Country Plot (40 page)

‘A car came too close to me in the lane and I fell. Bruised my leg.' He seemed about to say something else, so she handed him the stills to distract him. ‘Here,' she said.

He looked at them one by one, pausing over what she thought of as the snogging scene, but he did not allow his expression to alter one whit, not even when he saw the going-into-the-bedroom one. He might have been carved from stone.

‘I'm sorry,' she said. ‘Really sorry. I know it must hurt you—'

‘We won't talk about that,' he said, and it was an order. He stared at the trees again. ‘I need to know what her involvement is,' he said. ‘Why is she doing this? What has she to gain? How much does she know? Or is it—?' He didn't finish that sentence, but she knew how it would have gone:
or is it just that she's in love with him?
‘I suppose,' he went on dully, ‘the thing to do is to ask her. But how can I? How can I admit to having looked at these?' He flipped the pictures with a contemptuous hand.

She wanted to save him. ‘I'm waiting to hear from Harry,' she said. ‘He's going to ask Caroline what she's up to, make her tell him by using – using the pictures.'

‘Why would she do that?' he asked grimly. ‘There's nothing much to this, except – except between her and me.'

‘He's got more,' Jenna said wretchedly. ‘Much more. Not just to compromise her with you, but to compromise Sullivan with the world. He says it's dynamite. He'd never get to be an MP.'

‘Blackmail,' said Xander. ‘I must say, you and your chum Harry have some nice habits. You know that blackmail's illegal, I suppose?'

‘I didn't agree with it,' Jenna said, desperate not to have him look at her like that. ‘Not all of it. But Harry's doing it for himself anyway. He wants to know what's going on. I couldn't have stopped him.'

‘You wouldn't have wanted to stop him, would you?' he said coldly. ‘I know you've never liked Caroline.'

‘Don't
you
want to know?' she cried. ‘She's betrayed you with another man. Why are you making me the villain here?'

‘I hate schemers and back-stabbers. I hate spying and every kind of subterfuge,' he said. ‘And blackmail is the lowest vice of all. I was beginning to think better of you, but that you should stoop to this method to expose a woman who's never done you any harm—'

‘She's done
you
harm!'

‘That's between her and me. It's none of your damn business,' he said, and he was on his feet and walking away down the terrace even before the dogs could move.

She watched him go, miserably. She wanted to call out to him, but she couldn't think of a single thing to say.

At last she looked at her watch, and realized it wasn't actually that late. Not too late to phone Harry. He ought to be warned that Xander now knew most of the story, and might well be gunning for him as principle blackmailer. She rang his mobile number.

Harry answered at once, and from the background noise she guessed he was in a pub.

‘Hey, it's you!' he said when she spoke. ‘I was just going to ring you. I've got things to tell you.'

‘I can't hear you properly. Too much noise there.'

‘It's OK, I'm going outside. Listen, where are you? At home? Can you come and meet me?'

‘Where?'

‘I'm at the Blue Posts in Belminster.' His voice was jerky with his steps, but then the noise faded a little. ‘That's better. I'm out in the street now. I've just had an interview with you-know-who. I got it all out of her. But then I thought I'd better go to a public place, in case she tried to murder me before I could pass it on.'

Jenna jumped at the words. ‘You don't really think—?'

‘Not really, but just in case she couldn't help herself. She's a ruthless girl. And I needed a drink anyway. I was a bit shaken up.'

‘And you've only just spoken to her?'

‘Hey, I couldn't find her earlier. I've been looking all day, and I only just ran her down—'

‘Don't use that expression,' Jenna said. But the car incident had been this morning, before Harry had got to her. It must have just been a bad driver.

‘But I have to talk to you about what we do next. And I don't want to come out there for obvious reasons. So can you come here?'

‘All right. You'd better stay put, anyway. I've just seen Xander, and he might come looking for you, so don't go home yet.'

‘Oh my God, what did you tell him?'

‘It was what he told
me
. Look, I can't tell you over the phone. Where's this pub?'

‘In Catton Street, just off Market Street.'

