Death of a Chimney Sweep - M. C. Beaton [20]
“No you won’t,” said Milly, getting to her feet. “I’ve had enough. Don’t come back. I haven’t any money.”
“What’s this?” asked Hamish. “Have you been harassing Mrs. Davenport for money at such a time?”
“We’ll be on our way,” said Bromley. They pushed past Hamish and left.
Milly sobbed quietly while the sound of their car died away. “Look here,” said Hamish, “that money was got from them by fraud. You are not responsible.”
“I was thinking of selling the house,” said Milly, drying her eyes. “But the village people are so kind. I’ve never really had friends of my own since I got married. To tell the truth, I didn’t like their wives, but Henry insisted they were my best friends.”
“Will your sister-in-law have left you anything in her will?”
“I very much doubt it.”
Hamish took out his phone. “I think I’ll just be calling in a few favours from a couple of men on the Forestry Commission. As soon as all the shrubbery is taken away, you’ll get a clear view of who’s approaching the house.”
There was a knock at the door, and Milly winced. Hamish went to answer it. But it was Ailsa and Edie bearing a cake. “We thought a bit o’ cake might cheer her up.”
Milly appeared behind Hamish. “How kind of you. Let’s go into the kitchen. The drawing room is cold.”
Hamish returned to his phone call. “Two forestry men’ll be along this afternoon,” he said.
“What do I pay them?” asked Milly.
“Nothing. Like I said, they’ll take away the wood as payment.”
When Hamish arrived back at his police station, he phoned the hotel and found to his dismay that none of the four had checked out. For once he would have welcomed Detective Inspector Blair with his bullying ways. Why wasn’t he up at the hotel grilling them?
He phoned Jimmy and asked. “I’m on my road over,” said Jimmy. “Blair smells that this is a case that’ll never be solved. He’s got a glowing report on all four men from the regiment. He says I’ve got to concentrate on the villagers in Drim. He says they’re probably all inbred and daft. He says some lunatic stuffed the captain up the chimney. He says we cannot go around annoying brave soldiers.”
“Ex-soldiers,” corrected Hamish, “and they were up at Drim this morning, trying to get money out o’ Milly.”
“Where are they now?”
“Tommel Castle.”
“I’ll just be having a wee word wi’ them.”
“Drop in here first. I’ve got an idea.”
When Jimmy arrived, demanding whisky as usual, Hamish said, “Has anyone looked into how their businesses are doing?”
“Don’t think so.”
“All of them or one of them must be desperate for money or they wouldn’t go to such lengths.”
“I’ll use your phone and get on to it. Where’s Elspeth? I heard she’d been spotted.”
“Down in Surrey, trying to get some background.”
“Good luck to her. But believe me, the police down there have been thorough. Wait! I’ll use your phone and get on to them and see if one of the four has a failing business.”
Hamish waited. The wind was rising like a bad omen. It had a peculiar keening sound, heralding worse to come.
Ailsa, Edie, and Milly were eating cake and drinking coffee when someone knocked at the door. “I’ll go,” said Ailsa.
After a few minutes, she called, “It’s that reporter, Tam Tamworth.”
“Oh, show him in,” said Milly.
“Are you sure you want to be speaking to the press?” asked Ailsa.
“Tam swears he won’t publish anything until the murders are solved. And he’s kind.”
Ailsa ushered Tam into the kitchen. He was carrying a bunch of yellow roses, which he presented to Milly. “How lovely, Tam. I’ll put these in water.”
Ailsa winked at Edie, and both women rose to their feet. “We’ll leave you to it, Milly. Phone if there’s anything you want.”
After they had gone, Tam nervously cleared his throat and said, “It’s my day off.”
“Then how nice of you to come to see me.”
“I wondered if you felt like a trip to Strathbane this evening for dinner.”
“Oh… I don’t know. Wouldn’t it look odd so soon after the funeral?”
“I don’t think anyone will notice us. It just crossed my mind that it might be a wee bit o’ a tonic