‘He wasn’t drunk when I was with him,’ Merrily said.
‘No, amazingly, he wasn’t. So you didn’t even hear the cameras? One was quite old and noisy.’
‘There was a big fridge, which made a lot of noise. If I heard anything, I would have assumed it came from that.’
Howe thought for a moment, expressionless. It was hard to credit she was probably only thirty-two years old.
‘Doesn’t seem to have been a very successful exorcism, does it, Ms Watkins? Or are they always like that?’
‘They’re all different, in my limited experience. But no, it wasn’t as… productive as I might have hoped.’
‘Depending on how one interprets the word “productive”.’
Merrily winced.
‘What time did you leave?’
‘I’m not sure exactly. It couldn’t have been long after midday. I’d suggested we might go back tonight.’
‘He didn’t seem to take that proposal terribly well.’
‘No.’ Merrily was looking down into her lap. Her hands were on her knees, but they wouldn’t stay still.
‘My impression from the tape is that he’d about had enough of you.’
‘Yes.’
‘He described you as amateurish.’
‘I remember exactly what he said.’
‘You and Robinson left at the same time?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘I drove back to Hereford. I had an appointment to meet someone at the Green Dragon.’
‘Who?’
‘You know who; your dad.’
‘Why?’
‘Why don’t you ask him?’
‘I’m asking you.’
‘It was in his capacity as a school governor. He rang me while I was at Knight’s Frome to tell me he had some information relating to an attempted suicide by a young girl whose parents thought she was… spiritually troubled.’
Howe’s top lip lifted in disdain. ‘And was this attempted suicide before or after you were called in to assist this child in her alleged religious distress?’
Merrily didn’t answer.
‘Really not your week, is it? Did you go directly to the Green Dragon?’
‘No, I went to the Deliverance office first. I parked on the Bishop’s Palace forecourt which, as you know, is only a couple of minutes’ walk from the Green Dragon.’
‘Was Robinson with you?’
‘He followed in his own car. We had a brief discussion, and then I had to go and meet your father. Lol and I agreed to meet up afterwards.’ She shook her head. ‘Can’t get my—I can’t believe how quickly this all happened.’
‘If it’s any help, the videotape shows that it happened precisely eleven minutes and fourteen seconds after you and Robinson made your last appearance on the tape.’
‘Useful, that videotape.’ Merrily moistened her parched lips.
‘From our point of view, it’s unique. Like being handed a case gift-wrapped with a pretty bow on top.’ Howe stood up, looking down on Merrily. ‘We can even say that it was approximately sixteen minutes after the event itself when Gerard Stock telephoned here, asked to be put through to CID and baldly informed DC Little that he’d just slaughtered his wife.’
It was an interview room with a tape machine, for suspects, and that didn’t help. DI Francis Bliss was about Lol’s age, with red hair, a Merseyside accent and a chatty manner, and that didn’t help either.
It all took Lol back to when he was twenty, a baby rock star… the accused. So hard to tell with young girls these days, isn’t it, Laurence? How old did you think she was? Stitched up by the police and a ruthless bass-player called Karl, and by the parents of a nice girl called Tracy Cooke. Prelude to the great psychiatric symphony.
‘Listen, I’m gonna get yer another cup of tea,’ DI Bliss said.
‘I’m all right, thanks.’
‘You’re not, you know. You’re in shock. Be a shock for anybody.’ Bliss perched on a corner of the interview table. ‘Sorry about this room, but I’m not based here, so I’ve not gor an office of me own. Known Merrily long?’
‘Just over a year.’
‘And you two just met up in the village this morning, after not seeing each other for a few months, and she told you what she was doing and she asked you to go in with her, yeh?’
‘I know that sounds…’
Bliss put out placatory hands. ‘I’m not trying to catch yer out, Lol, I’m just trying to get the basic picture, that’s all.’
‘I was worried about her doing it,’ Lol said.
‘Because of what you knew about Mr Stock?’
Lol nodded.
‘That’s fair enough, I’d’ve been a teensy bit worried meself after reading that stuff in the papers… and the local vicar himself refusing to have anything to do with him.’
‘It was the vicar who suggested I should try and talk her out of it.’
‘Was it now?’
‘He was suspicious of Stock’s motives. But Merrily doesn’t like to prejudge people.’
‘She’s a very nice person,’ Bliss agreed fervently. ‘I was there during that thing, back before Christmas at… Oh, what was that little church called? Anyway, she was giving it a spiritual clean-out after this bugger broke in and hacked up a crow all over the altar. She wasn’t very well that night, mind.’
‘I wasn’t there.’
‘She was with this priest looked like an old hippy. Hugh somebody. He took it over in the end, ’cause she wasn’t well.’ Bliss had a gulp from a can of Diet Pepsi. ‘See, unlike the Snow Queen in there, I’ve gorra very open mind about all that stuff. Comes with being raised a Catholic in a big Catholic city. You’re a Christian yourself, obviously.’
‘I’m not sure what I am,’ Lol admitted.
‘Just a good friend of Merrily’s, then, Lol.’ Bliss put down the can. ‘Listen, pal, I do know a bit about what happened to you way back, and I accept you may’ve had a bad time with coppers in the past… but I do like Merrily and I fully understand the problem she’d got with this guy. And I know it’s her job, and I realize that after that stuff in the papers there was no way she could duck out of it.’
‘No.’
‘So, you’ve gorra believe me when I say I’m not trying to stitch her up, I’m not trying to stitch either of yer up – it’s just we’ve got a feller down the cells putting up both hands to the big one and, before we start talking seriously to him, we want as much background as we can get. Make sense to you?’
Lol nodded. He decided that, for Merrily’s sake more than his own, maybe he should open up a little to this cop. To a point… a point stopping well short of the Lady of the Bines.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I just—’
‘You’re all right, pal. Take your time.’
‘Truth is, I was on edge from the minute we went in there. I mean, I didn’t think – not in a million years – that the guy was going to do anything like…’
‘Goes without saying.’
‘But everybody who’d had anything to do with Stock was on about what a conman he was, and a manipulator, and how he’d drop you in it without a second thought. Also, I’d seen him in the village pub a couple of times when he was well pissed. Had a big chip on his shoulder about this bloke Adam Lake – virtually suggesting he was behind Stewart Ash’s murder, rather than the two lads who went down for it.’
‘Let’s not open that can of worms for the time being, eh, Lol?’
‘I was just worried he might try and involve Merrily in that.’
‘How?’
‘I don’t know, but she doesn’t like to turn away from anyone.’
‘So what was he like when you and Merrily went along today?’
‘Not himself. I mean, he couldn’t’ve been nicer.’