Necessary as Blood

egg a lovely pink, Gemma said, ‘It‘s got to be money. If the house is unencumbered, it‘s worth a lot. And Sandra‘s unsold artwork — it maybe valuable, too.‘ She thought of the prices she‘d seen on the works in Pippa‘s gallery. ‘I should have thought to ask Pippa Nightingale.‘
    ‘Nightingale?‘ Melody looked bemused, but waved her fork. ‘Never mind. Go on.‘
    ‘Duncan said Naz‘s law partner is the executor of his will, but Naz and Sandra didn‘t name a guardian for Charlotte.‘
    ‘But the estate will have to make provision for her care, so maybe Grandma thinks if she gets the kid, she‘ll get a piece of it, or at least a regular allowance,‘ suggested Melody. ‘But I would think that the mother‘s disappearance would complicate matters. Can you talk to the lawyer?‘
    ‘I don‘t see why not,‘ Gemma said slowly. ‘As long as I don‘t mention anything about... where I didn‘t go.‘
    ‘That‘s one avenue, then. So who‘s this Pippa person? That‘s a posh name, if I ever heard one. Could she add anything you could repeat about Gail Gilles?‘
    ‘Pippa is — was — Sandra‘s art dealer. Roy Blakely told me they‘d had a falling-out, but Pippa says it was a disagreement over the way Sandra was marketing her art. She says she didn‘t know Sandra‘s family, and that Sandra never talked about them.‘
    ‘I‘m beginning to see why,‘ said Melody.
    Gemma grimaced. ‘That‘s an understatement. But the odd thing was, Pippa said she and Sandra and Lucas Ritchie were all three friends.‘
    ‘Lucas Ritchie was the guy Naz Malik told Tim that Sandra was rumoured to have had an affair with — well, that‘s a bit garbled, but you know what I mean.‘ Melody waved her fork dismissively. ‘Did you ask Pippa about the alleged affair?‘
    ‘No.‘ Gemma drank some of her latte, savouring it. ‘I was there as a friend, because of Charlotte, and Pippa seemed so upset about Naz‘s death, and about Sandra... it just seemed... inappropriate. Duncan asked Lucas Ritchie, though, and he said that he and Sandra had been friends since art college, and that Naz would never have believed such a rumour.‘ She went on to recount Kincaid‘s description of the club. ‘It‘s just round the corner from here, in Widegate Street. And the interesting thing is that when Duncan asked Ritchie who started the rumour, he said it might have been a former employee, who is now conveniently missing.‘
    ‘So.‘ Melody tossed both their salad containers in the nearby rubbish bin and came back wiping her fingers with the paper napkin. ‘Is there any reason you can‘t talk to Lucas Ritchie, as a friend of Naz‘s?‘
    ‘I‘d have to have got the information about the club from the police.‘
    ‘Tell him you got it from Pippa Nightingale.‘
    ‘But...‘
    ‘Or tell him you want to know if you can hire his posh club for your hen party. Ask him if he‘ll allow a male stripper.‘ Melody grinned impishly.
    Gemma groaned. ‘Don‘t be absurd. And I don‘t want to have a hen party. Why would you think I did?‘
    ‘Because some of the girls at the station have been talking about it.‘ Melody grew serious. ‘They think they‘re being snubbed. That they‘re not good enough for the boss.‘
    ‘Snubbed? But I haven‘t even made plans for the wedding,‘ Gemma protested.
    Melody hesitated, then said, ‘And I‘m not usually one to repeat gossip, or to pry, but tongues are starting to wag about that, too. Boss, are you and the Super not getting along?‘
    Gemma gaped at her. She‘d had no idea people were talking. ‘Of course we‘re getting along. We‘re fine. It‘s just — it‘s just that I don‘t want a wedding! There, she‘d said it, and the world hadn‘t fallen in. At least, not yet. ‘It‘s turned out to be something for everyone except us, and I just hate the whole idea.‘ She thought of the way things had been the previous evening, with Duncan and the boys and Charlotte, and it was that... that intimacy she‘d wanted to celebrate.
    ‘Well, post banns and go to the register office, then,‘ Melody suggested. ‘I‘ll be your witness.‘
    Touched, Gemma said, ‘Thanks, Melody.‘ Then she shook her head. ‘But my mum really wants this for me, and right now — I just don‘t think I can disappoint her.‘
    Melody gave her a searching look, then shrugged. ‘It seems to me that you can either disappoint your mother, or you can disappoint Duncan.‘ She stood. ‘So Duncan