Murder With Mercy by Veronica Heley

pillow.
    Back to the landing, and Ellie found the room dedicated to the boy who would shortly, God willing, ease the hunger in Evan’s heart. Poor little mite. Diana had never been good mother material, and Evan would probably spoil the new baby rotten. The room had been decorated in blue for a boy. Everything had been delivered for a young prince but was still in its wrappings. Perhaps Diana was superstitious enough not to want to unpack anything until the baby had arrived safely? Or perhaps she didn’t care enough to do so?
    Ellie shook her head at her thoughts, and then cheered up. It was possible that Evan’s neglected daughter, who had always been the best of the bunch, might supply the loving care the baby would need.
    Ellie took the sweater downstairs and helped Evan into it.
    He said, ‘I hate being like this. It’s no sort of life.’
    â€˜The baby will give you a reason for living. You’ll be back on your feet in no time when he comes.’
    â€˜Diana’s doing well, isn’t she?’ He was pathetically anxious.
    â€˜She is, indeed.’ Crossing fingers.
    â€˜I mean, if anything were to happen to her just now, the business would fall apart. But if I ask her to be careful, she snaps my head off.’
    Ellie nodded. No comment was safest.
    He huffed and puffed, and finally came out with it. ‘I had an old acquaintance come to see me about you and what she calls your underhand dealings.’ He looked to see how Ellie took this. ‘She said you’d cheated her out of her inheritance. She knew I’d been involved in the early stages of selling Pryce House and wanted me to help her upset her stepmother’s will, or to get you to hand over your shares in the hotel to her.’
    â€˜You told her to get lost?’
    â€˜Of course. After all, Diana will get them in due course, won’t she?’
    Ellie almost laughed. The poor deluded man. ‘I’m afraid not. I put all my assets into a trust fund for charitable purposes. Diana gets diddly-squat. I thought you knew that.’
    He glowered at her. ‘Of course I knew.’ Judging from his expression, he hadn’t. ‘I told the harpy I couldn’t help her.’
    â€˜Let me guess. Edwina Pryce? She’s a millstone round my neck. Under the terms of the will, I’m supposed to keep her out of the clutches of the bailiffs.’
    â€˜She was saying, hinting, that you’re getting someone to sabotage the rebuild of the house so that the hotel won’t open on time.’
    â€˜What! Why on earth would I do that?’
    â€˜To get a better price for the house from another company, perhaps? That was her thought, anyway.’
    â€˜That’s rubbish, Evan, and you know it.’ Edwina was dropping poison everywhere, wasn’t she? Had she been hanging around Pryce House? How, otherwise, would she know about the recent problems there? What if Mikey really …? No, not possible. Ellie decided to talk to the boy again about it.
    Evan cleared his throat, looking shamefaced. ‘Diana hates me being like this, doesn’t she? I worry that … if I never walk again …?’
    â€˜She’s worried that you’ve stopped trying to get back on your feet. She’s carrying a heavy burden what with the office, the baby and a husband who’s in a wheelchair.’
    Tears stood out in his eyes, and Ellie averted her head. He wouldn’t want her to witness his weakness. He snuffled, searching for a handkerchief in his pockets. She looked around for a box of tissues, but didn’t find one.
    He wiped the back of his hand across his nose. ‘Sometimes I get so down, particularly when it’s cold. I feel the cold nowadays. And old friends die …’
    Ellie nodded. Yes, they did.
    â€˜Anita. You knew her, too, didn’t you? From the old days. Always so active. You never really got involved in the golf club crowd, but you do remember her,