and pen at the ready.
Angel said, ‘Now, Mrs Fairclough, sorry about that … you were saying that several strange things happened at your house today.’
‘Yes. Firstly my dear husband should have been in London today. He left by train for London yesterday and was supposed to be returning late on Friday. It was to do with his work. He had these sales meetings about twice a year.’
‘So today he should have been at the head office of the Indemnity and Life Insurance Company in London?’
‘Yes,’ Mrs Fairclough said. ‘And if there had been a change of plan, I am surprised that he didn’t phone me.’
Angel nodded. He glanced at Flora Carter to see that she was writing this down. Then he looked back at Mrs Fairclough and said, ‘What else struck you as strange?’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘in the entrance hall of my house is an olive-green vacuum cleaner. It was the first thing I saw when I came in at lunchtime. I think it is brand new. Still has some wrappings on it. Now, I don’t know whose it is. It’s certainly not ours. I wouldn’t have chosen that colour anyway. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. I’m certain Ian wouldn’t have bought it. It would be right out of character. He doesn’t concern himself with things like vacuum cleaners. If we had needed one, we would have talked about it, budgeted for it and he would have probably left it to me to decide on the colour, the model and the price and so on. I hope I’m not going to get a bill for it from somebody.’
Angel rubbed his chin lightly. ‘What else was strange?’ he said.
‘Well, the fridge door was left wide open. Everybodyknows not to leave a fridge door open, don’t they? Ian would not have left it open like that. The murderer must have done that, but why?’
‘Is there anything missing from there?’
‘I really don’t know. I didn’t … I couldn’t … I just closed it.’
‘Is there anything missing from the house? Have you been robbed of anything?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t bother to …’ Her voice trailed away.
‘I understand. That’s all right, Mrs Fairclough. We’ve nearly finished for now. Where were you this morning? Were you out?’
‘I am a schoolteacher. Full-time. I teach at the school at the end of this road, Wakefield Road Middle School. I usually come home at lunchtime and sometimes have a quick, light lunch with Ian, if he isn’t travelling far away. I should have phoned the headmistress and told her why I’m not there. Oh dear.’
‘My sergeant here will do that for you. Won’t you, Flora?’
‘Of course,’ she said, producing her mobile.
Mrs Fairclough shook her head. ‘No. No. Thank you,’ she said. ‘I must do it myself. You said we were almost finished.’
‘And so we are, for now, Mrs Fairclough,’ Angel said. ‘There’s just one matter I’d like you to clear up, if you can. You said that your husband left yesterday for London by train: well, where did he spend last night?’
She closed her eyes a few seconds to think about the answer, then she said, ‘The arrangements were that hewas going to London by train on Tuesday – yesterday – and would be returning late Thursday about half past nine. I don’t know where he was staying in London, he didn’t say. But I could always get in touch with him on his mobile. I don’t know where he stayed last night, nor do I know why he came home early.’
‘Never mind, Mrs Fairclough. We will try and find the answers. Thank you very much, for now.’
EIGHT
I T WAS AFTER 2 p.m. when Angel and Flora Carter made their way across the road to 33 Melvinia Crescent.
DS Taylor opened the door to them. ‘Good timing, sir,’ he said. ‘We’ve about finished here.’
They went inside the entrance hall and closed the door. Angel noticed the green vacuum cleaner. It was as Susan Fairclough had said; it was still partly wrapped in polythene. It was obviously unused and new.
‘It seems that it was brought to the house and left
Angel said, ‘Now, Mrs Fairclough, sorry about that … you were saying that several strange things happened at your house today.’
‘Yes. Firstly my dear husband should have been in London today. He left by train for London yesterday and was supposed to be returning late on Friday. It was to do with his work. He had these sales meetings about twice a year.’
‘So today he should have been at the head office of the Indemnity and Life Insurance Company in London?’
‘Yes,’ Mrs Fairclough said. ‘And if there had been a change of plan, I am surprised that he didn’t phone me.’
Angel nodded. He glanced at Flora Carter to see that she was writing this down. Then he looked back at Mrs Fairclough and said, ‘What else struck you as strange?’
‘Well,’ she said, ‘in the entrance hall of my house is an olive-green vacuum cleaner. It was the first thing I saw when I came in at lunchtime. I think it is brand new. Still has some wrappings on it. Now, I don’t know whose it is. It’s certainly not ours. I wouldn’t have chosen that colour anyway. We don’t need it. We don’t want it. I’m certain Ian wouldn’t have bought it. It would be right out of character. He doesn’t concern himself with things like vacuum cleaners. If we had needed one, we would have talked about it, budgeted for it and he would have probably left it to me to decide on the colour, the model and the price and so on. I hope I’m not going to get a bill for it from somebody.’
Angel rubbed his chin lightly. ‘What else was strange?’ he said.
‘Well, the fridge door was left wide open. Everybodyknows not to leave a fridge door open, don’t they? Ian would not have left it open like that. The murderer must have done that, but why?’
‘Is there anything missing from there?’
‘I really don’t know. I didn’t … I couldn’t … I just closed it.’
‘Is there anything missing from the house? Have you been robbed of anything?’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t bother to …’ Her voice trailed away.
‘I understand. That’s all right, Mrs Fairclough. We’ve nearly finished for now. Where were you this morning? Were you out?’
‘I am a schoolteacher. Full-time. I teach at the school at the end of this road, Wakefield Road Middle School. I usually come home at lunchtime and sometimes have a quick, light lunch with Ian, if he isn’t travelling far away. I should have phoned the headmistress and told her why I’m not there. Oh dear.’
‘My sergeant here will do that for you. Won’t you, Flora?’
‘Of course,’ she said, producing her mobile.
Mrs Fairclough shook her head. ‘No. No. Thank you,’ she said. ‘I must do it myself. You said we were almost finished.’
‘And so we are, for now, Mrs Fairclough,’ Angel said. ‘There’s just one matter I’d like you to clear up, if you can. You said that your husband left yesterday for London by train: well, where did he spend last night?’
She closed her eyes a few seconds to think about the answer, then she said, ‘The arrangements were that hewas going to London by train on Tuesday – yesterday – and would be returning late Thursday about half past nine. I don’t know where he was staying in London, he didn’t say. But I could always get in touch with him on his mobile. I don’t know where he stayed last night, nor do I know why he came home early.’
‘Never mind, Mrs Fairclough. We will try and find the answers. Thank you very much, for now.’
EIGHT
I T WAS AFTER 2 p.m. when Angel and Flora Carter made their way across the road to 33 Melvinia Crescent.
DS Taylor opened the door to them. ‘Good timing, sir,’ he said. ‘We’ve about finished here.’
They went inside the entrance hall and closed the door. Angel noticed the green vacuum cleaner. It was as Susan Fairclough had said; it was still partly wrapped in polythene. It was obviously unused and new.
‘It seems that it was brought to the house and left
Similar Books
