He opened his mouth... then closed it again. Turned to look at her. ‘I... What?’
Roberta tapped herself on the head again, only round the front this time. ‘See, my little grey cells have been working away like busy, busy bees the whole time. You argued and argued that we had to move the body, didn’t you? Because you knew your DNA would be all over it from when you stuck him up there.Nowyou can claim cross-contamination. Same with Albert Nairn’s “suicide” confession that you soconvenientlyfound.’
His eyebrows pinched up in the middle. Took him a while, but it finally looked like he’d twigged this was an accusation, not a call for backup. ‘That’s not—’
‘You said you’d never seenSilence of the Lambs, but you can quote it, can’t you? We all heard you do it.’
Sergeant Moore pulled his chin in. ‘Yeah, but everyone can quote—’
‘Youkilled Sir Reginald Bradbury-Scott.Youput those panties in his mouth.’ There was another round of shocked gasps at that little revelation. ‘Youstuck him on those antlers. Big strong guy like you – used to mountain climbing, rugby, and shinty? Must’ve been a doddle carrying Sir Reginald up that ladder. And then you killed Albert Nairn and made it look like a suicide to cover your tracks.’
Moore backed off a step, like she’d offered him a nice steaming hot mug of Ebola. ‘You’re off your tiny hairy rocker, aren’t you?’
‘He was shagging your wife, wasn’t he? Sir Randy Buggery-Snot was having it awaywith your wife.’
‘Philippa would never—’
She closed the gap again. ‘And youknew. Sitting up there on the top table, at the reception, listening to him gloating about everything he’d achieved. The man whoshagged your wife, patting your son on the back and grooming him to be a Tory MP?’
‘No!’ Starting to go a bit red now. ‘I didn’t kill anyone!’
Roberta poked him. ‘How much money did you spaff away on his non-existent goldmine? All of it? Everything you’d saved up for your retirement?’
Sergeant Moore squared his shoulders, face darkening. ‘Will youlistento me?’
‘He took everything from you: your wife, your son, your money, your dignity. What else were you going to do, let him get away with it?Of courseyou killed him, and you killed Albert Nairn too!’ She raised her finger and poked him again. Hard. ‘And I’m going to make sure you go down for sixteen to life.’
20
Everyone stared.
‘THAT’S ENOUGH!’ Lady Bradbury-Scott rose from the sofa. ‘Leave him alone.’
Sitting next to her, Adriana put a hand on her mother’s arm. Voice low and warning. ‘Mother...’ But she was shaken off.
Her Ladyship straightened her broad shoulders, chin up, tall and regal. ‘Sandy didn’t kill Reginald,Idid.’
‘Mother!’
Sergeant Moore blinked at her. ‘Jocasta, don’t!’
‘It was an accident. He came in, drunk from the wedding, fell and hit his head on the bath.’
Oh, aye,thatwas plausible.
Roberta didn’t bother suppressing the laugh. ‘What, and then magicked himself up onto that statue? Do I look like I floated down the Dee on an unbuttered dildo?’
She waved that away. ‘Nairn said he would dispose of the remains. I suppose he couldn’t resist the urge to create one of his silly little tableaus on a more dramatic scale.’
Adriana sighed, then stood. ‘Mother’s only covering forme. I discovered Daddy had embezzled hundreds of thousands from party campaign coffers.Completeshamefest. When I confronted him, he threatened to sabotage Douglas’s political career if I told anyone. We struggled and he fell.’
Douglas stepped out from behind the sofa and took his new wife’s hand. ‘Actually, darling, I think you’ll find it wasmewhostruggled with him, when I came to your aid. Andthenhe fell and hit his head.’ Douglas raised his chin, playing to the crowd. ‘It was a tragic stroke of bad luck, but Itrulybelieve he would have preferred death to the ignominy of the headlines when it got out he’d betrayed ourbelovedConservative Party.’
Someone in the back actually clapped.
‘Oh Jesus, no’ this...’ Roberta stepped away from Sergeant Moore and glowered at the lot of them. ‘Do you think this is some sort ofjoke? Two men are dead!’
The last one on the couch levered his fat bum upright, took a deep breath and straightened his three-piece tweeds. ‘No,Ikilled Father.’ Tears sparkled on those chubby cheeks. ‘I had enough of the pain he’d put Mother through. The man was amonster!’
