Episode 5 - Love is in the air

Sunday cont.

Cleo and Gary walked briskly to the beach. The air was bracing and stimulated Gary into saying something he had promised himself not to say as long as Cleo was upholding her marriage. He stood facing her with his hands in hers.

“You know I’m still in love with you, don’t you?” he said. “ I can’t fight myfeelings for you and I’m not going to try any longer. Could you be in love with me if Robert were not around?”

 “I am in love with you. I love you and I want you in my life. I’m crying out for you to be in my life.”

“So you won’t drop me like a hot potato now I have admitted my feelings for you?”

“Not if I don’t frighten you off with mine,” said Cleo. “Robert knows I have a soft spot for you. He’s learning to live with that.”

“Talking of soft spots, what we did last night was not just an exchange of #soft spots’, was it?”

“He should not find out.”

“If I were to tell him….?”

“I would have to deny it, Gary. I have a child by him.”

“Even if that were true, it’s not the way to hang on to a marriage.”

“I know that now, but I can’t change things overnight. Robert is likely to remain the man in my life for some time.”

“When can I see my baby, Cleo?”

“Soon. I’ll find a way.”

The conversation had been so soul-searching that they both felt the need to embrace, which they did, long and emotionally.

“Let’s go back to Vera’s now,” said Cleo, brushing Gary’s cheek with a kiss before breaking away gently.

“Let’s go to the water’s edge first,” said Gary, stunned by the fleeting nature of that kiss, but absolutely sure now that Cleo was no longer identifying with her marriage.

“I’ve been here before,” said Gary. “As a child. Over there is a cove we could hide in.”

“Why would we want to hide?”

“I’d like to make love to you right now with the gulls screeching above us like angry grannies.”

“We can look at the cove, Gary, but I’m not having sex in front of an audience.”

“There’s no one around, Cleo, and anyway, the cove has a narrow entrance. No one will bother us.”

An hour or so later, the lovers went back to the car and Gary drove to their hosts’ house. Their story about what they had been up to did not include the episode in the cove, of course, though Cleo actually longed to tell someone about it.

Lucy was still not home though it was getting quite late. Bill was starting to get worried.

“I think I’ll go and look for my little girl,” he announced.

Dorothy looked from Gary to Cleo and back again and wondered what had made them looked so happy. Cleo was looking at Gary and Gary was looking at Cleo in a way that even Dorothy had not seen before. While deciding not to interfere, Dorothy was anxious. She could only hope that Cleo was in control of the situation.

“Stop fussing, Bill,” said Victoria.

“I’ll go anyway. She should be home by now.”

“You don’t suppose she’s been kidnapped, do you?” said Vera.

“Of course not,” said Bill, and Gary started to wonder if he would soon have a kidnapping case to deal with in this dump of a town. He found the idea horrific.

***

To everyone’s relief Lucy came in at that moment.

“I got a lift home,” she said, and the company froze.

“You did what?” said Bill.

“I got a lift.”

“You know you are not allowed to accept lifts from strangers.”

“It wasn’t a stranger. It was a police car,” said Lucy.

Now it was Gary’s turn to look anxious.

“Who was driving?” he asked.

“A thin bobby with a sad face,” she said to Gary’s relief. “He’s outside in the police car. He said he wants to talk to Granny and the Inspector,” she explained.  “Is that you?” she said, turning to Gary.

“Yes, but why did you get in that car?”

“It stopped and the policeman asked me where Granny lives only he called her Vera Alton,” explained Lucy.

“But you didn’t have to get into that car,” said her father. “Never do that again.”

Lucy was puzzled. Police cars were not dangerous, surely. She was anxious to justify her action.

“I tried to explain and the policeman said I was to hop in and tell him the way and here we are.”

Bill wasn’t sure how mad to be. Victoria was furious. Vera went to the door and told Constable Brass to come in. On the way into the kitchen, where they were all still assembled, Vera gave Brass a good telling off for inviting a child to get in his car. How did he know Lucy was her granddaughter?

“She looks like you,” said Brass.

“There are only twelve types of physiognomy, Brass,” said Cleo. “We need to talk seriously about identification. You know the rules about approaching minors. At that moment you are not a cop, but a stalker.”

