“Why is he calling you by the dead woman’s name?” Sushi said.

  “I’ve no idea, but you heard what he said. He was the one who poisoned her.”

  “You realise we can’t use this recording in court.”

  “I know, but I’m sure if you take Jason in for questioning, he’ll be more than happy to give you his confession. Won’t you, Jason?”

  He looked up. “Where’s Alison gone?”

  “Alison’s dead,” I said. “Don’t you remember? You poisoned her.”

  “It was an accident. I didn’t mean for her to die. She’s not going to come back to haunt me, is she?”

  I turned to Sushi. “He’s clearly in shock.” I handed her the recorder. “You might find this useful, even if you can’t use it in evidence.”

  Sushi told the uniformed officers to take Bond to the police station.

  “I’ll probably need to speak to you later, Maxwell.”

  “No problem. You know me. Always pleased to help.”

  Chapter 25

  It didn’t matter how many times I helped Sushi, that woman never showed an ounce of gratitude. You would have thought by now, I would have been top of her Christmas card list. Instead, I always came away with the impression that she wished I was the one she was going to lock up. It was time to give the Kramers the good news.

  “Mrs Kramer, it’s Jill.”

  “Do you have any news for us?”

  “Actually, I do this time.”

  “Is it good or bad?”

  “Good. At least, I think so. Do you know a man called Jason Bond?”

  “I don’t think so. Should I?”

  “He’s the current owner of the restaurant where Arnold used to work. The police have just taken him in for questioning, and I’m fairly confident that he’s going to confess to the murder of Alison Reed.”

  “Honestly?” She broke down in tears, and the line went silent for a while, but then Mr Kramer came on. “Jill? What’s happened? I can’t get any sense out of Elaine.”

  “I’ve just told your wife that a man has been taken in for questioning, and I expect him to confess to the murder of Alison Reed.”

  “Oh, my goodness. That’s fantastic. Are you sure, Jill?”

  “He’s definitely been taken in for questioning, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure that he’ll confess to the murder.”

  “What does that mean for Arnold? Will he be released?”

  “If Bond does confess, then yes, but unfortunately these things have a habit of moving rather slowly. I suggest you contact your lawyer. Tell him what’s happened and ask him to do everything he can to get the cogs moving as quickly as possible.”

  “Thank you so very much, Jill. You don’t know how much this means to us.”

  ***

  Back at the office, Mrs V looked very puzzled indeed.

  “Are you all right, Mrs V?”

  “Err, yes, dear.”

  “Are you sure? You look a little confused.”

  “I am rather. I’ve had two visitors this afternoon and they both brought in one half of the same painting.” She pointed to the two carrier bags on the filing cabinet behind her.

  Oh bum!

  It had never occurred to me that they’d bring in the two halves of the painting in open bags. I’d assumed they would wrap them up or put them in a box.

  Mrs V continued, “They said you’d asked them to bring them in.”

  “Err, yes, that’s right. I did.”

  “Why on earth would you want a painting that’s been cut in half?”

  “It’s—err— art nouveau. It’s been in all the magazines. The artist creates the work and then disassembles it.”

  “If you say so dear, but it seems rather silly to me.”

  “I’ll take these.” I grabbed the bags before Mrs V could ask any more awkward questions.

  Winky was lying on the sofa.

  “What’s in the bags? Salmon, I hope.”

  “No chance. I have a bone to pick with you, buddy.”

  “I had an excellent meal last night, and that hotel was top-notch.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “And Sophia. Darling Sophia. I think I’m in love, Jill.”

  “Who’s Sophia?”

  “She came first in the Best Dressed Female competition. She’s coming to visit me next week.”

  “Well, that’s all very nice, I’m sure, but what I want to know is how come you’ve been renting out my office on CatBnB?”

  “I thought I’d mentioned that to you.”

  “No, Winky, you never did. I think I would have remembered.”

  “It must have slipped my mind.”

  “How very convenient. When I arrived this morning, there were four cats in here.”

  “Four? The booking was only for three. The cheek of some people.”

  “You’re the one with all the cheek. I don’t know how you had the nerve.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry. I admit I should have mentioned it to you.”

  “Sorry, doesn’t cut it. I want fifty percent of the booking fee.”

  ***

  “Hello, gorgeous.” Jack greeted me at the door with a kiss.

  “What do you want?”

  “Can’t a man give his beautiful wife a kiss when she gets home from work without having an ulterior motive?”

  “Of course he can, but you never do, so you must be up to something.”

  “Don’t be daft. Why don’t you go upstairs and get changed while I make you a cup of tea?”

  That settled it; he was definitely up to something.

  When I came back downstairs, the cup of tea was waiting for me on the kitchen table.

  “Put your feet up while I make dinner.” He pulled out the chair.

  “It’s my turn to make it, isn’t it?”

  “Who’s counting? You just enjoy your tea.”

  “Okay, that’s enough. Either you’ve done something, or you want something. Which is it?”

