Dead Woman's Shoes: 1 (Lexy Lomax Mysteries) (28 page)

Edward leapt on to a bale of hay. The cat made a ghastly low growling sound as Lexy approached. Princess meowed fearfully from her basket. Lexy spoke to the tom gently, flipped the metal clasp, and watched him shoot out of the barn like a furry black bullet without a second look at the Caradocs’ cat. Typical male, she thought.

“Right, I think we should follow his example, although less quickly.” Head throbbing, Lexy picked up the wicker cat basket, and the three of them made for Edward’s car. An apprehensive-looking chihuahua watched them approach from a side window.

Both Caradocs were home when Edward and Lexy arrived on their doorstep at half past three.

Tammy answered the door, looking haggard.

“What are you doing here?”

“Special delivery.” Lexy produced the cat basket from behind Edward.

For a moment Tammy just stared disbelievingly at her cat.

Princess Noo-Noo peered back at her through the wire front mesh of her prison, her pink, heart-shaped mouth producing the same ear-splitting yowl that had accompanied Lexy, Edward and Kinky all the way back from the barn.

Tammy’s drawn, exhausted face underwent a transformation. For a split second Lexy glimpsed the glamorous young actress DI Milo had admired twenty years ago.

Fingers shaking, face flooding, Tammy unfastened the plastic catch. Princess leapt straight out and attached herself to Tammy’s large front.

“Oh, bless – I’m welling up here myself,” said Edward, fishing out a hanky and dabbing his eyes.

Tristan appeared. “What’s going on? Did I hear...?” He gave a theatrical gasp. “Princess! She’s back!”

He staggered forward, putting out an incredulous hand to the cat-limpet.

“How...?”

“It was Lexy,” said Tammy.

“You
found
the little mite?” Tristan, copper-coloured eyes brimming with tears, stared at Lexy. “How in the...where was she?”

“It’s a...” Lexy gave them both a tired smile. “Can we go and sit down?”

Edward, Lexy and Tristan went into the living room. Princess gave the sofa a joyful clawing while Tammy poured champagne in the kitchen.

Tristan gazed fixedly at the cat. “I just can’t believe she’s back. It’s a dream come true. I... dammit!” He jumped up. “I’m meant to be meeting Al Cromarty at the pub – you know – the actor? Lives down here now. Good friend of mine. Better tell him I’ll be late – won’t be a moment.”

“Name dropper,” snorted Edward, when Tristan had left the room. “And look at this place – I mean,
look
!” He swept an arm around at the legion of photographs. “Don’t they get tired of looking at themselves? I’m sick of the sight of them alrea...”

“Ssh,” said Lexy, as Tammy came in with a tray, tears still cascading down her face.

Edward adopted his previous pose, smiling mistily and clutching his handkerchief.

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to repay you,” Tammy sniffed.

Lexy gave her a sharp glance. With money, hopefully.

Tristan returned at that moment, and when the glasses were handed around and chinked, Lexy found all eyes on her.

“Come on, lovie – spill the beans.” Edward’s equilibrium seemed to be returning; he threw back his champagne enthusiastically. “How did you pull this one off?”

“It was just an idea in the back of my mind,” Lexy began. She turned to Tammy. “It was when I saw the photograph of Princess and you told me how you’d rescued her. You see, years ago, I heard a story about an odd-looking kitten born in a litter of farm cats in Cornwall. Turned out that he was a genuine mutation, and after some... er...
in-breeding
, he sired two curly-haired kittens. This was the origin of the Cornish Rex – a new cat breed. A similar thing happened in Devon.”

“So, are you saying that our Noo-Noo is a Rex?” Tammy gazed down in amazement at the clownish cat, who was pummelling her ample chest slowly, eyes half-shut, like a punch-drunk boxer.

“I’m saying she’s a Suffolk Rex,” said Lexy. “The first of a new breed. Very significant in the cat world.”

The Caradocs and Edward leant forwards. “So – whoever stole her,” said Tristan, slowly, “knew exactly what they were doing.”

“Yup. They saw her potential to make money. They tracked down Princess’s father, the big tom cat that lives over on Mellowsham Farm, waited until Princess was – well – just mature enough to, you know... rock the Kasbah, and got the two of them together.”

Tammy looked horrified. “They let Noo-Noo’s father...? That’s...”

“Disgusting,” supplied Tristan. Even Edward looked shocked.

