with the Mortimers, and talk to Bert first, we'd best be going.”
“Just give me a moment to write this down,” said
Meredith, taking her notebook out of her handbag. “And I need to drop in on
Aunty Peg. You can come if you want. We can tell her what we know so far.”
Chapter Six
When they returned to Midchester they found Betty
working alone in the strawberry field. Drew and Meredith picked up a punnet
each from the table at the entrance, paid their money, and went into the field.
“I'm beginning to feel like that Agatha Christie
book,” said Betty, pouting. “The one where all those people on the island die
off one by one.”
“When did you last see Bert?” asked Meredith.
“This morning. We had a row...” Betty paused. “Miss
Bradbourne...”
“Call me Meredith.”
“Meredith, can I talk to you alone for a bit? Sorry,
Drew, but there's some things I can't discuss with you.”
Meredith felt a brief swell of pride. It was nice to
know she had her uses.
“I'll go and pick some strawberries for Aunty Peg,”
said Drew, wandering off to another lane somewhere in the distance.
Meredith knelt down next to Betty, and started
picking a few strawberries herself, so that she wouldn't get Betty into
trouble. “What is it Betty?”
“I don't know what to do for the best,” said Betty,
her eyes filling with tears. “You see, I love Jimmy, but I think I'd be better
with Bert. He's got an O-level. In
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