One to Six, Buckle to Sticks (Grasshopper Lawns Book 11) Page 23

  ‘A drug dealer. Charming.’ Donald collected his towels from the drier and folded them, putting in a final load of sheets to dry. ‘Well, if it wasn’t a drug execution—and it sounds rather vindictive for that—I’m guessing Alison had another devoted friend to sort it out for her. There’s definately no family? No father or brothers?’

  ‘Doesn’t seem to be.’ Edge pushed herself away from the second washing machine, where she had been leaning. ‘There’s no next of kin recorded anywhere, just her landlady in the event of an accident. William can probably tell us what happened, though?’ She gave him almost exactly the same mock-expectant look Kirsty had used on her, then glanced smiling at Vivian. ‘Bank details.’

  ‘I’ll give you a paying-in slip from the back of my chequebook.’ Vivian dug in her handbag, then shook her head. ‘Must have left it at home.’ Her apartment was the next door along from the laundry, but she caught at Edge’s arm as they reached her door.

  ‘The chequebook’s here, in my handbag, but come in for a second. I wanted to ask you something.’ She closed the door behind them and said bluntly, ‘do you think—all those orgies in his past, and there’ve been hints that he’s bi-sexual— William and Donald?’

  ‘No, I don’t. I think they’re genuinely friends, not each other’s type at all. But—’ she hesitated and Vivian nodded ruefully.

  ‘Oh aye, when you’re right, you’re right. I couldn’t be in a serious relationship where I could wonder that sort of thing for a second.’

  ‘Ah, dinna fash.’ Edge lapsed into the vernacular. ‘If he’s for you, he won’t go by you—and sometimes, you know, friends is best.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Wednesday—William’s at 3

  Edge’s apartment felt remarkably quiet and empty without Maggie’s sighs, snores, and occasional evil gusts of flatulence. She’d be seeing the dog in the afternoon, as Vivian had her on the two to four pm rota today and would be bringing her to the meeting, but was surprised to find herself missing her. No toys on the floor, the protective rug taken off the sofa, the dog bed pushed back out of immediate sight—she smiled, remembering how pleased the dog had been to see Clarissa yesterday, even a Clarissa balancing on a walking stick. Edge rinsed her cup out, switched the kettle on, and then looked longingly at the phone again. She couldn’t really leave another message, could she? But what if Patrick hadn’t got the first one? She sternly subdued the impulse to go to Clarissa’s and collect the dog for a quick walk, and instead made herself a sandwich. She ate at her desk, reading through the script she was supposed to be polishing with little tuts of annoyance, and finally got caught up in the work.

  It was after two, with the party confirmed for three, before he finally called back and she cut through the pleasantries briskly.

  ‘Can I free up capital to buy some shares?’ she asked and he sounded surprised.

  ‘Yes of course. What did you have in mind?’

  ‘Oh, thank goodness! I’ve already transferred the money to Vivian’s account, from my ISA, but I’ve been panicking a little about having nothing on tap at all, so you’ll just be topping the ISA back up for me. Anyway, the shares, they’re Toussaint-Wendell Group. I’ve done a bit of research and they look okay.’

  ‘Edge, they’re more than okay, they’re gold dust, but you won’t be able to get any—it’s family only, although there are rumours they’re going public later this year and the share price will go straight through the roof. I’ve got a few voting shares, but only because my wife was a Wendell relative. Her cousin died a few years ago and she inherited them. I was allowed to keep them, but I had to sign a proxy. Pity, though. They’d really boost your portfolio.’

  Edge smiled into the phone. ‘Happy to hear that. I’m in with one of the shareholders. Well, Vivian is, and we’re setting up a wee consortium. I’m kicking in five thousand; preferred shares, but they are convertible and redeemable. Anyway, all good things, Vivian said. You saw her, the other day, Dallas Wendell? You remember, you thought she was familiar?’

  Patrick, never one to hurry into speech, paused for so long Edge could hear his heavy breathing, then said firmly, ‘Yes, there’s a strong resemblance. And she does her hair the same way. But that wasn’t Dallas Wendell, Edge. Dallas is a complete recluse for good reason. She doesn’t mind photographs, but she is never filmed on video, and she doesn’t go out. She has a physical peculiarity, but I’m not going to go into that, because it is entirely her business and the reason she doesn’t meet people. That wasn’t Dallas.’

