Page 41 of Murder in the Winter Woods
‘It’s like they’ve disappeared without a trace,’ said Julia. ‘The warehouse and now this.’
‘Only criminals padlock the back door,’ said Hester. ‘Why would a good citizen need to do that?’
The answer came from behind them, making all three women jump and clutch their chests.
‘It’s the beavers,’ said the voice. A deep, male voice.
Julia, Hester and Coral turned around as if they were one person.
‘The beavers?’ echoed Julia.
‘We have a pair of very inquisitive beavers living near the stream,’ said the man, who was holding a fishing rod. ‘They were reintroduced to the area about twenty years ago, and last year a pair moved onto our property. They come up to the house and push the door open. For a while, we could just close it, but then the ridiculous creatures worked out how the handle works. They would open the door, if you can credit it, and poop all over the kitchen.’ The man smiled. ‘But I’m guessing that you didn’t come here to talk about beaver poop, ladies, did you?’
Julia stepped forward. ‘I’m Julia Bird, and these are my friends, Coral Band and Hester Shepherd. We’re looking for Anthony Ardmore.’
‘Well,’ said the man. ‘I’m Anthony – you’ve found me. Why don’t you come in, and we can talk about why it is that you’re peering into my home and discussing how I might be a criminal.’
‘Thank you,’ said Julia, trying her very best not to blush. ‘We have a few questions we’d like to ask you.’
Anthony Ardmore was, it had to be said, a fine-looking man, slim and broad-shouldered, with a smooth, open face, lightly tanned, as if by rays caught on a tennis court or perhaps a ski slope. He looked familiar. Julia had an odd feeling that she’d met him before, but couldn’t place where or when.
He led them into the house, and the four of them sat down at his kitchen table. ‘Now, did I hear correctly that one of youis Mrs Shepherd and one Mrs Band?’ he asked, holding out his hand.
‘I’m Mrs Shepherd,’ Hester said, taking his proffered hand. ‘Hester Shepherd.’
‘You are most welcome in my home, and might I offer you my deepest condolences. I had the utmost affection and respect for Matthew. He was a fine, fine, man.’
‘Thank you. He really was. And I’m sure if he came to you, he must have trusted you. He had such good instincts about people.’ Hester appeared to have forgotten all her worries about Anthony Ardmore. Julia was always amazed how this could happen when a person was good-looking.
‘How right you are, my dear.’ Julia felt a prickle of irritation at Anthony’s ‘my dear’, but didn’t let it show. ‘Matthew had excellent instincts, about people and about investments.’ He turned to Coral. ‘And you must be Mrs Band?’
‘I’m Coral, and this is our friend Julia Bird.’
‘So you must be Lewis’s…?’
‘I am Lewis’s wife. Well, Lewis’s widow. I’m sure you’ve heard…’
‘Again, I am most sorry to hear about the accident. A terrible thing, and what a fine man.’
‘Thank you,’ Coral cut his condolences short. ‘The thing is, we’re here about the money our husbands invested with you. The medicinal plant farming. We’d like you to explain the investment, please.’
Julia found herself very much admiring Coral’s no-nonsense approach. The woman might look like the main character from a soap opera, but she was behaving like a Wall Street businesswoman, undistracted by Anthony’s good looks.
‘Gladly, gladly.’ Ardmore had that combination of suave confidence and excellent tailoring that came with a lifetime of money. It was clear that he simply told people what to do,and they tended to do it. ‘Fortunately for you, your husbands identified an exceptional opportunity.’ He rested his elbows on the table and made a pyramid of his hands. ‘I’ll explain everything, and I’ll put it as simply as I can…’
Coral narrowed her perfectly outlined eyes. ‘Please do, although I’m a trained bookkeeper, Mr Ardmore, and I worked at a bank for years, so I should be able to keep up.’
Julia felt a flush of pride. It was clear that one underestimated Coral at one’s peril. Anthony Ardmore was slick, and could lay on the charm, but Julia hadn’t forgotten that he was one of the few links between the two dead men, and had only recently got his hands on a good chunk of both of their life savings. Nor could she get the empty warehouse and the final demands out of her head. She didn’t trust him one bit.
‘Excellent news!’ said Anthony, with rather too much bonhomie. ‘Well, I can see you’re a sharp one, and I’m sure you’ll understand right away just what an excellent investment you have on your hands. Before I start – Mrs Bird, is it?’
‘Yes. Julia Bird. I feel like we might have met. Or perhaps I’ve seen you somewhere, recently. Now, where could it have been?’
His face fell. ‘I can’t say I remember, I’m afraid. That’s village life, though, isn’t it? We’ve likely seen each other around the place. In the high street. At the shops.’
‘It was in the last few weeks, I think.’ Julia made a show of scratching her head and frowning. ‘I know. I’ve been to a few of the Christmas activities around the area. I do love a bit of Christmas spirit, don’t you? Could it have been at the switching on of the Christmas lights? Or one of the Christmas markets? Were you at any of those occasions?’
One of those occasions where the men had mysteriously died, in other words, thought Julia.
