Fatal Slip

  'Life can be very complicated,' Dodie agreed, deciding this was not the best time for a philosophical discussion.

  'If Mom and Dad can't get back together, and as she's married again I don't suppose it's likely, I wish Emma would come back. I liked her. And I thought if Dad does too – but she must love Bruce.'

  'Libby, I don't see how it can be connected with Jake, but was Emma jealous of your father when they were married?'

  Libby looked puzzled. 'They had rows. I didn't hear much, but once or twice I think I heard a woman's name mentioned. Oh, I've remembered something. I'd completely forgotten until now.'

  'It can happen. But what is it?'

  'Just a few words. When I was at Emma's I heard voices, that's why I thought they might be out on the patio and went round that way. All I could distinguish didn't make sense at the time, but perhaps it does now. I heard Emma, she was talking loudly, she might have been angry. She said something about Tanya's bed. It would make sense if she was accusing Bruce of having it off with someone else. But in that case, why would he want to take her to bed himself?'

  Dodie was recalling Emma's red-rimmed eyes that day, and her concentration on something in the distance. A suspicion Bruce was meeting someone else could account for that. And like Jylli, she discounted the bodice-ripping theory. Libby was speaking again, in such a low voice Dodie had to ask her to repeat herself.

  'I sneaked back,' she admitted, shamefaced. 'I didn't tell Jylli. But all their clothes, his as well as hers, were scattered all over the kitchen floor, and I could see a trail of them along the passage. I got out fast, and hoped they weren't watching out of the windows. But I don't think they could have been, could they?'

  Dodie solemnly agreed that they would probably have been too preoccupied with other things to stand gazing out of the window, but as soon as Libby vanished so did her desire to laugh. Had the child imagined the knife? Or was something going on that could be connected with Jake's murder?

  Try as she would, however, she could find no explanation. All she came up with were further questions.

  *

  On the following morning Bill was playing in a golf tournament, and left the house early. Dodie called on Howard and ask whether Jake had tried to blackmail him, and they were sitting on the deck of his boat when the telephone rang. Howard listened grimly, then turned to Dodie.

  'That was Valerie. She needs us at Maria's hotel.'

  'What's happened?' Dodie demanded, immediately apprehensive.

  They were hurrying from the boat. 'Isabella seems to have flipped again, and you're about the only person who can get through to her. The police questioned Pedro and Luis and then released them, but an hour ago they arrested Theo.'

  'Theo! But he'd never have murdered Jake. He's far too gentle. I don't believe it.'

  'The police know Isabella's pregnant, so Theo has the best motive of all, better than her brothers. The boys must have let it slip.'

  'Come on. We might find a taxi.'

  They were fortunate, but there was a great deal of traffic, one of the islands jammed solid by an accident, and it seemed hours before they reached the Macleans' hotel. Valerie was waiting anxiously on the forecourt and ushered them swiftly inside.

  'Thank goodness you've come. I can't get hold of Bill, he's out on the course, and it's a long way to Santo da Serra! Even when he gets my message he can't be back for ages. Maria says she doesn't want her family.'

  'Steady on, Valerie, this isn't like you to be in a flap. Where's Maria? And how's Isabella?'

  'The child calmed down, she's resting in her room, but now Maria's in a dreadful state, alternately blaming Theo – I can't make out half the time what for, but it's not connected to Jake from what I do understand – and her brothers. She's in the office, drinking as fast as she can pour wine into the glass. Pedro's trying to calm her down but she's taking absolutely no notice of him.'

  'When did the police take Theo away?' Dodie asked as Valerie turned to go into the office.

  'Just after I got here, an hour ago. As soon as I could sort out what had happened I called Howard.'

  Maria was slumped in the desk chair, her eyes closed, the glass she'd been using lying on the carpet beneath her hand.

  'I do believe she's asleep,' Valerie said in surprise, and at that second Maria snored and confirmed it.

  'That will save us some trouble,' Howard said with satisfaction. 'We can put her to bed while she sleeps it off. Pedro, give me a hand carrying her?'

  'Of course, if Mrs Fanshaw would open the door.'

