Page 77 of The Impossible Fortune

‘Is not my business,’ says Bogdan, wisely. He has tagged along because Elizabeth is having problems with her underfloor heating. This little gang certainly get their money’s worth from Bogdan. He was off seeing Ron about something on Saturday too. It’s nice to turn the tables on them a little.

‘Just getting the full picture,’ says Donna. She sees Elizabeth calculating angles in her head and coming up with nothing.

Ever since she’d got the information from Manchester, Donna has been looking forward to this conversation. Elizabeth clearly decides to go on the attack. She usually does when she’s rattled. Or when she’s not rattled.

‘Yes, we noticed something unusual,’ says Elizabeth. ‘We noticed a nursery-school teacher somehow tied up in a murder. Is that usual?’

‘Is that usual?’ Donna thinks out loud. ‘I’d say not, wouldn’t you?’

‘Ever so unusual,’ says Joyce.

‘Ever so,’ agrees Bogdan.

Joyce thinks about it some more. ‘If I was worried about being killed, I wouldn’t ring a nursery-school teacher? I would ring Joanna. Or, actually, Elizabeth, because I wouldn’t want Joanna to worry.’

‘I swear to you, Donna,’ says Elizabeth, ‘if you string this out any further, I am cutting Bogdan out of my will, and it’s a big will.’

‘I’m in your will?’ Bogdan asks.

‘You’re clinging on by your fingernails,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Why did Holly Lewis ring Jill Usher?’

‘Well, that’s just it,’ says Donna. ‘I don’t think she did ring Jill Usher.’

‘Ooh,’ says Joyce. ‘What has Elizabeth missed now?’

‘You didn’t meet anyone else?’ Donna asks. ‘On your trip up north?’

She looks at them, and feels a rush of love for them both.

‘The husband,’ says Joyce.

‘Joyce gets it,’ says Donna. ‘The husband.’

‘The husband,’ says Elizabeth. Donna sees she is annoyed at herself for not spotting it.

‘Always the husband,’ says Bogdan, nodding.

‘Jamie Usher,’ says Donna, reading from her pocket book. ‘The reason the Ushers left the South Coast in the first place. He has convictions for benefits fraud, insurance fraud and mortgage fraud. Moved up north, started again, and has been in no further trouble since.’

‘Hasn’t beencaughtfor anything since,’ says Elizabeth.

‘Innit?’ agrees Donna.

‘So Holly wasn’t ringing Jill Usher?’ says Joyce. ‘She was ringing Jamie Usher?’

‘It would make more sense,’ says Donna. ‘Perhaps Jill bought the phone, contract was in her name, she didn’t trust him after everything he’d done, wanted to keep her eye on him? Who does Holly ring? A nursery-school teacher or a convicted fraudster?’

Elizabeth thinks. ‘But you haven’t found any other connection between Holly Lewis and Jamie Usher?’

‘Not yet,’ says Donna. ‘But Greater Manchester Police are visiting him today.’

‘His eyes were very close together,’ says Joyce. ‘I will say that.’

‘Like my friend Woyzeck,’ says Bogdan. ‘He can’t even wear glasses.’

‘This is actually not bad,’ says Elizabeth to Donna. ‘Jamie Usher. You’re really coming along. Chris being away really suits you.’

‘Thank you,’ says Donna. ‘Is Bogdan really in your will?’