Page 32 of A Very Bookish Murder (Ally McKinley Mystery #3)

TWENTY-THREE

Brigitte looked around calmly at the sea of astonished faces.

Ally felt as if she’d been hit with a sledgehammer. Why on earth had she never suspected?

‘I will explain,’ Brigitte continued, sipping her cognac. She gave a wry smile before adding, ‘I can assure you that I certainly did not come here to kill Jodi! I came to try to talk sense to her.’

‘Whatever do you mean?’ Penelope asked, frowning.

Ally was conscious of silence in the dining room and several heads turning in their direction again.

‘George was adopted by the Atkinses and had a very happy life,’ Brigitte said.

‘But later he was naturally curious about his birth mother and was staggered to find out that she was someone called Joanne Rigby. After much research – I won’t bore you with all the details – he discovered that she was the writer, Jodi Jones, although she wasn’t so successful or well known back then.

And when he eventually managed to contact her, she was absolutely ecstatic to find him!

No other word for it – she was over the moon ! ’

‘So what was the problem?’ Millie asked. ‘I presume there was one?’

‘The problem was that she became extremely possessive of George, obsessive even. She wouldn’t leave him alone and kept appearing on his doorstep with gifts – and advice.

Promised him all of her money’ – here she glanced at Laura, who was staring straight ahead – ‘but couldn’t bear the thought of sharing him with anyone else.

Between you and me, I think she’d gone a little crazy over the years because her obsession grew and, when he told her that he planned to get married, she went completely over the top! ’

‘You’d have thought she’d have been delighted,’ Ally said.

Brigitte sighed. ‘Yes, you would think so. But no, she was absolutely furious. She told George he’d never inherit a penny if he married anyone ! And when he told her about me, she referred to me as some “French floozy” – those were her very words!’

‘But he married you anyway?’ Morwenna asked.

‘Yes, but we never told her. We’ve been married for ten years now, during which time she helped him to set up his publishing company, but we didn’t ever meet, Jodi and I, because she flatly refused even to see me.

She liked to pretend that I didn’t exist. It made George terribly sad – he became awfully depressed, really quite ill. ’

Here Brigitte paused, seemingly close to tears.

She picked up her cognac and took a large gulp.

Then she put the glass back down and took a moment to compose herself before she continued.

‘George tried to avoid her whenever possible, and as far as she was concerned, I was just his “bit of stuff”, necessary only to satisfy his sexual requirements but never to marry. Don’t forget that George was forty at the time he met me, and I was fifteen years younger. ’

‘Unbelievable!’ Millie exclaimed.

‘None of that explains why you came here,’ Penelope said, slurring a little as she drained her brandy.

‘I booked this course under my maiden name, otherwise she would almost certainly have known I was George’s wife.

’ Brigitte sighed deeply. ‘I asked if I could have a one-to-one chat with her on the second day, making out that I needed her advice about something. All I wanted to do was to reassure her that I loved George deeply, and that I’d never interfere with her relationship with him but only wanted her approval as his wife.

That was all !’ Brigitte then broke down in tears.

‘Then you and your husband must be very relieved she is dead,’ Millie said.

Brigitte shook her head as she blew her nose but said nothing.

Ally also found herself feeling quite tearful at Brigitte’s plight.

It explained why Brigitte had gone into Room 1 and was desperate to get hold of Jodi’s diary, just after she had been killed.

And it made sense now; after all, would she have killed Jodi before she’d even had a chance to speak to her?

And now she came to think of it, she recalled that, when he first arrived, she had thought that George reminded her of someone, and now she realised that that someone had been Jodi.

She wondered if anyone else had noticed, although obviously not.

Millie, who was sitting next to Brigitte, put an arm around her and said, ‘It must be a great relief to you that Jodi is gone, but you mustn’t feel guilty about feeling that way. After all these years having to keep your marriage a secret!’

Everyone else digested the news in silence, and the other diners returned to eating and drinking. Low conversation resumed, except for the elderly pair at the next table, who were now openly staring at poor Brigitte.

Penelope cleared her throat noisily. ‘As far as I’m concerned,’ she said, ‘that leaves one obvious suspect and one only.’

‘Who?’ asked Morwenna anxiously.

Everyone was looking at Penelope now, the air tense.

‘Laura, of course,’ said Penelope.

‘How dare you?’ Laura asked, looking furious.

‘Not that you were likely to inherit much from what Brigitte’s told us,’ Penelope continued loudly, ‘but you already admitted you came here to kill her!’

‘I also told you – but I don’t suppose you were listening because you hardly ever do – that someone else killed her before I could do the deed. Not that I could have done it anyway.’ Laura was staring hard at Penelope.

‘We only have your word for that!’ snapped Penelope. ‘ Of course you’re not going to admit to the killing! You must think we’re all completely gormless!’

‘You have a police record, and most probably for good reason,’ Laura said, narrowing her eyes, ‘so do not go accusing me, you overprivileged bitch!’

‘What did you call me?’ Penelope was standing up now.

Ally was beginning to panic because this was turning nasty.

‘Overprivileged bitch!’ Laura had now got out of her seat and was advancing slowly round the table towards Penelope, with both Millie and Brigitte trying somewhat to hold her back. Penelope was standing up, stock-still, shoulders back, fists clenched and breathing heavily.

Penelope was the first to throw a punch, which completely missed Laura and struck poor Millie, knocking her to the ground.

‘Stop this at once!’ Callum shouted. He’d appeared from nowhere and was now standing between Laura and Penelope, keeping them apart.

Laura, saying nothing, just turned around, picked up her bag from where she’d been sitting and marched out of the room.

Penelope was now slumped back in her chair, and Callum turned round towards the other diners.

‘Please, everyone, accept my sincere apologies,’ he said. ‘These ladies have been through a very traumatic time, and I’m afraid their emotions have got the better of them this evening.’

There was some murmuring before everyone resumed eating, and as Ally and the others left the dining room, she heard one man call out, ‘Do we have to pay extra for the cabaret? Best entertainment I’ve had in years!’