Come and Get Us!
My pulse returned to a more normal rate a minute or so later. Mindy was driving at a sensible speed, largely at my insistence, but also because I played along with her desire to be a spy or a sleuth or something and convinced her we needed to be invisible.
My boots, coat, and skirt were inside John Ramsey’s house – was that a problem? Probably. If the police found them, they could do a DNA test and prove they were my clothes. That I felt sure of. If the chief inspector was looking for a way to even the score with me, I was making it easy for him.
I still felt sick from the worry of it.
‘Where to now, Auntie?’ Mindy asked. Before I could answer, she thought of something else to ask me. ‘You were looking for Amber earlier at the print shop, weren’t you?’
She was bright enough to have put it together. I nodded. ‘I dropped her off first thing this morning so she could spy on them and let me know what was going on there.’
Mindy gasped with excitement. ‘Oh, my goodness! That is so clever. You’ve got a spy cat!’
‘And an Adventure Dog!’ barked Buster.
Mindy gasped, ‘We need to go back and find out what she knows.’ My niece was completely overawed by her day.
I sighed, utterly defeated by my morning. ‘I think we need to collect her and go to my house. I need to get a shower and put on some of my own clothes. After that, I need to go back to the boutique and stop pretending to be a private investigator. I’m a wedding planner and I should stick to what I know.’
Mindy looked heartbroken. ‘But Auntie this has been so much fun. I thought we needed to solve the case so we could clear your name and get one over on the chief inspector and that man you don’t like.’
‘Vince,’ I reminded her of his name. ‘That was the plan,’ I admitted. ‘It just wasn’t a very clever one. I need to stick to what I am good at. All this snooping around is going to give me a heart attack.’
‘But …’
‘No.’ I put hard emphasis on the word. ‘Please take me home, Mindy. I will get my car and meet you at the Boutique. I can arrange for the Escort to be collected from Aylesford and will find Amber. Justin will have work for you.’
Mindy bit her lip, wanting to argue but knowing she shouldn’t.
My phone rang, interrupting any chance she had to argue further.
I didn’t recognise the number, so when I answered it, I said, ‘Felicity Philips, professional wedding planner to the stars. How may I help you?’ I flicked the speaker button so Mindy could learn from me as I spoke with a client.
I got a beat of silence from the other end before a familiar voice said, ‘Mrs Philips.’
A ball of fear filled my core instantly. The chief inspector was calling, and his voice bore a tone that made him sound like a snake talking to a mouse.
‘Yes,’ I replied, but my voice caught, and the response came out as a squeak.
‘I have an officer at the house of John Ramsey in Godmersham,’ I closed my eyes and prayed. ‘He reports that he was assaulted by a middle-aged, petite lady. She had black hair and was accompanied by a tan and white bulldog and a young lady wearing nothing on her lower half.’ Mindy blushed. ‘He further reports that his attackers first broke into a house and he was pursuing them in the course of his duty when he was set upon.’ God wasn’t answering my prayers today, it seemed. ‘Would you happen to know anything about that, Mrs Philips?’ he asked.
I remained silent. Not because I wanted to avoid saying anything that might incriminate me, but because I just couldn’t make my tongue work.
Chief Inspector Quinn said, ‘I shall take your silence as a confession.’
‘No,’ I blurted. ‘It’s not what it looks like.’
‘Were you in John Ramsey’s house?’ the chief inspector snapped, his voice sharp and demanding. When I didn’t answer straight away, he said, ‘Some clothing was found on the premises, Mrs Philips. Can I ask what size you are?’
‘No, you most certainly cannot,’ I replied indignantly.
‘Then I shall guess that it is your clothing. My officer reports that the clothing is covered in food waste, which explains, I suppose, why you took it off. Why were you in John Ramsey’s house, Mrs Philips? Are you trying to destroy evidence?’
‘What? No! I haven’t done anything wrong, Chief Inspector. I was only at the house to find something that would show you what is really going on here. If you didn’t think I was responsible for John’s death, I would be in my boutique right now arranging weddings. Instead, I’m trying to solve a crime you think I committed.’
With irritating calm, especially given how fast and panicked I was talking, he said, ‘Mrs Philips, in the last twenty-four hours, two business partners of yours have suffered terrible accidents and I can place you in the vicinity of both men immediately before they met their fates. You have broken into two properties that I know of and you are now guilty of assaulting a police officer. I believe you are now trying to bury what evidence there might be to tie you to the crimes. What will Derek Bleakwith reveal when he regains consciousness?’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My brain was going all swirly and I might have fallen had I not already been sitting. I managed to stammer a reply, ‘That I had nothing to do with his fall, Chief Inspector. That is what he will say. I didn’t tamper with John’s car