‘I'll be there as soon as I can,' Jenna said.

Jenna sat with a lemonade and lime, thinking she had better not drink any more after the malt whisky, though her leg was hollering after the drive over. Harry, who was within walking distance of home, made inroads into his third pint.

‘Well, she's in it up to her dainty eyeballs, my illustrious stepsister,' he said. ‘She was so furious about my having the CCTV pictures, I thought I'd better tell her about the film right away, in case she strangled me there and then. I told her I'd lodged a copy with a solicitor. I don't know if she believed me – I hope so. But it slowed her down a bit – I could see her replaying the film in her mind and realizing what must be on it. That was food for thought all right! And of course she knew about my dad's pals filming themselves so it made sense to her that there was another, secret system, because she knows my dad and how he operates. Sullivan had made sure first thing that the obvious system wasn't running, so they'd thought they were safe. I told her enough about where it was hidden and what I'd seen to convince her there
was
a film, and then she called me a dirty little skunk and asked me what I wanted. I told her I'd no desire to blackmail anybody, but I wanted in. Convinced her I was a shady lowlife like her and my dad and just wanted my share of their ill-gotten gains.' He took another draught. ‘What did Xander tell you?'

She told him in synopsis what Xander had found out in London.

Harry nodded. ‘Yes, that's pretty much what I got from Caro, except for this Culver character. I don't know whether she knows about him. She knew about Purcell. Apparently my dad's already got the local planning officer, Puddephat, under his thumb, but Purcell was what Sullivan brought to the party. And Xander's not wrong about extending the planning permission once it's granted.' He looked at Jenna gravely. ‘It's not just chalets they want to build on Benson's land, it's a whole holiday park – something like Center Parcs, I gathered, complete with artificial lake, woodland walks, petting zoo and fairground. The whole tombola.'

‘Oh no!' Jenna said. ‘In that lovely place? It would be ghastly! We can't let it happen.'

‘Well, not everyone would hate it,' he said reasonably. ‘It would create a lot of employment for locals, and generate a lot of taxes, and Sullivan would be able to claim all sorts of government spending for the area on the back of it, assuming he got elected.'

‘But poor Holtby! And poor Kitty!'

‘Yes, that's where the real tragedy lies. Because the scheme doesn't end with the holiday park. Once the building starts, they're sure that Kitty won't be able to bear staying on. She'll want to sell up and get out, and the value of the house will have gone through the floor, so they'll be able to snap it up as a bargain.' He grinned. ‘You can see why you were such a thorn in Caroline's side. First of all you turn up and she doesn't know what your game is – thinks maybe you're getting ready to bleed Kitty yourself. Then this scheme to open the house to the public looks like stymieing them. No wonder she hated you. I did her an injustice thinking it was jealousy of Xander: it was pure business on her part.'

‘But why do they want Holtby House?'

‘To turn it into an expensive country-house hotel. With their own tame planning officer they can get round the listing – and it's only Grade Two.'

‘But the view will be ruined.'

‘Doesn't matter for a hotel. Anyway, they plan to put tennis courts down the bottom where it's noisiest. And a swimming pool inside the walls of Kitty's flower garden.'

‘Oh no! That's horrible!'

‘The worse it is for Kitty, the better for them.' He looked sombre. ‘Caroline was quite cold about it. Not only would Kitty be driven out, but she thought the shock of it all might even kill her, which she liked the idea of even more.'

‘Oh my God, what a bitch!'

‘Yes, she is that.' Harry nodded thoughtfully. ‘That's why she latched on to Xander. She assumed Kitty would have left the house to him in her will, so if she did die, Caro would be married to Xander and have all the bases covered. And if Kitty didn't die, she might give it to them as a wedding present, or at least she'd probably be happier selling to them rather than selling on the open market. That way Kitty would never get an unbiased view of what the place was really worth.'

‘I don't think she realizes that (a) Kitty isn't frail and (b) she isn't daft,' said Jenna. ‘And what if Xander didn't want to go along with it? What if he didn't want the place once it had a theme park on its doorstep?'

