Barking Mad

Chapter 4

11

Having forgotten about Hannah’s proposal that we speak to Barry, I was surprised when she closed the tea shop early on Sunday afternoon, which was usually a busy time for us. Placing a freshly baked fruitcake carefully in a box, she reminded me about her plan, and we set off together for Maud’s apartment above her grocery store. The shop seemed much larger than its floor space, because Maud managed to cram so many items onto her closely packed shelves. I wondered if she had spent her childhood addicted to jigsaws, because she seemed to fit everything together so skilfully, without wasting a single centimetre of display space. There was a small floor area where customers could stand in front of the till, but the rest of the shop allowed barely enough room for one person to walk along the aisles. Passing another customer involved people shuffling sideways. I couldn’t see how the first floor flat would be very large, but Hannah assured me that Maud owned the whole building, as though it was an impressive property.

‘That’s nice for her,’ I replied. ‘And very convenient. She just has to go downstairs to get to work.’

‘You do realise what it means?’

‘It means she owns the shop and the flat above it.’

‘Yes, but what I’m saying is that eventually it will all go to Barry.’

‘I suppose so.’

‘With my tea shop, and his salary and prospects, we could be very comfortable together,’ she added, her usually cheerful expression becoming wistful.

‘You might if you were a couple, but you’re not,’ I pointed out, hating to think of her being disappointed.

‘Yes, thank you very much, Miss Negativity,’ she replied, clearly peeved. ‘I’m well aware of that. I’m just saying that if we were ever to become an item, we’d both have something to contribute to our future together.’

As would anyone else who had a property or prospects, I thought, but didn’t say. I still sometimes daydreamed about Toby moving into Rosecroft with me, so I was hardly in a position to sneer at my friend’s romantic fantasy. Such harmless delusions made it possible to get through the lonely times. We reached a little blue door tucked in beside the shop front. I had passed it many times, barely noticing it was there. Hannah rang the bell and we heard a muffled chime from inside. After a moment, we heard heavy footsteps, and Barry opened the door. If he was surprised to see us, he didn’t show it. I made a mental note to point out to Hannah that perhaps she shouldn’t take it too seriously if he didn’t show any interest in her. His training as a police officer had no doubt taught him to hide his feelings behind a mask of equanimity.

Hannah put on a show of being taken aback to see him and said we would return another time, but he invited us in as we had expected.

‘This is perfect timing,’ he assured us. ‘My aunt has just this minute put the kettle on.’

To my discomfiture, he appeared to direct his invitation at me, even though it was Hannah who had spoken to him. She told him she had brought a fruitcake which she had just taken out of the oven, and he beamed at me as he replied that it smelt delicious. He led us up a steep flight of stairs to a narrow hallway, and into a cosy living room. A three piece suite was upholstered in pink and purple chintz to match drapes secured with tiebacks on either side of the window. A dark wooden coffee table stood in the centre of the room. A television was attached to the wall on one side of the chimney breast, and a row of glass ornaments sparkled on a shelf on the other side.

Maud seemed really pleased to see us, and she allowed me to let Poppy off her lead to explore the room.

‘She’s a nosy little dog,’ I apologised, but Maud laughed.

She seemed unusually cheerful, which I put down to her pleasure at spending time with her nephew. She smiled at him and Hannah with a proprietorial air although, from what I could see, Barry barely seemed to notice my friend. Hannah handed Maud the fruitcake and our hostess went off to the kitchen to make the tea, leaving Barry to entertain us.

‘I visit Maud for Sunday tea when I can. Strictly speaking she’s my aunt, but she’s more like a mother to me.’ He looked at me. ‘I hope you’re planning to stay in the village? It’s a pity, but a lot of people find it too quiet and can’t wait to move away.’

Hannah seized on the opportunity to broach the subject of the most recent newcomer to Ashton Mead.

‘He’s not been here very long. Actually, Emily had an awkward encounter with his son recently. I wonder if she ought to tell you about it, officially, you know.’

Barry frowned. ‘I’m not sure I understand.’ He turned to me and spoke earnestly and a trifle pompously, as though reciting something he had been schooled in. ‘Do you want to make a complaint? If you feel threatened by someone, don’t feel embarrassed about notifying the police. It’s our job to protect members of the community. Any victim of abusive or threatening behaviour or harassment should bring the situation to our attention. Often a quiet word from us is all it takes to persuade the aggressor to back off,’ he concluded with a slightly smug smile.

