“How did you know Prue Betts?” said Lois.
“The club scene in Tresham. I’ve hung around there, and she was one of those young kids whose parents should lock ‘em up. Crazy for anything male, and swallowed anything offered. She looked on me as a father figure, I suppose.”
“Don’t make me laugh!” said Lois loudly. “Father figure? A little squirt like you?”
“No need to be offensive, Mrs M,” said Gary feebly. “Well, anyway, it was a disaster, as you probably know.”
“And the other questions…where is Joanne Murphy now, and where is that car?”
Gary shook his head. “I honestly don’t know,” he said. “I’d tell you if I knew, what with your Derek’s accident…but I really don’t know. Could be they’ve vamoosed, but I’ve no idea where.”
“And the car?” said Lois.
Gary shrugged. “Easy enough to make it vanish. That minder of hers – his name’s Tony, by the way – is an expert, I believe.”
Lois sat back in her chair and looked down at her hands. He was lying, of course. He knew far more than he had told her, and she had to find a way of making him tell. What did she really need to know most of all? Who killed the major and Dick Reading, and why. That was the nub of it. She began again.
“Gary, like I said, I know you’re in trouble. For some God knows what reason, I’d like to help you. But I can’t do that unless you’re honest with me. You and Hazel have some kind of relationship, I know that. Hazel is the daughter of my best friend, and I don’t want to see her out cold on a tomb in Dalling church. Or you, come to that.”
“Or tied to a tree, with an apple on my head,” said Gary slowly.
Oh my God, thought Lois. He has all the answers. Shall I just turn him over to Cowgill and wash my hands of him? No, she couldn’t do that, though she would hate to have to defend her decision to Derek.
“So what do I need to know to stop that happening?” she said.
“You, Mrs M?” said Gary desperately. “There’s nothing you can do. It’s all grinding on like some giant steamroller. I reckon I might be next in its path…” At that, he began to tremble, and stood up, looking wildly round him. “Sorry…” he said, and then his knees buckled and he fell quite neatly to the floor.
? Terror on Tuesday ?
Thirty-Six
Between them, Lois and Gran brought Gary round and got him stretched out on the sofa in the sitting room. Gran fussed around with cups of sweet tea and cushions, and Lois sat on a chair and looked at Gary closely. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get a doctor?” she said. “Have you done this before?”
Gary nodded. “Ever since I was a kid,” he said, but Lois suspected he was lying. She would give him another ten minutes, leave him by himself, and then make the decision. “It’s something to do with circulation,” Gary added casually. He made a brave attempt at a smile. “Sorry, Mrs M,” he said. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine.”
“But not fine enough to drive home,” said Lois firmly. “I’m going in to see Derek, and I’ll give you a lift. You can leave your car here, and we’ll arrange something for tomorrow. Sheila can pick you up on the way to the surgery, if you’re OK, and then drop you off here to collect your car after work.”
“No, I’ll be able to drive back. I always recover quickly…” He tailed off when he saw Lois’s expression. “Well, OK then, I’ll come with you and do as you say. You’re the boss,” he added wryly, and Lois reflected that he was the kind of idiot who spends his whole life being ordered about by women…Joanne Murphy included.
It was as Gary had said. Half an hour later he seemed perfectly restored, and happily helped Gran in the kitchen until Lois was ready to go. “What a nice young man!” Gran whispered as Lois got her things together. “Just needs a bit of looking after, if you ask me.”
Lois said nothing. She felt far from motherly towards Gary, but for the moment had decided to let things continue as usual.
One question remained unanswered. What exactly was his relationship with Hazel? In a way, it was none of her business, especially if they’d just had a fling and were still friends. But if the connection between them was part of the network of illegal activity at the theatre and beyond, then she needed to know. Hazel was working for Cowgill, certainly, but the girl wouldn’t be the first to sit on both sides of the fence. Double agent, thought Lois, and grinned. Blimey, that was going it a bit.
“Cheerio, Mum,” she said. “Shouldn’t be late back. And bringing good news, I hope.” She kissed her mother on the cheek, and was unexpectedly hugged tight.
“Look after yourself,” Gran said. “And don’t forget to say goodbye to the kids. They’re in the garden.”
Lois and Gary drove into Tresham in silence. He reminded her of the way to his house, and when she stopped outside his gate he did not get out immediately. Instead, he turned and looked at her. “Thanks, Mrs M,” he said. “Sorry about all that. And don’t forget, I work for you and I like your set-up. And,” he added, opening the car door, “I’m not such a shit as you think I am.” He was running up the drive before she could answer.
¦
As Lois walked down the corridors, now only too familiar, she did a rapid sift through Gary’s jobs, just in case he was not up to scratch tomorrow. New Brooms now had a full schedule of clients, and she had begun to consider taking on another couple of cleaners. New enquiries came in every day, and she had had to turn one or two down last week.
“Hello, gel,” said Derek, and got up from the chair by the window to greet her.
“Oh, Derek!” she said, and dropped bags and magazines on the floor to give him the best kiss she could manage without touching his bruises and bandages. “Look at you!” she said. “On your feet and back to normal!”
“Well, not quite,” said the nurse coming in behind Lois and smiling at the pair. “But he is doing very well, Mrs Meade,” she added. “The doctor wants a word with you before you go. He’ll be round shortly, and I know you’ll be pleased with his report.”
“Does that mean…?” Lois asked tentatively, but the nurse shook her head. “Wait for Doctor,” she said. “He won’t be long.”
When she’d gone, Lois asked Derek if that meant he could come home.
He nodded. “If you can stand it,” he said. “Shan’t be able to do much for a while, and I expect I’ll get under your feet. But Gran’ll still be there, won’t she?”
“Derek Meade!” said Lois, so loudly that a nurse put her head round the door enquiringly.
“All well?” she said. Lois said yes, thank you, everything was perfectly fine. She turned back to Derek. “Now listen to me, young man,” she said. “The minute they say you can come home, that is my first priority. And that goes for the rest of us, as well. Gran is staying indefinitely, it seems, and the kids will be over the moon. Between us, we’ll look after you so well you’ll never want to go to work again.”
He took her hands. “I love you, you know, Lois,” he said. “I love you all, but you best. You were my first love, gel.”
“And I’d better be your last, too,” Lois answered in a choked voice. “Come on, you great softie, let’s look in this bag and see what goodies Gran has sent.”
When the doctor came, he talked seriously to them both, and confirmed that if Derek took it very easy, and the family could manage, he’d complete his recovery much more quickly at home. “We’ll arrange nurses to change dressings and you’ll have to come back to the clinic a couple of times,” he said. “But if all’s well with you, Mrs Meade, Derek can come home tomorrow.”
¦
When Lois returned home, there was a message on her office answerphone that gave a momentary shock. She played it again. It was from Brown’s, the estate agents in Tresham. “Hello, New Brooms,” a bright voice said. “Can you give me a ring? We’ve got a house going on the market, needs a really good clean and tidy-up. It’s in Waltonby, and been empty for a while. Used to belong to Major Todd-Nelson – p’rhaps you saw the story about him? Anyway, we’d be glad to hear from you as soon as possible…Brown’s of Tresham…” and she added the telephone number too fast for Lois to write it down.