“Never mind the esoterics. You should not pick up young girls,” said Gary. “Supposing the car had been stolen and someone unpleasant guy was driving it while you lay unconscious in the gutter?”

“I didn’t think of that,” said Brass. “I’m very sorry.”

“Gary’s right and so is Cleo,” said Bill.

“Don’t ever  do that again!” said Gary.

“I have kids of my own. They like driving in the police car.”

“Your children know you, Constable Brass. Lucy had never set eyes on you before.”

“I said I’m sorry,” said Brass.

“What do you want, then? You could have phoned,” said Vera.

“Sergeant Loo phoned. He has had second thoughts. Mrs Alton. The case is now closed and you are freed of any suspicion,” said Brass. “You too, Mrs Price.”

Astonishment could be read on all their faces, including that of Gary, who was already mentally prepared for some straight talking with that sergeant guy. Dorothy was so flabbergasted that she did not even correct the ‘Mrs’.

***

“What do you mean, the case is closed?” said Gary. “Where was that sergeant phoning from?”

“Accidental death,” said Brass. “I don’t know where he is. The phone number was suppressed.”

“I thought the sergeant had decided it was suicide,” sneered Cleo.

“I think he must have realised that wasn’t possible, seeing as she could not have inflicted those injuries on herself, so now it is a case of Miss Sweet hitting her head on a rafter and strangulating herself on her necklace as she fell.”

“Quite apart from not believing anything that sergeant says, I’ve never heard such bunkum in all my life,” said Gary. “There are no rafters in those beachhuts and the woman was not two meters tall, so she could not have bumped into the ceiling.”

“She was found where she was killed, I’m sure of that,” said Cleo.

“I can confirm that, Brass, and I’m never wrong about these things,” said Dorothy.

***

Brass was extremely bothered. Sergeant Llewellyn hadn’t thought anyone would challenge his deduction. There was definitely at least one third party involved. Did the sergeant himself have something to hide? That was the first time it had occurred to Brass that the sergeant was behaving even more oddly than usual. Up to now he had suppressed any doubts.

***

“When will your sergeant be in his office tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Gary. On the phone he said he wanted to visit a friend in Blackpool. He might be away a couple of days, Sir. He usually is. Motorbike rallies and stuff like that take days.”

“How can I get in touch with him?”

“I can give you his mobile number, but he won’t talk to you.”

“He might if he thinks it’s an anonymous well-wisher with an interesting proposition. I suppose you are in charge of the police station until he comes back, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Who gave him permission to take time off, Brass?” Gary asked.

“No one. He always gives himself permission.”

“Did he tell you that if Susie Sweet had the accident where there are rafters someone must have carried her to the beachhut, Constable Brass,” said Dorothy. “Pre-fabricated beachhuts don’t have rafters.”

“Do we know for certain that she was killed there?” Gary asked.

“It looks like it, Gary,” said Cleo. Take another look at the photo that Dorothy took immediately after finding the corpser.Miss Sweet must have been lying where she fell.”

Dorothy obliged and displayed the telltale photo. Gary nodded agreement. There was nothing to suggest that the corpse had been moved. A moved corpse would probably not be in that sprawling position, but arranged tidily.

“We’ll get forensics to check,” he said.

Brass looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“I don’t suppose it was you, was it, Brass?” said Gary. “Because if so…”

“No, Gary. I’m not mixed up in any of this.”

“Do you know anyone who could be, Constable?” Dorothy asked.

It was on the tip of Brass’s tongue to suggest Sergeant Llewellyn, but he thought better of it. He had no proof and accusing his superior of a crime would reflect on him later if his accusation was unjustified. Gary could see that Brass was absolutely out of his depth. He would have to rein in the situation.

“It’s like this, Brass. Tomorrow morning I’m going to view the corpse of Miss Smart, and then I will decide what to do next. If you have any contact with the sergeant, do not tell him that I am interested in the case.”

“I won’t.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, Sir. Scouts’ honour!” the constable swore, and left.

***

“I think he has his head under his arm, poor man,” said Vera.

“He isn’t poor, he’s stupid and thoughtless,” said Bill. “Go and do some homework, Lucy. I’ll join you presently.”

“I’ll make fresh coffee,” Vera offered. “You can all go into the sitting-room. I’ll bring it.”