  “That’s not very nice. Here am I, just trying to be a loving husband.”

  “So, which is it?”

  “Well—err—”

  “I knew it. Come on, you may as well spit it out now.”

  “Ray called earlier and asked if I wanted to go bowling tomorrow.”

  “Swotty’s Ray?”

  “Yeah. I told him we probably had other plans.”

  “That’s okay, then.” I took a sip of tea.

  “Have we?”

  “Have we what?”

  “Got other plans?”

  “I wish. I have to work tomorrow.”

  “Great!” He punched the air.

  “Charming.”

  “I didn’t mean it’s great you have to work. That’s a bummer, obviously. But if you do have to work, then I guess I can tell Ray that I’ll be able to make it. Unless there’s anything you need me to do?”

  “Nah. You go and enjoy yourself, but don’t sulk when he beats you.”

  “Beats me?” Jack scoffed. “Are you kidding? I’m going to take great pleasure in beating that ex-jock. Are you sure you don’t mind me going?”

  “Positive. I’ve got that family lunch tomorrow as well.”

  “Make sure you’re nice to the twins. Don’t forget to congratulate them on their award.”

  “Of course I won’t forget. What do you take me for?”

  “I’ll go and call Ray.”

  While Jack was on the phone, I went out to the car to get the two sections of painting which I’d left in the boot. I’d just placed them on the kitchen table when Jack came back.

  “What’s that?”

  “What does it look like? It’s a painting.”

  “I can see that, but why is it in halves?”

  “It’s part of the case I’m working on. This is my client’s painting that went missing from her apartment.”

  “I’m guessing it wasn’t in two pieces when it was taken?”

  “Correct. I’m trying to figure out how to put it back together again.”

  “Can’t you just magic it back together?”

  “You make it sound so easy. I can only repair it if I can figure out which spell to use. I’ve tried the ‘take it back’ spell, but no joy. Maybe there’ll be something in my spell book. Why don’t you start dinner while I try to sort this out?”

  I took the two pieces of painting through to the lounge, put them on the coffee table, and then grabbed the spell book. I wasn’t optimistic about finding a suitable spell, but as I worked my way through the index, I came across one entitled: How to Restore a painting which has been cut into three pieces. That was one more piece than I was dealing with, but I was confident I’d be able to adapt it. The spell in question was part of the premium package, so the money I’d spent on the upgrade hadn’t been wasted.

  I made a few minor adjustments to the spell, then crossed my fingers, and cast it on the two halves of the painting.

  Voilà, it was restored to its former glory.

  A few minutes later, Jack joined me. “You did it.”

  “Piece of cake.”

  ***

  Jack and I had moved into the lounge after dinner.

  “Hey, Jack, I’m sorry. I totally forgot to ask how your review went this morning.”

  “It went fine. In fact, the boss was very complimentary.”

  “See, I told you there was nothing to worry about. Does that mean you’ll be in line for a promotion soon?”

  “I doubt it. There just aren’t the vacancies around here at the moment. I’d probably have to move, and to be honest, I don’t fancy doing that.”

  “You’re not just saying that because of me, are you?”

  “No. If a chance of promotion comes up around here, I shall apply for it, but in the meantime I’m happy to carry on as I am.”

  My phone rang.

  “Jill, it’s Lori Harty. I’m sorry to bother you at home, but I was wondering if you had any news for me?”

  “Actually, Lori, I do. I was going to give you a call in the morning, to arrange to come and see you.”

  “What’s the news? Can’t you tell me now?”

  “To be honest, I’d rather do it face to face.”

  “Okay. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could come around tonight, is there? I know it’s cheeky of me to ask, but I go away for the week tomorrow, and I’ll be leaving at the crack of dawn. That’s why I called this evening.”

  “Err, okay. I’ll be over in about half an hour.”

  “Who was that?” Jack said when I’d finished on the call.

  “It’s the client from the missing painting case.”

  “Are you going over there now?”

  “Yeah, she’s going away in the morning. I shouldn’t be too long.”

  “What are you going to tell her?”

  “That I found her painting in two pieces and used magic to restore it.”

  “Very funny.”

  “I’ll think of something. I usually do.”

  ***

  Lori greeted me at the door, and as soon as she saw the package under my arm, her face lit up.

  “Is that what I think it is, Jill?”

  “Let’s go inside and I’ll show you.”

  I’d wrapped the painting in brown paper, and as soon as I put it on the kitchen table, she ripped it open. So keen was she to be reunited with her beloved painting.

  “You found it!” She gave me a big hug. “Thank you so much. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see it again. Where was it?”

  “It was a difficult, complicated investigation, but I eventually managed to track it down to a thief who has been targeting works of art in this area.”

  “What a terrible person. I hope they lock him up and throw away the key.”

  “Unfortunately, although I was able to recover your painting, the man got away.”

  “How annoying.”

  “The police will catch up with him sooner or later. They always do.”

