“Where would they be? At home?”
“No, I’m starting to remember. The keys to the house at Holme Park were on the same ring as the spares for Black Law. Bella asked me to have them in case of an emergency. In case something happened to my father when she wasn’t around. And I’ve always kept those here. I spend more time in the office than I do at home. They were certainly here when you asked for a key to get into the farmhouse after the girl was killed on the hill.”
He stood up and went to his desk. From where he was sitting Vera couldn’t see him open the drawer but it didn’t seem to be locked. He returned with a Wildlife Trust key ring, with three keys attached.
“These two belong to Black Law. The mortise is the front door and the Yale the back. This is for the front door of the Holme Park house.”
“What about the Holme Park kitchen door?”
“I don’t know. It’s not here. I could have sworn it was on the same ring.”
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“God knows. The last time I took them out was to give you the Black Law key. I suppose I see them every time I go into the desk drawer, but I don’t look at them. Not in any detail.”
“Who else would have had access to your desk?”
He looked at her in surprise. “We’re very security conscious. Nobody gets into this suite of offices without a pass.”
“But your desk wasn’t locked.”
“No. Nor my office. It doesn’t need to be. As I’ve explained it’s impossible for a stranger to wander in.”
“But anybody working for Slateburn or here on official business could have had access to the key.”
“I suppose so. If they’d wanted to. If they’d realized it was there.”
“Was it labelled?”
He hesitated. “Yes. Just like this one.”
He handed her the Holme Park front door key. Attached to it was a small card tag, faded but just legible with 1 The Avenue written in cramped capitals. “That’s the official address of the house.”
“Would your secretary go into that drawer?”
“I don’t think so. It’s mostly personal stuff. But you can ask her.” “Yes,” Vera said. “We will.”
Neville Furness had remained standing. Perhaps he expected them to go but they sat where they were, silent, watching him.
“I didn’t use that key,” he said quietly. “And I hate the thought that anyone else might have used it, that through my carelessness I was responsible for Edmund’s death.” Still Vera said nothing. The silence seemed to get to him because he went on, “It’s been a hellish week. The Fulwells have made things very difficult here. We don’t know where we are. If only they’d decide one way or another… We’re all rather wound up.” He stopped abruptly.
“But that’s not your problem. Of course you’ve got more serious concerns… Actually I’ve decided I need to get away from it for a while. I’m going to escape at the weekend, spend some time at Black Law. It’ll be all right, will it? You said your team had finished.”
Vera nodded. “Have you seen Rachael Lambert this week?” “Yes,” he said. “She needs a break too. She’s coming up to Black Law with me.” He paused. “Aren’t you going to ask me where I was on the day Edmund Fulwell was killed?”
“We’d have got round to it,” Vera said comfortably.
“I was here for most of the day going through the preliminary draft of the Environment Impact Assessment.”
“On your own?”.
“Yes, though I wouldn’t have been able to leave the building without going through reception and there’s always someone there. I left the office at about four and went home to change. Godfrey had been working at home all day. He’d had Peter Kemp to see him to go over the plans for the new nature reserve at Black Law and he wanted to discuss them with me. I’d been invited to dinner but he wanted me there early so we could finish the business before we ate.”
“Did you have a pleasant evening?” Vera heaved herself out of her chair.
“Yes, thank you. Very pleasant.”
He shepherded them through reception and waited with them until the lift had arrived.
Outside she stood for a moment, imagining Neville and Rachael on their own in Black Law. If he meant Rachael harm, surely he wouldn’t have told her about the trip? Or perhaps she’d just been involved in setting a very clever trap.
Chapter Sixty-Two.
Vera walked from the police station to Edie’s house in Riverside Terrace. It wasn’t far and she needed a break from the incident room, the team frenetic, desperate for her approval, waiting for her to work miracles. She hoped that Edie would remind her of Baikie’s where things had seemed clearer, that she could recapture something of the old certainties.
Edie had invited her for lunch and thinking she should make a token contribution she stopped at the small florist’s in the High Street for flowers. Flowers had been left at the mine to mark the spot of Grace’s death. Flowers for mourning. For remembrance. Or for celebration.
At the end of the terrace she stopped to get her breath. She didn’t want to turn up at the house puffing and sweaty. A car passed her, stopped outside Edie’s and Peter Kemp jumped out. He wasn’t driving the white Land Rover but something sleek and sporty with a loud engine.
He was in casual mode grey cotton trousers and a green polo shirt with the company logo embroidered on the pocket. Very corporate. He leapt up the steps and hit the doorbell with his palm.
By the time Vera reached the front door Peter was inside, in the basement kitchen. She leant over the rails but though she could see the couple she couldn’t tell what they were saying. Obviously, it wasn’t a friendly exchange. She paused for a moment but then curiosity got the better of her and she rang the bell. When Edie opened the door she was flushed.
“Thank God,” she muttered. “If you hadn’t come I might have murdered him.”
In the kitchen beside the scrubbed pine table and chairs, there was a small sofa with an Indian cotton bedspread thrown over it. Peter Kemp had sat there when Edie left the room to answer the door. He lounged, his long legs stretched length ways along the floor beside it so there was no room for anyone else to sit down. When he saw Vera he got slowly up to his feet.
“Inspector,” he said. “What a surprise. And I always thought Ms. Lambert was such an upright person. I hope you haven’t come to make an arrest.” He looked pointedly at the flowers, drooping now. “Ah no. I see it’s a social visit.” The words came out as an accusation.
His freckles seemed very prominent against his fair skin.
“Look,” Edie interrupted. “You’d better go. There’s nothing more to say.” He seemed about to argue but thought better of it, became instead concerned. “You know,” he said, “I’m very fond of Rachael. I’ve her best interests at heart. I wouldn’t want her disappointed.”
Edie let him go first up the stairs, turned to Vera and mimed being sick behind his back. As she came back into the room they heard his car roar into life and drive away. She banged around furiously, setting the table with cutlery and whatever she could find in the fridge. Vera waited until half a loaf, a pleated ball of silver foil with a smear of boursin inside, a lump of dried-up cheddar and a couple of slices of ham had appeared before speaking. Edie was by the sink, shaking a ready prepared salad from its plastic bag into a bowl.
“What was all that about?”
“He always was an arrogant little shit,” Edie said.
“What did he want?”
“He must have heard that Rachael was thinking of applying for another job. He asked me to persuade her to stay. If he gets the contract for the new nature reserve at Black Law he’s relying on her to manage it.
He’s scared he won’t be able to run the firm without her. He’s right.
He wouldn’t.”
“I suppose that’s quite flattering.”
“But it was the way that he did it. Do you know what he said? “She ought to realize that now’s probably not a good time. Prospective employers would be wary of taking on anyone who’s been linked to a murder inquiry” implying that Rachael might have had something to do with Grace’s death.”