The grief is replaced by anger and his eyes are like hard black pebbles. ‘It was Dad’s idea to find a rich widow to marry, he was in a lot of debt. We both were. We were going to fleece her and share the proceeds.’ He is almost gloating. ‘I suggested to Dad that he join the Agatha Christie Facebook group, women would trust him more if they thought they had a shared interest. I didn’t know who Judith was at first, but when she accepted Dad’s friend request we saw her photos and I recognised one of a younger Lizzie. That’s when I got the idea to make it look like Lizzie was trying to harm Judith. I wanted to make her pay.’
I try not to show any reaction to this. I want him to keep talking. ‘So you were lacing Judith’s food and drink with antihistamines?’
‘Yeah. Me and Dad were both doing it, neither of us was there all the time so it deflected suspicion from us. It was a bonus when Lizzie thought it was you.’ He chuckles, and a shiver runs down my spine. He’s mad. I’ve long suspected that he was unhinged but never imagined he’d go this far.
‘Is that why she went dizzy and fell down the stairs on their wedding night?’
Kenny shakes his head. ‘No, that was low blood pressure. Dad put an extra blood pressure tablet in her pill box, so that she’d think she hadn’t taken it. The double dose made her blood pressure crash.’
I recall Dad coming down the stairs with Judith’s tablets, telling her she’d forgotten to take them. Even on their wedding day he was planning to harm her. I can’t believe he could have been so cruel. ‘That’s horrible. How could you two do this to an innocent woman?’ I really like Judith, she is kind, friendly, warm. I’d been so pleased that she and Dad had got married, andall the time it was just an evil scheme to get money out of her. And worse.
‘We didn’t set out to kill her, just make her confused so that she wouldn’t realise what was going on and then we could take control of all her finances. The silly cow insisted on keeping her funds separate when she and Dad got married, so we had to do something. We took her will and personal documents, then when she was drugged up Dad got her to sign for a loan against the house, she didn’t even know what she was doing. I transferred some money from her company into my account. It was all going okay, but bloody Lizzie wouldn’t leave things alone.’
‘You started the fire?’
‘No, that was Dad. He wanted it to look like Lizzie did it. We needed her out of the way, she was getting too suspicious.’
No wonder Dad was on the scene so quickly, putting the fire out.
‘So what happened today? Why did you kill George?’
Kenny wipes the back of his hand across his eyes. ‘I didn’t! I love Dad. It was an accident. He came in on me when I was about to smother Judith with a cushion. It would have been a painless death. He was furious because he’d said no one was to die. Well, his other plans weren’t working, were they, and we both needed money desperately. If Dad hadn’t come in, I would have put the cushion back and it would have looked like a natural death.’
‘What about Lizzie, were you going to kill her too?’
He shook his head. ‘No, death’s too easy. I wanted her to suffer for what she did. I wanted her to feel what it was like to lose a parent. Like I had to when I was only a kid.’ He fixes his eyes on me. ‘And don’t tell me you suffered too. She wasn’t your real mum.’
He really did want to get revenge on Lizzie, I think with a chill. Lizzie was right all along, someone was trying to harmJudith, and tormenting her. I wish I’d believed her sooner. I knew Kenny had been deeply affected by Mum’s death, but I thought he had dealt with it by now. I never dreamed he would do anything like this. Not until he crept behind me at the back of the garages and hit me on the head. At first I’d thought it was Nick, wanting to stop me telling Lizzie and Judith about his part in George’s death, but as I lay in hospital, thinking it over, I realised that it was Kenny.
‘Why did you attack me? Was it to frame Nick?’
He laughs. ‘It was all part of the plan to make Lizzie doubt him, and leave him. I wanted her to lose everything, like I did. And she’s easy to wind up. A couple of bad reviews, a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard – I borrowed Judith’s keys for that and to slip the receipt in Nick’s pocket. It was so easy to make her – and Nick – think she was losing her mind. It was fun to play around with her head a bit. Serves her right.’
I remember something else. ‘Did you try to blackmail Nick too? How did you know what happened to Arthur?’
‘I overheard you two talking about it, so thought I’d put the squeezers on. And seeing as it looks like Nick was being blackmailed, it’s even more credible that he would take the company funds. I’ve covered my tracks and made sure it all leads to Nick so he can take the rap for it.’ He picks up his bag. ‘Now get out of my way.’
‘You’re going nowhere,’ I tell him.
His face contorts with fury. ‘Don’t try and stop me! This is all down to you,’ he roars, pushing me against the wall. ‘My mum died because of you! You shouldn’t have sat by Lizzie when you knew she was eating peanut butter. And then you took ages getting the EpiPen, it was as if you wanted her to die! And now my dad is dead too! You’ve destroyed my family.’
Shit, he really is deranged!He’s killed his own father and I’m pretty sure he’ll have no reservations about killing me too.
His hands are either side of my head, pinning me to the wall. ‘You started all this off. You’re the cause of it all.’ Spittle forms on his mouth and some lands on my cheek. I want to rub it off but I can’t get away.
‘Now get out of my way!’ He grabs my shoulders and flings me away from the door.
As I sink to the floor I hear the door push open and a voice shout out, ‘Police. Drop that bag and put your hands in the air.’
75
LIZZIE
We’re back at Mum’s house because Alison wants to talk to us in private. Jodie is at ours looking after the kids, she’s been marvellous taking them to school and collecting them again, and Mum is still in hospital under observation. Me and Nick listen dumbfounded as Alison tells us that Kenny killed George, had tried to kill my mum, and how George had deliberately targeted Mum for her money, and robbed her. Even though I’d suspected something was going on, I can barely believe what Alison is telling me. I feel physically sick at the danger my mum was in. I had never suspected Kenny. He was this friendly big brother figure, popping in with cakes and treats, always helpful and smiling.
‘So Kenny and George were in this together?’ Nick asks in astonishment.
‘They were both doctoring her drinks and food with antihistamines to make her confused so that she wouldn’t realise what was going on and they could take control of all her finances. George got her to sign some papers to take out a loan on the house, and to transfer all her assets to him if she died.’ Alison swallows before continuing. ‘Then George realised Kenny was taking things further and was planning on killing Judith sothat they could have her insurance money, and her house. He was deeply in debt from gambling, and the men he owed the money to weren’t prepared to wait much longer. George walked in and found him about to smother Judith with a cushion and tried to stop him. In the ensuing fight Kenny grabbed the lamp and hit George on the head.’
