Peter Lovesey - Stagestruck

Ingeborg turned to Halliwell, who produced his specs case and opened it like a jeweller displaying a precious stone.

The dead tortoiseshell hadn’t travelled well. Damaged at the edges and missing one of its antennae, it wouldn’t have been of much interest to a butterfly collector, but at least it was out of the theatre.

‘You may be wondering why I wanted this,’ Diamond said. ‘It isn’t my latest hobby. This turned up in the dressing room used by Clarion Calhoun the other night. A dead butterfly is a bad omen in the Theatre Royal. A live one would be good news. Don’t ask me why. It would take too long. All you need to know is that theatre people are deeply superstitious. There’s enough nervousness in that place already without this making it worse.’

‘Did Clarion see it?’ Paul Gilbert, the youngest DC, asked.

‘We don’t know. We’re not even sure if she knows about the butterfly jinx.’

‘Are you thinking someone placed it there to scare her?’

‘Let’s keep an open mind on that. This sad little critter may have been trapped in the room.’

‘How did you know it was there, guv?’ DI John Leaman asked.

‘I was given a tour yesterday lunchtime.’

‘So you’re not the only one who saw it?’

‘My guide saw it. He fainted and appears to have no memory of the incident.’

‘Fainted when he saw the butterfly?’

‘Right.’

‘Bit extreme.’

‘Titus is a bit extreme.’ He added in a tone that didn’t encourage a comeback from anyone, ‘And we were on a so-called ghost hunt at the time. But let’s get back to reality and Clarion’s injury. I called Frenchay Hospital just now and she’s still in the burns unit receiving treatment. There can be no question that the skin damage is real.’

‘Wounding with malicious intent?’ Leaman said.

‘That’s a possibility. Inge, tell the team.’

She nodded. ‘After we found the butterfly, we went backstage and met Kate, the wardrobe manager. She was on extra duties because Denise Pearsall called in earlier to say she was too upset to carry out her duties properly.’

There was a sound like a liner being launched: Dawkins clearing his throat.

‘You want to say something, Fred?’ Diamond had a sense of dread.

‘If you please, superintendent.’

‘“Guv” will do if you want to call me anything at all.’

‘Pardon me. Such an appellation smacks of over-familiarity on one’s first day.’

Looks were exchanged around the room.

‘Get on with it, man.’

‘This may or may not be significant… guv.’

‘Spit it out, or we’ll never know.’

‘I interviewed Ms Pearsall yesterday morning.’

‘I know.’

‘DC Smith just said she was too upset to work last night.’

‘Correct.’

‘Then it is possible that the interview with me was instrumental.’

Smiles all round the room, unappreciated by Dawkins.

‘Conceivably being questioned as a suspect caused her some alarm and she decided to stay away.’

‘It can’t be discounted,’ Diamond said, adding with a straight face, ‘and I can understand how it might have happened. Not all of you know this. Fred was the officer who made the first contact with the theatre after getting a report of the injury from A & E. This Denise isn’t answering the phone or her doorbell this morning.’

‘Has she done a runner?’ Leaman said.

‘We’ll find out. The theatre is playing it down, not wanting us to get involved. They can’t stop us if she’s gone missing.’

‘Bit strong, guv,’ Ingeborg said. ‘She phoned in only yesterday afternoon.’

‘Acting suspiciously.’

‘Can we get a warrant?’ Leaman asked.

‘What for?’

‘To search the house.’

‘We wouldn’t get one. We don’t have anything on her for sure,’ Ingeborg said.

‘We treat her as any other missing person,’ Diamond said, ‘ask around, find out her movements. See if she runs a car and if she does we put out an all-units order to trace it. That’s your job, Keith, with help from Paul. We also step up the pressure on the hospital, insist on getting a statement from Clarion. Inge, you and I will go there together. And it’s high time the hospital lab reported on the traces of make-up on the towel. I’ll give them a rocket at Frenchay. We’ll get our own analysis done by forensics. Not that they’re any quicker, but they know what they’re up to.’

Another bout of throat-clearing came from Dawkins.

‘Ah, Fred,’ Diamond said, thinking rapidly to keep this short. ‘You’re going to ask me what I want from you. You’re confined to barracks, for reasons we discussed. Can you use a computer?’

‘Use?’ Dawkins said as if he’d never heard the word.

‘Like work the keyboard.’

‘That much I gleaned.’

‘So the answer is yes?’

‘One’s keyboard performance is accurate, but not the quickest,’ Dawkins began. ‘At the most basic level -’

‘Spare us that. The civilian staff will help you. Get Denise’s statement on file, and Shearman’s. When anything else comes in, every item relevant to the investigation, see that it gets into the system. You’re acting as receiver. That’s a key post, so don’t let me down.’

Fred Dawkins looked apprehensive and said no more.

Frenchay Hospital, north-east of Bristol, was developed in the grounds of an eighteenth-century estate. Grand Georgian buildings have been adapted to medical needs and sit among functional wards and corridors. Diamond hadn’t phoned ahead to announce his visit. He had the impression that informality was going to work best. The burns unit was easy to locate and Clarion’s private ward was just as obvious thanks to a grey-uniformed security man seated outside.

Diamond showed his ID and the guard picked up his mobile phone.

‘Is that necessary? We’ll just go in.’

‘She’s with someone,’ the man said. ‘I’ll have to clear it.’

He was about to push past when Ingeborg touched his arm. ‘She may be having treatment, guv.’

‘Is she?’ he asked the guard.

‘I’m checking now.’

The upshot was that the ‘someone’ came out and she didn’t appear to be a doctor or a nurse. She was in a black suit with red tights and patent leather shoes. Her hair was dark, with red streaks, and she wore black shades with a retaining chain. To Diamond’s eye, she was in her forties, confident and businesslike. ‘You’d better not be press,’ she said.

Considering that the guard had already said they were police, this was not a good beginning.

Diamond held up his ID again and introduced Ingeborg. ‘And who are you?’

‘Tilda Box, Clarion’s agent. She’s not seeing anyone.’

‘Why? Has she gone blind?’

Tilda Box pursed her lips. ‘There’s no need to be facetious. She’s suffering from third degree burns and severe shock. She’s been through a traumatic experience and she’s far too distressed to have visitors.’

‘We’re not visitors,’ he said. ‘We’re on an investigation.’

‘That’s being taken care of.’

‘Who by?’

‘Private inquiry agents employed by her insurance people. You’re not needed here.’

Staying civil with this lady wasn’t easy. ‘It’s not a private matter, Ms Box. It appears a criminal offence was committed Monday evening and we have a duty to investigate.’

She folded her arms. ‘Speak to me, then. I’m aware of all the facts.’

‘We’ll speak to Miss Calhoun.’

‘I told you. She’s not speaking to anyone.’

‘She’s spoken to you, apparently, or you wouldn’t be aware of all the facts. Are you going to step aside, or do we charge you with obstructing the police?’