Free Murder by Mistake by Veronica Heley Page A

about her daughter.
    Ellie snorted. Unlikely.
    She remembered something else that had been bothering her earlier and went through to her study. Pat had gone for the day, but Ellie knew her way around the filing cabinet and the computer records. Well, most of the time she knew her way around the computer. Enough to find out what she wanted now.
    She pulled up last week’s rental returns. Stewart sent through the latest figures to her computer every Monday, and once a week he would come in and they would go over what needed to be done to the housing stock: repairs, renovations, lettings, problems and so on.
    Mm, mm. Diana had said that Denis was going to rent a big house with six bedrooms, two en suite plus two bathrooms, presumably somewhere local. Of course it might not be one of hers. Most unlikely.
    There were only a few such large properties on their books; four were already let out on long-term leases, one was undergoing a major refit, new bathrooms and kitchen, etc. There was just one ready to go back on to the market; six bedrooms, two en suite plus two more bathrooms. Newly fitted kitchen. Conservatory. Eighty-foot garden, mostly lawn, surrounded by shrubs. Easy maintenance.
    Ellie reached for the phone and got through to Stewart. ‘Sorry to trouble you. I know we weren’t supposed to be meeting this week because you’re off on holiday – when? Wednesday, isn’t it?’
    ‘Maria wants to make sure everything goes smoothly for you on Saturday, so we’ve decided to put it off till after the weddings.’ An even tone, hiding emotion?
    ‘Ah, you’ve heard?’
    ‘Frank came home from a visit to Diana saying she wanted him to dress up in a satin costume with a floppy tie and be a ring boy at her wedding. He was distressed, said he wouldn’t do it. I rang Diana, and she confirmed she’s having the reception at your place. I gather Maria’s organizing extra staff to help you to cope.’
    Ellie grimaced. ‘The reception was thrust upon me and as the invitations have gone out, I don’t see how I can get out of it. How is Frank taking it? I know little boys don’t like dressing up but . . . is he really upset about that, or about her getting married again?’
    ‘He’s distressed, full stop. We’ve had the dickens of a job getting him to sleep at night, ever since. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was afraid. But of what?’
    ‘Ah. I think I know. Diana says Denis is taking a large house so that they can have all the boys with them in the holidays.’
    A sigh. ‘I’ll have to ring her again. The wedding; well, if she really wants him to act as ring-bearer, then we’ll go along with that. It doesn’t matter so much if we postpone our own holiday for a few days, but I wouldn’t want to change the existing arrangements for Frank. Maria loves him and he’s doing well at school. He doesn’t always see Diana at weekends, but when he does he comes back in such a state it’s hard to calm him down.’
    ‘I know. Diana isn’t the wisest of mothers. Not everyone is gifted to be a wise and loving mother, though your dear Maria certainly is.’ Here Ellie remembered Adelina Prior, who was nobody’s idea of a loving mother, but who pretended to be exactly that.
    ‘Stewart; there’s something else. Probably it’s nothing, but could you check on the house in Castlebar Road for me? The workmen must be nearly finished, but it’s not been let out yet, has it?’
    ‘Mm? Oh. Yes. Last weekend. It’ll be in the next report.’
    Ellie clutched the phone even harder. ‘Who’s the tenant?’
    ‘I didn’t deal with it myself, but I seem to remember it’s a divorcee with four or five children, wants to take in her aged mum as well.’
    ‘There’s the usual clause about not subletting?’
    ‘Of course. Is there a problem?’
    ‘I just had a horrid feeling . . . Diana told me Denis was renting a house which answered that description, and I couldn’t help wondering if it might be one of