***

It was a strange situation. Gary was still elated about their love-making in that cove, and Cleo was in a state of bliss because she had finally admitted to Gary that Robert was yesterday, except on paper.

Gary tried to concentrate on the matter in hand. He was afraid that Brass might be an accessory after all. Not a good start for an assistant. In fact, if Brass was holding back information, he could forget the kind offer of a job.

Cleo was thinking along the same lines. The only good part was that Vera and Dorothy were no longer under suspicion, but it was quite obvious that Sergeant Llewellyn had at least one axe to grind. The sooner light was shed on his life and activities, the better.

***

“Are you going to sleep on the sofa again, Gary?” Vera asked.

”If you’ll have me,” said Gary.

“Lucy is staying with her friend Monica tonight so she’ll be going there after tea. Monica only lives down the road, but the girls play at glamour with their Barbie dolls and take it in turns to sleep out,” Vera explained. “So you could sleep in Lucy’s bunk, if you can manage the steps.”

Dorothy wanted to tell Vera that she was throwing Cleo and Gary together. Before she could do that, however, Gary thanked Vera and said that he could manage the steps and would not mind stretching his back.

“You don’t mind, do you Cleo?” said Vera. “I should have asked you first.”

“That’s OK, Vera. Gary and I sleep together, so sharing a room will not be a problem.”

“Oh dear,” said Dorothy.

Vera thought that confession confirmed what she had been thinking.

“Grow up,” said Vera to Dorothy. “You can see at a glance what’s going on.”

“But I didn’t want that to happen,” Dorothy blurted out.

“No one asked you for your blessing, Dorothy,” said Gary,  perturbed that Dorothy could even think she had that kind of control over her friends. “Anyway, you heard us last night, didn’t you?”

Dorothy pursed her lips.

“What sort of a hypocrite are you, Dorothy?” Vera said. “These two nice people have a right to their intimacy if that’s what they want.”

“I’m surprised at you, Vera,” said Dorothy.

“I’m surprised at you, Dorothy. I’m going to put fresh linen on the top bunk. We do not share the habits of most of the lodgings round here.”

Gary laughed. “Brass told me that was one the joys of hotel hospitality in this place. I didn’t want to believe him, but now I do.”

“I don’t think all the hotels do that,” said Vera, “and I want to apologise for my sister. She has no right to dictate your lives.”

Vera beckoned to Dorothy to go with her. Dorothy was disconcerted, but upset that Cleo had not been able to resist Gary’s advances. Had she known that it was Cleo who had made the first decisive move, she might have judged less severely.

The lovers embraced and Gary asked Cleo if they could go to bed early.

“Not before Dorothy,” said Cleo. “You can see how she’s acting. I can’t understand her.”

“You’ll just have to ignore her, Cleo. She is meddling; poking her nose into something that is none of her business.”

“She means well, but sometimes she oversteps the mark. I’ll get things straight with her on the drive home.”

“And we can officially sleep together tonight, Cleo. That is an achievement in itself.”

“I’m glad that Vera is not as fusty as Dorothy.”

“Vera has been around.”

“So has Dorothy.”

“I think I’d prefer to read Vera’s autobiography than Dorothy’s.”

Maybe we can go to bed a bit earlier, Gary. I’m not sure I want to listen to Dorothy letting off steam about morals.”

“Vera will have told her to behave by then, my love, and I’d like to have a chat with Bill about schools for Charlie. I want her back home. She’s been with her mother and that lover-boy for long enough.”

“That’s a good idea, Gary. I’ll help you all I can.”

“She needs a proper mother, not someone like she has now.”

“Tell me about it, Gary. I’ll do my best to give your daughter the home and love she needs. In fact, when we are…”

“Married? Do you mean married, Cleo?”

“Isn’t that what you are thinking? Did I jump the guns?”

“No, but I haven’t actually asked you this time round.”

“In the interests of equality, I’m asking you, Gary, but we can skip the ritual and just have a life.”

“Yes, Cleo. Let’s have a life. I’ve been waiting for that life since the day we met.”

“To be honest, so have I, but I did not realize it until now and I’m so thankful that it is not too late.”

“It certainly isn’t too late., said Gary. “We may not have Dorothy’s blessing, but we certainly have Vera’s.”