Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection

Robert’s oldest daughter, Samantha, paid a visit to Kathy. There seems to have been some disagreement about the house.

Kathy asked her to leave and she refused. By all accounts it seems to me that Samantha wanted her out. She demanded that the house be sold and that she receive half the proceeds.

Of course, Kathy refused, especially since she knew that Samantha had been given a very expensive property belonging to her mother, which, like everything else, was wasted on Samantha’s extravagant lifestyle.

All that aside, though, and remembering that these two were sisters, what happened came as a terrible blow to Kathy. While in West Bay, her sister Samantha fell off the harbour wall and drowned. Forgive me if I shock you with this news, but there is no other way to say it.

They reckon she hit her head on something; it was just very unfortunate.

Kathy has been devastated. Her mother came to see her, but not with a mind to console her. Instead, she was very cruel and spiteful, blaming Kathy because she did not bend to Samantha’s wish regarding Barden House.

You can imagine how this has affected her.

Knowing what a kind and loving person you are, and how devoted you were to Kathy’s father, I wonder if you would find it in yer heart to come and see her, as a friend? I know this won’t be easy, lass. But I’m sure it would mean so much to Kathy. You would love her, Liz. She’s so much like her father in manner and nature.

If you feel this is beyond you, then don’t worry.

Yours affectionately,

Jasper

Shaken by the awful news, Liz had to sit down. Holding the letter in her trembling hands, she read it for a second time. ‘Dear God! What a terrible thing to happen … and to one of Robert’s daughters.’ It was inconceivable.

Lately, she had been toying with the idea of going to meet Robert’s daughter, Kathy, but now she didn’t know what to do. Would Kathy feel that she was interfering? What if she took offence at her turning up out of the blue … taking it upon herself to feel she had a right to console Kathy?

And what about the way she and Kathy’s father had set up house together? It would be understandable if Kathy bore some kind of grudge.

Unless, as Jasper had pointed out, Kathy was made in the same caring, sensible mould as her father.

Wailing and moaning, Robbie came running in. ‘It wasn’t my fault! The wind took it out of my hands!’ he cried. ‘It’s got stuck in the tree again. Come and see.’

‘What am I going to do with you, eh?’ Affectionately, she ruffled his hair. ‘Come on then. We’ll try and get it down, shall we?’

The boy saw the letter as she thrust it into her skirt-pocket. ‘What’s that, Mummy?’

‘It’s a letter, son.’

‘Who’s it from?’

‘Jasper.’

Robbie danced on the spot. ‘Is he coming to see us again?’

‘No, Robbie. He wants us to go and see him, in West Bay.’ She did not tell him why. There was no need for that.

‘Oh, can we, Mummy? Please!’

‘I don’t know, son. We’ll have to see.’

‘I love Jasper,’ he said. ‘He’s my friend.’

As she led him out to the garden, her arm round his small shoulders, she looked down. ‘He’s my friend too.’

The boy glanced up, his dark eyes smiling up at her, melting her heart.

He was so like his father, she thought. More and more of late, there were times when she imagined Robert was looking at her through the boy’s eyes.

She thought maybe she should go and see Kathy, if only for Robert’s sake.

Then she wondered. He had kept them apart all that time. Maybe he didn’t want her to meet his other family.

She was torn.

Should she go, or should she reply to Jasper and say she wasn’t able to, for whatever reason?

If she decided not to go, she believed Jasper would understand her motives. He was a good man. A friend of Robert’s too.

But there was time for her to think it over.

In the end, all she wanted was to make the right decision for them all.

Chapter 22 (#ulink_b8188246-3445-5db3-a9e0-bbf0d85a81ca)

KATHY WAS ADAMANT. ‘You go and do what you came to do,’ she told Tom. ‘I need some time alone in the church.’

‘Are you sure?’ Tom didn’t like to leave her there in the big London church alone. He knew how, within the hour, her mother would arrive. Soon after that, her sister would receive the blessings before being laid to rest. ‘I can always tend to my business afterwards.’

‘No.’ Reaching up, she kissed him firmly on the mouth, ‘I’ll be fine. I just need to be alone for a while. Come back as soon as you can, and don’t worry about me.’

‘I don’t like to leave you …’

‘Go!’ She gave him a friendly shove. ‘Like I said, I’ll be all right.’

Before hurrying away, he told her he would be back in no time. ‘So don’t think you’re getting rid of me that easily!’

Inspector Lawson had agreed to meet him nearby at his request. ‘I’ve done everything you said,’ he told Tom when they were seated in the pub. ‘I’ve been in touch with the case-officers in Dorset … they can’t tell me anything I didn’t already now. I’ve sifted through all your brother’s belongings, and I’ve scoured his diary. But there is no mention anywhere of either Kathy or her sister, Samantha.’

Tom’s heart rose with hope. ‘So, Kathy’s sister’s death was an accident?’ It would have been so hard for him to tell Kathy that his own brother was Samantha’s killer.

The inspector shook his head. ‘No, Tom! That’s not what I’m saying. What I am saying is that we have no evidence to show he even knew Kathy or her sister. The last entry in his diary was made two days before she died. So, we can’t say it was him, and we can’t say it wasn’t.’

Tom thought about all of that before asking the question, ‘What do you think?’ Leaning forward, he looked the other man in the eye. ‘Was Samantha’s death a straightforward accident?’

The inspector thrust out his hands in a gesture of helplessness. ‘Who knows? The post-mortem was inconclusive. They couldn’t find hard evidence of foul play, apparently. But, whatever the truth, and for what it’s worth, I don’t think it was your brother who did it.’

Somewhat relieved, Tom thanked the inspector. ‘I’d like to think it wasn’t Dougie,’ he murmured. ‘When he gets where he’s going, he’ll have more than enough to explain to the Almighty.’

‘Considering everything … it was good of you to see he got a decent burial, even if you weren’t there to see it.’