Part 8 (1/2)

The superintendent, who had been at the back of the room, his arms folded, waiting to be impressed, now leaned forward. 'Protecting someone?'

'Yes. Alice was Lorne's best friend, I mean real to-the-death friends, inseparable. And now she's covering something up for her, even though she's dead. Something important.'

Debbie Harry, who had been sitting in silence in the corner, got up and came to the front. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Ben and addressed the team, as if this was an investigation they were running together. 'That's right. You see, from this, and from other comments some of her schoolfriends have made, we're pretty sure there's probably a boyfriend. Someone Lorne wanted to keep secret.'

Zoe stared at her. We We're pretty sure? Who the h.e.l.l did she think she was? An investigator? Ben's partner? She was a psychologist. What was she doing still hanging around? The last Zoe remembered, these people got paid for on an hourly basis; obviously Debbie didn't get that. Obviously she thought she was part of the team. And Zoe could see from the team's faces that they were all, to a man, every one of them, sucking up her psychology-for-dummies stuff because it was coming out of the mouth of a pretty girl with some letters after her name.

'Yes. There is almost certainly a boyfriend. It accounts for Alice's evasiveness. We think Lorne may have been keeping it secret for a while and now, of course, he's afraid to come forward. Why, we don't know, but he's out there. Whether he was responsible for her death or not ... well, that's an unknowable. But those words, ”I've had enough ...”' Debbie gave the team her patronizing smile, the one that said, Come along I'm interested in what you think. Let's work together on this Come along I'm interested in what you think. Let's work together on this '... does it sound to you like she and the secret boyfriend had been having trouble?' '... does it sound to you like she and the secret boyfriend had been having trouble?'

'RH,' Zoe said. Everyone turned to her in surprise. 'His initials will be ”RH”.'

'How did you reach that conclusion?' said the superintendent.

She gave him a withering look. 'I've had my palm read. This morning. The psychics are great at this stuff this investigatory s.h.i.+t. They said someone with the initials ”RH” is going to come into my life.'

There was a brief embarra.s.sed silence at the deliberate poke at Debbie. Ben frowned at Zoe. Then Debbie spoke. 'I'm sorry,' she said archly. 'What's your point?'

'In Lorne's diary she talks about RH. I've spent the afternoon chasing it. So far nothing. If you're looking for a secret boyfriend, look for someone with those initials.'

There was a long pause. Then Debbie let out her breath and smiled. Her inclusive, welcoming smile, as if to say: I am so glad you've finally seen our way of thinking. Welcome aboard the Great s.h.i.+p Debbie Harry. We know you're going to love your time here I am so glad you've finally seen our way of thinking. Welcome aboard the Great s.h.i.+p Debbie Harry. We know you're going to love your time here. 'Thank you, Detective Benedict. Thank you. It's great to be moving forward now. And I think you'll all agree that finding ”RH” ...' she opened her hands, delighted with the way things were progressing '... will be absolutely crucial to cracking this case.'

19.

A lot of families in Bath chose Victorian homes over Georgian the Victorians tended to have more rooms on each floor, not so many flights of stairs to run up chasing kids or pets. They were easier to heat and easier to make alterations to because most of them weren't listed. The house Sally had lived in with Julian was a detached Victorian villa, with an extension and a conservatory at the rear, set well back from the road in large gardens that Millie used to enjoy running around. Now, though, there were paths where there never had been, a whole complex system of low lavender bushes cut severely into squares. Millie's tree-house had been repainted with purple crocodiles and elephants for little Adelayde, the new Ca.s.sidy.

Millie hated Melissa. She only came here once a week on sufferance to see her dad. Now when Sally pulled up outside, she refused to go in, or even have her presence acknowledged. She sat in the car with her nose pressed to the window and stared out as Sally walked up the path, lit by the solar-powered garden lights that were stuck in the ground every few feet.

She hadn't phoned in advance Julian would find a way of not answering the call she went straight to the front door and knocked loudly. From inside came a voice, Melissa, calling, 'Julian. The door.' A moment or two later he appeared, wine gla.s.s in hand.

'Oh.' His face fell when he saw her. 'Sally.'

'Can I come in?'

He glanced uneasily over his shoulder. She could see an expensively engineered pram sitting there, a row of rattles suspended above it. 'What's it about?'