  ‘But she does, Patrick, she has the oddest twitch—jerks her head and smacks her lips, like she’s snapping sideways for a fly. She can control it for short periods, but that’s why she was sitting with her back to the room on Friday. And she has a constant tic under her eye.’

  ‘She’s good. But no.’ He half-laughed. ‘A twitch is dead easy to fake. Can’t fake a tic, I’ll grant you, that sounds like pure stress. Edge, that woman, whoever she is, is pulling a full-blown con on you. Is anyone else buying?’

  ‘Oh blast, Patrick, are you serious? Vivian is giving her seventy-five thousand in less than an hour. And both Donald and William were going to grab the chance to get shares. Like you said, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ She took a deep breath, then quickly explained the full story to Patrick, who maintained a tactful silence.

  The more she said, in the face of his silence, the more unlikely it sounded. ‘Damnit, Patrick, we didn’t just swallow it hook line and sinker. Vivian was born in the same nursing home on the same date. I was completely suspicious and did some serious checking. We checked the records, looked at photos—’

  ‘Edge, I’ve told you again and again, when something looks too good to be true, it always is. Always. You didn’t think it at all odd when she offered to sell shares rarer than hen’s teeth?’ he asked with genuine interest and Edge sighed.

  ‘Dallas, or whoever she is, said she felt she wasn’t really entitled to them as the company was set up by her—well, she said Vivian’s—maternal grandfather. She is so convincing, Patrick. And it didn’t feel too good to be true. Vivian’s actually been pretty shattered by this whole thing. There’s no easy age to find you were adopted, but the younger you are, probably, the more easily you adapt. She’s completely off-kilter.’

  ‘Yes, very professional.’ Patrick said thoughtfully. ‘The way she made Vivian find out for herself, too, that was clever. Even pretending to get calls at Toussaint-Wendell was a nice touch. This isn’t a one-off, Edge, I’m thinking. I’m not even sure I wouldn’t have been fooled if I hadn’t met the real Dallas. There are so few people who know her. Your girl’s got the appearance and the story down pat. She can’t be pulling the babies-swapped-at-birth too often, but I do know there’s been a look-alike working a Toussaint-Wendell shares scam for a while. The one I heard of, though, deals in millions. No offence to you guys, but a hundred grand, that’s a fairly small return on a pretty huge effort. Anyway. Time to get hold of your niece, my lovely, and get her on the case.’

  ‘Count on it.’ Edge said grimly. They rang off and she rang the Onderness police station immediately. Kirsty stopped her within minutes and put the call through to Iain, the head of the small local division, who greeted her cheerfully and listened with interest to her tumbled tale.

  ‘From what you’re saying, she hasn’t really committed a crime yet.’ He was thoughtful. ‘Calling yourself by another name is only illegal if you do it fraudulently and deliberately to gain money which, strictly speaking, she hasn’t done yet. And aye, it’s a grand chance to catch her in the act but we have to be careful the lawyers don’t say we set her up. Miz Cameron, this is pretty big. I’m going to have to take it to my superiors at Central. Can I ask you to not tip her off in any way until we can get back to you?’

  ‘But Vivian’s going to transfer the money to her in less than half an hour.’ Edge said miserably and his voice came back immediately.

  ‘Oh aye, in that case we’ll have to act str
aight away. Haud on.’ He was silent for a moment, thinking, then went on decisively. ‘You go on up there as planned. We’ll start across now, be quietly standing by, unmarked car, and the moment the money’s transferred, you phone me on the phone number I’m about to give you. Got a pen? Phone me now, on that number, from your mobile, so we know you have it down right. Then you give me a Scotch ring when it’s done. Dinna fash, we’ll get the money back, but it has to go through before there’s a crime.’

  ~~~

  Edge pushed ‘end call’ after reaching Iain successfully on the mobile number he had given her, and picked up her landline to call Vivian’s apartment, but there was no reply. She hurriedly tugged on her boots and pulled on her jacket to go looking for her, opened the door and nearly tripped over Odette.

  ‘Whoa, haud your horses, you’re not late!’ Donald walked towards his door, still talking over his shoulder. ‘I’m just putting her in. I came to get you, I’ve been walking with Vivian and the dogs. She’s put Buster back in her place and taken Maggie away up to William’s.’

  ‘Oh God, Donald, it’s all a scam!’ She caught at his arm, her words tumbling over themselves as she poured out what both Patrick and Iain had said and he listened intently, taking her back to one or two points as he shut the whippet into his flat.

  ‘Damn! I was really looking forward to those shares. I transferred the funds to Vivian’s account right after we talked yesterday. And Iain did feel we could get the money back after it was transferred to Dallas’s account?’

  Edge nodded, and he grinned at her, blue eyes suddenly very bright. ‘Then let’s go catch ourselves a con artist! We’ll have no chance to warn the others, it’s nigh on three now. Their faces will be a picture.’ He was still chuckling to himself as they hurried up William’s steps.

