wished I had never come.”
“He’s like that, old James. Confirmed bachelor.”
“But he married that Raisin woman.”
“Didn’t last, did it?”
“And what about you? Are you a confirmed bachelor?”
“Been married once. That was enough. Still, you never know when I might change my mind. Now, tell me about how you managed to survive.”
So Deborah told him, almost automatically, while her mind was calculating the advantages of being the next Lady Fraith. She would have a title. She would open fetes and things.
When she had finished, Charles asked, “When do you get out of here?”
“Tomorrow.”
“I could drive you home.”
“That’s kind of you, but I don’t want to leave my car down here.” Deborah hadn’t quite given up on James Lacey. “I may stay on for a few days until I completely recover. What about you?”
“I’ll probably be around for a few days as well. We could have dinner or something, if you feel up to it.”
“That would be wonderful.”
Agatha left her room a mess of discarded clothes when she went to join James that evening. She had reluctantly discarded items like high heels, short skirts and blouses with plunging necklines for a warm sweater and trousers, walking shoes and coat.
James was elated and full of energy. Agatha wondered how she could prompt him into saying what he had been going to say.
The town hall was a red brick Victorian monstrosity that not even John Betjeman could love. The hall was full.
Lined up on the platform and fronted by the mayor wearing his gold chain of office were several middle-aged and elderly men in dark suits. Agatha assumed they were the town councillors. To the left of the stage three men in very expensive suits and suntans were seated observing the proceedings. James pointed at them. “I bet they’re from Regan Enterprises,” he said.
The mayor began by making a speech about all the benefits the casino would bring to the town. Then he asked for questions. A woman rose to protest. She said they didn’t want a casino. They had enough trouble with drugs without encouraging young people to get a gambling addiction. There was a roar of applause.
The mayor, a fat balding man with a pompous air, ridiculed her, saying that because of people like her, job opportunities would be lost and the town would never get that much-needed sea wall.
He answered each question in the same way until gradually the hall fell silent.
“Agatha!” said James suddenly.
But Agatha Raisin was on her feet marching towards the platform. She mounted the steps at the side and took the microphone from the startled mayor’s hand.
“Are you all sheep?” she cried. “Stand up to these bullies. Sea wall, indeed. What do you pay these tremendous council taxes for? There should be enough in the kitty to build one. Why should pensioners starve to pay the damned council tax and then get this idea of a casino pushed onto them?”
There was a tremendous roar of applause. An elderly pensioner got to his feet and shouted above the noise, “You sock it to them.”
“I think there should also be a full examination to make sure any money for this casino is clean. That is solely my opinion. Remember the case of the IRA man who was laundering money through buying property in Manchester?”
To James’s alarm, he saw two burly security men hurrying towards the stage. He got to his feet.
“So I’ll put it to a vote,” shouted Agatha. “If you don’t want this casino and think that the council should pay for a sea defence, raise your hands.”
A forest of hands went up.
The two security men rushed onto the platform, wrenched the microphone from Agatha’s hand and began to drag her off the stage.
James confronted them. “Leave her alone.”
“Get lost,” said one, releasing Agatha to swing a punch at James. James socked him on the jaw and he went down. Agatha belted the other one on the face with her capacious handbag.
“Let’s get out of here,” she panted.
Carried on a wave of tumultuous cheers, they hurried from the hall with flashes from the cameras of the local press photographers going off in their faces.
“Run,” said James. “We’ll get my car and get out of this town for the rest of the evening.”
They arrived panting at the garage, got into James’s car and drove off.
“You are a wretched woman,” said James with a laugh. “But, by God, you were magnificent tonight. You’ve put yourself even more at risk than you ever were before. We’ll need to think what to do with you.”
“I’m not running away,” said Agatha.
“We’ll talk about it over dinner. We’ll go to Brighton. By the time we get back, it should be quiet.”
“I should really have waited for the press,” said Agatha. “It pays to advertise and I’ve got a business to run.”
“You’ve said it all. Let’s just hope Regan Enterprises don’t sue.”
“I said ‘in my opinion.’ They haven’t a leg to stand on.”
“We’ll see. But unless these casino people have the local police in their pockets, I think after what you said appears in the papers, they might feel obliged to look closely at Regan Enterprises.”
Over dinner in a pub, Agatha at last found the courage to ask, “What was it you’ve been trying to say to me?”
James took a deep breath. “I just wanted to say I was sorry I brought you to such a dreadful place for a holiday and I’m sorry I went off like that and left you.”
A broad smile lit Agatha’s face. “Apology accepted.”
He felt suddenly embarrassed. “Do you think I could get a bowl of ice? My hand’s throbbing dreadfully. In the movies, the hero socks everyone in sight and yet his hands don’t seem to suffer.”
“Poor you,” said Agatha, feeling very wifely. She signalled to a waitress and ordered some ice. Then she tried to fight down the reanimation of her feelings for James. That way led to hurt. She had been enjoying her previous detachment from him.
She began to talk about Regan Enterprises. “Do you know anyone in the City who could find out anything?”
“I’ve got a stockbroker friend. I could call him.”
The ice arrived. He wrapped some in a napkin and pressed it against his knuckles.
Then he suddenly smiled at Agatha.
“Well, here we are again,” he said.
TEN
“THERE’S so much to find out,” said Agatha, taking out a small notebook. “First: How much was Geraldine worth, and who inherits? Could be her dear old buddy Cyril. Second: Must check up how Fred’s businesses are doing. Third: Does Hammond have a criminal record? And fourth: Who’s behind Regan Enterprises?”
“I’ll phone my stockbroker friend in the morning and see if he can dig up anything on Regan Enterprises for me,” said James. “You forgot a fifth thing.”
“What’s that?”
“That mysterious flask of coffee in your room. Have the police found out if anything was in it? You have a