'Millie.'

'Julian?' Melissa called from inside. 'Who is it, baby?'

'It's ... Sally.'

There was a silence. Then the living-room door opened and Melissa appeared. She was a landscape gardener by trade, and when Sally had first met her she seemed to be dressed for a rodeo, with a suede cowboy hat, walking boots with thick socks folded over the tops and tweed shorts that never changed colour from day to day. She laughed like a pony and the cord of the hat would bounce around under her chin. Sometimes in the cold weather a clear drip would form at the end of Melissa's nose and tremble there unnoticed for long minutes while she talked. She was the last person Sally would have expected Julian to go for. Today she was dressed in her customary shorts, but over them she wore an enormous oatmeal cardigan with Adelayde strapped to her chest in a scarlet cloth papoose. She automatically jiggled up and down to keep the baby asleep while she eyed her husband's ex-wife.

'Sally!' she said after a moment or two, 'You look lovely. Come in.' She stepped back to let her into the living room, smiling expansively. 'Lovely to see you.'

Sally went in and stood for a while in silence. The room was unrecognizable redecorated in deep primary colours, with sharp, uncomfortable furniture. A black and white silk curtain was pulled across half of the bay windows, the baby's playpen placed in front of them.

Melissa switched off the television, which was playing quietly in the corner, and settled on the edge of the large sofa, s.h.i.+fting the baby's legs in the sling so they lay on either side of her stomach. Sally glanced around for her comfy old armchair where she had fed Millie as a baby. Instead she saw a leather love seat decorated in purple and white hexagons. She sat on it awkwardly.

'How's Millie?' said Melissa, with a smile. 'Lively as ever?'

'No. She's terrible.'

Melissa's smile faded. 'Really? Is it because of that girl? Lorne Wood?'

'That's not helping.'

'One of the boys who did work experience with me knew her. He had a crush on her. I was surprised. She didn't seem his type. Terrible cheap-looking, you know.'

'What's troubling Millie?' asked Julian. 'She seemed all right the other day.'

'It's been a long time, but I think she's still finding the divorce very difficult.'

'Sally,' Julian murmured, 'maybe if you want to talk about the divorce it'd be better if-'

'She's having a hard time.' Her voice came out more firmly than she'd expected it to. 'She's just a little girl and she's finding it difficult.'

Julian frowned. He'd never seen this from Sally. Looking a little nervous, he closed the door and crossed the room. He sat down next to Melissa, pulling his trousers up his thin legs so that he didn't stretch the knees. Looking at him now, Sally wondered what on earth she'd ever seen in him, except that he'd always been there somehow, paying for things and answering questions for her like a father. Until the day he wasn't, and he was doing it all for Melissa instead. 'OK. I hear you. You want a discussion. And what do you want out of that discussion? From us me and Melissa?'

She blinked. 'Uh money.'

Melissa took a deep breath. She sat back on the sofa and crossed one long tanned leg over the other, fixing her eyes on the ceiling. Julian closed his eyes as if he'd had a momentary sharp pain in his head. He opened them, put his elbows on his knees and placed his palms together. 'Can I just say that this is something we did talk about before? And, if you remember, I said-'

'Four thousand pounds.'

'Jesus!' Melissa hissed. She bounced Adelayde even more vigorously, her eyes still locked on the ceiling. 'Jesus Christ.'

Julian sat back in the chair, folded his arms and regarded Sally carefully. It was the sort of look she'd seen him use in business, sizing up a deal, trying to decide if a client was to be trusted. He was scrutinizing her as if, for the first time, he saw her as someone the same age as he was, and not his inferior his little child bride. 'You're not joking, I take it.'

'I'm not.'

'What's the money for?'

'The trip to Malta. You said you were going to pay for it.'

'OK. If there's going to be aggression introduced at this point this might be the time to call a halt and say let's chat to the solicitors first and then-'

'You told her you were going to pay for her to go to Malta. You made her that promise I was there when you did it. It would have been something quite different if you'd said no, but that's not what happened. You made the promise and broke it. She thought you were going to pay for her. She ended up having to borrow the money.'

'I suppose,' Melissa said, in a level tone, 'she could could have cancelled it when she knew Julian and I have cancelled it when she knew Julian and I really really couldn't afford it.' couldn't afford it.'