Silver Guilt (25 page)

Mrs Hatch was still alive – just – when the ambulance drove away. At my insistence Griff had gone too: he might not have had a heart attack but he had had a terrible shock, and should be checked over. I promised to follow the ambulance over to William Harvey to pick him up. I didn't add that – whether he liked it or not – I'd take him back to Aidan in Tenterden.

‘OK, Lina,' said a calm voice, ‘let's go and have a cup of tea and you can tell me what's been going on.'

I stared. Where had Sally Monk sprung from?

‘You've had a shock too, you know. I gather you thought it was your grandfather who was ill. But you did very well.'

Patronizing cow. She had me by the elbow and was steering me back to the cottage as if I was ninety.

‘I'm fine.' Even to my ears it sounded as if I was lying.

She stopped dead when she saw the mess the brick had made, but said nothing, stepping over the splinters of glass and wood.

‘Well, I could use a cuppa. I was just tootling over to talk about the road rage attack and I find I'm in the middle of a raid, with rapid response cars and ambulances hurtling round all over the place.'

OK, patronizing but kind, too. We found we both preferred drinking chocolate and this time, Lent or not, we both needed cake.

For some reason she wanted me to go through the whole story, bit by bit, stopping me from time to time to make things clear.

‘This man waving a sword: you're sure about that? He might not just have been examining it with a view to selling it?'

I was beginning to get angry, but I wasn't sure who with. ‘I don't know that he'd need a ski mask just to look at it.'

‘And what happened to the man with the sword?'

I explained how I'd tried to stop him escaping by throwing my coat at his head. ‘Didn't work though. And I didn't even see his car or motorbike or whatever.'

‘Motorbike?'

‘I don't know. I'm sorry, I'm hopeless, aren't I?'

‘We all panic when there's a crisis. What I can't understand is why the man with the sword should suddenly bolt from the shop – you didn't really confront him, did you?'

I shook my head. ‘He was scared by the burglar alarm.'

‘Had Griff or Mrs Hatch managed to set it off then?'

‘No. I had. I put that brick through our front door. The systems are connected. And very loud.'

‘In that case,' said another voice, ‘I don't think you're hopeless at all.'

It was only after several moments in the comfort of Robin's arms that I realized I might, in Griff's old-fashioned words, be leading him on. Eventually, I pushed away, but he kept an arm on my shoulders. ‘Who did this to you?'

‘Did what?'

‘Hit you about the face, of course. And no one's got any ice on it, for goodness' sake.'

Sally scuttled into the kitchen.

Shaking my head, I touched a cheekbone. Hell. How did I hide this lot from Griff? ‘I didn't even know I'd done it. It must have been when I thought Griff was dying. But he isn't.'

‘Have you always self-harmed?'

I hated using the term. ‘I do it without even knowing sometimes. But we've got to sort it out before I see Griff. And I've got to get on to our glazier – he's an expert on old buildings. And there's Griff's appointment with Mrs Pybus to cancel. Where do I start?' Damn me if I didn't smack myself again. And wished I hadn't.

‘With the ice pack,' he said, taking a tea towel full of frozen peas and dabbing it on my face. ‘Where's your phone book? The officer here can call and explain.'

I pointed to the address book next to the phone. ‘She's called Sally. The glazier's number's in there as well. If you say it's for Griff he'll pr . . . por . . . put it top of his list.'

‘Come on, Lina,' said another voice. ‘You can do better than that. Prioritize.'

‘Hello, Morris. I'd say come in but you seem to be in already.' It wasn't much of a welcome, but I could have wished that he hadn't strolled in and found another bloke stroking my face. It gave altogether the wrong message.

‘Who heaved the brick?' He kicked the splinters of glass.

‘Me. Long story.'

‘So it won't wreck a crime scene if I get it up? Dustpan and brush?'

‘Under the sink.' I took the peas and pressed them against my face myself, setting off upstairs. There was arnica in my bedroom, and cream from the pharmacy. I'd better hope they worked. Griff would understand, but he'd be disappointed in me. He thought I'd stopped. I thought I'd stopped. And now at least three people knew I hadn't.

