Cause of Death (26 page)

Andy swallowed hard, wishing he'd done as he should and accompanied Mac, or Frank, or someone else, anyone really, so that he'd not been here alone.

‘Ted, I think I need to call my boss. We need to get this down official like. A proper statement.'

Ted nodded. ‘Then our Stacey wanted me to move and I had to think what to do. Then I saw the story about the old bones they found at the aerodrome, and I thought, why not put my Kath's bones there too? Hiding in plain sight, if you see what I mean. But I knew I'd have to kind of do a bit at a time.'

‘You couldn't possibly have thought that would work, Ted.'

‘I didn't think,' Ted said. ‘I think that's the long and the short of it, I didn't think.' He paused, stirred what was left of his tea. ‘So, how do we do this?' he asked.

‘I suppose I'd better caution you,' Andy said.

‘Then you better had. I don't want you getting into trouble for not doing things properly.'

Andy took a deep breath. ‘Ted Eebry, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder. You don't have to say anything . . .'

Ted Eebry watched him closely, pain in his eyes, but something more. He wants my anger, Andy thought. Like he reckoned Kath did. He wants me to punish him.

Caution over, Andy took out his mobile phone and did what he should have done an hour before. He called his boss.

I
t was all a bit of a mess, Rina thought. She felt terribly sorry for Ted and his family, and terribly sorry also for young Andy.

‘My fault,' Mac said. ‘I left too much for him to do. He wasn't ready for something like this.' He paused at his favourite point of the promenade and looked out to sea.

‘Oh, he'll survive,' Rina said. ‘It will hurt for a good while, but he'll come out of it wiser and stronger.'

‘Will he?'

‘I believe so. What happened to Haines? He'll be charged?'

Mac nodded. ‘He has powerful legal representation, but the evidence is mounting. It will take time, but when Haines comes to trial it will be a major event.'

‘And Vashinsky?'

‘Ah, now Mr Vashinsky didn't make himself available. He's long gone.'

Rina was thoughtful. ‘Do you think there's a chance for Jerry and his wife?'

‘I doubt it,' Mac said. ‘But I suppose stranger things have happened. Have you talked to George yet?'

‘I have, yes. He says he doesn't want anything to do with it, but he'll come round. He's just upset and confused.'

‘Maybe it would be best if—'

‘If he turned down Karen's gift to him? Mac, he's going to have a hard enough time in the world as it is without imposing further penalties. If he wants to give the whole damned lot away to the local dog's home, well that will be his choice, but I'm not going to deny him options. That wouldn't be right.'

‘Do you think she's really gone this time?'

‘Karen? Oh, I think so. For the time being, at least. She's completed her mission as Stan calls it. Two bad men dead, others about to be punished and her little brother looked after. Not a bad mission, I wouldn't have thought.'

‘It's still murder, Rina. She is still the cause of their death. Others too.'

‘And Ted Eebry was the cause of Kath's.'

‘The difference being, Ted has spent the rest of his life grieving over it. I doubt Karen will even spare a thought now she's done. I had to tell Kendall what she said to Stan, about Brig Morten. If she ever comes back she'll be arrested, you know that. She's wanted by too many.'

‘You took your time telling him,' Rina observed. ‘Is there some part of you that hopes she'll stay hidden? That she won't ever be arrested?'

Mac shook his head. ‘Rina, I just don't want to have to be the one, you know? Frankly, I don't give much for my chances either, if I crossed Karen again.'

Rina admitted to herself that he was probably right. But despite everything, even despite the fact that Karen was capable of scaring her witless, Rina cherished a certain affection for the girl. She knew it was wrong, but she just couldn't help herself. Karen was alive and intense and it was scarily attractive.

So long, as Mac said, she kept her distance.

‘We should go back,' Rina said. ‘It's tea time and the boys have been baking. Miriam will be there ahead of us.'

‘You didn't tell me what the celebration was?'

‘Ah.' Rina smiled. ‘My agent called yesterday. The new series has got the go-ahead. We start shooting next spring.'

Mac stopped, took her arm. ‘Rina, I'm so pleased for you. But what will that mean? Are you leaving Frantham?'

She shook her head and patted the hand that lay tight about her elbow. ‘Oh, no. Frantham is home now, always will be I suspect. I have far too many dear friends here. I'll go and stay wherever we're filming and then come back in between. There's even talk of them looking around here for locations. Lydia Marchant was always more rural sleuth than big city crime fighter, so . . .'

Mac laughed and they turned and walked back along the familiar promenade. ‘It will do you good to get a proper job again,' he said. ‘Instead of all this amateur sleuthing.'

Rina punched him playfully on the arm. ‘I have never ever been an amateur at anything,' she said.

Her arm through Mac's, Rina basked in the contentment of the moment and the exciting times to come, and silently wished Karen well, wherever she might be.

TWO

¹
See Fragile Lives

TWELVE

¹
See
Night Vision
, a Naomi Blake mystery