Martin Edwards - The Cipher Garden

‘No, if Tina killed Warren, my guess is that she took the scythe to him herself.’

‘If you want to break her alibi, sounds like young Kirsty’s the weak link.’

‘Yes, she’s not as hard-faced as her mum or her brother. I felt sorry for her, even though I was sure she was holding out on me.’

‘I’ve never felt sorry for a suspect.’

She could believe him. ‘I can’t see Kirsty slashing her dad to pieces.’

‘I’m not saying she wouldn’t feel bad about it afterwards.’

‘If she has a guilty conscience, I don’t think it’s because she’s a murderer. Frankly, if she’d killed Warren, I think even Charlie would have caught her. Kirsty’s the sort who would want to get it off her chest. Covering up for her mother might be different. If she was protecting someone else, she might force herself to be strong for their sake.’

‘Ask Linz to talk to her. They may have things in common. Pop music, fashion, lads, whatever. She’s a similar age to Kirsty, it may give us a way in.’

‘So I’m too old to bond with her? Thanks a lot.’

‘Horses for courses,’ he said, deadpan. ‘We’re none of us as young as we were. How about brother Sam?’

‘I’m certainly past it as far as he’s concerned. Talk about a chip off the old block. I bet that every woman he meets, he undresses them with his eyes.’

‘That obvious, eh?’

‘As a matter of fact, yes. I’m sure he’s not as stupid as he likes to make out, but subtlety isn’t his strong point. I’m afraid that what he saw when he looked me over mustn’t have met his high standards.’

‘Can’t believe that.’

She grinned. It was the closest she’d ever heard him come to gallantry. Possibly the closest he’d come in years.

‘Trust me, the bloke didn’t make the slightest effort to make friends or influence me. Even Tina seemed embarrassed by his rudeness.’

‘Suppose you prove the alibi is fake. Even if one of them admits that Tina wasn’t up on the Pass that day, we’d still be a mile off having a strong enough case to put to the CPS. You know what most prosecutors are like. If you can’t give them a video of the mad sniper as he guns down his victims, the file goes straight into the “too difficult” cupboard.’

Hannah sighed. ‘For all we know, she and Peter took the opportunity to have a quick shag while Warren was working at Keepsake Cottage.’

‘Or maybe Tina persuaded Peter to kill him.’

‘I can believe he would be putty in her hands. But if that’s what happened, it was an own goal. The business struggled and Peter and Gail didn’t split up for years.’

‘What if they were playing it long term?’

‘Peter might be capable of that,’ she admitted. ‘But Tina? If she wanted Peter for herself, I can’t see her letting him stay with his wife for so long afterwards. Even if they were having it off together on the quiet in the meantime.’

Les glared at the clattering fan. ‘Some choice, eh? Either fry or be deafened. All right. We’ve spoken about Cox. Other candidates?’

‘Gail Flint must be worth another look. Bel Jenner — I don’t think so. She’d not long since lost her husband and was in the process of seducing Cox. Or being seduced by him, same difference. I’m not sure she’s bright enough to get away with murder so successfully. But even if I’m wrong, her relationship with Warren was ancient history.’

‘Would he take no for an answer?’

‘Depends on what his options were.’

‘You’d rule out Chris Gleave?’

‘Difficult to see past his alibi. Or find a motive.’

‘What if Warren took up with Roz again after finishing with Gail? Suppose he used the garden job as cover for the affair? Could that be what drove her husband away?’

‘And then she took a dislike to the way he was planting the hollyhocks?’

‘You can’t expect me to hand you a solution on a plate like one of them armchair detectives.’

‘I’m disappointed in you, Les.’

‘All right, then. If you run out of ideas, how about this? All of them were in on it. The whole bloody village.’

She laughed. ‘No chance. This is Cumbria, we have narrow-gauge crimes. Not the conspiracy killings you get on the Orient Express.’

The world was turning upside down. Kirsty had been drunk a few times in her life and she remembered the ground tilting under her feet, the dizzy sense of being out of control. Somehow she’d stumbled back home from Keepsake Cottage, but she could recall nothing about the journey except the blaring of a horn when she’d nearly walked under a car’s wheels.

Tears stung her eyes. She wandered aimlessly around the kitchen; a couple of times her hips bumped against the edge of the breakfast bar. Her leg hurt; she’d barked her shin and not even noticed. A mirror on the wall distorted her features, like something out of a fairground. How ugly she was. Red-faced, fat and repulsive. How could she ever have imagined that Oliver would want to touch her? They had no future together, that was for certain.

The house seemed like a foreign land, she’d forgotten where everything was. Her stomach hurt; she hadn’t had any lunch, but she wasn’t in the mood for eating. This was one of those times when even chocolate couldn’t solve a thing.

It would have been better all round if that driver hadn’t swerved to avoid her. At least before you got drunk you could relish the buzz of the alcohol. She felt dazed, as though someone had clubbed her on the head. In a way, someone had.

Roz Gleave was a friend, how could she be so cruel? What she said, how could it be true?

Yes, she had to cling to that. It couldn’t be true.

‘Are you sure?’ Miranda asked as Daniel kept his eyes on the winding road. ‘I mean, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Isn’t she, darling?’

‘That’s very generous of you.’ Louise, curled up in the back of the car, spoke over Daniel’s muttered assent. ‘I’m so grateful for your hospitality, so glad I came. But I ought to get back home. Term will be starting soon.’

‘You’re going back to the college?’

‘It’s what I’m paid for. And I need to prepare.’

‘Well, if your mind’s made up…’

‘I just need to check the train times.’

‘All right, if you insist. But you will come back and see us again soon?’

‘Promise.’

Daniel gripped the steering wheel tight. He sensed Miranda relaxing beside him and stole a glance at her. A sleek smile of contentment played on her lips.

Hannah’s mobile trilled the opening bars of ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ as Les wandered out of the office. Her home number showed up on the tiny screen. She couldn’t resist a frisson of apprehension. Marc rarely called her at work.

‘I wanted to let you know, I’ll be out till late this evening,’ he said.

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing.’ He sounded puzzled. ‘Remember I told you that Leigh’s looking to change the decor in the cafeteria? When I’ve locked up, we’ll be setting off for Morecambe to meet the designer. Don’t wait up.’

We’re always too busy for each other, she thought. Usually it’s my fault. But tonight of all nights…

‘Are you OK?’

‘Yes, yes. There’s — just something I want to discuss with you, that’s all.’

‘It can keep till tomorrow, can’t it?’

‘I’d rather we had a word tonight.’

He didn’t quite manage to suppress a sigh. ‘OK. I’ll aim to be back by eleven at the latest. You haven’t got to go away on another weekend management course, have you?’

‘See you later.’ She switched off the phone before he could ask any more questions.

Daniel achieved his aim of arriving early at The Heights and the bar was empty when they walked in. Bel Jenner bustled out to confirm the table reservation and did a double take when she saw him. Another tribute to the reach of television. She’d caught a couple of his programmes, she told him. History had always fascinated her, it was her favourite subject at school, not that she was much of a one for studying.