Although I did my best to assure him that nothing had happened, Hannah was adamant that Ralph had verbally threatened me. Barry was keen to hear what Ralph had said to me, but at that point Maud returned with a tray. In silence we watched her set out a delicate china tea set, complete with matching pot and milk jug. Poppy followed the proceedings with interest, especially when Maud brought in a plate of biscuits. Finally we were all sipping our tea and Maud passed around the cake. Hannah returned to the subject of my next-door neighbour and his son, and I capitulated, realising it was pointless trying to be discreet about the incident, now that Maud knew about it.

‘Richard accused me of spreading false rumours about his father, which I honestly never did,’ I explained. ‘Then he warned me not to provoke his father because he said he – Richard, that is – can be violent.’

Maud gasped and put her hand to her mouth, her eyes stretched wide with alarm, muttering, ‘I knew that man was no good. He ought to be behind bars for what he did to his poor wife. ’

‘He said if I said anything against his father, he – Ralph – would deal with me himself,’ I added.

‘What did I tell you?’ Maud burst out, frowning impatiently at Barry.

‘Did he assault you?’ Barry asked me, dismissing Maud’s question with a shake of his head.

‘Everyone knows Richard did away with his wife,’ Maud said.

Barry looked at me. ‘Is that the rumour he was referring to?’

‘I imagine so, but I never started that rumour.’

‘You didn’t need to. It’s common knowledge,’ Maud muttered crossly.

‘No, it’s a rumour,’ Barry corrected her.

‘Even his own son says he’s violent,’ Maud replied.

‘The point is,’ Hannah interrupted their squabble, ‘Richard’s son threatened Emily.’

‘What exactly did he say to you?’ Barry asked me.

‘He told me he was worried about his father being violent, and he warned me to be careful about what I said. He told me I’d have him to deal with if I said anything against Richard. He seemed to think I’d started the accusation against Richard.’

Barry shook his head. ‘What accusation are we talking about here?’

‘That Richard killed his wife, of course,’ Maud replied. ‘The woman Emily found drowned in the river. You must see that the two things can’t be unrelated, Richard arriving in Ashton Mead just as a body turned up.’

‘It’s not just that a woman’s body was discovered, but no one seems to know what happened to Richard’s wife,’ Hannah added. ‘He told Emily she’d gone and was never coming back, didn’t he?’

I nodded. ‘And Ralph threatened to hurt Poppy.’

Barry asked me to repeat what Ralph had said about my dog.

‘He said she might be attacked by foxes. Only he wasn’t talking about foxes.’

Barry leaned back in his chair looking thoughtful and Hannah and I exchanged a hopeful glance, because it seemed we were getting through to him.

Barry’s next words were a disappointment. ‘A man is worried that his father is being maligned, and insists you stop bad-mouthing him, and he expresses concern that Poppy might be attacked by foxes. It’s a common misconception by city folk, but I’m sure she’d scare any fox off with that bark of hers.’ He leaned down and held out his hand to Poppy who approached him and licked his fingers. Barry looked at me and smiled. ‘You don’t need to worry about her.’ He reached for a second slice of fruitcake. ‘Poppy is at far greater risk from ingesting raisins than from being attacked by foxes. You do know that raisins are poisonous for dogs. They’re even more toxic than chocolate.’ He took a bite of cake.

‘But what about Richard? Aren’t the police going to do anything about the man? He did away with his wife,’ Hannah wailed. ‘And now Emily’s life is in danger.’

‘Where’s your evidence that he killed his wife? People pass through here all the time. Anyone could have been here just before the body was discovered. Why is everyone assuming Richard is responsible? And why would he commit a murder right on his own doorstep? You know, it’s not unheard of for people to fall in the river, or throw themselves in. And there’s no reason to suspect the woman who drowned had any connection to your new neighbour. I suggest you forget about your theories and focus on being good neighbours.’

Hannah looked vexed and Maud lowered her eyes and busied herself pouring more tea. By tacit consent, we said no more about Richard and the conversation drifted into speculation about the weather. It was a safe topic, if dull, and Hannah and I left soon after. Barry followed us downstairs to see us out. As we were saying goodbye, Barry detained me. To my dismay, he invited me to have dinner with him one evening. Stammering, I gave an evasive reply, aware that Hannah was looking crestfallen.

‘Have you discovered the identity of the dead woman?’ I blurted out.

‘The one you found in the river?’ Barry replied and I nodded. ‘I’m afraid I can’t share details of the police investigation,’ he replied primly.

Even Poppy turned her back on him.