Dark Room

of irritation in his eyes and Fraser thought, You poor bloody sod, I bet she sorted the sheets on your lap as if you were a mobile laundry basket.

'Did you happen to notice when Meg's car went? It's a dark green Ford Sierra. We've found it since in a street in Chelsea.'

'The Friday evening. Both cars went. Only the sports car came back.'

'With both Meg and Leo in it?'

'Yes.'

'Which makes sense. They were clearing the decks before they left on holiday.' He drummed his fingers on his knee and addressed his next question to Mrs. Helms. 'Did Meg give any indication on the Monday that they had postponed their departure for any reason?''

She pulled a face. 'Not really. She just rang the doorbell, thrust the key and the food at me, and said they were off to France. Very odd, I thought.'

'Did anything else strike you as odd?'

'Not really,' she said again. 'She hadn't done her hair, and her eyes were rather red, so I thought she might have been crying, but I put it down to a lovers' tiff.'

'Anything else?'

'Well, saying Marmaduke had to be kept prisoner in the hall was a bit odd. She'd never done that before. Poor little fellow, it's no way to keep a cat.'

Fraser frowned and flicked through his papers. 'Last time I spoke to you,' he murmured, isolating a page, 'you said Meg was insistent that Marmaduke shouldn't go into any of the rooms.'

'That's right.'

'But just now you said she wanted him kept prisoner in the hall.'

'Well, yes. Same difference.'

'Can you remember her actual words, Mrs. Helms?'

'Oh Lord. It's nearly three weeks ago.' She screwed her face in concentration. 'Let me see now. It was all over in half a second. 'You remember I said we were going to France, Mrs. Helms?' That's how she began. Well, of course, she'd never said anything of the sort but I was too polite to say so. 'And you promised you'd look after the cat?' she said next. Which annoyed me because I hadn't. I'd have said so, too, except she shoved the key and tin at me, and never gave me a chance to answer. 'The cat's imprisoned and will want to get out. Please be careful how you open the doors. I don't want any more damage done.' And that was all she said. And that's what I've done, though for the life of me I can't imagine why it was necessary. Damage never worried her before.'

'She said 'the cat' and not 'Marmaduke'?' The woman nodded. 'And you were outside on the doorstep?'

'That's right. She wouldn't come in.'

He pictured the little porch under the basement steps, and reali:zed then what had happened. Someone had been down there, listening, he thought. He tapped his pencil against his teeth. For Leo, read lion, read cat. 'Leo is imprisoned. Please be careful. I don't want any more damage done.' Jesus! What despair Meg must have felt, knowing her only chance resided in this irritatingly stupid woman. But if he was honest, would anyone have understood so cryptic a message?

'Okay.' He turned back to Mr. Helms. 'What did they do on the Saturday and Sunday. Do you know? Did you notice anyone coming to the door?'

His mouth worked. 'Her friend came,' he blurted. 'The tall one. Saturday night.' He raised a weak hand and dropped it onto his thigh. 'Banged on the door. Said: 'You must be mad. What the hell are you doing?' '

'Was it a woman?'

'Yes.'

'Jinx Kingsley?'

'Tall, dark. Drives a Rover Cabriolet. JIN 1-X.'

'When did she leave?'

But Mr. Helms shook his head. 'Anthea likes television. I'm not allowed to sit here all the time.'

'I should think not,' said his wife sharply. 'The neighbors would get quite the wrong idea if you did. They'd say I was neglecting you.'

Fraser flicked the man a sympathetic glance. 'Not to worry,' he said. 'Did you happen to notice any other visitors?' But Mr. Helms had told him all he could.

'We're on our way now,' said Detective Superintendent Cheever on a mobile link to his colleague in the Wiltshire police. 'It looks as if he's heading for the Nightingale. Got that? You'll send backup to the clinic. Agreed? We'll only talk to him about the murders after you've charged him on the assaults ... No, Adam Kingsley's on hold at the moment. I'm more interested in hearing what Miles has to say.'

THE NIGHTINGALE CLINIC, SALISBURY-2:30 P.M.

Miles stormed through Jinx's open French windows and flung himself into the vacant armchair with the sullen expression of a thwarted five-year-old. 'I suppose you've heard what he's done.'

'You mean his resignation?'

'Of course I mean his resignation,' he said in a mimicking falsetto. 'What the hell else would I mean?' He drummed his feet on the ground. 'God, I'm so angry. I don't know which of you I'd rather strangle at the moment. You realize you've buggered everything between you.'

'No,' she said calmly, lighting a cigarette. 'I can't say I do realize that. What exactly is buggered, Miles?'

'FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!' he yelled, his eyes narrowing to unattractive slits. 'We've lost everything, the house, everything.'