  ~~~

  ‘Well.’ Dallas smiled and sat back, her soft pretty drawl very marked as Vivian, beaming, closed her laptop after transferring the funds. For a woman who had been quite fanatical about privacy up to now, she had accepted the consortium remarkably calmly. ‘That’s it. Do you want to check you’ve got paper in that printer, William? Just to print off the bank transaction for my records. Congratulations. Welcome aboard the group.’

  ‘Tea!’ Edge declared as naturally as she could. ‘That’s what this celebration needs. William, may I?’

  ‘Please.’ he waved grandly, ‘my kitchen is your kitchen. Open cupboards, make yourself at home. There’s shortbread somewhere.’

  ‘I’ll help you.’ Donald, sounding far more convincing than she felt, followed her into the kitchen, with an interested Maggie hot on his heels, and filled the kettle noisily while she fumbled for her mobile phone. She grimaced at him and fought down an urge to giggle.

  ‘I don’t need to talk.’ she kept her voice low as he artistically clattered mugs. ‘Just a Scotch ring, and I’ve done that. They’ll be at the door any minute. Oh, drat it dog, whose purse have you got now?’ She bent to pick the purse off the floor, expensive black leather, with DW gold-stamped on the front. She flipped it open. A very young and happy-looking not-quite-Dallas smiled up at her and she frowned back.

  ‘That’s Alison Martin.’ Donald glanced over her shoulder. ‘How did her purse get in here? Please don’t tell me William’s involved in her death after all, when I’m part of his bloody alibi!’

  ‘It isn’t Alison’s.’ Edge could hear a roaring in her ears. ‘It’s Dallas’ purse. Donald!’ She looked up at him, stricken. ‘I think she’s Alison’s mother. Oh God, Donald! What if she’s the one who killed Simon?’

  ‘That’s a huge leap.’ Donald began automatically, then his eyes narrowed. ‘Phone them back! Stop them coming in!’ But even as Edge pushed the redial they heard the muffled knock, then Iain’s pleasant voice.

  ‘Good afternoon, sorry to disturb you. Miz Wendell? If we could just have a wee word?’

  There was a startled silence, broken only by Maggie’s scuffling as she tried to hook the half-shut kitchen door wide enough to get out to greet the new arrivals. Then Dallas’s voice, near the kitchen door , smooth and unruffled, her slight accent gone.

  ‘No. I’m afraid this isn’t a convenient time.’ There was the sudden scraping of chairs, then a gasp from Vivian. Edge and Donald, as one, took a step towards the kitchen door while Maggie, ever sensitive to atmosphere, rumbled and shuffled nervously, trying to push past their ankles, her red-rimmed eyes starting to bulge. Through the gap they could see Dallas in profile, one firm hand on Vivian’s arm, the other holding a tiny gun to Vivian’s throat. William, looking completely shocked, was still standing by the printer but the police couldn’t be seen at all.

  ‘What we’ll do now.’ Dallas, her voice still pleasant, said calmly, ‘is this. You will step inside—yes, right inside, put your backs to the wall and slide along clear of the door—and Vivian and I will leave. No one will stop us, or she could get very badly hurt. Move round that chair, Vivian, and walk slowly. Don’t make any stupid moves.’

