Murder in House (31 page)

‘I expect that now Anthony's sorted out that you are estate agents, he's tried the agency phone. That gives Denis's mobile number if you're out of the office, doesn't it? It's no magic that he tried it and got you here.'

‘Oh. Well, yes. I suppose that's it. Denis, you tell them what he said.'

Denis's chin was swollen, and he spoke with difficulty. ‘Whoever it was – and it wasn't Anthony – didn't give his name. It was a deep voice, not one I recognize, saying that if I knew what was good for the agency, we would withdraw all charges against Anthony. Otherwise, the speaker couldn't be responsible for what might happen to any properties we had on our books. There was some mention of –' he blenched but continued – ‘arson. That any property on our books might go up in flames.'

Diana moaned softly. ‘We'll have to withdraw the charges. We can't risk it.'

Roy could hardly sit still. ‘These threats! Why don't the police take them seriously? I was just about to leave work when I got a phone call from Prior. He asked how I was getting on with raising the money to buy into the new block. I said I was having to back out, shortage of cash, terribly sorry and all that. He said he was sorry to hear it, that he'd give me twenty-four hours to rethink. I went home and . . .' his voice broke.

He took control of himself with an effort. ‘There was another phone call, not from Prior. A deeper voice. Saying that people who broke promises shouldn't live in glass houses and that there was a lot of glass in my house, and what a pity if it got into my little girl's eyes, or my wife's.

‘I was so jittery I could hardly hold the phone, but I managed to get through to the police to tell them what had happened. I had to admit I didn't recognize the voice. They said they'd log the call but it was probably just a joke. A joke! I didn't want to alarm Felicity, but she saw I was distressed. Kate was there too. Kate said I must tell you, Ellie, and you said we were having this meeting, so that's why I'm here.'

He got to his feet, started to tramp around the room. ‘I'll have to sell everything I've got, everything. I don't know how, at the moment. Kate says I mustn't give in, but I'm not risking my family's eyesight.'

Thomas guided him back to his seat. ‘Calm down, Roy. We're here to find a way out of this, and that's what we're going to do.'

There was an indrawn breath from Armand, who put up his hand to speak next. ‘I had a call rather like that when I got home from school. A deep voice. I don't know this Mr Prior, have never spoken to him to my knowledge, so can't say who it was. The voice said I'd been very foolish to suggest Anthony had made threats—'

‘What?' said Ellie. ‘Wait a minute. You didn't report Anthony's visit to your house to the police, did you? Now, I only told the police about it this afternoon. I said you thought you'd know the man again, and had the licence number of his car.'

‘Which means,' said Armand, ‘that what you said to the police this afternoon went straight back to Mr Prior.'

Thomas lifted a finger in a warning gesture. ‘Let's be accurate. The deep voice doesn't necessarily belong to Mr Prior himself. It might be someone acting for him.'

‘Either way,' said Armand, ‘when I got the call, I started laughing because it sounded so ridiculous. After a little while, I realized that it was serious, and I got angry. How dare he! So I rang Kate to see if she were all right, and she said I should ring Ellie. And that's why I'm here.'

Diana looked bewildered. ‘Did Armand get a visit from Anthony too? Why?'

Ellie explained. ‘Yes, he did. Anthony visited him in an attempt to discover where I might be. Anthony came off worst in that encounter, which must have hurt his pride. Armand's wife and children have been staying with Felicity and Roy ever since, but as Kate has pointed out, this can't go on indefinitely.'

Ellie looked at Thomas for a lead, but he signed for her to proceed.

She said, ‘I, too, have had a phone call from Mr Prior. It definitely was him. A lightish voice, with a slight Midlands twang. I've never to my knowledge met him, but I have no doubt that it was the man in person. He said that he'd been informed that I was slandering him, that he felt his reputation was under threat. That, as he was so much in the public eye, he could not afford to let the matter pass. With sorrow, he was therefore instructing his solicitors to sue me. He said he was sure to win the case, as I hadn't a shred of evidence against him.

