Saturday October 6
It would be too easy just to have a crime or two to solve. A
phone-call from Greg woke the Hurleys very early on Saturday morning to say almost
as much.
“Didn’t you mention a corpse in the freezer at the villa at
some point, Gary?” he started.
“That doll theory sounds like one of Dorothy Price’s hunch,”
said Greg.
“It would also be a good place to hide a corpse, though, wouldn’t
it?” said Gary.
“So why isn’t the business of the freezer in the initial
report?”
”Because following up such a theory is something a serious
cop would not admit to,” said Gary, wondering if that description of a cop
really fitted him these days. “But we went there anyway, Greg. Sometimes
Dorothy has a nose for criminal innovation.”
“It’s just as well she’s on our side then,” said Greg.
“She semi-retired now, so we don’t get as much inspiration.”
“I was going to tell you that a look-alike doll had been seen
sitting in a chair at a window upstairs,” said Greg, “but someone obviously
thought it needed a breath of fresh air.”
“So where was the doll found this time?”
“In the villa garden shrubbery.”
“Goodness. Who found it?”
“Schoolboys. They were terrified. They said it looked like
Dr Fargo, so they didn’t go near it. Apparently Dr Fargo used to sit in an
armchair at an upstairs window and observe the street and he looked just like
the effigy.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” said Gary.
“Exactly,” said Greg. “If that doll was put there to give
the impression that Dr Fargo was alive and kicking, he might be dead after
all.”
“Which might indicate that the doll in the cellar was
replaced in the freezer by Dr Fargo, alive or dead.”
“So now what? Who could have organized the doll bluff if it
wasn’t the relatives?” Greg asked.
“How long have they been back?”
“I don’t know. Stan Butterworth might know or even seen that
doll in action.”
“The schoolboys obviously did,” said Gary. “I think I’ll
have to consult the Ladies again. I’m curious to see how many of their hunches
are accurate.”
“It’s all getting a bit out of hand, Gary.”
“I have never been so baffled, Greg. There are so many seemingly
unconnected elements.
“I’ll collect those schoolboys and talk to them at HQ this
morning. They’ll enjoy a ride in a patrol car.”
“Thanks, Greg. I’ll come into for that so let me know when
you have collected them. I’m supposed to have a free weekend, but that’s out.”
“Sorry to wake you.”
“You were right to call, Greg. This whole business is
getting nastier by the minute. If only Dr Fargo would turn up!”
“I agree that it would solve a number of problems.”
“I’d like to know who the doctor’s lady friend is,” said
Gary.
“Could it be the dismissed cleaner?
“On the contrary, Greg. Mrs Beatty told me about the new
friend and was resentful.”
“That may be why she phoned and told reception to tell you
or me that there was a body in the villa fridge,” said Greg. “She even said she
had been the cleaner there and gave her name.
“A bit of revenge, I dare say,” said Gary. “She wanted to
make trouble.”
“Or the doll really was in the freezer when she saw it. We
know it was kept there at some time,” said Greg. “Those girls at reception were
in a panic so they called me because I was in my office.”
“Of course, that cleaner might be responsible for more than
she admitted to. I don’t suppose many people had a key to the villa,” said Gary.
“I have a feeling that Mrs Beatty thought she was first lady in that house and
had been usurped.”
“She wouldn’t be the first household employee with delusions
of grandeur, would she?” said Greg.
***
“What was that about?” said Cleo, entering the living-room
where Gary had been phoning and had hoped not to wake the family. She had resigned
herself to a long day, had made coffee and was floating around in her genuine
Japanese kimono.
“You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
Cleo found Greg’s account astonishing. It put an end to any
weekend plans, but Cleo thought it would make everything just that bit more exciting,
especially for Dorothy, who loved that kind of drama. She could hardly wait to
see Dorothy’s reaction,. She would be at the cottage presently to report on her
trip to visit the Crightons.
***
Gary’s reaction to the identity parade idea was
appreciative. It should be held as soon as possible, but Barbarella Knowles
would also have to answer some searching questions about her car. He had not
paid much attention when told that a car with her number plate had driven away almost
from the scene of Margie Busby’s demise, since cars can be driven by anyone as
long as someone has paid the road tax. Had she used it on rehearsal night, or
had her husband used it? – And yes,
Barbarella was a happily married lady. Surprise, surprise. Gary would invite
her to an informal chat the following Monday. That might make an identity
parade unnecessary.