“It was the only way to create more little Suffolk Rexes,” said Lexy, matter-of-factly. “And each of them is going to be worth a fortune.”

“Really?” Tristan looked at his cat with new respect. “Er... where did you find her?”

“She was being kept in an old barn out near Mellowsham Farm.”

“How did you find that out?”

“Lucky guess,” Lexy lied. “I was following...some leads.”

Edward shot her a glance.

“Who did this?” said Tammy, ominously. “Who stole her?” Tristan put his hand comfortingly over hers.

Lexy rubbed her chin. “I’m not sure. I’ll need to do some more digging.” She stood up and cleared her throat. “Was there some mention of a reward...?”

“Tristan! Haven’t you given her anything yet?” Tammy jerked her hand from her husband’s. He obediently produced a wallet and began peeling twenty-pound notes from it.

“And if you’ve got any sense, you’ll go straight to bed, now you’ve done the fairy godmother bit,” Edward harangued on the way back to Otter’s End.

“It’s five o’clock in the evening,” Lexy pointed out. She had counted out the bundle of notes Tristan had given her. Two hundred pounds. That was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. A lot better.

The Jaguar turned up Cliff Lane, making the steep ascent to Otter’s End. They got out and walked up to the front door of the log cabin together, Kinky leading the way with a proprietary air.

“You know that little cow Sheri-Anne stole the cat,” said Edward. “Why didn’t you just tell them?”

“I want to find out who her accomplice was first.”

“Any ideas?”

“That’s the trouble. I’m not sure. It could be her boyfriend, Lance. His dad owns Mellowsham Farm.”

“Oho,” said Edward.

“But I think we’re looking for someone with a few more grey cells.”

They went into the airless cabin and through to the small kitchen.

Edward reached for the coffee and cafetière he had bought Lexy. “Got anything to eat?”

Lexy opened the formica cupboard. “Lentils, couscous, stuff like that.”

Edward made a face. “I’m off, then.”

“OK,” said Lexy, torn between relief and pique. “You’ve been the best today – I can’t believe how much of your time I’ve taken up. And I’ve got Kinky back. Thanks ever so much. For everything.”

“You don’t need to make an Oscar acceptance speech,” snorted Edward. “I’m coming straight back with some decent nosh. Did you seriously think I was going to leave you on your own in your condition?”

He swept out of the door.

Lexy stood in the now familiar living room, uncertain what to do next. Her first instinct was to go and check that the suitcase was still under the bed. It was. Lexy regarded it with mixed emotions. She needed to offload it without any more delay. Things were due to get pretty hot around here soon, and if the police were going to catch up with her, she wanted to make sure the five hundred grand wasn’t still sitting under the bed to complicate matters. She’d just have to make the money Tristan had given her last as long as possible.

As she passed back into the living room, Lexy was brought up short by a small flashing light. It was the telephone answering machine. Someone had left a message. Two messages.

Might be a couple more jobs. Not that she ought...

She fumbled behind the sofa and pressed the play button.

“It’s Milo. Listen – I can’t find Sheri-Anne Davis – no one seems to know where she is. Can you call me if you see her?”

The phone kicked into the next message.

“Hi, Lexy – Guy Ellenger. I’m in Lowestoft police station. There’s been some kind of mix-up. They seem to think I’m involved in this Avril Todd thing – no idea why. They swooped on my house earlier and took me off with my arm up my back. Unbelievable. Thankfully, no one was around to see – the neighbours were out. Anyway – I’m really sorry to get you involved like this but I didn’t have a chance to sort the dogs out before I got bundled off. My lot are inside, but Kinky didn’t come in with them when I called, so I guess he must still be in the garden.”

Lexy grimaced at the phone.

“When you pick up Kinky, can you drop in and feed them? I can’t ask Hope – she’d want to know where I was, and it would all be a bit awkward. But I know I can count on you to be discreet. The back door key is under the mat – original, eh? I should be back soon, anyhow, when the police realise they’re barking up the wrong tree.” He laughed nervously. “I hope you get this message. See you later. Yes, well, thanks in advance.”

The answering machine clicked as he rang off.

Lexy stared at the phone, imagining Guy being questioned in an interview room. “Barking up the wrong tree,” she said, half-aloud. “Is that what I’ve been doing? Getting hold of the wrong end of the stick?” Then, more thoughtfully, “Like a dog with a bone.” A series of images suddenly ran through her mind – Kinky having his ear stitched, Kinky sniffing at a stick, Kinky, somewhere, trying to find a bone. Dog’s DNA in the wound...

