Free Death Speaks Softly by Anthea Fraser Page A

One of the old lags started it, years ago. It's pretty widespread now.'
    Claire said, 'That's fascinating, but cartoons are very different from watercolours. Do you paint as well?'
    'Just as a hobby. Landscapes, mostly. It's a great form of relaxation.'
    'And you sell them, too?'
    He laughed. 'Good lord, no. I lose interest once they're finished, and bundle them into the loft.'
    'I'd be very interested to see them.'
    He shook his head. 'Really, they're nothing special. Strictly for my own amusement.' He looked across at Jackson, doodling on his notebook. 'We must be on our way. Thank you for your help—and the tea.'
    'What a fascinating man,' Claire said, when Tom returned from showing the policemen out. 'You never told me about the cartoons.'
    'I thought you knew. Simon mentioned them one day, and since then I've looked out for them. He's got a real gift for caricature—the people he draws are instantly recognizable.'
    'I'd love to see his paintings. If they're as good as you say the cartoon are, he could be a real find. I wonder if we could persuade him to exhibit at Melbray?'
    Tom laughed protestingly. 'Hold on, darling! He doesn't strike me as the type who'd welcome publicity.'
    Deciding to pursue the matter if chance arose, Claire thought back to the reason for the visit. 'I hope Edna won't mind our sending the police round.'
    'Mind? She'll have a field day. You'll get a blow by blow account on Tuesday.'
    'They seemed interested in Bernard, too.'
    'An interest you fuelled by shying like a frightened pony.'
    'Yes, it was silly. I wasn't expecting it, that's all.'
    'Just because the poor chap fancied a breath of air—' 'At three in the morning?'
    'You did yourself. You went to the window for it, he to the garden. What's the difference?'
    'I suppose you're right. But if he'd been walking about it would have seemed more normal. He just didn't move at all, for at least ten minutes.'
    'Perhaps he was meditating. Anyway, get your reflexes under control before they come to dinner, or we're in for a sticky evening.'
    'By Jove, Guv,' Jackson commented as they drove back to Shillingham, 'that cleaner woman was a talker, wasn't she? Took you all your time to get a word in.'
    'Better than having to keep prompting,' Webb returned, 'but she'd told Mrs Marshbanks all she knew. And it boils down to the fact that Arlette had an older man in tow. So what? It doesn't make him any more suspect than the younger ones.'
    'My money's still on Duncan.'
    'It could be any of the tutors, come to that, or those fathers we saw this morning. Palfry over-reacted, and Morgan, though he was calm enough, had a shifty look about him. He could be a leading pillar of the community, but if I'd a daughter, I wouldn't let him within sight of her. They might all warrant another visit, specially since nothing's coming out of the house-to-house. For the moment we're well and truly stymied.'
    Jackson said diffidently, 'Well, as long as we are stymied, Guv, would it be OK if I took tomorrow off? Millie—'
    'Yes, of course, Ken.' Webb smiled. 'As a matter of fact, my chat with Mrs Marshbanks put me in the mood for sketching. I might snatch a couple of hours myself, if things stay quiet.'
    There was something else he wanted to do during the weekend, and that was make his peace with Hannah. Seeing her again had resurrected all his feelings for her, and he couldn't imagine why he had let so much time pass without contacting her. Accordingly he stopped on the way home to buy some flowers, and, after he'd bathed and changed and before his courage could ebb, he ran down the flight of stairs that separated his flat from hers, and rang her bell.
    The door opened at once, and from her welcoming smile he realized, with a sinking of the heart, that she'd been expecting someone else. She was wearing a lace dinner-dress in midnight blue and her hair was swept up on top of her head in a style he'd never seen before. It made her look at the same time stunningly beautiful and a