‘What do you take me for, dumbellina? No way. That’s a closed book. We agreed.’
Jo was tempted to say it wasn’t a closed book to Rick, but why waste her breath?
‘Are you sure you kept me out of it?’
‘No chance. I said I was with this dangerous woman called Jo who drives a Panda and works at the garden centre and shits a brick every time I mention the word “police.”’
‘You said what?’
Gemma’s laugh rattled the phone. ‘Give me a break, sweetie. I wouldn’t rat on my best mate.’
‘Piss off, Gem.’
‘As a matter of fact, they showed a lot of interest in Francisco.’
‘The neighbour? I told you he could have done it.’
‘They seemed to think I was his chick. I should be so lucky.’
‘You were at his side when that police car arrived.’
‘They’re sure to question him. I hope they treat him well.’
‘I hope they get the truth out of him,’ Jo said. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s the killer.’
‘He’s a bunny rabbit.’
‘I’m not convinced of that. He was overplaying the part when I was watching.’
‘What part?’
‘The helpful neighbour.’
‘He’s a Latino. You’ve got to make allowances. You didn’t get up close like me. I could tell he was legit.’
‘We’re obviously not going to agree about Francisco. I thought it was Rick you fancy. He told me he’s going out with you tonight.’
‘Yes, he’s got lucky. But if Francisco makes a move, Rick is history. Don’t tell him, will you?’
Jo ended the call and walked down the steep bank of shingle to where Jake was standing, still with the hood up. ‘Can we get a coffee somewhere?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t think we should. People know me here. It’s only a small place.’
He was being protective, not wanting to draw her into the suspicion he felt was still attached to him. Concern like this was a new experience for Jo. ‘Somewhere else, then?’
They returned to the car and she drove back to Chichester without telling him she was heading for her flat. In his present state of mind he might think it was entrapment. All she said was she knew of a place where they could get coffee. It was a calculated risk that could backfire, but she was going to have to make the first move. Any other guy invited back would think he’d hit the jackpot, but Jake was the exception.
NINE
The visit to the mortuary hadn’t put Austen Sentinel off food. He went through a round of egg and cress sandwiches and two cups of black coffee while Hen was agreeing to the text of the press release. When she joined him in a side room he looked and sounded much recovered.
‘You’re about to break the news, then?’ he asked. ‘Those jackals will soon be after me, no doubt. I’ve watched grieving spouses forced to appear on television. Is that being suggested yet?’
The subtext, Hen suspected, was that the poor bereaved guy wanted his five minutes of fame.
‘Not unless it becomes necessary.’
Disappointment spread over his face like a maiden’s blush. ‘I thought it was standard procedure.’
‘It could still happen.’
‘I’ll do anything to help catch the monster who murdered my wife. I’m willing to face it today.’
‘Thanks, but that would be too soon. We’ve got all the publicity we need at this stage.’
‘What if they call me at home and ask for a statement?’
‘You say “no comment” and refer them to our press office. You’ve got enough to cope with. You’ll be wanting to contact her family and friends, I expect. Are her parents alive?’
He clapped his hand to his forehead. ‘God, the old couple. They’ll be devastated by this. I ought to speak to them before they hear it from someone else. They live in Kentucky. What time is it now?’ He looked at his watch. ‘They’ll be up and about.’
‘Do you have a mobile?’
His hand went to his pocket, but not inside. ‘Oh, hell. I doubt if there’s enough credit for a call to America. It needs topping-up.’
‘So you’d like to use one of ours?’ Making a mental note that he was a tightwad as well as a self-admirer, she took him into the CAD room and found him a seat.
She sought out Stella in the incident room. ‘Check the St Petersburg flight arrangements both ways with the British Council and compare them with the airline passenger lists. Let’s be sure he was on the flights he said he was. And see what you can find out about this conference and his part in it. I’ve no doubt he was there, but I want to know where he stayed and for how long and if he attended all the sessions.’
‘Do you think he’s flaky?’
‘As a bowl of All-Bran. But I don’t know if he’s a killer as well.’
Dr Sentinel had finished speaking to his parents-in-law when Hen returned to him. ‘One of the most difficult calls I’ve ever had to make,’ he said. ‘You can’t imagine.’
‘Actually I can,’ she said. ‘I had to break the news to you.’
‘So you did.’
‘And it wasn’t my first time. Every copper has to do it.’
‘I suppose.’
‘Feel ready to answer some questions? Not here. We’ll use an interview room.’
He frowned. ‘Shouldn’t you be going after the monster who did this?’
‘I am. You offered to help. I’m asking for information.’
‘Is there anything we haven’t already covered?’
‘Quite a bit.’
In Interview Room 2, with DC Gary Pearce at her side, Hen explained that it would streamline the process if they videoed what was said. Sentinel commented that in modern Britain you never knew when you were being secretly videoed anyway, and he had no objection. He didn’t require a solicitor. Why should he?
For the record, Hen spoke the preliminaries, and then told him, ‘I want as much as you can give me about your wife. Her personality, likes, dislikes, interests, friendships. It’s our job, with your help, to work out what she was doing in Selsey.’
‘That’s a closed book to me,’ he said. ‘Let’s try, but I don’t hold out much hope that I can be of use to you. Personality-wise, Merry was charming in the way American women are, or most of them. She charmed me, anyway. We first met in the late nineteen eighties when she was an undergraduate at Brighton and I was a visiting lecturer attached to the geology department. I led a course in palaeontology for a couple of terms there.’
‘And she was on it?’
‘No, it wasn’t that old cliche.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Tutor seduces student. She wasn’t even my student.’
‘So what was she reading?’
‘Zoology. Got a first, in spite of me. Merry could have excelled in any of the sciences, including my own. She had that sort of brain.’
‘“In spite” of you?’
‘She could so easily have been sidetracked. Academically, I was bad news for her. You see, I was on attachment from Brunel, twenty-five years of age, full of myself, not bad-looking. She was eighteen, a fresher.’
Not a million miles from that old cliche, Hen mused.
‘The ratio of women students to men at Brighton was outrageous compared to what I was used to. I was the proverbial kid in the sweetshop. For me it was ideal, but not for Merry. I came along at a critical stage in her studies and took far too much of her time. It’s a measure of her ability that she still got the best degree going.’
Something in his favour. He had a conscience.
‘When did you marry?’
‘Nineteen-ninety-two, after she graduated. The wedding was in Louisville, where they have the Kentucky Derby. Her father owns a string of racehorses. It was a society do. And they do their best to convince you America has no class system. You wouldn’t believe the hats. Like that scene in My Fair Lady.’
‘But you chose to live in England?’
‘My career. I was hoping to get the chair at Imperial. I’m still waiting. I worked damned hard establishing myself, writing books and so forth. Merry was a huge support.’
‘Did she continue her studies?’