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‘No, Toby. Don’t do that. I’m warning you. I trusted you.’

‘No, Bill. Someone’s got to help the police. Someone’s got to help Alice.’

‘If all this becomes public, Donna will be accused of being a spy.’

‘Mom’s dead, Dad,’ said Megan.

‘Yes. And I want her to rest in peace.’

‘Are you concerned that you might be prosecuted?’ Megan said.

‘Maybe,’ said Bill.

‘I don’t understand why. You didn’t know anything about it,’ said Toby.

‘If you are telling us the whole truth,’ said Megan.

Bill’s shoulders slumped and he poured himself another glass of wine.

‘Don’t either of you see the real reason why I don’t want the cops to find out any of this?’

Megan and Toby were silent.

‘Isn’t it obvious?’

It wasn’t to Toby and Megan.

‘Because I think Alice killed Sam Bowen.’

Megan looked at Toby and then her father. ‘You’re crazy. Why would she do that?’

‘To protect me.’

‘From what?’

‘From Sam Bowen publishing his book and accusing me and your mom of being spies. From me being charged with treason.’

‘But that wasn’t ever going to happen, was it?’

‘I think Alice thought it might,’ said Bill. ‘It’s the only thing that makes sense. I know Donna told her a lot before she died, a lot more than she told the rest of you girls. I saw her talking to Sam Bowen at the dinner table, and then she went to see him at the pub. She must have thought I was in danger of being unmasked.’

‘And so she killed him?’ said Megan. ‘That’s absurd. I can’t believe Alice would kill anyone. Can you, Toby?’

‘No, of course not,’ Toby replied loyally. But actually he thought it was just possible that Alice could kill someone to protect her father. Not to protect herself, not to protect Toby, but to protect Bill? Maybe.

Bill could see Toby’s doubt. ‘You know I’m right,’ he said. ‘I’ve tried to hide from this myself. I don’t want to think my daughter killed anyone. And I still hope to God I’m wrong. But whatever she’s done, she’s still my daughter. Your wife. Your sister. We still have to do all we can to protect her.’

‘Have you spoken to her about it?’ Toby said.

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘At first I didn’t want to believe it. And then when the police arrested her, I didn’t have the chance. Besides, I don’t know what I’d say to her.’

Toby snorted. But, actually, he sympathized with Bill. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he suspected Alice of murder, let alone to her.

‘Look, I only told you all this because I thought you both had a right to understand what happened,’ Bill said. ‘And because I wanted you to realize that you shouldn’t talk about any of this to the cops.’

‘And Prestwitch?’

‘And Prestwitch. You can maybe tell him that it was actually me who killed Craig — the admiral probably told him that already — but nothing about Greenwald. You owe it to Alice.’

‘No. I don’t believe she killed anyone.’

Bill stared at Toby. ‘All right. Even if you don’t think she killed anyone, surely you can see that the police might suspect she did. And if you tell them about Pat Greenwald, they will think she had a motive. You can’t take that risk.’

Toby drained his glass. ‘What about Lars? We know Alice can’t possibly have killed him. So who do you think shot him?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Bill.

‘Did he know about the FBI investigation?’

‘Yes. They interviewed him after me. Went all the way to the Caribbean to do it.’

‘Could that be why he was killed?’

‘Who knows?’ said Bill. ‘I certainly don’t. Doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s Alice I’m worried about.’

Megan cleared soup bowls from the kitchen table. Bill and Toby sat opposite each other, a quarter-full bottle of red wine between them. Toby didn’t know what to believe. If Alice thought that her parents were at risk of being exposed as spies, she would take action to protect them. But she wouldn’t go as far as killing anyone, surely?

And how come he had had no inkling of all of this?

That was easier to believe. This was exactly the kind of secret that Alice would want to keep from him.

He was damn sure Alice wouldn’t kill anyone to protect him. It occurred to Toby that Alice loved her father more than him. It had always been obvious, but he had never admitted it to himself. And it made him feel kind of jealous. Which was really stupid.

He didn’t know what to do. Should he just trust Bill and do as he asked? How would he feel if the police used information he had given them via Prestwitch to build a stronger case against Alice?

The front door opened and Brooke appeared. Her cheeks were pale and lined, and her hair hung lank about her face. She caught the atmosphere around the kitchen table immediately.

‘Hello,’ she said, tentatively.

‘Hi, Brooke,’ said Megan.

‘Have you heard the news?’ said Bill.

‘Have they caught the murderer?’

‘Uncle Lars has been shot,’ said Megan. ‘Killed.’

‘Oh, God,’ said Brooke. Her hand flew to her mouth and she dropped into one of the chairs around the table. ‘What happened?’

‘It was just this afternoon,’ said Toby. ‘I was walking with him out there on the beach and he was shot. Like by a sniper. He almost got me too.’

‘Oh my God,’ said Brooke. ‘Do they know who it was?’

‘No,’ said Bill. ‘Or not yet. The police are looking for him.’

‘Did you see him?’ Brooke asked Toby.

‘Not really. I saw a figure from a distance, but I couldn’t catch his face.’

‘Well, I’m glad you’re all right.’

‘Do you want some wine?’ Megan asked.

‘I’d better not,’ said Brooke. ‘I’m driving. We’re staying at a hotel in Hunstanton. Justin is back there now.’

‘Thanks for coming,’ Bill said to his daughter, summoning up a weak smile.

‘Oh, I’m so sorry, Dad!’ said Brooke. ‘About earlier. But you know how important Craig is to Justin. He’s become this mythical figure: his father, the hero who saved the world. With you. So when he heard Lars had killed Craig, he found it hard to take.’

‘So I noticed.’

‘He’s been obsessing over it ever since,’ said Brooke. ‘He’s gotten it into his head that Lars killed Craig on the submarine and then he killed the historian to stop him from telling anyone. He went right over to the police station today to say that, in fact, he is not sure what time he saw Lars in the Cottage on Thursday night. We both told the police we stayed up in the Cottage living room with jet lag that evening, and heard Lars going to the bathroom just before midnight. In other words, Justin is now saying that Lars might have had time to kill Sam Bowen.’

‘What did the police say?’ said Bill.

‘I don’t know,’ said Brooke. ‘Justin says they listened but he got the impression they weren’t going to do anything. And, frankly, whatever Justin says, I know he and I were in that living room reading until at least one a.m., and we would have noticed if Lars left the Cottage. Have they released Alice yet?’

‘Not yet,’ said Bill. ‘And we don’t know whether they will.’

Brooke’s gloomy face brightened a little. ‘But Alice can’t have killed Lars. So doesn’t that mean she didn’t kill Sam Bowen?’

Bill winced and scratched his head. ‘I don’t know what it means.’

‘Were you with Justin this afternoon?’ Megan asked.

‘No. Right after we checked in to the hotel this morning, he went to the police in King’s Lynn. He tried to make me change my story as well to implicate Lars, but I wouldn’t do it. He had the rental car, so I’ve been cooped up in a tiny hotel room all day.’