The Ardmore Inheritance, Rob Wyllie [best novels for students TXT] 📗

'But what I don't get is why Kirsty had to be murdered at all,' Jill said. 'Why didn't Rory Overton just bring the relationship into the open and ask Kirsty for a divorce?'

'Don't you see?' Maggie said. 'It was because Kirsty Macallan actually was the elder twin. It was that which complicated the whole plan. Their original idea was to pay the twins' stepmother to testify that Elspeth was the elder and take their chance in court, but that was all thrown into disarray when Susan Priest entered the scene. Mrs Priest had read in the paper about the twins disagreement and got in touch with Kirsty to say that she would of course support her case, by simply telling the truth.'

Jimmy nodded. 'So that screwed it up for them good and proper. If they'd gone down the divorce route, then in any court case it would come down to Alison's word against Susan's. Meaning there was at least a fifty-fifty chance that Kirsty would inherit Ardmore House, and that just wasn't part of Rory Overton's life plan.'

'And so crazily, they decided that Elspeth would take her sister's place,' Frank said. 'So they arranged to have Kirsty killed that night Jimmy had dinner with Elspeth.'

'Aye, I see what was happening now,' Jimmy said. 'That phone she had on the table was a burner, and she was just waiting for that one text that told her Overton and Kirsty were outside.'

Maggie nodded. 'Yes, exactly. Remember I told you that Overton had arranged a secret dinner for Kirsty? I'm sure that's how it was done. He tells her they're going to La Garrigue and when they arrive outside the restaurant, Kirsty is bundled up the adjacent alleyway where Overton stabs her to death. He's made sure his wife is wearing the little black Dior dress, just like her sister. So then Elspeth becomes Kirsty and five minutes later they're in Chelsea having dinner with friends, having paid the Uber driver to conveniently forget about the five-minute stop-off en-route.'

Jill shook her head. 'But how mental was this whole thing? Did Elspeth really expect to be able to keep up the pretence for the rest of her life?'

Maggie shrugged. 'She was seriously nuts, a jealous woman who'd already been complicit in the murder of her father and her brother. And Overton was a cold manipulative bastard. They were made for one another really. So yes, I think in her warped mind she did think she could get away with it.'

'But surely they didn't have to do it?' Jill said, looking puzzled, 'Not after the hit and run on Susan Priest?'

'Yes, but remember it was Alison Macallan who was responsible for that killing,' Maggie said. 'She didn't know anything about Elspeth and Overton's crazy plan. All she saw was that if Susan vouched for Kirsty in court, then her agreement with Elspeth and the money that came with it would be blown out of the water.'

'God what a tangled mess,' Jill said. 'So I assume Elspeth and Overton didn't know that Alison had killed Mrs Priest?'

'I don't think so,' Jimmy said, 'and I'm certain Alison wouldn't have confessed. But of course now that they had decided that Elspeth would be faced with a lifetime of pretending to be her sister, they needed to get Alison out of the way,' Jimmy said, 'in case she eventually saw through the pretence.'

'She was lucky they didn't decide to kill her too, wasn't she?' Jill said.

'Aye, and I bet they considered it,' Frank said, 'but that would have got us police thinking about connections, and they didn't want that.'

'Yeah, but my Flora did see through it, right away,' Jimmy said. 'She and Kirsty and Morag had their pet names and their secret language when they were kids, remember? Flora was Flopsy and Kirsty was Mopsy, you know, like from Peter Rabbit. But when Flora addressed Elspeth at the funeral by her pet name, she got no response. Remember Maggie, we saw Flora's reaction?'

'Yes, but Elspeth realised it too and that's why they decided they needed to kill Flora,' Maggie said. 'To silence her. And if she had been drowned as they intended, they might very well have got away with it. Because her body would have been swept away to sea and never found.'

'Aye, and without a body it would have been another bloody Ardmore mystery,' Frank said ruefully. 'But thank god it didn't come to that, thanks to you Jimmy.'

'Yes, you were so brave,' Jill Smart said, squeezing Jimmy's hand and this time making no attempt to hide her action.

'Well, at least they confessed,' Frank said, grinning. 'Saved me a lot of time and trouble that did. Seven murders I've solved in total ma'am. Will I get a bonus do you think?'

To Maggie, it was lovely to witness his boyish enthusiasm, quite untainted by self-regard. 'Yes, go on Jill,' she said laughing, 'give the boy a bonus, he deserves it.'

Jill smiled. 'He's a public servant, which means that job satisfaction is meant to be its own reward. But I'll happily buy him a drink.'

'Now you're talking ma'am,' Frank said. 'Mine's a pint. Anybody else?'

But it seemed the lovely evening was drawing to a natural close.

'Naw, I think I'll give it a miss mate,' Jimmy said quietly. 'Been quite a couple of days and I'm bushed. I need an early night.'

But Maggie had heard the words that Flora Stewart had spoken during their hospital visit, and knew the real reason. As she recalled them again, it sent a searing pain through her whole being. I'll always be grateful to you Jimmy for saving my life, of course I will. But it doesn't change anything. I've moved on you see. I'm sorry. She'd watched as he'd kissed her gently on the forehead, and she'd watched as he'd walked away, his hopes dashed and his spirit crushed. And now she feared