  Dodie turned to do so. She was just in time to see Isabella, wearing a distinctive blue and white head scarf, creeping out of the front door.

  'Isabella! Come back! Where are you going?' she demanded, and walked rapidly after the girl.

  Isabella cast a hunted look over her shoulder and began to run. She sped out into the street, Dodie puffing in pursuit, and sprinted along until she reached a taxi waiting on the corner. As the taxi pulled away Dodie turned back into the hotel.

  'Howard, come quickly, Isabella's driven off!' she gasped.

  Howard and Pedro unceremoniously deposited Maria on a settee in the foyer.

  'Where?' Howard asked as they ran out into the road, ignoring Pedro's plaintive demands to be told what was going on.

  'Taxi. It went up the hill towards the Via Rapida junction.'

  She was hailing another taxi as she spoke, and giving rapid instructions as she clambered in, followed by Pedro and Howard. The driver grinned and was in gear before Howard had closed the door, so that it was some moments before they sorted themselves out and could pay attention to where they were.

  It was the lunchtime rush hour, and they soon met congested traffic queuing to get onto the fast motorway. Dodie could see several yellow taxis on the road above them. Suddenly she clutched Howard's arm and pointed.

  'See the one turning onto the eastbound entrance? I'm sure that's Isabella's scarf I can see through the window. Where on earth can she be going?'

  *

  'Where can she be going?' Dodie repeated as their own taxi, following Isabella's, turned onto the wide road leading round the outskirts of Funchal. 'The airport?'

  'But why?' Pedro asked.

  'Does she have a passport? Your father has relatives in England, could she be going to one of them?'

  'She has no passport, she has never been to England, does not know those relatives. But we have an uncle, in Lisbon. She could go there. But he is my mothers's brother.'

  And therefore unlikely to support Isabella, Dodie thought.

  'You want me to catch the young lady?' the driver interrupted, glancing over his shoulder as he drew out into the outside lane when a slow lorry gave him a few inches of space in the crowded road.

  'Yes,' Dodie replied sharply, and he grinned, his teeth white against his very dark skin.

  Briefly, to distract herself from worry about Isabella, and the way the driver was overtaking buses and hooting at cars which got in his way, she thought of the many racial influences that made up Madeira. The natives ranged from blue-eyed blonds to those dark-skinned enough to have come from Africa. To begin with the island had been colonised by Portuguese and Spanish, with some African and Moorish immigrants, especially slaves to build the levadas, and since the British made it one of their own special places in the eighteenth century the Anglo-Saxon strain had been strong.

  Isabella's taxi was going more slowly than theirs, but the traffic was heavier than usual, and then they came to some road works and had to filter into a single lane. Dodie sat fuming as they saw their quarry slip in front of a whole procession of tourist coaches. She recalled seeing one of the large cruise ships in the harbour earlier that morning, and assumed they were doing the usual east of the island tour.

  There were at least ten vehicles between them and their quarry, and as the road bent round it was difficult to keep sight of Isabella's taxi. Pedro cursed.

  'Can you still see Isabella's taxi?' Dodie asked as
Pedro leant out of the window.

  He shook his head. They had entered a tunnel, still in a single line as the roadworks continued, and the girl's taxi was out of sight.

  After several frustrating minutes the roadworks ended and their taxi pulled out into the fast lane.

  'I will catch the other taxi soon,' the driver said. 'I think the coaches will be going to the Jardim Botanico. It's a very well-known Jardim. Or perhaps they go to Camacha, where they grow the willows and make cane furniture and the souvenirs the tourists like to take back home. Everyone goes there when they visit Madeira.'

  'Cut the tourist talk,' Pedro muttered, but not loud enough for the driver to hear. If he took offence he would make less effort to catch Isabella.

  'I wish I knew where Isabella was going,' Dodie muttered.

  'Could she be going to a friend?' Howard asked. 'Pedro, does she have any girl friends living in this direction? It's possible she's gone to them for help, or comfort.'

  'Maybe, but the only one I know in this direction lives at the far end of Madeira, near Canical.'

