R. Parker - The Dinner Party

Another man emerged from the driver’s side.

‘We’ve just found our friend. She’s been … she’s been killed.’ The words sounded absurd.

The two officers exchanged a glance.

‘Where is she?’ The passenger asked uneasily.

Ted wondered if either of them was equipped to deal with a situation like this. They probably thought they were being called out to a routine domestic. ‘She’s on the back lawn.’

Momentarily, neither of the officers seemed to know what to do.

‘I’ll take you there.’ Ted started to turn.

‘Wait.’ The driver closed his door. ‘Who are you?’

‘Ted Middleton. My wife and I are friends of Evie and Jakob … Eriksson. Evie called us and said she and her husband were having an argument. We got a cab out here. When we arrived somebody ran from the house. We think it was Jakob.’

‘Her husband?’

‘Yes,’ Ted confirmed to the driver.

‘You’re not sure?’ He seemed suspicious.

Even though it had only happened minutes ago, Ted struggled to get his thoughts in order. ‘Nobody answered, so we went in through the open back door. Someone ran down the stairs and then left via the drive. And Jakob’s not in the house.’

‘Let the station know,’ the driver said to his passenger. ‘I’ll take a look.’

‘Shouldn’t we just wait for a senior officer?’ The passenger’s voice quivered.

Ted wondered how old they were. ‘My wife is with the body. I don’t want to leave her there any longer.’

‘Call the station. I’ll secure the scene.’ The driver tried to imbue his voice with confidence. ‘Lead the way.’

Ted nodded and turned. They reached the lawn just as the light went out again. He waved his hands and the scene was floodlit. Glancing sideways he confirmed that the uniformed officer was barely in his twenties. His head was closely shaved, and his lean features were grimacing in readiness for what was to come. Ted led him to where Juliette was still crouching and heard him inhale sharply through his nose as they crunched across the grass.

‘I’m Constable Adams,’ he said to Juliette.

Juliette exchanged a look with Ted.

‘There are other officers on the way,’ Adams reassured her and fell silent as he stared at Evie. ‘You’re sure she’s dead?’

Juliette nodded and wiped an eye with her thumb.

‘If I can just ask you both to step out.’ Adams offered her his hand to get up.

Juliette didn’t take it and stood. ‘What happens now?’

‘If you don’t mind waiting with my colleague in the meantime, I can handle things here.’ But he didn’t sound convinced.

‘I’d rather not leave her.’

Adams hesitated. ‘No, wait in the car and keep warm. Someone will take statements from you shortly.’

Juliette looked down at Evie.

‘Come on.’ Ted put his hand gently under her left arm, but she didn’t budge.

‘She needs to be covered,’ she told the officer.

He nodded. ‘That’ll be done. I do have to ask you to vacate the scene now though.’

Juliette started to take off her jacket.

‘Juliette …’ Ted gripped her arm tighter.

‘Please, madam. You’ll be making the job for forensics even harder.’

Juliette paused and then nodded.

‘Come on. Let him do his job.’ Ted tried to lead her gently away, but still she stood rooted to the spot.

The three of them regarded Evie’s body for a few moments and then Juliette walked unsteadily back down the lawn.

‘She’ll be OK.’

Ted didn’t answer the officer.

Both still anaesthetized by their experience, Ted and Juliette waited in the dark street in the back of the patrol car. It smelt of Olbas Oil. Ted took out his phone and tapped Jakob’s number. Would he have his with him? He dialled and waited. Perhaps it was ringing in the house.

‘Who are you calling? Zoe?’

‘No, Jakob.’

‘Hang up,’ Juliette said sharply. ‘The police have to deal with him now.’

She was right. But he waited for another ring.

‘Ted!’

He hung up. ‘I can’t get my head around this.’

‘You’ll have to tell the officer what you did.’

He nodded distractedly as Juliette rang Zoe and told her they were talking to the police and would explain everything at home.

They waited for twenty minutes, observing various vehicles drawing up, until an unmarked car parked directly behind them. Ted turned as a squat man in a heavy dark-woollen overcoat and black hunting hat with flaps covering his ears emerged and noisily trudged down the gravel drive to the rear of the house.

Quarter of an hour later, he returned and approached the patrol car. He opened the back passenger door. ‘Mr and Mrs Middleton?’

Ted got out and took in the man’s wide and pockmarked features. There was a wisp of a dark moustache clinging to the top of his lip that seemed to be covering a cleft palate scar.

‘I’m Detective Inspector Renton. Are you keeping warm enough in there?’ He clumped his hands together, which were clad in leather gloves.

‘We’re fine.’ Ted folded his arms against the cold.

Juliette closed her door and joined them on the pavement. ‘Our son is with a neighbour, so we’d like to get back to him as soon as we can.’

‘Of course.’ Renton blew out a cloud of breath.

Ted got a whiff of curry. ‘We’ve already given a statement to one officer.’

Renton sniffed. ‘So you knew the deceased well?’

They both nodded.

‘I’ll need you to be more specific. Old friends?’

‘Yes,’ Ted replied first.

Renton shifted his dark eyes to Juliette. ‘Very close friends?’

‘I’ve known Evie since high school.’ Juliette shivered and pulled her collar closer to her neck.

‘Have they had physical fights like this before?’

‘No,’ she retorted categorically.

‘At least, not that we know of.’ Ted noticed Juliette glance at him.

Renton darted his pupils between them and settled on Ted. ‘And her husband. You knew him well?’

‘Yes. They were at our house this evening. For dinner,’ Ted added.

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