But just in case, the Crightons would be given a time to be
at HQ on Monday afternoon. A very large cook from the HQ canteen and one or two
other large ladies would be invited to join the line-up. To make sure that the
Crightons came, a squad car would collect them and take them home again. Nigel
would take care of the logistics.
***
“So how about the
Fargos?” said Cleo. “I can’t wait to hear how that questioning went. You were
too tired last night, remember?”
“I was only too tired for the Fargos.”
“So how did it go?”
At that moment Dorothy, who had a knack of timing her visits
to be in at whatever kill was going, arrived for breakfast.
Between hugging the little ones and fetching a large dish to
house the bagels she had managed to bake seemingly at dawn, Dorothy listened
in, of course.
“The talk was fair to middling, I’s say,” said Gary.
“Who are we talking about,” said Dorothy.
“The Fargos, Dorothy.”
“That’s interesting. Where were they found?”
“At the villa,” said Cleo.
“Anyway,” said Gary, “in the end it was quite revealing
except that I’m sure they have plenty more stories to tell. I recorded the
event,” said Gary. “Nigel and Greg were on hand as witnesses, but I didn’t want
to leave anything to chance, so it’s archived on the old tape recorder and the
digital webcam , of which I have a copy on my phone,” he said. “I’ll stream it.”
Gary pressed the appropriate keys and the recording turned
up on the TV.
“That’s clever,” said Dorothy.
“Brilliant!” said Cleo.
“Here we go then,” said Gary.
***
“Names and age, please, just for the record”.
“Sally Fargo. 28.”
“Ed Fargo. 34.”
“Not Edward?”
“No. Just Ed.”
“Address?”
“At home at the villa. That’s where you collected us.”
“Where were you before you returned to the villa after
several days’ absence?”
“I was in Weston,” said Sally Fargo. “We used to live there.
I visited friends. Ed stayed at home. He doesn’t like my friends.””
“Where were you, Mr Fargo? You weren’t at the villa, were
you?”
“Out and about.”
“That’s too vague.”
“OK. Gaming and then at the races and after that more
gaming. I slept at the gaming club. Satisfied?”
Sally Fargo looked shocked.
“Name?”
“Bristol races.”
“Nice,” Nigel could be heard saying.
“Not the horse racing. The gaming club, Mr Fargo.”
“Bristol fashion,” said Fargo rather reluctantly.
***
The gaming club was actually a swinger club on the Bristol
Road. It was notorious. The services offered could be bought – at a price. Gary
did not comment apart to say that the account of Mr Fargo’s activities would be
checked. He did not think that Sally Fargo knew about Ed’s activities.
***
“Who do you normally share a bed with, Mr Fargo?” said Gary.
“That’s none of your business, is it?” said Ed Fargo.
“OK. I’ll put it another way. Are you two siblings or lovers
… or both?”
“Ed is my husband,” said Sally. “Was that supposed to be a
trick question?”
To Ed she said “I thought you’d given up that club.”
“You weren’t around and a guy needs some fun.-“
***
“It’s your second marriage, isn’t it, Mr Fargo?” said Gary.
“You seem to know a lot, Inspector.”
“Archives, Mr Fargo. I’ve seen a photo of your first wife.
What happened to her? Nudge my memory!”
“She died,” said Fargo.
“I didn’t know you’d already been married, Ed,” said Sally
and all the cops present immediately thought
she must be play-acting.
***
Gary paused the recording and commented to Cleo and Dorothy that they had
all felt a distinct change in the atmosphere before releasing the pause key.”
“You didn’t need to know,” Ed said. “She’s dead and that’s
the end of story.”
“How did she die?” Sally asked.
“Drowned.”
“That’s terrible,” said Sally. “Is that why you know about
Ed, Inspector?”
“Yes, but it’s more terrible than that. Tell her the whole
story, Mr Fargo, though I’m sure she knows already, despite the theatricals I’m
being treated to here.”