  “I can’t wait to see the faces of the other members when they see this back on the wall.”

  I’d pay good money to see that too.

  By the time I left Lori’s, I was feeling quite peckish, so I gave Jack a call.

  “It’s me. I’ve just finished with the client, and I’m really hungry. I thought I might stop off at a takeaway on the way home. Do you fancy anything?”

  “Not for me, thanks. I’ve just had supper.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

  I had intended going to the chippy, but on the drive home, I noticed a new takeaway, which sold fried chicken, so I decided to give it a try.

  Behind the counter were two men who were clearly brothers.

  “Hi,” I said. “I haven’t noticed this place before.”

  “We only opened a couple of days ago. I’m Chuck and this is my brother, Ern.”

  “Do you own this place?”

  “We do. We’ve both worked in the fast-food business for years, but this is the first place of our own. What can I get for you?”

  “I’ll have some wings please.”

  “And fries?”

  “Yeah, just a small one.”

  Rather than drive home and risk the food going cold, I sat on one of the stools next to the window to eat my meal. In between serving customers, the two brothers practically told me their life stories.

  On my way out, Chuck shouted, “Do call again, Jill.”

  “Don’t worry, I will. That was delicious.”

  Chapter 26

  “Jill, are you okay in there?” Jack shouted from outside the bathroom.

  It was the next morning and I’d just spent the last ten minutes throwing up.

  “I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure? Is there anything I can get you?”

  “No, honestly, I’m fine now.” I managed to get to my feet and make my way out of the bathroom.

  “You look terrible,” he said.

  “Thanks, buddy.”

  “I’ll give Ray a call and tell him I can’t make it today.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m feeling much better now. It must have been that takeaway I had last night. I really enjoyed it too, but I can’t think what else it could be. I definitely won’t be calling there again, that’s for sure.”

  “Are you positive you don’t want me to stay at home with you?”

  “There’s no point. I won’t be here anyway. There are things I have to do today.”

  “Why don’t you take the day off?”

  “I can’t. There’s somewhere I have to go this morning on business, and I’ve got that family lunch at Aunt Lucy’s. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure I’ll feel much like eating.”

  An hour later, I’d showered and dressed, and was feeling one hundred percent better. I’d even managed to keep down some tea and toast.

  I’d practically had to throw Jack out of the door because he didn’t want to leave me alone, but as I kept pointing out, I was going out anyway.

  ***

  As I drove into Middle Tweaking, I noticed that Myrtle’s house was now under offer. Boy, that was a quick sale, but then the old watermill was a lovely property, so I shouldn’t really have been surprised.

  But I wasn’t here to see Myrtle today.

  Walter Staniforth was clearly surprised to see me again so soon.

  “Jill, you’ll have the villagers talking about us if you keep popping over so often.” He laughed.

  I wasn’t in the mood for his humour. “Do you think I could come in, Walter?”

  “Of course. Is everything alright? You seem rather serious today.”

  “There’s something I need to talk to you about, and it would be better said inside.”

  “You’d better come in, then. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?”

  “No, thanks.” Once we were in the lounge, I got straight down to business. “Walter, I thought you should know that another man has now confessed to the murder of Alison Reed.”

  “Oh?”

  “His name is Jason Bond. He owns the restaurant where Arnold Kramer worked at the time of Alison Reed’s death.”

  “And how do you know all of this, Jill?”

  “Because I was the one who handed him over to the police.”

  “You do realise that he’ll probably turn out to be some kind of nutjob, don’t you? People confess to all kinds of things all the time.”

  “That’s probably true, but that isn’t the case this time. He’s admitted he was with Alison on the night she died, and that he slipped the poison onto her food. At the time of the murder, he owned a competing restaurant a few miles away. The thing is, he never actually intended to kill her; he just expected her to become ill. He was banking on the bad publicity having an adverse effect on the restaurant. Unfortunately, he badly misjudged the amount of poison needed, and instead of making her ill, she died.”

  “If that’s true, then that is indeed a tragedy.”

  “Not just for Alison. Arnold Kramer is a victim here too. He’s spent the last five years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.”

  “You’re right, Jill. That is unfortunate, but if this other guy turns out to be the murderer, I’m sure Kramer will be released soon enough.”

  “But it should never have happened, Walter, and it wouldn’t have done, but for you.”

  “Hold on, Jill. That’s rather harsh. Perhaps mistakes were made, but we carried out a thorough investigation.”

  “This miscarriage of justice is not the result of mistakes. The moment you identified Arnold Kramer as the prime suspect, you made it your business to ensure he was convicted.”

  “I did my job if that’s what you mean.”

  “You did much more than that, Walter. You framed Arnold Kramer.”

  “That’s an outrageous thing to say.” He was red in the face now. “How dare you?”

  “At the time of the murder, you were coming up to retirement. Naturally, you wanted to go out on a high. Finding Alison Reed’s murderer ensured you would do that.”

  “What exactly are you accusing me of?”

 

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