Embarrassed and ashamed, I managed to trail back downstairs.

Morris was still busy with the dustpan, so perhaps I hadn't been as long as I thought, which felt like forever.

Robin, who'd just finished a phone call, said, ‘I know it's a silly question, Lina, but I don't suppose you thought to take any pictures of chummy on that nifty phone of yours.'

I hadn't, had I? I was ready to smack my head again, but I stopped. And managed a smile, which wasn't actually too painful. ‘Didn't need to. When I heaved that brick through the door it would have triggered the cameras in the shop. Automatically.'

‘Good lord.' He produced that angelic grin of his. ‘I really don't think you're hopeless. Not at all.'

Morris stood up, making me realize just how tall he was. ‘Hopeless? For a long time I've thought her a most remarkable young woman.'

‘B
ut,' Morris continued without even pausing for breath, ‘she's not very good at delegating. I bet you're jumping up and down wondering how soon you can collect Griff from the William Harvey, aren't you, Lina?'

‘I would be, only I'd rather he didn't see me like this.' I touched my face. ‘And I was going to take him to his friend Aidan Morley's house, in Tenterden. Safer than here.'

‘Good idea. I'll make sure he's taken there when my Kent colleagues have interviewed him about this morning's incident. That will take quite a long time, I should imagine.' Before I could interrupt, he continued, ‘And I bet you're working out who can look after the shop while you're dashing round like a scalded cat – well, my Scene of Crime colleagues will be keen on spring-cleaning that. And don't worry – they're house-trained. If they break things it messes up the crime scene. Hmm, drinking chocolate, eh? I don't suppose you could organize some for me, Constable?'

I sat down very heavily. Sally disappeared. Robin started to chuckle.

But Morris hadn't finished. ‘So is there somewhere round here we can all get a bit of lunch? Sit down, woman – you don't have to organize food for the five thousand as well.'

‘Pub?' Robin suggested, as I subsided. ‘I should think they'd have enough loaves and fishes there.'

Morris grinned, as if they'd shared a joke. But I wouldn't ask them to explain, not the two of them. ‘Go and save us a table, will you, Robin? We'll be along as soon as I've sunk my hot chocolate.'

Which was as unsubtle a way of getting rid of Robin as I could imagine. I was inclined to be cross on his behalf, but he waved a hand and was off.

Morris took the mug Sally was offering and shut the door in her face, not rudely but firmly. ‘And now, Lina, you can tell me what the burglar was after.'

‘Not an antique sword? No? Well, as you can imagine, we've got a hell of a lot worth stealing. Do you think he was a proper burglar? Or was it Darrenarris – did you get the photos I sent? – who's a bit peeved by our attempts to protect Lord Elham and thought he might have a go at a softer target? He must have been seriously pissed off to find poor Griff at the shop, not me. Maybe the second time he'd got the wrong person. And Mrs Hatch, of course. Have you heard if she'll be OK?' The words seemed to gush out. I couldn't stop them.

‘There's something else you're not telling me. That's two things altogether, Lina – get it?' He waggled a pair of fingers at me.

I took a deep breath. Perhaps the oxygen would get to my brain. ‘One, he must have seen me at a sale the other day. And when I took a different route home to avoid being in an accident it was after a friend's hint. But don't you dare let on to Griff! Two, he's after my father's notebook. Isn't he?'

‘I'm sure he is. You took a risk taking it, of course. Come on – hand it over.'

‘Of course. But just to show how security conscious we are, you show me the safe. How long would your average burglar take to suss out a place, especially with the alarm smashing his eardrums? Three minutes? I'll give you five, while I put a bit of slap on my face. Can't go out looking like this.'

He touched a bit that wasn't bruised. ‘You're much more Griff's granddaughter than Lord Elham's daughter. Hey, you're not cheating, are you? You're not going to sit on it while you apply your – er – slap?'

‘No. But I will tell you we've got the official office safe – where you'll find the silver dish Nella accused me of taking – and another, unofficial one.'

‘I give up,' he said, popping his head round my bedroom door.

‘Excellent. We had this one installed after a spot of bother with
Natura Rerum.
'

‘That precious book?'