“I don’t want to hear any more,” said Sally Fargo.
“Let me remind your husband then. The first Mrs Fargo did
not drown. Your husband ran her down driving out of his garage down a long
drive where she was waiting to get into the car.”
“I did not want to run her down,” said Fargo. “My foot
slipped off the brake.”
“The court believed him,” Gary said. “But in the light of
what has happened now, I’m inclined to think they made a mistake, and it’s
clear that you were lying, Mrs Fargo. You thought you could fool me when you
said you didn’t know your husband had been married before. You were the chief
witness of that incident, weren’t you?”
“We were strangers then,” insisted Mrs Fargo.
“I’ll bet you weren’t. Your maiden name was Fletcher and
that’s the name in the police reports. But there’s a photo of you in there,
too, Mrs Fargo. I’m amazed that you think you can fool me by telling lies.”
said Gary. “You married Mr Fargo soon after the so-called accident. That’s a
strange thing to do. After all, you knew that Mr Fargo had killed his first wife.
I would have been more cautious.”
“I …. We fell in love,” she said, “at the trial. Ed did not
kill his first wife.”
“That’s very loyal of you, Mrs Fargo, but a dangerous kind
of loyalty, if I may say so.”
“I don’t understand.”
“If you were already lovers, as I think was the case, Mr
Fargo had a reason for doing away with the first Mrs Fargo, didn’t he? You
can’t deny that your husband ran over her, can you, now your memory has been
sufficiently jogged.”
“Not on purpose. It was a terrible accident.”
“I don’t think it was, Mrs Fargo.”
“Don’t talk any more junk, Inspector, or I’ll sue you,” said
Fargo.
“On what grounds?”
“You are accusing me of a murder I was acquitted of.”
“That’s right. You were acquitted, Mr Fargo. I would
retaliate to any stupid legal action on your part by getting your case reopened
on the grounds of new evidence and a confession from your new wife and old
lover that she lied to me and the court about knowing you and was therefore
covering up the facts of the case.”
***
Nigel and Greg looking on. This wasn’t the interview they
had been expecting. Gary had done his homework and not discussed it, and now he
making a case for the Fargos having disposed of Ed Fargo’s relative.
Gary had demonstratively turned the pages of an official
file containing the information he had made use of at the questioning. It
hadn’t taken Nigel long to trace the documents, but he did not know that Gary
was planning to introduce it into the first interview. A photo of the only
witness was included in the file. Gary held it up.
***
“I could deny everything,” said Mrs Fargo.
“In my experience, you wouldn’t, quite apart from my
assistant at the table being a reliable witness who takes notes and there being
recordings of this interview. Inspector Greg Winter can also be relied on to
give a truthful account of our little talk. For now, just tell me what
motivated you to move into the villa.”
“We wanted to help Ed’s uncle,” said Sally Fargo.
“Or help yourselves,” said Gary, who had been expecting her
to say what she did. “After all, you were short of cash without your first
wife’s income, weren’t you, Mr Fargo?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” said Fargo.
“What does he mean, Ed?”
“I’ll explain, shall I?” said Gary. “The first Mrs Fargo was
a call-girl with a lucrative home business. Her devoted husband was banking on
the same arrangement with his second wife.”
Sally Fargo gasped.
“Didn’t he ask you entertain men, Mrs Fargo?” Gary asked.
“I don’t know what you mean,” said Sally.
“I mean that your husband suggested that you contribute to
the family finances by entertaining his friends. Your husband’s first wife had
to die because she wanted to stop the prostitution. She was 3 months pregnant
when she was run over. The show of grief at the trial was pure theatre.”
Sally Fargo moved away from her husband. She was genuinely
appalled.
“In the end, your second wife refused to prostitute herself,
didn’t she, Mr Fargo, so you were obliged to look for other ways of making
money. I’m surprised you did not kill her and get someone else in.”
“I didn’t know that’s what you wanted when you bought those
beautiful underclothes for me, Ed,” said Sally Fargo.
Sally turned to Gary.
“Then he told me what they were for, Inspector, and I was
shocked to the core and he understood that I would rather not have more than
one man in my life . Now I understand, is he going to kill me?”
