Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(72)

They watched him ride a wave and paddle his board towards the shore. He got out shaking the sea-water from his ears, holding his board under his arm. He grinned at them.

‘Hello, you’ll have to take it in turns but you can borrow my board – the wet suit should fit.’ He smiled. Carter grinned and shook his head.

‘Hardly worth it if it’s messy like that, is it?’ Willis was impressed – Carter had been swatting up on surf lingo.

‘Ah . . . always worth it, just to get in the water.’

‘Hello again; you’ve met my colleague, DC Ebony Willis here?’ Carter introduced her.

‘Yes, but not properly. Jago. Jago Trebethin.’ He shook her hand with a firm, freezing grip, making sure he maintained eye contact as he did so. He was Carter’s height – five nine.

‘Now, will you excuse me, I need to get out of this wet suit.’

‘Of course. Mind if we chat to you while you do it?’ asked Carter.

‘No, my van is parked up there on the edge of the beach.’

He started walking towards it. When they reached the van he peeled his wet suit down to the waist and slid back the side door of the old VW Camper. He reached in for a towel and dried his blond, sun-bleached shaggy hair. He was lean and muscled.

‘I hear you used to live in London?’ said Carter, trying to get over his abs-envy. Robbo had got hold of Jago’s CV. Carter had read it – Jago hadn’t stayed more than two years in a job. He’d been in recruitment in central London with three different companies.

‘Yes, till recently. I got done-over work-wise, thought I was embarking on this great career, but it didn’t happen – so I decided to head home and have a rethink.’

‘You’re a local then?’ Willis asked. She took the top off her coffee and finished it, looked around for a bin.

‘I suppose I am, but I’m not thought of as one. I was sent away to school in Bristol and then I went away to uni and left straight after. I am back now, of course, but most people my age have never left and . . . I don’t intend to stay long.’

‘And your friends in the water?’ Carter turned to look out at the surfers. ‘They seem determined to stay out even though it’s freezing.’

‘Yeah,’ he laughed. ‘They’re hardy locals. Born and bred. Any surf is good surf. Look, I’m really sorry to hear about the little boy,’ he said as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. ‘It doesn’t make any sense why someone should take him.’

‘How did you spend your day in London after the funeral?’

‘I hung about with Marky for a bit and then I went to do my own thing.’

‘Which was?’

‘I just went shopping for a few hours and caught up with the lads before coming home. We didn’t stay that long.’

‘What did you buy?’ asked Willis.

‘Nothing, in the end. I wanted some new trainers but I couldn’t see any I liked.’

‘Where did you look?’

‘Oxford Street.’

‘Nike Town?’

‘No, one of the small sports shoe shops, I forget which.’

‘And you met up with them again?’

‘We went to a few pubs around town.’

‘Which pubs?’

He shook his head.

‘Sorry – wish I could remember.’

‘Have you talked to Marky today?’

‘No,’ he said, puzzled. He looked very practised at hiding what he was thinking, thought Ebony.

‘Oh, it’s just that I had a very illuminating conversation with him about the fact that you actually left London at five on the day of the funeral,’ said Carter.

‘Did we?’ Jago laughed. ‘Oh well, apologies if my memory isn’t good. I’m obviously a much worse drinker than I realized. Marky would know what time for sure. I remember now – we decided we’d rather see our mates in Exeter instead.’

‘You can see them any time, it’s just up the road, isn’t it?’

‘Well, you’re probably right, but it was just one of those snap decisions, I expect – a few beers and we decided to hit the road.’

‘Funny – I even thought it might be to wind Raymonds up?’

‘What? No way. He’s so regimented about things; but sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way he plans it.’

‘Funny thing was, he was at the motorway services at the same time as you and you didn’t seem to talk to one another.’

‘Really? Bizarre.’

‘You didn’t even get out of the car; what was the point in going into the services?’

‘Um, I think we needed petrol.’

‘So you sat outside the refreshments section.’

‘Well, I have no answer for you, I’m sorry. We pulled over for Marky to have a rest, I expect. He probably had a little snooze in the car. It’s a long way.’

‘We’ve been hearing all about an incident with Kensa and Toby Forbes-Wright that happened after a party on this beach,’ Willis said. ‘What do you know about it?’

Jago stopped drying and stood gawking, shaking his head.

‘On this beach?’

‘We were told you saw what happened?’ Willis continued. ‘You were there.’