mortar. She’s destroyed her only escape route, and has only herself to blame. But with a little smart thinking she can work out which are the other three houses. Could it be that their basements are still intact, and—please God—that their new occupants have no knowledge of the fortune hidden within their walls? Tate expects her to save his father’s work. Instead, he accidentally creates a monster.’
‘There’s a bit of guesswork going on here,’ said Longbright, draining her beer.
‘I think you’ll find I’m right when you confront her with this, Janice.’ Bryant hated interruptions. ‘Where was I? So, Heather borrows a map from a member of the local historical society. She asks around, even makes an effort to talk to the neighbours. And what does she find out? That the Fire House, number 43, belonging to newcomers Tamsin and Oliver Wilton, was gutted in the sixties. That the Earth House, number 41, now in the hands of another newcomer, Jake Avery, was similarly renovated a few years later. Which just leaves number 5, the Water House.
‘But this, she discovers, is the key to all four houses. It is the reason why Kingdom chose elements and elementals as the channel for his beliefs, because it is built right on top of the river Fleet. It is the original site of the House Curs’d By All Water, and he can exorcise it or, more likely, celebrate the fact in his art. According to the book, this house contains the most elaborate mural of them all, the one upon which Kingdom lavished the most time, the one that caused his patron to finally lose faith. And it belongs to an old lady who has lived there since 1949, so she is the house’s only owner since the mural has been completed.
‘Heather is a worrier, an aggressor, but also a natural planner. She suddenly becomes Ruth Singh’s new best friend. She can’t do enough for her—fetches her shopping, cuts her toenails, fixes her hair, but is careful not to let anyone else know. While she’s doing chores, she discreetly checks out the basement. Imagine her excitement when she discovers that the mural is still there, completely intact. Ruth has painted over it several times—but it’s undamaged. It will be the wonder of London, on a par with Leighton House or Debenham Hall. London is filled with extraordinary properties that become national treasures. She’ll have wealth and respect, everything she had expected from her marriage. The old dear can’t have much longer to last—how difficult can it be for Heather to worm her way into the will?’
‘Quite difficult, as it turns out,’ said May, ‘because Ruth has a brother.’
‘True, he doesn’t bother much with her, but he’s still a blood relative. Heather’s not about to give in easily, though. Soon she’s been invited to meet Benjamin Singh, who confides in her that he wishes to move to Australia, which would mean he’d sell the house when he inherits it. But not to her—he takes an instant dislike to this grabby, hysterical woman asking personal questions about his family’s property, acting like she’s Ruth’s best friend. And the old lady seems as strong as an ox. She may live to be a hundred. So Heather tries a little debilitation.’
‘You mean she leaves the racist messages.’ May topped up everyone’s drinks. ‘Dan may be able to prove it’s her voice on the tape.’
‘Still, the old lady is unfazed,’ Bryant continued. ‘Then fate takes a highly appropriate hand, in the form of a stuck tap. Heather has told Ruth, “If you’re ever in difficulty, just bang on the wall and I’ll come running.” Ruth goes to take a bath, but can’t turn the tap off. Frightened, she hammers on the wall, and Heather, ever cautious about her appearance, puts on the coat Garrett has left at her place. What was it doing there? The likeliest answer is that he had come round to give her property advice.
‘So, Ruth Singh, in her dressing-gown, lets Heather in—where she is seen by Jake Avery—and Heather goes down to the bathroom to give the tap a clout. When she sees the running water, everything suddenly becomes clear. She’s been given a sign. “Why don’t I wait here while you have your bath?” she suggests. “Then I can turn the tap on if you need more hot water.”
‘She waits, and talks, and waits, until the old lady is drowsy. Then, with a grimace of disgust, she reaches into the soapy water, picks up