“I sincerely hope not,” said Gary.
“You could have left him, Mrs Fargo.” said Greg, thinking it
was time to call it a day. Fargo was a nasty piece of work. He was capable of
violence and had certainly used it on his first wife.
“But she didn’t go for it, Cop,” said Fargo. “ Even though she’s
like all women. Hookers at heart.”
“I beg to differ on that,” said Gary.
“So do I,” said Sally Fargo.
“So you decided to move into Dr Fargo’s house, did you, Mr
Fargo? You would start a new business there after the old doctor had been
persuaded to leave, since he was in the way of progress.”
“My uncle was alive and well when we moved in, if that’s
what you are getting at,” said Mr Fargo.
“I can vouch for that,” said Mrs Fargo, clinging on to a
vestige of loyalty.
“But he wasn’t going to stay in good health for long, was
he?” said Gary. “That dead tramp in the park inspired you, didn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” said Ed Fargo.
“I’ll explain,” said Gary. “A dead vagabond with no family
would serve well as a substitute corpse. The dead tramp even looked a bit like
your uncle, although he was dirty and unkempt. Is that when you decided to do
away with your relative? Is that when you started to display the doll dressed
in his clothes at the villa window to prove that he was still alive?”
“I didn’t know about any of that,” said Mrs Fargo.
“Shut up,” said Fargo.
“Did you kill your uncle?” shrieked Sally Fargo at her
husband.
Fargo did not answer.
“When did you go to Weston, Mrs Fargo?”
“After identifying the old man,” she replied. “Ed’s uncle
had wandered off, you see.”
“Is that what your husband told you?”
“Yes,” said Mrs Fargo, who was now very confused about
events, “but I didn’t know it was murder.”
“Did you give the tramp something to drink, Mrs Fargo?”
“Ed did. We always used to give those vagabonds in the park
something. Ed said it was better than the Red Cross because you knew your
donations were appreciated.”
“And you didn’t put two and two together later, Mrs Fargo.
If you saw the tramp alive he could not suddenly be Dr Fargo when he was dead,”
said Gary.
“Ed said his uncle was eccentric and sometimes went out
dressed as tramp to join others in the park.”
“And you believed that, too, said Gary. “I suppose your
husband singled out that tramp as being the most worthy of a little charity,
did he?”
Mrs Fargo nodded.
“And then there was the grief of the doctor dying, I
suppose,” said Gary. “What did you do after the identification?”
“Ed sent me to Weston to recover and get things from the
house.”
“When did you find out that the tramp was not Dr Fargo?”
“From the newspaper,” said Sally. “What’s this all about,
Inspector?”
“The tramp was later identified correctly, but you had in
fact claimed that Dr Fargo was dead by identifying his corpse, so he could not
be seen alive at the villa again, could he?”
“I suppose not.”
“The whole identification of that tramp was a construct, Mrs
Fargo. Your husband wanted to be rid of the old man and he got the idea of
killing him from identifying a substitute. He would dispose of the uncle
later.”
“I can’t believe that, Inspector.”
”You knew that tramp, didn’t you, Mr Fargo? You also knew
that it was not Dr Fargo.”
“No.”
“Your wife has already stated that you knew where the tramps
hung out with fellow-tipplers. You heard her saying she had given the tramp
wine.”
There was a long silence before Mrs Fargo said “That with
the doll wasn’t my idea. Ed’s uncle was not at the villa when we got there, and
he played a game with the neighbours. They thought he was there when he wasn’t.”
“That explains why you identified that tramp, Mrs Fargo. I
don’t suppose you knew the doctor very well, did you?”
“No.”
“When we arrived at the villa, people kept asking for my
uncle. We sat the doll in a chair upstairs and that took care of the
neighbours’ curiosity. We did not know where he was, and that’s the truth, and
we didn’t know that Dr Fargo used the effigy to make people think he was at
home.”
***
“Where is Dr Fargo now, Mr Fargo?” said Gary.
“We don’t know,” said Sally Fargo.
“Meaning you don’t know, Mrs Fargo.”
Ed Fargo did not comment.