  'I hope this chap won't get difficult if he realizes that!' Howard muttered.

  'It's so odd of her to go when Theo was being suspected of murder.'

  'Rui!' Howard exclaimed. 'I'm sure someone told me his family have a place out this way.'

  'No, his family live at the west end of the island, near Porto Moniz,' Pedro said. 'In any case, she would not have the impudence to go to him, after what's happened. No man would help her after being shamed as he has been.'

  'How has it been between them? Since he discovered the situation, I mean. Have you any idea?' Howard asked.

  'I think he still loves her,' Pedro said slowly. 'I do not understand him, for if a girl betrayed me in such a fashion I would have no more to do with her. How could they marry now, even if he was prepared to forgive her?'

  'So she isn't going to see him. It must be the airport,' Howard said.

  'But she wouldn't be going away while her father's been arrested. That's what I can't understand,' Dodie said. 'Unless she is going for help, but Maria's brother is not likely to want to help Theo. Wasn't he one of the brothers who forced Theo to come back to Madeira?'

  'Yes,' Pedro said, 'but my father is part of the family, and if he is accused of murder it affects the family honour.'

  They had left Funchal behind and were out in the country, crossing deep ravines and going through tunnels under the mountains. There were occasional glimpses back towards Funchal and the harbour, where two enormous cruise ships were moored, and on the other side a few small settlements where little farmhouses were scattered amongst the crops. Tiny terraces lined the hillsides where it was less precipitous.

  A couple of the tourist coaches had turned off. Occasionally in front of them Dodie could see the taxi which bore Isabella, now in the inside lane, and was thankful to see it was also trapped behind a coach and a couple of lorries, unable to overtake because of the cars on the left. The traffic in the outside lane was not travelling a great deal faster, due to two big lorries ahead. Gradually, however, their own taxi was drawing nearer, and she wondered what would be the right tactics. They could scarcely try to force it to halt. Unlike England, there were no real hard shoulders, and to try and push it over would risk it being sent into the wall of a tunnel or over the barrier and down into one of the ravines.

  'Stop it!' she muttered to herself. A vivid imagination and speculating on impossible scenarios had always been one of her failings. They would have to carry on until the other taxi stopped, and then reason with the girl, find out what she was doing, and take her back home.

  To her relief there seemed to be no other taxis on the road, apart from a couple behind them, no doubt on their way to the airport, so they should be able to keep Isabella in sight. In fact she was certain she'd caught a glimpse of the blue and white scarf once or twice.

  The driver had seen it too. 'When we get past this Garajau turning we will soon catch them,' he said confidently, as one of the coaches in front slowed down to negotiate it.

  'The way this chap's driving we'll have caught Isabella up long before she gets to the airport,' Howard said, sitting back with a sigh of relief.

  *

  Libby opened the door to Bruce.

  'Is your father in?' he asked abruptly.

  'Sorry, everyone's out but me. Is there – oh blast, there's the phone. Come in a minute.'

  He stood just inside the front door, and as Libby picked up the receiver she glanced at him curiously. He was casually but smartly dressed in a lightweight suit. She turned her attention to the telephone.

  'Gran? What is it? Where are you?' She listened, looking puzzled. 'No, neither of them have come back. I'll tell them as soon as they do. I don't know where Dad is.'

  She listened again, then covered the mouthpiece. 'Gran's at Maria's hotel, and she sounds frantic. She says she needs someone. I don't understand what's going on.'

  'I'll speak to her,' he said and she handed him the receiver.

  'Valerie? Bruce here. I'd just called here. Is there anything I can do?'

  He listened intently. 'I'll come straight down. Be with you soon.'

  'What's happening?' Libby demanded.

  'Theo's been arrested, apparently, and that idiot girl took the opportunity to dash from the hotel. Howard and Dodie have gone haring after her. Maria's in hysterics, and poor Valerie is trying to cope on her own. She needs support and I seem to be the only one around. Tell your father I called, and I hope I'll be able to talk to him tomorrow.'

  For a moment Libby was tempted to suggest she went with him, but the thought of Maria in hysterics was awe-inspiring, and despite her intense curiosity about what had happened she could not face that. She nodded, watched him walk down through the garden, and leave a minute later in his car.

