The lunch invitation had been extended to Sukey and Agnetha so they drove in Martha’s car out towards the black and white half-timbered manor house where Simon had lived with Evelyn. Armenia and Jocasta had never really lived there as it had been bought after they had left home. Martha didn’t know if Simon had ever realized, but Evelyn had never really liked it. Bought as a status symbol, Evelyn had found it spooky and too big even with an army of cleaners and gardeners.
The place was immaculate. They drove down the gravelled drive, taking in the manicured lawns bordered by topiary yew bushes and beyond that the little stone archway which led to Evelyn’s favourite spot – the rose garden. Martha couldn’t see Christabel having much of an interest in roses. Still – you never knew. She pulled up outside the oak door and tugged at the bell.
Armenia opened the door, rolling her eyes. ‘What a bloody…’ she exploded then remembered her manners. ‘Hello, Martha. Lovely to see you. Sorry you’ve been dragged into all this.’
She was her mother in some ways, slim and elegant, but she lacked Evelyn’s soft warmth. Armenia was as brittle as glass. She was, though she would have denied it hotly, a clone of her father. Tough, stubborn, very determined, she was a force to be reckoned with.
She looked past Martha and gave a shriek. ‘Sukey Gunn,’ she said. ‘You’ve quite grown up. Right behind my back.’ She gave her a hug and Agnetha too. ‘Thank goodness you’re here,’ she said. ‘It’s been dire. My father. Oh.’ She threw her hands up in the air. ‘It’s ridiculous. I’m ashamed of him. Bloody little gold-digger. Thinks we can’t see right through her? Come on into the lions’ den.’
Martha followed her into the panelled hallway hung with a few ancient portraits. Nothing to do with Simon – he had come from humble beginnings – and they weren’t anything to do with Evelyn either. They had been bought at various salerooms up and down the country. Simon had a friend who was a clever and knowledgeable art dealer and he had purchased most of these through him. But the portraits had the desired effect. They made the house look like an old family seat which was the look Simon wanted.
Armenia was joined by her sister, Jocasta, who looked every bit as fed up as her sister. ‘Hi,’ she said gloomily. ‘Join the happy family – I don’t think.’ She led them into the sitting room.
Simon and Chrissi were sitting side by side on the sofa and frankly Chrissi looked terrified. Simon shot Martha a despairing look and stood up. ‘Glad you’re here,’ he said.
Chrissi gave her a swift smile. ‘Hello again,’ she said in her little girl’s voice.
Simon had a housekeeper, Hannah Scholz, a woman in her thirties who had come from what had once been East Germany. She had been a real find, very tidy and organized, a terrific cook and it seemed to Martha that she did the work of three women, keeping the house immaculate. She was also blessed with common sense and looked after Simon as she had looked after Evelyn right up until her end, adding nurse to all her other roles.
Hannah called them in to Sunday lunch, roast beef with all the trimmings. The distraction of serving food and eating, plus the usual conversation, did lighten the atmosphere at the table. Hannah kept her gaze away from Martha which probably meant that she did not want to join in on the condemnation of Christabel.
Afterwards they sat and talked and Martha began to see Christabel not as a young lovely woman or even a gold-digger but as a person, and she decided then that she would ring Simon later in the week and talk to him. She had a few thoughts to share with him.
DI Randall and PC Roberts had a couple of hours to walk around Malaga, which proved to be an interestingly ancient and historic city. Then they made their way back to the airport and boarded the plane. They spoke a little about their meeting with the Godfreys but Alex was anxious to speak to Martha.
One phrase that Vince Godfrey said had stuck uncomfortably in his mind.
But Petula had not had all she had wanted – if a husband’s fidelity counted for anything. So how would a woman like that respond to a husband who broke his wedding vows and was unfaithful? Might she feel he owed her something?
They had no children. Neither had expressed any regret over this but had stated the fact baldly, without inviting sympathy. Perhaps a truly selfish person was better off having no children.
Alex winced. Personally he would love to have had children.
Alex had the feeling that Vince had said more than he had meant. If he consulted Martha and related the conversations, he argued, he might have a woman’s take on it. Maybe.
He rang Martha first thing Monday morning and wasted no time on preamble, stating bluntly, ‘I wonder if I might come over and discuss this case with you?’
‘Of course, Alex. You know you’re always welcome to talk about cases with me. How was Spain?’
‘Not hot but we did see a little sunshine and enjoyed walking round Malaga. And of course we simply had to visit a bar for some
‘Fine. I’ve got something to tell you too,’ she said.
‘I forgot. Sorry. How was your weekend with your friend’s husband?’
‘Dire,’ she said. ‘Even worse than I’d expected. Civil war in the Pendlebury household, I’m afraid.’
‘Oh dear.’
He was round in less than half an hour before she’d really got stuck in to her morning’s work. Jericho let him in with a sour, grouchy look. Alex took no notice but went straight into Martha’s office.
‘Not much of a tan,’ she teased.
‘No.’
‘Now what can I do for you?’
He sat down in the chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him. ‘At some point, Martha,’ he said, ‘we’re going to have to decide whether to pursue this case or drop it.’
‘Ye-es,’ she said. ‘I realize that. But you know I always want to find out what the truth is. It doesn’t help that Mark Sullivan can’t be absolutely certain of “a” how long ago the child died, and “b” whether it was born alive and “c” whether it died from natural causes.’ She hesitated. ‘I take it the visit to the Godfreys wasn’t an out and out success then?’
‘Not really,’ he said. ‘They certainly didn’t admit to anything.’
‘What were they like?’
‘He’s obviously made a lot of money. Money he doesn’t quite know what to do with. I wouldn’t like to say how exactly he made so much money. It might simply be hard work but he seemed a shifty sort of guy to me. He was certainly relieved to see us leave. They have no children and he practically admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife.’
‘Oh dear,’ Martha said. ‘And before they lived in number 41?’
‘An elderly lady well into her eighties lived in the house before the Godfreys. She’d lived there for years and by the end was fairly incapacitated so obviously didn’t go into the loft in the last few years. If, say, one of her carers was pregnant, she could have hidden the baby up there without the old lady being aware. It’s possible. Vince Godfrey said she was demented by the time her relatives took her to live with them.’ He shifted in his seat. ‘Then there are the Godfreys themselves. Though they both said they had carried out extensive renovation to the property Vince Godfrey says he was not the one to box in the immersion tank. If Petula Godfrey had become pregnant there would have been no need and no point in concealing either the pregnancy or the baby. If she really hadn’t wanted a baby she could have had an abortion and if she was intending to keep the child she would have had proper antenatal care.’
He chewed his lip, frowning. ‘She admitted to having a couple of maids but denied that any one of them had become pregnant. She said she would have fired them.’ He stopped. ‘If one of her maids or one of her husband’s mistresses had become pregnant…?’
‘That’s a very sinister scenario,’ Martha said. ‘Do you really think? Are they capable of…?’ She looked at him. ‘You’ve met them,’ she said. ‘What do you think? That she murdered one of his mistresses and the baby too?’
‘It does seem incredible.’
‘Is there another body there? Or did the mistress escape leaving the baby behind? Surely not?’
‘I know, Martha, none if it does make sense but the fact is