“You’ll have to lodge in the arrest cells while we search
for him. If he’s alive, you’re in luck. If he’s dead, we’ll let you know,” said
Gary.
The security guards took the Fargo couple to separate arrest
cells
***
Gary switched off the video-recording
Cleo and Dorothy were shocked.
“You are sure that the death of the first Mrs Fargo was deliberate,
aren’t you,” said Dorothy.
“Fargo was acquitted,” said Gary. “And there was no proof
that the current Mrs Fargo knew anything.”
“But we know now that she must have known,” said Cleo.
“That’s enough to reopen the case, surely.”
“Not really. The prosecution could not make him admit
anything at the time. There was no conclusive proof that Ed Fargo had hurried his
wife’s death along. Accidents do happen.”
“But surely you could apply to reopen the case on the basis
of that new evidence, Gary,” said Dorothy.
“That’s true, but we’d need to have that evidence, not just
talk about it.”
“That’s obvious,” said Dorothy, “ and the motive is clear.”
“Motive is not enough, and you know that, Dorothy,” said
Cleo.
“But sometimes there are convictions without a body.”
“And often enough there is a body and no conviction, Dorothy,”
said Gary.
“Sally Fargo claimed to be a passer-by who witnessed the
scene of that first murder. Did no one make inquiries into the woman who was
then Miss Fletcher?” Cleo asked.
“Apparently not.”
“So again we could have
the case of a murderer killing a second time, if Fargo has been done away with”
said Cleo.
“Yes, if Fargo really did kill his uncle, and we have no
proof of that. If Fargo is dead, that would be Fargo’s third killing. He’s not going
to avoid prison, Ladies, and we can convict Mrs Fargo as an accessory. She
admitted to giving him a drink.”.
“It would be nice if Mr Fargo had killed his first wife,
married his mistress, and then killed again twice to gain possession of the
villa,” said Dorothy.
“I wouldn’t call that nice,” said Cleo.
“You know what I mean. It would make it all so much easier.”
“We can only speculate about the order of events, and motive
is not enough to explain the technicalities, Ladies. It would also help if we could
find Dr Fargo’s earthly remains.”
“I think the whole business was planned,” said Cleo.
“Supposing Dr Fargo had really been in that freezer,” said
Dorothy. “Corpses preserved in pack ice on the Alps could be millions of years
old, so why take it out?”
“Almost the perfect murder,” said Gary. The forensic
scientist’s nightmare:You kill off your designated victim, freeze him or her,
and discover him months later or not at all.”
“In this case not at all since the freezer was empty,” said Cleo.
“They could have disposed of Dr Fargo and insisted that the
tramp was the uncle despite the other identification,” said Dorothy. “But I
tend not to believe that. In fact, I think Dr Fargo is alive and well somewhere
and those young people are trying to get their hands on the villa and his money
without knowing where he is. As a corpse, the tramp did a fine job of proving
Dr Fargo was dead and therefore could be inherited.”
“Dorothy could be onto something,” said Cleo. “Murderers
aren’t entitled to the estate of their victims and the tramp was either not
killed by the Fargos or they were cunning enough to get away with it.”
“Not after Mrs Fargo admitted to giving the tramp a drink,”
said Gary.
“I think the Fargos should be charged with the murder of Dr
Fargo and left to chew over things until it is absolutely clear who killed the
tramp and where Dr Fargo is,” said Dorothy.
“That may be our only alternative, Dorothy,” said Gary. “We’re
banking on there being conclusive evidence that the young Fargos killed that
tramp.”
“Surely part of the inquiry has to be about when Dr Fargo
was last seen alive,” said Cleo.
“Greg’s seeing to that with Butterworth’s help,” said Gary,
“but witnesses might only have seen the doll and not realize it.”
“I could ask around tomorrow if you think it’s a good idea,
Gary,” said Dorothy.
“Go ahead! We’ve nothing to lose.”
***
“But before we close this meeting, I’d like to talk about
the deceased Toby Bates,” said Dorothy. “And you might like to hear about the
Crightons.”
“I should get going, Dorothy,” said Gary.
“It won’t take long.”
“Go ahead, Dorothy. I want to hear,” said Cleo.
“If I remember rightly that tramp was poisoned and then
struck,” said Dorothy.