‘She's quite confident she can manipulate him. You should hear her talk about him! You'd think he was a tailor's dummy. And besides, if Xander did object to buying the place, she could always say it was for Kitty's sake, because she'd get a better price from them than on the open market.'

‘So she doesn't really love Xander at all?'

‘I'm not sure. She obviously thinks he's handsome and a credit to be seen with. Except that he doesn't like being seen at the sort of things she hoping to be seen at. I think she definitely fancied him at one time, but it's plain to me that it's Derek Sullivan she wants now.'

‘Even though he's already married?'

‘She sees herself as a big business mogul, like my dad. Her, Dad and Sullivan working this big scam. Because of course a Purcell isn't just for Christmas, a Purcell is for life. There's no limit to how often they can work this wheeze – especially if, as you say, the Environment Minister is onside. A string of developments on land bought for peanuts. And once Sullivan's in Parliament, the sky's the limit. And who knows – maybe one day Mrs Sullivan will turn out to be surplus to requirements, and Caro can step in. I think she reckons he might be prime minister one day, and then she'll be the Cherie Blair
de nos jours
.' He shook his head in wonder. ‘I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't ask my dad for a copy of the film, in case she wants to blackmail old Derek one day into divorcing the missus and marrying her. I wouldn't put it past her.'

Jenna shook her head. ‘But what do we
do
with this?'

He looked glum. ‘I don't know,' he said. ‘That's what's been worrying me ever since. I reckon the first thing Caro'll do is go to my dad, and I don't think he'll like the idea that I've tried to beat him at his own game – out-videoed him for my own ends. He's going to be angry.' The prospect clearly alarmed him. ‘And I don't know whether he'll believe I'm just trying to get my share – or whether he'll want me in on his schemes if he does believe it.'

‘So, what then?' Jenna asked. ‘Tell Kitty? Go to the newspapers? What do we do?'

‘
You
do nothing.'

The new voice startled Jenna so much she bit her tongue, and swung her head round so fast she ricked her neck. Xander was standing behind them.

‘A fine pair of conspirators you make,' he said witheringly, ‘sitting with your backs to the door.'

‘How long have you been there?' Jenna asked, colouring at the thought of the awful things they had said about Caroline, the awful things she had done.

‘How did you find me?' Harry asked at the same moment.

‘When you weren't at home, I knew you'd be in a pub,' Xander said. ‘It was just a matter of trying them.' He looked at Jenna. ‘I've been here quite long enough. And I think I know everything. Except—' He pulled out a spare chair at the table and sat down facing them. ‘Do you really have a film of – what went on in the bedroom?'

Harry nodded unhappily. Xander held out a hand, and Harry dug reluctantly into his pocket and brought out a DVD case.

‘Thank God you had the sense not to leave it at home,' Xander said. ‘You
should
have lodged it with a solicitor. I will do that myself, along with a notarized statement of what I know so far. Then I will go and see Derek Sullivan and make sure he understands that the game is up, and leave it to him to convince your father likewise. You've got your car here?' he said to Jenna.

She nodded.

‘Go straight home, and take Harry with you, and both of you, don't leave Holtby House until you hear from me.'

Jenna paled. ‘You don't think – they wouldn't—?'

Xander looked grim. ‘This isn't a child's game you're playing. There are huge sums of money at stake. And this film is dynamite. Until I know they understand that it remains in a safe place as surety for their good behaviour, it's best not to take chances.'

Harry stared. ‘You don't think they'd try and bump us off?'

‘Accidents can be arranged if you're ruthless enough and have enough money. A fatal fall from your roof terrace – a hit and run driver—'

Jenna must have made some sound, though she was not aware of having done so, because Xander looked at her, and now he paled too, reading her face. ‘You said – a car came too close?'

She shook her head frantically, still wanting to save him. ‘It was before Harry talked to Caroline. It was just coincidence.'

His mouth set into a grim line. ‘Go home,' he said. ‘And don't say anything to Kitty.'