She gave a little shrug and walked ahead of them into the I living-room.
“So,” began Agatha, settling herself on a sofa next to Roy, “can you remember anything at all about the attack?”
“Not a thing,” said Joanna. “One minute I was sitting in front of Kylie’s computer, and then the next, I was struck on the head and that’s the last I remember until I came to in hospital.”
Agatha decided to pretend that John had not told them anything. “I heard that you were seen one evening in Barrington’s I car, going along the High Street.”
Joanna rose to her feet and took some dead flowers out of a vase and put them in the garbage bin. She returned and at I down. “Sorry. Just tidying up. You were saying?”
Agatha repeated it. “John asked me about that,” said Joanna. “What did he tell you?”
“He didn’t tell us anything,” said Agatha.
“It was simply that Mr. Barrington had to collect some files from home before going on to Birmingham. He said he would pick them up and then run me home.”
“Was this unexpected?” asked Agatha. “I mean, had he offered to run you home before?”
“Never.”
“So why this time?”
“Why, why, why?” demanded Joanna angrily. “I happened to be leaving as he was leaving. That’s all.”
Joanna’s faced was flushed and she was staring at the floor.
“No, I don’t think that’s all,” said Agatha. “We’re not the police. Why don’t you get it off your chest?”
Joanna glared at her. “That rat told you.”
Identifying the rat as John, Agatha smiled enigmatically.
“So it was a brief fling until he dumped me for Kylie,” Joanna spat out.
“You must have hated her.”
“She was a grasping silly bitch.”
“A blackmailing silly bitch, too,” said Agatha. “You didn’t try to blackmail him yourself?”
“What do you take me for?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t in a million years have supposed you would have an affair with a man like Barrington.”
“He promised to marry me. He said he would take me on holiday. It’s all right for a rich old cow like you – ”
“Watch your mouth!”
“Anyway,” said Joanna sulkily, “you don’t know what it’s like never to have travelled, never to be able to afford to go to good restaurants, buying clothes in thrift shops. These old men are all the same. I hate old people.” Her eyes suddenly lit up with malice.
“John Armitage was another one. He wanted me to move in with him. Can you believe it? But I knew he would turn out like Barrington, so I turned him down. It’s no use asking him about it; he’ll deny it.”
“I’m sure he will,” said Roy. “Do you think Barrington was involved in any way with Kylie’s death? He may not have done it himself but he could have paid someone to do it.”
“He probably did. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
“I don’t think so,” interrupted Roy. “I mean, he had paid her the hush money and it was in her account.”
“She could have asked for more.”
“I think that will be all for the moment.” Agatha stood up.
“I think that’ll be all forever,” said Joanna. “Get out and don’t come back.”
¦
“Wow,” said Roy as they retreated to the nearest pub. “What did you think of all that? I don’t think for a moment that Armitage made a pass at her.”
“Oh, really? Then why didn’t he tell us?”
“Probably did fancy her and felt like a fool when he found out she was just a little gold-digger. I must say, they all seem a horrible bunch of girls.”
“The Russians have a saying: The fish always rots from the head down. You have a rotten boss and you get rotten staff.”
“Do you think, Agatha, that the business is really successful? There’s all that about his wife having the money.”
“I’m weary.”
“We shouldn’t give up. Are there any of these girls that seem decent and ordinary to you?”
“There’s Ann Trump. Lives with her parents. Seems straightforward enough.”
“Let’s try her.”
¦
Once they were both seated facing Ann Trump some ten minutes later, Agatha, once more wearing her disguise, began to wonder how to broach the subject of Kylie Stokes and Joanna Trump. Ann was so obviously thrilled to be receiving yet another visit from the ‘television people.’
At last, after Agatha had pretended to take copious notes on Ann’s life, she said, “How do you get on with the other girls in the office?”
“Oh, we rub along, you know.”
“You must all be feeling afraid after what happened to I Joanna.”
“Yes, isn’t it scary? But, I mean, whoever attacked her won’t try again. And she was evidently checking Kylie’s e-mail.”
“I want to ask you a personal question. Did your boss ever I come on to you?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You mean, Mr. Barrington? No, he didn’t. Until I heard about him and Kylie, I’d never have I thought he’d do anything like that.”
Agatha hesitated. Did she owe Joanna any loyalty? No. “Did you know that he also had an affair, a very brief affair, with Joanna?”
“Why, that dirty old man! And Joanna! Always a bit prim and proper. I mean, she’d always come along for a drink with us, if one of us had a birthday. But she’d never really join in. She’d always be the first to leave the pub.”
“What about the night of the hen party?”
“She stayed to the end, until we all walked into Evesham I and split up. Phyllis wasn’t there but then she had it in for Kylie because of Zak. Hey, do you think it might have been Phyllis who struck Joanna?”
“Why would she do that?”
“I dunno. I begin to think I don’t know anything. I mean, if Mr. Barrington hit on Joanna and Kylie, he might have tried it on with Phyllis. Wait till I see Joanna when she gets back to work. I’ll take her down a peg or two.”
Agatha said uneasily, “Please don’t do that. Do treat what we say to you in the utmost confidence. If you are going to be on television, it is essential that you know how to be discreet.”
“I won’t breathe a word.” Ann’s eyes shone at the thought of being on television. Again Agatha felt that stab of conscience.
¦
“Didn’t get anything out of that,” remarked Roy, after they had left.
“I really want to drop the whole thing,” said Agatha. “I hope she doesn’t tell Joanna anything.”
“Why?”
“I’m afraid of Joanna. She knows my real identity and she knows where I live.”
“Were you as taken in with her as John obviously was?”
“Yes, I really did think she was a cut above the other girls. She certainly fooled me. I think we’d better call on Freda Stokes. She might know if the police have found out anything.”
Freda was at home and pleased to see them. She listened carefully as Agatha told her everything they had found out.
“The police don’t know about Joanna and Barrington. Should I tell them?” asked Freda.
“Not at the moment because they would want to know how I you found out and that would land us in trouble. Have they told you what lines they are working on?”