“That’s what Chris says.”
“According to what transpired from the Fargo questioning,
the Fargos could have been out looking for suitable victim, given him alcohol
laced with poison and watched him drink it, as tramps tend to do, straight from
the bottle. If it contained knock-out drops they might not have had to wait
long before Bates became drowsy. Then he could have been hit with some kind of
blunt instrument and fallen to the ground.”
“That’s possible, but the problem is that we will never
prove it,” said Gary. “The witnesses would be other tramps and they would not
want to get involved, so they would keep silent if they had seen anything.”
“Chris will have made a note of what was in the tramp’s
drink. Did you find the bottle?”
“I don’t think anyone looked for one that day, and it would
have been cleared away next morning by the refuse men,” said Gary. “They always
clear up daily in parks and open spaces, especially where layabouts have
congregated.”
“The Fargos will have to confess,” said Dorothy.
“Care to interview them yourself, Dorothy?”
“I suppose that’s too unconventional, isn’t it?”
“Hang convention. We need to get at the truth,” said Gary. “If
we can’t make progress any other way, you might be able to get something out of
them that isn’t theatricals or a pack of lies.”
“Then you have a deal, Chief Inspector, but listen to what I
found out about the tramp.”
“I’ll make coffee,” said Gary. “Please phone Greg and tell
him I’ll be with him soon, Cleo.”
“Sure.”
***
Dorothy was persistent. Gary knew she would be like a dog
with a bone until she had told him what she wanted to. A few minutes later he
served espressos in large mugs with a jug of steaming hot milk to decant into
the coffee, sat down and prepared himself for the talk. To reassure Greg that
he was coming to HQ and confirm Cleo’s short phone-call, he sent him a quick
text. Dorothy’s tales were usually worth listening to, not just for their entertainment
value.
***
“I thought this was all going to be short, Dorothy,” said
Gary. “I’ll have to make HQ wait for one of my favourite sleuths to spill the
beans.”
***
“Well, it goes back over 30 years,” Dorothy started, gratified
that Gary was not going to be in one of his impatient moods, “but I’ll only
tell you what’s relevant.”
“Get to the best bits, Dorothy,” said Cleo.
“Well, the newspaper cuttings we examined reported that Mr
Bates’s wife Eve disappeared during a walk on the beach in Weston-Super-Mare,
where they lived. Since Mrs Bates disappeared without trace on a lonely part of
the beach, Bates was soon suspected of murdering her. The police theory was
that the couple had dug a deep hole in the sand. Bates had had a sinister reason
for what she thought was a game. He was suspected of killing her and burying
her in the hole they had dug together. He claimed that his wife had tried to
rescue a dog from a sandbank and been swept away. The police argued that since
the tide was ebbing, the dog could have escaped on its own.
Toby Bates was charged with murder. The next incoming tide
washed away any signs of a hole, but the police decided that it was only a
matter of time before the corpse would be washed up.
But it wasn’t.
Eventually the police had to admit that they had no evidence
to support their theory and no proof that Bates had been lying. They tried to
get some kind of confession from him, but he kept to his story that his wife
had gone into the sea to rescue an animal, and not returned.
Witnesses claimed to have seen him walking to the far end of
the beach with a woman and returning alone. Since there was no evidence to
support the murder theory, Bates was release from custody. He disappeared. The
little house he had shared with his wife was found to have been stripped of
everything personal. The police looked for Eve and Toby Bates all summer.
“Wow, Dorothy. This is a sensational story,” said Cleo.
“It’s fact,” said Dorothy and continued.
Bates had a brother with whom he had almost no contact. Eve
Bates had a sister. Neither relative had any idea about where Eve and Toby
were, but it was later accepted that Eve Bates had drowned. Toby’s brother
thought he might have gone to the South of France because he and Eve had spent
holidays there, but the French police found no record of anyone ever seeing
either of them again, even among the thriving British community in and near
Limoges, where everyone seemed to know everyone else. Eve’s sister believed
Toby Bates’s story about her disappearance.
The police in Weston were sure that Toby had disappeared
because he was guilty of her murder, but the case was eventually abandoned.”