  Slowly she walked back inside and flung herself down on her bed. Surely the police could not really suspect Theo? Of course he had an excellent motive, but there was no way she could see him killing anyone. He was always calm and good tempered. She could imagine his sons, though, who had looked like simmering, tamped-down volcanoes at Howard's party, becoming violent.

  And now Isabella was behaving strangely. Libby heaved a sigh and reached for her book. It was hopeless trying to study for exams on her own, but even the campaigns of Napoleon were preferable to the odd behaviour going on around her.

  *

  Valerie greeted Bruce thankfully. It was for men to take control of such situations, and while Bill was still on his way back from the golf course and Howard had inexplicably dashed off after the wretched Isabella, Bruce was more than welcome to see whether he was able to calm Maria down or find someone who could.

  'Thank goodness you're here!' she exclaimed, drawing him into Maria's office.

  'Tell me what's happened,' he said soothingly. 'We didn't have time on the phone.'

  Rapidly she explained all she knew. 'Maria's doctor came and persuaded her to have a sedative, but it seems to be having very little effect, though she did agree to lie down. Luis might know something about what's going on, since he was with the police earlier, but he's been summoned to their grandmother's house in Santana. The old lady's a real tartar and I truly believe only Maria has the guts to stand up to her. She's made at least a dozen phone calls, but first of all Maria slammed it down on her, and since the third call has refused to answer, or speak to her if someone else picks up the phone.'

  'What about Theo?'

  'It's totally unbelievable, and so I shall have Bill tell the police when he gets here. I think Luis told them about Isabella's pregnancy – you know about that, I assume?'

  Bruce nodded. 'Someone told Emma.'

  'It comes of not letting girls have a real life of their own and trying to marry them off whether they want to or not. Where was I?'

  'Luis told the police. So that makes the police think Theo has a powerful motive?'

  'Of course, even though I could tell them that Theo isn't Po
rtuguese and doesn't think like them about the importance of their daughters' chastity.'

  'Where has Isabella gone? You said something about Howard following her.'

  'That's another thing! He and Dodie were coming to help me here, and what should happen but that girl takes it into her head to sneak out of the hotel. They followed, and Pedro with them, and I ran out and saw them all disappearing in a taxi. You'd have thought one of them would have come back to help me, or let me know where they are. I was at my wit's end. That's when I tried to see if Alex was at home. He might have been able to help.'

  Just then there was a timid knock on the door.

  'Come in,' Valerie said after a pause.

  One of the maids came in, glancing nervously from one to the other.

  'I'm sorry, Mrs Thorn, but Senora Maclean is asleep, and I can't wake her.'

  'Thank God for that!' Valerie exclaimed. 'She has to try and keep quiet,' she added hastily as the maid looked shocked.

  'But I promised to give her these. It is time. Miss Isabella asked me to be sure and give them to her mother at three o'clock, after lunch.'

  'Lunch? Who's thinking about food?' Valerie held out her hand and the girl thankfully placed the envelopes in it and began to back out of the room.

  'Wait a minute, this one is addressed to her father. Did she know her father was – with the police when she gave it to you?'

  The girl nodded. 'She said her mother would know what to do with it.'

  'Thank you. You may go. What ought we to do?' she asked as the girl vanished.

  'I could take it to the police station,' Bruce said doubtfully. 'Do you think they'd let him have it?'

  'Even if they did it might be days before we know, or the police tell us, and she probably says where she's gone.'

  'Should we wake Maria? Get her to open it?'

  'You wouldn't suggest that if you'd had to cope with her as I have! Let her rest while she can. Bruce, there's only one thing for it, we'll have to open the letter and see whether there's anything here that will help us find the wretched child!'

  *

  Suddenly Dodie lost sight of Isabella's taxi, and to her horror realized it had turned off onto the road signposting Garajau. The large coach just in front of them, which they were in the process of overtaking, signalled he was going to turn too. Beyond him, on the curving exit road, she saw Isabella's taxi and the bright scarf.