Dead Man's Dinner - Una Gordon Page 0,27

shoes and struggle to get her jacket off. Without their support she flopped on the bed. They looked at each other and decided to cover her with the duvet and leave her to sleep it off.

While Melissa slept and snored soundly, Fiona and Gresham tossed and turned. They went over the whole thing again, occasionally asking each other a question, but mostly just thinking and thinking and feeling they were going round in circles. Derwent had sent six men an invitation to a dinner and at that dinner each man had been given a card presumably with the same message, then the rumour had started that Derwent had died of Aids, but apparently this was untrue, yet Melissa was now hinting that Guy had contracted Aids and Graham Carson was dying of the same thing. What had Derwent been up to? Neither of them could make anything of it and by morning they were no nearer reaching a conclusion.

In the morning Gresham had an appointment in the city. While he got up and left the flat early, Fiona stayed in bed until about 9 o'clock. Once up, she toyed with some breakfast, then tried to concentrate on writing some letters, but all the time she was listening for sounds coming from the spare room. She opened the door gently once or twice and looked in, but Melissa was sleeping soundly. It was well after midday until there was any sound of movement. Fiona tapped tentatively on the door. When Melissa opened it, she looked in puzzlement at Fiona.

“Are you all right?” asked Fiona.

Melissa attempted a smile. “Apart from having a head like a pot and looking like a tramp,” she looked down at her creased blouse and skirt, “I feel absolutely wonderful.”

“There's a bathrobe behind the door. Why don't you have a shower and slip that on? I'll ask Eileen to press your clothes.”

Yes, yes, all right.”

Fiona got the impression that Melissa did not have the energy to argue.

“Come along to the sitting room once you're ready.” Fiona indicated where it was.

While she waited, Fiona wondered what she was going to say to Melissa. She didn't want to sound too inquisitive..

Melissa did not exactly bound into the sitting room, but she came in looking much livelier than she had earlier. She gladly accepted Fiona's offer of coffee and sandwiches. “Tell me all,” she said. “How did I come to be here?”

“Well.......”

“Oh, don't bother about being tactful, my dear. I was drunk, drunk as a lord – oh, sorry, I forgot your husband is a lord.” Fiona smiled. “I'm indiscreet when I'm sober, so spill the beans. What awful secrets did I reveal when I was drunk?”

Quickly Fiona told her where they had met her and they had decided to bring her home with them, then she paused. Whether or not she had a hangover, Melissa might still be pretty perceptive. “Come on, I want to know what I said that shocked you.”

“I wasn't shocked.” Fiona smiled her gentle smile again. “But you said something about your husband thinking you'd given him Aids.”

Melissa went strangely quiet. “You also asked,” Fiona continued, “if Gresham had got a card at Derwent's dinner saying I'd been to bed with him.”

Melissa looked up quickly. “Did he?”

“Yes,” said Fiona.

“Wasn't Gresham worried then when the rumours about Derwent having Aids started circulating?”

“Well he may have been, but I told him about being invited to Derwent's flat and the whole thing was brought out into the open and we realised that even if Derwent had died of Aids there was nothing for us to worry about.”

“Bloody marvellous. Ruddy, bloody marvellous.” Fiona looked at Melissa enquiringly as she said this. “You must be a couple in a million,” went on Melissa. “You trust each other. You were safe because you trust each other. Guy and I.....we were suspicious of each other. We were both chips off the same block – out for what we could get and I suppose,” she grimaced wryly, “I suppose we got what we deserved.”

Fiona thought there was no point in revealing that Gresham had had his doubts.

“Why did Guy think he had Aids if he didn't,” she asked Melissa.

Melissa sighed. “Fiona, you're straight, you're honest and it would be difficult for you to understand how people like Guy and me lived.” She paused. “We both liked the good life and we weren't too fussy how we go it. Guy got involved in some very shady deals, but always seemed to come out smelling of