  Maggie grumbled again and Donald suddenly jerked the door wide and waved her forward. The dog scrabbled out of the kitchen, barking furiously and Dallas half-turned her head sharply, her eyes widening as Maggie, bristling with rage and excitement, rushed at her. Donald, quick as he was, barely got his hand to her arm as she jerked the tiny gun down and fired at the dog at point blank range. She ducked convulsively away from his attempt to pin her arms—straight into William’s range as his stick whirled round and struck at her head.

  ~~~

  ‘Whit a stramash! Are you quite sure you don’t need an ambulance? You won’t want to be sharing one with yon dragon lady, but I can phone for another, nae trouble?’ Iain asked again, looking anxiously at Vivian who was still paper white with shock. She shook her head and sipped again at the strong sweet tea Edge had given her, her teeth chattering briefly on the porcelain.

  ‘I’ll b-be fine, honestly. Edge rang Megan, Matron will be here any minute and she’ll know what to do. I j-just need to know what happened. Ma heid.’ said poor Vivian, who rarely lapsed into the vernacular, ‘is mince.’

  ‘I could stand to know myself. I ken this lady was a confidence trickster but I never kent them to carry guns.’ He glanced at Dallas, handcuffed to the heavy desk chair, one hand to her head and then, sternly, at Donald. ‘As for you, sir, I hope I don’t have to say you should never have done what you did?’

  Donald looked up at him wearily. ‘Ken. But we’d barely found out she was a con artist, that was enough of a shock. Then to realize she must have killed Simon, and seconds later she pulled the same gun on Vivian, I thought the dog would rush out barking, and it would be a distraction. I’m quick—I’m usually very quick—and I thought I could get the gun while she was distracted.’ He glanced down at the stilled dog, and away. ‘She was quicker. I’ll never forgive myself. It could have been any one of us lying there.’

  ‘Your head.’ Dallas said almost conversationally to Vivian, who wouldn’t look at her. ‘I would never really have hurt you, you know. I did like you. I know I used you, but I had to stay around The Lawns. I had to keep tabs on Sylvia.’

  ‘Pretty elaborate con. Why didn’t you target Sylvia direct?’ Edge asked coldly and Dallas flicked a glance at her, then looked back at Vivian who was still staring into her cup.

  ‘I’ve been working the Dallas Wendell role for about four years. It’s been very lucrative. I originally researched your link to her, Vivian, a few years ago, along with six other girls born that day at that clinic, but you weren’t rich enough to make it worth it my while. One of the other babies, well, she bought ‘my’ shares for two million euros. I’ve managed some really good other cons using the Wendell persona. Don’t you see, I’m telling you the absolute truth here? I was due to take a break, I was coming to Edinburgh to spend some time with Alison when I got the—the news. Vivian, you have to understand that, at least. You’re a mother. She was the world to me. The relationship was under deep wraps, to protect her if I ever got caught, she wa
sn’t even listed as having family. As a member of the public I couldn’t learn anything beyond that the police were treating it as a suicide and I knew she wouldn’t have done that. Never. She loved life. I learned that she died here, at the Lawns, and I remembered you had just moved here when I researched you. It was too good a chance to miss. I knew if I pulled the sting on you, but this time for information, not for money, it would get me closer to the facts.’ She paused and sipped water from the glass on the desk.

  ‘I’d heard all about Simon, of course. She was besotted with him, and I knew he had an aunt here. Alison was fed up that he wouldn’t introduce her, wouldn’t even tell her the aunt’s name. I was pretty sure she had come out here herself, maybe to force his hand, walk up to him when he was with his aunt, something like that, and he had intercepted her and killed her. By making contact with you, I could find who the aunt was, and then keep tabs on her, or even could trace him through her. It was obvious almost immediately to me that he wasn’t waiting for Sylvia to die, he was actively poisoning her and that meant he would be back to his dying or dead aunt. I only had to wait.’

  ‘Then at lunch on Friday you told me about the Death scare. You even mentioned the camper living right on the doorstep and I knew it had to be him. I made him pay for killing my little girl, too.’ Her face was very bleak and she was no longer looking at Vivian but staring into memory. Kirsty’s pen was flying over her notebook as she caught up the last few words, the scratching noise suddenly very loud in the silent room. Dallas seemed to come back to herself, shooting Kirsty a weary sidelong glance.

  ‘I was going to say goodbye, to vanish, but then you said you knew I was Wendell, not Winter. I realized I had to go ahead with the sting. A con artist disappearing would be standard behaviour, with no reason to tie it to the murder. I did set the amount at something you could afford to lose—I was even thinking of reimbursing it later. That’s why I wanted the bank printout.’