“Hello, sweetie. Are you all right?”

Edward had a Miu-Miu bag dangling from his arm. He went straight into the kitchen, and began laying packages on the table.

“Now then, English muffins, strawberries, cream...”

“Edward,” Lexy said. “I’m really sorry about this, but – I need to go out again.”

He put his hands on his hips. “I’m starting to think you don’t like civilised food. Is there another problem?”

“Yeah. Guy Ellenger’s still at the police station.”

“Still?” Edward looked at his watch. “It’s half five. He must have been there for four hours. That’s not good.”

“He wants me to go and feed his dogs.”

Edward’s neatly barbered eyebrows shot up. “Honestly. Doesn’t he know you’ve only just got out of hospital?”

“I don’t mind – won’t take me long to drive there and back. Come on, Kinky.”

The chihuahua took one look at the bunch of car keys Lexy was dangling and dived under the sideboard.

“Don’t be silly – I’ll take you,” said Edward.

“There’s no need –really. Come
here
, Kinky.” Lexy added, with some force.

“Never a dull moment with you, is there?” Edward strode out of the kitchen. He was holding a long-handled broom. “And I thought San Francisco was non-stop.”

“Er...what are you doing?” Lexy moved towards the door.

“You want him to come with us, don’t you?” Edward knelt beside the sideboard and gently eased Kinky out with the aid of the broom head. “Quickest way I know. Works with small children, too.”

He smiled indulgently at Kinky. “Poor little pooch. You’re still trying to get over the trauma of having to share a car with a cat that makes more noise than you do, aren’t you?”

He held open the door. “Right – come on, what are we waiting for?”

Soon the Jaguar was bumping back over the ruts of Cliff Lane in the direction of Clopwolde. Lexy and Kinky sat in the front passenger seat, Lexy staring silently ahead, Kinky looking back longingly at the cabin.

“I hope Guy’s not having as bad a time as I did,” said Edward. “When I got taken in for questioning after the old man went over the cliff last year, they were positively rude. Brutal, even.”

“What happened?” Lexy asked distractedly.

Edward sighed. “Dad had this habit of taking Nimrod out for a constitutional at about eleven every night. Poor old Nimrod couldn’t go through the night otherwise – prostate, you see. Curse of the male gender. It was windy and cold and the old man must have gone too near to the edge.” Edward shook his head. “He should have known better. We’ve lost nine log cabins, several outbuildings and at least three locals over the last fifteen years.”

“Nine log cabins?”

“Yes, lovie. We need to talk about that. Anyway, a couple of fishermen found dad’s body on the beach early the next morning. First I knew of it was when I got woken up by the police after an hour’s sleep, having been out on an absolute bender the night before. I’d got in at about three-thirty and I just assumed the old man was asleep in bed. When I was rudely awoken from my alcohol-drenched slumber to hear he’d been found on the beach I flew into a rage and started calling him every name under the sun for going near the edge. God knows what the Old Bill thought.” He smiled wryly. “Actually, it was startlingly obvious what they thought. They asked me to get dressed straight away and accompany them to the station to give a statement. Shocking, it was. I didn’t get a coffee until about ten o’clock, and that was a vending machine one. Vile.” He shuddered. “But at least they were happy with my version of events. Verdict – accidental death. Anyway, these log cabins...”

Minutes later, the Jaguar pulled to a halt outside Guy Ellenger’s house. Lexy was looking rather pale. They saw a curtain flick at the Caradocs’ window next door.

Lexy left Edward in the car and, followed by Kinky, let herself into the garden, and down the side of the bungalow to the back door. The sound of chihuahuas in full throat reverberated from the house. Kinky stood stock-still, his nose quivering.

Lexy located the key.

“All right, boys – it’s me,” called Lexy, gently. “Come to give you your dinner.”

“Thank heavens for that!”

Lexy recognised the fruity voice as Tristan Caradoc’s. He was obviously standing behind the high wall that divided the two bungalows.

“I thought I saw your svelte form disembarking from Edward’s car,” the voice went on. “The little buggers have been barking in there ever since we got back this afternoon. We were starting to get worried.”

“Guy says sorry,” called Lexy. “He’s been detained.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. He’s got a family... thing... to attend to. Well, must feed these dogs.”