‘He went on to say that if I made a public apology at a drinks party he's giving tomorrow night, and brought Ursula, he would forget the matter except for the small matter of damages. I am supposed to send him a cheque for a million pounds to the charity of his choice. With those conditions met, he would be prepared to forget the matter.'

‘What!' Armand jumped up from his chair. ‘A million pounds? And I suppose we can guess which will be the charity of his choice! Himself! Or, I suppose, he'll distribute some to his favourite charities. You won't pay, of course.'

Thomas said, ‘Didn't he ask for Mia, as well?'

‘No, he didn't. I'm not sure why. Perhaps he knows she's no longer marketable. As for paying him off, certainly not! I don't have that sort of money. All my worldly wealth goes into my charitable foundations, and I couldn't possibly persuade the trustees to let me have any for blackmailers. And I wouldn't dream of asking.'

‘Bravo!' Thomas clapped.

SEVENTEEN

T
homas's praise made Ellie go pink with pleasure. ‘Well, now we've put all the pieces together, we can see how he works,' said Ellie. ‘As soon as he's opposed, he uses threats both in his own name, and also through someone we can call Deep Throat for ease of reference. He follows up the threats by getting others to take physical action: wrecking Mrs Belton's flat, and so on.'

‘Agreed.'

‘Yes.'

Diana said, ‘Anthony's Deep Throat, isn't he?'

Ellie hesitated. ‘I don't think so. Anthony's voice is rather like his father's, wouldn't you agree? A light, well-educated, public school voice. Does that chime with what everyone has heard of the phone threats?'

A general shaking of heads. ‘A deep voice. Very masculine.'

Ellie continued, ‘I agree that Anthony does seem to have done some of the rough work, including today's visit to you, Diana, and his visit to Armand. But Mrs Belton described two quite different people: younger, thinner, not so well groomed, so well spoken or even so well washed.'

Roy was puzzled. ‘How many people are there working for Prior?'

‘I'm not sure that they are all working for him, precisely. I think that there's a chain of command, with Mr Prior at the top. He maintains a front of solid respectability, and sues anyone who dares to murmur that he's not perfect. Then there's the Deep Throat person, who acts for him. Deep Throat is the enforcer, making sure that opposition vanishes wherever it raises its head. Perhaps it's Mr Prior's solicitor? I really have no idea. Also acting in his father's interests is Anthony Prior, who has – don't let's forget – a number of bright young things of both sexes prepared to go along with his slightest whim.'

‘So the people who attacked Mrs Belton are in Anthony's group of friends?'

‘N–no. Anthony's friends are all much of a muchness, as you can see from these photos that Dan threw away. Young, well dressed, slender of body, educated. See?' Ellie passed round the photos. ‘On the fringe of his group, Anthony also has access to a number of pretty young girls who are used by his father to attract and amuse businessmen with whom Mr Prior had dealings.'

Armand threw the photos down in disgust. ‘Not a thick-necked thug among them. Are we looking for bouncers from a nightclub, perhaps?'

Ellie shook her head. ‘No, I don't think so. It's horrid, but I'm afraid the link is through Anthony's younger brother, Timothy, and his friendship with Dan, Ursula's ex-fiancé. Tim and Dan have always been close. Dan has no money; is desperate for a job, which he's been promised by the Priors. Dan lives at home in a boarding house for students run by his divorced mother. Their lodgers are all hard up, young and hungry. The Priors held a Halloween party last year and had lots of masks for their guests. Dan and Ursula didn't go, but I wonder if it gave the students the idea that they could behave as badly as they liked, if they wore masks.'

‘Supposition,' said Thomas.

‘Yes, but I saw a Halloween mask on one of the student's doors in that house, and I'm thinking that one of the Prior brothers asked Dan to find some lads willing to do a job for them. Dan certainly knows more than he's let on. He knew where the stolen laptop could be found, didn't he, and how to retrieve it? Which means he had contact with those who stole it.

