Murder for Good by Veronica Heley

Author:Veronica Heley [Veronica Heley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Published: 2019-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Late Friday afternoon

Lesley hastened to Ellie’s side. ‘My dear, whatever is the matter?’

Ellie tried to speak and failed. Found a hankie and used it. ‘Sorry, sorry. Such a cry-baby. Lesley, Thomas is in hospital, and they don’t know why and they’re doing tests and they’ve sent us home. It’s probably just a stomach ulcer, but he looks dreadful and I’m so afraid!’

‘There, there. Thomas is strong. I’m sure he’ll be all right.’

Ellie sobbed. ‘Nothing’s right! Diana’s going to accuse me of murder!’

Lesley was shocked. ‘Diana’s going to do what?’

Ellie was too wound up to stop now that she had started. ‘She says I murdered Monique, which I didn’t, I swear I didn’t. How could I have done so, anyway? I haven’t seen her for months. Diana makes herself believe whatever she wants to believe and oh, I can’t bear it!’

‘Wait a minute! I don’t understand. I’ve been told to speak to you because someone rang the police station to say Thomas had been embezzling funds, which I didn’t believe for a minute, but murder? That’s so ridiculous it’s … Words fail me! Let’s sit down and you can tell me all about it.’

Rafael said, ‘I’ll make a pot of tea, shall I?’ He departed for the kitchen quarters.

Ellie couldn’t stop talking. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so stupid, but it’s been a terrible few days, and when Diana said that … She wants money as always, and when she found out that Monique has left me some … Do you remember Monique? Perhaps you don’t. She was Evan’s first wife, long divorced and she’s left all this money not to me but the trust, and Diana’s furious and she said she was going to tell the police that—’

‘From the beginning,’ said Lesley, steering Ellie into the sitting room and depositing her in her high-backed chair.

Ellie struggled to speak clearly. ‘Diana’s going to say that I killed Monique, because I wouldn’t help her. Wouldn’t help Diana, I mean. Financially. As if I could, because it has to go through the trust, anyway, and they wouldn’t agree to help Diana. Why should they? And I didn’t kill Monique. I don’t even know exactly when she died!’

Lesley pulled up a chair and held her hand. ‘Take a deep breath, girl! Get a grip.’

Ellie gulped and tried to calm herself down. ‘Sorry, sorry. I know it’s ridiculous, and Diana does too, really. At least, she would if she were thinking straight, but I do see that she’s in a bit of a hole. What’s happened is that they bought an option on a piece of land by the river, thinking they could get permission to develop it. Now they need to complete the deal but can’t, so they’ll lose what they’ve already invested. It sounds as if their finances are in a dreadful mess and they ought never to have committed themselves to such a deal, but what do I know about such things, anyway?’

Rafael clanked in with the hostess trolley. Teapot, mugs instead of cups and saucers, milk, sugar and the biscuit tin.

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