“Very good, Dorothy, but what does it have to do with the
Fargos?” said Gary.
I thought it was just background information, but now I’ve
heard that the Fargos lived in Weston-Super-Mare, I’m starting to wonder how
much of a coincidence it is that they chose Toby Bates as their victim.”
“It’s too far-fetched, Dorothy,” said Gary.
“Wait a minute,” said Cleo. “I don’t think we should reject
the idea. Wasn’t Toby Bates’s identification confirmed by an old letter he
carried around with him? It was anonymous and accused him of killing his wife.
The letter was dated 30 years previously. Why had he kept that letter and why
had he kept his wife’s wedding ring and was still wearing his own when he died?
And why, for goodness’ sake, hasn’t that anonymous letter been followed up?”
“Poison pen letters are common. Suspected murderers get them
even if they are acquitted. Someone always thinks they must be guilty,” said
Gary. “We can’t follow up every anonymous message.“
“But why would he carry it around with him all that time?”
said Dorothy.
“Probably because he really was innocent, Dorothy,” said
Cleo.
“I suppose that makes sense, but you want to look for a
connection between the Fargos and Bates, aren’t you?” said Gary.
“No, we aren’t, Dorothy.” Said Cleo. “Bates left Weston over
thirty years ago. The Fargos are in their mid-thirties. They were little kids
when the drama of Eve Bates’s disappearance happened.”
“I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but we should look into it,
can’t we, Gary?”
“If it makes you happy.”
And there was the wedding ring to consider. Bates could have
kept the wedding ring after taking it off his wife’s finger after he had killed
her, but if she was leaving him it is quite possible that she took off the ring
and left it for him to find as a sign that she was going for ever.
“Bates carrying the ring around does not prove that Eve Bates
is dead,” said Dorothy.
“Now you say it, it puts it all in a new light, Dorothy,.” said
Gary. “I’m impressed.”
“And now we come to the best bit,” said Dorothy.
“Does it get even better?” said Gary.
“What if I were to tell you that Eve Bates was Eve Fletcher
before she got married?”
“I’m not sure I would believe you,” said Gary.
“You’d have to. My research into Toby Bates’s biography got
as far as finding out who Eve Bates was before they married and that is the
link between Sally Fargo and Toby Bates, Gary,” said Dorothy triumphantly.
“He could have been her father,” said Cleo.
“She did not know that, however,” said Dorothy. “For that
you would need to compare DNA samples.”
“Nothing easier,” said Gary. “Sally Fargo is about 30. I
wonder if she knows where her mother is.”
“I think we should ask her,” said Cleo.
“I agree,” said Gary. “I hope Eve is still alive. Somehow
the idea of that tramp wandering around for thirty years is crass.”
“I think it would be even crasser if Sally Fargo had actually
murdered her father, Gary,” said Dorothy.
“I wonder why Eve Bates walked out on Toby Bates,” said
Dorothy.
“He might have had another woman,” said Cleo.
“Don’t make it any more complicated than it is,” said Gary.
“Can we talk to Sally Fargo tomorrow, Gary?”
“Yes Cleo. We can’t move forward until we’ve looked into the
past. I can see that now.”
***
A breakfast brain-storming on a Saturday was an unusual feature of the
Hartley Agency business practice. Normally, Cleo and Dorothy had a second
breakfast together early in the week to talk over agency cases and procedures,
but Saturday had revealed the urgency of getting things done, especially for
Dorothy, who had created quite a stir with her report on Eve Bates.
Nobody could yet do more than hazard a guess at the link between
Eve Bates’s disappearance 30 years previously, the death of Toby Bates recently,
and Sally Fargo’s link with either of them. Was Eve Bates alive? Sally was
presumably her daughter but maybe not the daughter of Toby Bates, so was
another man involved in Eve’s disappearance? Sally would have to say something
to clear up the mystery, the weight of which Toby Bates had shouldered for 30
years, always assuming that Eve had told Sally the story.
If Ed Fargo was the real villain in the piece they would
need firm evidence as to what he had done before they could hold him
responsible, and that would require Dr Fargo to be found, dead or alive. Until there
was clarity the couple was to be kept under arrest and separate.
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