Scandal at Six(95)

Mrs T-J made her excuses and left shortly after this, and Derek said they must be getting back.

“You go, Derek,” Lois said. “I’ll stay here until morning, to make sure Justin is all right. There could be aftereffects, I’m sure.”

“Well, all right, but where will you sleep?”

Justin butted in immediately. “It’s so kind of you, Mrs Meade. You can have my bed, and I’ll wrap up with a rug on the sofa. I feel an absolute weed, but I would be glad to have you nearby until tomorrow. Then I can go to the hospital and make sure I’ve done the right things. I suppose the police will want to see me, and I have some serious thinking to do. I think I’m Uncle’s only living close relative, except for my mother, of course. She’s his sister. So goodnight, Mr Meade, and many thanks.”

After Derek had gone, Lois said another cup of hot tea would be a good idea for both of them. Justin broke into a pause in the conversation, and said, “Something’s not right, Mrs Meade. Not right at all.”

“Not right with what?” said Lois. Justin was very pale, and she wondered if he was having a relapse. “Best tell me what you mean,” she said.

“It’s the half door of the pigsty,” he said. “You know, the padlock holds the bolt in place. The key was definitely in it when I opened the door to let Pettison and his helper go in, and I’m sure I left it there. But when I tried again to pull it open to get Uncle out, there was no key. In the end I tried to get him out of his chair, but he was not responding by that time. That’s why I climbed over the door to get out.”

“I don’t think he could’ve got out, anyway, Justin. Somebody said he’d lost the use of his legs in the accident.”

“Yes, that’s what he told me. And I didn’t know what to believe. I thought he could have been using that in order to carry out some plan or other. He always had plans, did Uncle Robert. Some good, some bad.” He covered his face with his hands.

“Were those bees part of a plan?” asked Lois.

Justin took his hands away, and looked at her. “We all know the bees were probably the latest in a long line of mostly successful scams,” he said. “I could give you details.”

“I remember what you told me about your father, but if you want to tell me more, carry on,” said Lois, and fetching a bottle from the kitchen, poured a slug of whiskey into their mugs of tea.





Fifty-three





“So you’re back,” said Gran, as Lois came through the door, looking tired and miserable. “And a fine time to come back, I must say.”

“Oh, give it a rest, Mum. I’m sure Derek has told you what happened.”

“Yes, he has. And I can’t think of any reason why you should have stayed down there all night long, with only a young man for company.”

“He was a very sick and unhappy young man,” Lois said, irritation rising. “He had been stung by killer bees, seen his uncle killed by bees of some sort, and was having a bit of a reaction to his own stings. Naturally, I stayed with him. He was better this morning, but I suggested he should go to the hospital to check all was well. Okay?”

“All right, all right. No need to shout. There was a message earlier for you from your friend Cowgill. He wants to see you at the police station as soon as possible.”

Derek appeared, and put his arms around Lois. “He can wait,” he said. “This young lady is going straight upstairs to bed with a hot water bottle and a milky drink, and she’s staying there until lunchtime.”

Gran shrugged. “I’m only the messenger,” she said, “so there’s no need for you to be sharp with me.”



*



It was early afternoon by the time Lois drove into Tresham and parked her car behind the police station.

“I owe you an apology for bothering you so early in the day,” Cowgill said, as soon as she entered his office. “I hadn’t realised you spent the night with an attractive young man.”

“Not you, too!” said Lois. “Do you want a sensible conversation or not? If not, I’ve got plenty of work to do.”

“Sorry, my dear. Very unfeeling of me. And, as you know, I wouldn’t upset you for the world. Now, sit down, and we’ll have a chat, if you’re not too tired.”

“And even if I am, I suspect,” said Lois. “There’s an awful lot I’ve got to tell you. There was plenty of time for Justin to unburden himself.”

“Right, let’s begin at the beginning,” he said.

It was a long tale Lois had to tell, and nobody came out of it very well. Justin had admitted his own involvement in the illegal trade in rare species, but had only touched on that of his father. With luck, he had said, he could rest in peace. He trusted Lois to keep silent, and his mother had spent most of her life keeping silent. “It’s up to you, Cowgill. I expect you knew all about that, anyway?”