‘Right. A guy Griff knows who's an expert on priests' holes fixed it. You take this mirror from the wall, and then put a nail file under the beam that the mirror hangs from – go on, try it.'

He held out his hand for a nail file and did what I'd said. Nothing.

‘Just there. Opposite the knot. See.' The chunk of beam came away like a book out of a shelf. I passed him my pocket torch. ‘I'd better do the combination, though.'

He looked at me sadly. ‘You don't trust anyone, do you, Lina?'

‘Only Griff. And that took a long time. Anyway, there you are – the special safe. With Lord Elham's notebook and a couple of absolute total treasures Griff's saving for a really rainy day. I suppose you'd better take this into custody.' As I handed him the book I looked him in the eye. ‘It's the only evidence I am who I am.'

He shook his head. ‘You're wrong, Lina. The evidence is all around you – from those lovely Georgian miniatures to that bear. Tim, isn't it? He recovered from Nella's cavalier treatment, I see.' He tweaked his ear. ‘OK, let's see about lunch. I thought you were seeing this guy Piers,' he said, over his shoulder as he led the way downstairs, ‘not a vicar.'

‘Who says I'm seeing anyone at the moment?' I said. ‘Did you ever get round to having Darrenarris's DNA lifted from the glasses and checked, by the way?'

‘It costs so much I can't just do it on whim, Lina. There has to be a complaint about him from the public, alleging a crime.'

‘Would I do? Or does it have to be my father?'

‘Who complains or provides the DNA? Better if he does both, actually. As a matter of interest, are you still refusing to cooperate with your putative grandfather?'

That was a good word. I liked the sound of it. Another one for my new vocab book when I got it.

‘If you mean Arthur Habgood, yes. I looked this stuff up on the Net. The test wouldn't give an absolutely definite answer, would it? And I've got enough questions buzzing round my head without wanting more. Actually, I suppose the simplest way would be for him to talk to Lord Elham. I could introduce them.'

‘Bloody hell, there'd pistols at dawn! Maybe some food'll help you to think more clearly. Then I'll nip over to Ashford to see how the interview with Griff's going – I might have a few questions the regular team wouldn't think of. And – if you like – I'll run him over to Tunbridge myself.'

‘Aren't you asking Sally to join us for a bite?' I asked, as he shut the door behind us.

‘Someone's got to hang about for the glazier,' he said in an offhand manner.

‘But—'

‘Lina, Sally is armed with an ASP baton and a spray and a phone link to colleagues. If it's you or her that stays at home, who do you expect me to choose?'

‘It's a good job they do takeaways,' I said.

Robin's presence kept the conversation pretty general, but I couldn't resist asking a couple of questions.

‘Has the missing musical snuff box turned up yet? Someone nicked it from Bossingham Hall,' I explained to Robin.

‘Nope. Nor any of the other goodies. But – and I assume you can be trusted to keep your mouth shut, Robin – we've got someone working under cover at the Hall. And no, I shan't tell you who it is, Lina, because that's not the way I do things. OK?'

‘OK. But I tell you what'd be really useful – if he or she could get me a copy of one of the photos in the administrator's office. The whole happy family, with the father and kids. I've got to place that man's face.'

‘It's relevant? You're sure?'

‘I wouldn't ask otherwise. The other thing I need is some anonymous wheels instead of our van.'

‘Dead right you do. Good job I've left Sally to organize it. She'll stay overnight to keep an eye on you too.'

Robin coughed. ‘Surely I could – or Lina could sleep at the vicarage.'

I looked quickly at Morris, who picked up my appeal for help. ‘I'm afraid it'll have to be here, Lina. I suspect the SOCO team will have things to ask you.' And he kicked me lightly on the shin.

Lord Elham actually turned the volume down on the TV when I arrived although it was well into his favourite quiz programme when I finally made it to Bossingham. Picking up the hire car had meant it was much too late to take him to Canterbury. Robin had looked so fed up I promised to organize a shopping trip for the three of us as soon as I could.

My father stared at my face. ‘That man of yours been beating you up? Piers Whatever his name is? Time you sent him to the rightabout if he is.'