Free Murder in Bloom by Lesley Cookman Page B

for the place, being a common cockney bloke with whatsits of grandeur.’
    ‘Delusions,’ said Adam helpfully.
    ‘That’s them,’ Lewis nodded.
    ‘So how, if the house still belonged to this missing person, did Tony manage to sell it to you legally?’
    ‘He had something to show he could do it. Some legal thing. Power something.’
    ‘Power of attorney?’ Libby’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Why?’
    ‘How do I know?’ said Lewis pettishly. ‘He just did.’
    ‘Was he a relative?’
    ‘Look, Lib,’ said Lewis, blowing out a sigh, ‘I don’t know any more than they told me, which wasn’t much, except to tell me I could go back home and it was mine.’
    ‘But you’re still a suspect?’
    ‘I’m not sure. Wouldn’t they have made me pay bail if I was?’
    ‘I don’t know.’ Libby looked at Adam. ‘Who would know?’
    ‘That Ian person,’ suggested Adam promptly. ‘He’d know. He’d know about Big Bertha, too.’
    ‘I can’t ring Ian!’ said Libby, scandalised.
    ‘Fran could.’
    Libby chewed her lip. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘I’ll call her after we’ve eaten.’ She looked at Lewis. ‘So what happens next?’
    ‘They said to keep in touch and let them know my movements. Can’t leave the country, that sort of thing.’
    ‘Well, they have got a potential double murder on their hands,’ said Libby. ‘You can’t blame them.’
    ‘If they really thought you could have been behind the skeleton’s burial, why didn’t they tell you this missing person’s name?’ said Adam.
    ‘They did, I told you. I just can’t remember.’
    ‘Honestly, Lewis. How can you not remember?’
    ‘It was all so muddled. And I was bloody scared.’
    He looked belligerent.
    ‘So would I have been, Ma,’ said Adam.
    ‘I know, but that name is really important.’ Libby sighed and stood up. ‘Come on, let’s eat. You don’t mind the kitchen, do you, Lewis?’
    They managed to stay off the subject of the murders while they ate, and Lewis professed Libby to be almost as good a cook as Katie. Adam grinned and told him of all the disasters that had happened in Libby’s kitchen over the years. ‘She’s only just got the hang of it,’ he laughed.
    ‘Cheek,’ she said, good-humouredly. ‘Actually, Lewis, I was going to ask you if you like vegetarian food?’
    Lewis looked down at his plate, surprised. ‘Yeah, but this wasn’t –’
    ‘No, no, it’s just that our friends Harry and Peter have a veggie restaurant in the village called The Pink Geranium. Harry’s the chef. They do a lot of Mexican food. I thought you might like to try it sometime.’
    His face brightened. ‘They the mates you told me about, Ad?’
    Adam nodded. ‘Nice blokes. Pete’s some kind of hotshot journalist so he’s often in London, but he works from home mostly.’
    ‘Journalist?’ Lewis looked wary.
    ‘Not that sort,’ comforted Libby. ‘Political and features, mainly. No sludge gathering.’
    ‘Oh. Well, I’d love to give it a try if you’ll come with me.’ He looked at them both like a particularly soulful spaniel.
    ‘’Course we will,’ grinned Adam.
    ‘Come on then,’ said Libby. ‘If you’ve finished we’ll go into the sitting room and I’ll call Fran.’
    Fran, as Libby had predicted, was not happy about calling Ian. Part of it was embarrassment, Ian having been a former suitor who lost out to Guy, and the other part was Fran’s unwillingness to butt into the investigation.
    ‘All right,’ huffed Libby, eventually. ‘Give me his number and I’ll call him. I’ll tell him about the wedding, which will be much better than him just finding out.’
    Fran demurred, but in the end decided to give Libby the number. ‘I feel a terrible coward not facing up to telling him, but there’s no real reason why I should, is there?’
    ‘None at all, but I can be concerned about him. I can even sympathise and hint about the problems it’s causing with Ben,’ said Libby.
    ‘Oh, Libby !’ Fran almost