Enquiry - By Dick Francis Page 0,68

I could ask him to take me. But there was also Roberta… she was coming over, probably, and she too might take me. I smiled wryly to myself. She might take me anywhere. Roberta Cranfield. Of all people.

As if by telephathy the telephone rang, and it was Roberta herself on the other end. She sounded breathless and worried.

‘Kelly! I can’t come just yet. In fact…’ The words came in a rush. ‘Can you come over here?’

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Well… I don’t really know if anything’s the matter… seriously, that is. But Grace Roxford has turned up here.’

‘Dear Grace?’

‘Yes… look, Kelly, she’s just sitting in her car outside the house sort of glaring at it. Honestly, she looks a bit mad. We don’t know quite what to do. Mother wants to call the police, but, I mean, one can’t.… Supposing the poor woman has come to apologise or something, and is just screwing herself up?’

‘She’s still sitting in the car?’

‘Yes. I can see her from here. Can you come? I mean… Mother’s useless and you know how dear Grace feels about me… She looks pretty odd, Kelly.’ Definite alarm in her voice.

‘Where’s your father?’

‘Out on the gallops with Breadwinner. He won’t be back for about an hour.’

‘All right then. I’ll get Tony or someone to drive me over. As soon as I can.’

‘That’s great,’ she said with relief. ‘I’ll try and stall her till you come.’

It would take half an hour to get there. More, probably. By then dear Grace might not still be sitting in her car…

I dialled three nine one.

‘Tony,’ I said urgently. ‘Can you drop everything instantly and drive me to Cranfield’s? Grace Roxford has turned up there and I don’t like the sound of it.’

‘I’ve got to go to Reading,’ he protested.

‘You can go on from Cranfield’s when we’ve sorted Grace out… and anyway, I want to go to Reading too, to talk to Lord Ferth. So be a pal, Tony. Please.’

‘Oh all right. If you want it that much. Give me five minutes.’

He took ten. I spent some of them telephoning to Jack Roxford. He was surprised I should be calling him.

‘Look, Jack,’ I said, ‘I’m sorry to be upsetting you like this, but have you any idea where your wife has gone?’

‘Grace?’ More surprise, but also anxiety. ‘Down to the village, she said.’

The village in question was roughly forty miles from Cranfield’s house.

‘She must have gone some time ago,’ I said.

‘I suppose so… what’s all this about?’ The worry was sharp in his voice.

‘Roberta Cranfield has just telephoned to say that your wife is outside their house, just sitting in her car.’

‘Oh God,’ he said. ‘She can’t be.’

‘I’m afraid she is.’

‘Oh no…’ he wailed. ‘She seemed better this morning… quite her old self… it seemed safe to let her go and do the shopping… she’s been so upset, you see… and then you and Dexter got your licences back… it’s affected her… it’s all been so awful for her.’

‘I’m just going over there to see if I can help,’ I said. ‘But… can you come down and collect her?’

‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘I’ll start at once. Oh poor dear Grace… Take care of her, till I come,’

‘Yes,’ I said reassuringly, and disconnected.

I made it without mishap down the stairs and found Tony had commandeered Poppy’s estate car for the journey. The back seat lay flat so that I could lie instead of sit, and there were even cushions for my shoulders and head.

‘Poppy’s idea,’ Tony said briefly, helping me climb in through the rear door. ‘Great girl.’

‘She sure is,’ I said gratefully, hauling in the crutches behind me. ‘Lose no time, now, friend.’

‘You sound worried.’ He shut the doors, switched on and drove away with minimum waste of time.

‘I am, rather. Grace Roxford is unbalanced.’

‘But surely not dangerous?’

‘I hope not’

I must have sounded doubtful because Tony’s foot went heavily down on the accelerator. ‘Hold on to something,’ he said. We rocked round corners. I couldn’t find any good anchorage: had to wedge my useful foot against the rear door and push myself off the swaying walls with my hands.

‘O.K.?’ he shouted.

‘Uh… yes,’ I said breathlessly.

‘Good bit of road just coming up.’ We left all the other traffic at a standstill. ‘Tell me if you see any cops.’

We saw no cops. Tony covered the eighteen miles through Berkshire in twenty-three minutes. We jerked to a stop outside Cranfield’s house, and the first thing I saw was that there was no one in the small grey Volkswagen standing