‘We mustn't forget that Ursula believes Lloyd's death was murder, not an accident. Now, she wasn't there. Dan wasn't there. She didn't have contact with Anthony and his lot afterwards, except for a confrontation that ended badly for her. Dan, on the other hand, continued to see his old friends. I'm thinking Dan learned something about Lloyd's death afterwards, something that he doesn't want to take to the police, possibly something that proved Tim was involved? Whether she's picked up a hint from Dan, or whether she's just acting on her knowledge of the people involved, Ursula refused to go along with the official cover-up – which is why we're all here today.'

Thomas said, ‘More supposition, but it does feel right. It seems to me that Ursula is the key to unlock the cabinet of mysteries. She's no shrinking violet, but a player of some strength. Is it a good idea to keep her out of the action?'

‘She's also vulnerable,' said Ellie. ‘The Priors want her to help them snare another rich businessman. Remember what happened to Mia. Should Ursula risk the same fate? She knows the group has access to drugs through someone called “Bullseye”, so-called because he always scores with women first time. Is “Bullseye” using Rohypnol, the date rape drug, to make sure he always scores with women?'

‘You think that he might have used the date rape drug on Mia—'

‘I fear so. Let's consider the following scenario. We know that some councillor or other wanted Mia's company at the Grand Opening, and that she was a virgin at that point. We know that Anthony got her to go upstairs only because he said the councillor had left the party. Suppose he hadn't? Suppose she was drugged, and raped, and that after that others took their turn to . . . oh, it doesn't bear thinking about. Is this what's in store for Ursula if she returns?'

‘I'm not suggesting that Ursula walks into the Priors' net,' said Thomas. ‘But it occurs to me that she may not be safe from predators, just because she's in Portsmouth. How long did it take for her to come up to London the other day?'

Silence. Reluctant nods.

Ellie was worried. ‘You think she's actually safer up here with us?'

Roy was twisting his hands. ‘For how long? How long is this going to go on for? I've got twenty-four hours to find the money – which I can't do – and after that, I'd not be able to leave Felicity alone for a minute.'

Thomas reminded them, ‘If fear is faced, it can be dealt with.'

‘Precisely,' said Ellie, though her heart was beating far too fast. ‘Now, let's take a good long look at these threats. If any of us are taken to court, well, I can afford as good a solicitor as Mr Prior. Probably better. Threats to sue are merely that: threats. We can deal with those in the courts in the usual way. As a matter of fact, I don't suppose it would ever come to court, because then everyone would hear what we thought about the Priors and their reputation would be called into question.'

‘But the very real threats to our wives and children!' said Roy.

‘Oh, them. Well,' said Ellie, ‘I think I know how to neutralize the boys who think they can get away with murder in masks. They're only students, after all.'

Armand said, ‘Hah! Students! I know students all right. Half flash and half foolish. Have any of them been through my hands? Give me some names.'

‘Ursula Belton, Daniel Collins.'

‘Belton. Hah! Intelligent. Could have become an academic, but decided to be artistic instead. Collins: brains of an ox, and muscles to match. Into team sports; captain of this and that. Not one of mine. Never been in trouble that I know of. But, Collins, Collins? Is there a younger brother?'

‘Yes, there is,' said Ellie. ‘You know him?'

‘Average brain. Bit of a tearaway. Exclusion for setting off fireworks? By the name of Kyle. That the one?'

‘Sounds like him,' said Ellie. ‘I know there's a younger brother still at school. I do hope he's not involved, but if he is . . . oh dear, poor Mrs Collins.'

Thomas had his diary out. ‘If we pay the Collins household a visit first thing in the morning, I could still make the eleven ten train. It's a trifle early for students to be out of bed, but—'

Ellie shook her head. ‘Thomas, I wouldn't hear of it. That's an important conference you're going to, and you'll miss the first session if you don't catch the nine o'clock.'

‘I'll go with you, Ellie,' said Armand, cracking his knuckles. ‘Students! Hah! Do I know students! The earlier the better; rout them out of bed, bring the might of the law down on them. They'll crack all right. You and I, Ellie. We could take on the world and win.'

‘Yes, but I thought Roy or Denis . . .' She looked at Roy, and then at Diana and Denis. All three looked away.

Roy said, ‘Nobody better than you for dealing with things, Ellie. A great relief. Let me know how you get on, right?'