Peter Lovesey - Diamond Dust

He escorted Middleton to his car. 'Anything else you noticed?'

The pathologist said, 'What you don't find can be just as informative as what you do. Did you look at her hands?'

'I held them.'

'No damage. No sign that she put up a fight. When someone holds a gun to your head, you try and push it away. You fight for your life. This was quick, Peter. She didn't know much about it.' He opened the car door and got in. 'I wouldn't expect too much from the post mortem.'

Diamond watched him drive off.

Some time after, a constable approached him with a tall, thin man in tow. 'Sir, this is Mr Warburton, the gentleman who found the, em…' His voice trailed off.

Warburton, in his thirties, had a down-at-heel look, lank, dishevelled hair, his hands deep in the pockets of a black overcoat that was coming apart at the shoulder-seam. The shock of the morning's discovery may have left him looking troubled, or it may have been his stock expression. He swayed a little.

'You've been drinking?' Diamond said.

'A wee drop,' Warburton answered. 'It helps me sometimes. I got the shakes.'

'You found the body, I believe?'

'Heard the shots, didn't I?' He flapped his hand in the general direction of the Royal Crescent. 'I was right up there with my dog, causing no trouble, and I heard it go off and came down here.'

'What time?'

'Couldn't tell you.'

'We logged the call at ten-twenty, or thereabouts. See anything?'

'No.'

'Are you sure? How long after the shots did you get here?'

'Dunno.'

'Two minutes? Five? Ten?' As he said it, he knew he wouldn't get a precise estimate. The man was three-quarters slewed.

'Thought it was someone taking a pot at a rabbit.'

'Here?'

'I've seen them.'

'Why bother at all, then, if you thought it was someone after rabbits?'

'Followed my dog, didn't I?'

'Was nobody else about?'

'Not that I saw.'

'Had you been drinking?'

'Might have. Don't remember.' Pure bad luck that the only witness happened to be a wino.

'So what happened?'

'Like I said, I followed my dog. He found her first. He's a lurcher. Kind of stood over her waiting for me to get there. I thought it might be one of my mates, fallen asleep. Then I see the bullet holes.'

'What then?'

'Scared me, it did. I looked around for help and there wasn't none.'

'Did you hear anything? Movements in the bushes? The sound of anyone running off?'

Warburton shook his head. 'I belted down to the car park and there was a geezer just drove in. He had a mobile and I asked him to call the Old Bill.'

'Was anyone else in the car park? Anyone leaving?'

'Give us a break, mate. I was so shit-scared I wouldn't have noticed me own mother walk by.'

'And I suppose they told you to wait here and not touch anything.'

'If you know it all, why ask me?'

'And pretty soon the first police car drove up?'

'And found little old me holding the fort.'

'You didn't find anything near the body?'

'Like what?'

'Like money, for instance? A handbag?'

'Here, what do you take me for? That's a fucking insult considering I did my public duty.'

'If anyone did take anything from the scene, they're in trouble. It's a serious offence.'

'Don't look at me. I did nothing wrong.'

Diamond was inclined to believe him. 'Don't drink any more. That's an order. I may want to speak to you again.'

He found Keith Halliwell and told him to remain at the scene. 'I'm leaving you in charge. I want to check on certain pieces of lowlife and their movements earlier today.'

'Shall I do that?' Halliwell offered.

'You find the bloody bullets. And look for spent cartridges as well.'

He made the mistake of returning to Bath Police Station to begin his check on the Carpenters. Georgina walked into his office before he'd picked up a phone. She must have asked the desk to alert her the moment he returned.

'Peter, we're all devastated. I can't begin…'

He nodded. 'I'll cope… thanks.'

'We'll get them – whoever did this. I promise you that. I've put Curtis McGarvie in charge.'

His tone changed sharply. 'You what?'

'DCI McGarvie, from Headquarters. A good man.'

'It's my case.'

Georgina hesitated. 'Peter, there's no way-'

'My wife. My case.'

'That's the point. You're personally involved. If you took this on – as I'm sure you could – we'd lay ourselves open to prejudice, a personal vendetta. If it came to court, prosecuting counsel would cut us to ribbons.'

Diamond shook his head. 'I have the right-'

This time Georgina interrupted him. 'You don't. I'm sorry. This is hard for you to take, but you don't have the right. You know perfectly well that someone else has to handle this. Curtis is already on his way to Victoria Park.'

'He's too bloody late.'

'What?'

'She's been moved.' His brain churned out a compromise. 'Look, I don't mind working with McGarvie, if that's what you want. A joint investigation. As far as the CPS is concerned, it can be his case.'

'Absolutely not. You're staying right out of it. You're a witness.'

'To what? I saw nothing.'

'Be serious, Peter. This looks like a contract killing. The first line of enquiry has to be your enemies in the criminal world. He's going to want a list of everyone you put away, every villain you crossed since you came here. Your evidence is going to lead us to the killer, and the people behind the killer if – as I suspect – they hired a hitman. You can't be the investigating officer and chief prosecution witness as well.'

The truth of that got through to him, but it still denied him what every sinew in his body was straining to begin: the pursuit of Steph's killers. 'What am I supposed to do? Take a holiday?'

'You'll be involved, providing information. Oh, of course you should take time off to get over the shock.'

'What – sit at home with my feet up, surrounded by memories of Steph? That isn't any use to you or me. I want a part of the action.'

'If you'd like counselling…'

'Don't push me, ma'am.'

'I mean it. You've got to rebuild your life. We have trained people we can call on. Why refuse?'

'Because I sort out my own sodding problems, thanks very much. I don't want time off and I don't want to see a counsellor.'

'When you have a chance to reflect, you may see the sense of it.'

'I think not.'

'Well, I'm going to insist you take a couple of days at least. You can forget our conversation this morning.'

He had forgotten it already.

'About organised crime,' she reminded him, 'and going to Bristol. You'll need to be here when Curtis wants you for interviews. And, anyway, you can't investigate the Carpenters.'

'Why not? Have they become a protected species?'

'It would prejudice the case – if they're behind this ghastly crime.'

'So I'm sidelined.'

'I wouldn't put it that way. Take it day by day. I've asked you to take some time off. You'll need it, believe me. And in the meantime, let's hope for quick results from Curtis McGarvie.'

'That's it, then?'

Georgina nodded.

When he'd almost left the room, Georgina said, 'Peter.'

He swung around. 'Mm?'

'Don't defy me.'

People in shock are liable to come out with extreme statements. Steph's sister, when Diamond phoned her with the news, said, 'I knew something like this would happen. I told her she was making the biggest mistake of her life marrying a policeman. She wouldn't listen.'

'Are you saying it's my fault she was killed?'

'Well, it wouldn't have happened if you'd been a schoolteacher.'

With an effort he restricted himself to, 'Maybe we should talk again when you're over the shock.'