Free Ann Granger by That Way Murder Lies Page A

Meredith ticked the points off on her fingers. ‘Let’s suppose Jeremy has been giving Fiona money. Perhaps he’s starting to ask where it all goes? Perhaps she needs money for something she can’t admit to. She might have a drug habit.’
    ‘She might but we’ve no reason to suppose she does.’ There was enough of the stuff out there on the streets, Markby knew. He also knew the dealers targeted the children of the wealthy. Doing a line of coke before going to a party was routine these days for many youngsters and many not so young. But a serious habit? ‘She hasn’t the look,’ he objected. ‘There are no signs of it.’
    ‘OK.’ Meredith accepted his argument in that way which meant she was only putting her own to one side temporarily. ‘How about this? Jeremy absolutely dotes on his wife. He’s almost certainly left her very well provided for under his will. He has a heart
condition.This poison pen business is putting a strain on that. He could pop off and then the blackmailer could put the squeeze on Alison directly.’ She paused. ‘Or it needn’t be primarily about money. The writer hasn’t mentioned money yet. Perhaps he just wants to discredit Alison, wants to make her suffer. It’s a revenge thing.’
    ‘Revenge for what?’
    ‘For marrying Jeremy?’
    ‘You’re back to Fiona again.’
    ‘All right, I am. I have her down as prime suspect. She could be motivated by both revenge and blackmail. In her case they’d fit neatly together.’ Meredith’s tone challenged him to find fault in that line of reasoning.
    ‘How did she come to know the facts of the murder trial? According to the Jenners they didn’t tell either the girl or Toby until this poison pen business blew up.’
    Markby was playing devil’s advocate. Once Meredith got her teeth into a theory, he knew, she could build it quickly into an ingenious case. That was where the amateur always had the advantage over the professional who was tied to mundane things like facts and evidence. But she was clear-headed and shrewd and even if her theories lacked facts, they seldom lacked cohesion.
    ‘It’s a matter of record, you said so yourself,’ she retorted impatiently. ‘You keep knocking down my ideas. Let’s hear yours!’
    ‘Do I suspect her? It’s too early to say. I’m not ready to point at anyone nor can I rule anyone out. That, by the way, includes your chum, Toby.’
    ‘What!’ Aghast, she stared at him. ‘But that’s ridiculous! What possible motive could he have? He asked me to ask you to investigate!’
    ‘Sure he did. It wouldn’t be the first instance of double bluff. Just as you said only minutes ago you thought Fiona stopped us by the gates in a similar game. As for motive, let’s say he’s in love with Fiona, as you obviously fear he is. Men have done strange things for love.’

    There was an ominous silence in the car and then Meredith said stiffly, ‘It’s still ridiculous. I know Toby. Why on earth would he do a thing like that? Besides, he’s been out of the country. Alison would’ve remembered if the letters had been postmarked Beijing!’
    ‘I didn’t say he wrote them. He still might be involved. He and Fiona together may have cooked up some plan.’
    ‘He’s fond of Alison and Jeremy! Honestly, Alan, it’s a crazy idea!’
    They had reached the outskirts of Bamford and Markby, perhaps sensing it was time to change the subject, pointed through the windscreen. ‘There’s the Watersmeet trading estate.’
    Meredith looked past him to a collection of low brick buildings. ‘A romantic name for a pretty prosaic development.’
    ‘It used to be a farm, Watersmeet Farm,’ he explained. ‘Then the land was sold for development. I think it was one of Dudley Newman’s projects.’ Newman was a local builder and entrepreneur.
    ‘Just up his street,’ said Meredith morosely. ‘Dudley’s never as happy as when covering open countryside with bricks.’
    ‘He’s even moved his own builder’s