Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(86)

‘You have such an original turn of phrase, Carter.’

‘Thanks.’ Carter knew Sandford was being sarcastic but he decided he’d take it as a compliment.

‘Cam’s opened the café,’ said Willis, as Carter came back inside the police station.

‘Where’s Pascoe now?’

‘Gone back to Penhaligon to brief the detectives helping with Stokes’ murder.’

‘That should be an interesting conversation.’

‘He’ll manage,’ Willis said. ‘Robbo came back to me about sightings of people in Greenwich. The lad at the Cutty Sark museum was shown photos of everyone. He picked out Raymonds, Mary-Jane Trebethin, Kensa and Mawgan and Cam Simmons.’

‘Cam?’

‘Yes, he was also caught on camera talking with Mawgan. I got Robbo to double check the entrance to the train station and there’s no sign of Cam. Robbo’s checking all the service stations on all possible routes to and from London to see if we can find Kensa.’

‘Kensa thinks Cam is sweet on her. I wonder if he’s meant to give her that impression,’ said Carter.

Willis and Carter crossed the street and opened the door to Cam’s café.

‘Hello, Cam. Can we get a couple of coffees, please.’

‘Same as last time?’

They waited while he prepared the drinks and then took them from the counter.

‘We’d like to have a chat.’

‘Yes . . .’ He looked around at the empty café. ‘Rushed off my feet today, as you can see.’ He laughed nervously.

Willis pointed to a corner table away from the window.

‘Here okay?’

Cam nodded. He poured himself a glass of water and came to sit opposite them in the booth. Willis got out her notebook.

‘Mr Simmons, Cam,’ Carter began. ‘We’re just trying to get a little background on everyone. Could you tell us how long you’ve had this café?’

‘About a year now. I’ve been back here eighteen months.’

‘Where were you before?’

‘I was in Bristol.’

‘But you were from here originally?’ Carter kept a smile on his face, but it was strained.

‘Yes. I was brought up here.’

‘Something pulled you back to the old mother ship?’

He smiled. ‘Yes, I suppose so.’

‘Did you come back here with a partner?’

‘I’m divorced. I have two children who I see every other weekend. They come and stay with me.’

‘Great place for kids here. You don’t live in the village, do you?’

‘No, just outside. Near the old mine workings on the way to Penhaligon, past Garra Cove.’

Willis looked at him with pen poised. ‘What’s the address?’ Willis asked.

‘Wheal Cottage, Garra.’

‘It’s your own place?’

‘Yes, it was part of my family’s farm. I inherited it.’

‘And then sold it off?’

‘Most of it. I wasn’t much of a farmer.’

‘Your father was, wasn’t he? He died in a farming accident, we were told. I guess that’s enough to put you off?’ Cam nodded, smiled, looked from one detective to the other. ‘What about your sister?’

‘My sister?’

‘Yes, Ella, isn’t it?’

‘My sister’s been missing for a long time. She was presumed dead.’

‘I’m sorry, it’s tough, you seem to have had more than your fair share of family tragedy.’

‘That’s the way it goes in the farming community. People die in accidents all the time.’

‘But your sister went missing, you said?’ Carter asked the questions while Willis wrote in her notebook.

‘Yes. She disappeared, ran away.’

‘Sixteen, I remember hearing?’

‘Yes.’

‘Martin Stokes is dead, did you hear?’

‘Yes. It’s very worrying.’

‘Yes, it is,’ Carter replied. ‘We are treating his death as murder. Were you up at the farm yesterday? We’re asking everyone their whereabouts. Nothing to worry about.’

‘Briefly, first thing.’

‘Why was that, if you don’t mind me asking?’

‘I wanted to speak to Mawgan,’ Cam said.

‘About?’

‘Just some personal stuff.’

‘Did you see anyone else at that time?’

‘When I was leaving I saw Mr Raymonds.’

‘What time was that?’asked Carter.

‘Abut ten.’

‘Did you intend to open the café?’

‘I changed my mind.’

‘When you left the farm, did you come back down the lane to the main road to Penhaligon?’

‘No,’ Cam said. ‘I think I went over the back way.’

‘Why was that?’

‘Just force of habit, no reason.’

‘You and Mawgan are good friends?’ asked Carter.

‘We’ve known one another all our lives.’

‘More than good friends?’

‘Not especially. Nothing that we want to share with anyone else.’