Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(62)
‘We are investigating the deaths of Millie Stephens and Nicola Stone,’ said Willis.
Cathy Dwyer was dressed in a green silk blouse and a pair of black trousers, with a gold chain belt around her waist. She wore a simple gold chain around her throat that ended in a golden C-shaped moon below her collarbone. Her short blonde hair had honey tones and expensive highlights, in a thick and choppy style with a fringe that swept over one eye. Her green eyes were smouldering. She had the look of someone at the end of a very long day, who knew she still had to look stunning and be at the top of her game but was now relying on low lighting and an extra coating of mascara.
‘What has this to do with me?’ She watched as Maria passed by.
‘Ms Dwyer, we’re here to offer protection, to talk about how best for you to stay safe.’
‘I don’t need protection!’
‘You heard the news about Millie and Nicola?’ Willis asked.
‘Yes, I heard they’re dead. Needless to say I’m sorry, but it was a long time ago. It doesn’t affect me.’
‘We think it does. We believe they were targeted because of their past association with Jimmy Douglas,’ said Carter.
Cathy raised her slight shoulder and shrugged. ‘Look, how would you even know that? I mean, it was a lifetime ago, why would someone come after us now?’
‘We don’t know but the killer led us to another site, where we found graves in a field. Does Lambs Farm mean anything to you? It’s about half an hour’s drive from Hawthorn Farm, do you know it?’
She shook her head and then glared at each detective with an ‘are we done now?’ look whilst pushing her fringe away from her eyes. ‘I don’t have any idea where Lambs Farm is and . . .’ Her companions were still turning around and watching the proceedings ‘. . . look, I’m in the middle of a very important negotiation right now, I need to get back to my clients. I really am very busy.’ She turned to her companions to smile and wave and hold up her hand to say five minutes.
‘Just a couple more questions,’ said Carter. ‘Did you ever accompany Jimmy Douglas, in his van, on one of his farm visits?’
‘Very rarely, I was usually working or studying. I was doing my A levels at the time.’
‘You obviously studied hard, you’re doing very well for yourself?’
‘Thank you, I get by but I’ve done it through hard work, not through academics – I completely failed my A levels, but then I was in a strange house with even stranger people, taking a lot of drugs.’
‘Congratulations on your achievements in that case. We hear you’re involved with the opening of a leisure complex in your block? Is that what this meeting is about?’ Carter asked.
‘It’s too early to say whether it’s going to happen. It won’t happen at all if I don’t get back to my companions. May I?’ Cathy Dwyer smiled politely.
‘In a minute,’ said Willis. ‘We need you to be extra-vigilant in the coming days. If this is a vendetta against Jimmy Douglas and all those involved with him, then you’re pretty high on the risk scale.’
Carter handed over his card.
She read it out: ‘Detective Chief Inspector Dan Carter. I’ll remember that when I’m contemplating who to phone at three in the morning.’ Cathy Dwyer smiled, relaxed. ‘Look, I know you’re just doing your jobs, it’s late, I expect you’d much rather be having a beer downstairs than talking to me, so can I set you up with a drink?’
‘Nice offer but no thanks.’ Carter smiled. ‘Look, we don’t want to cause problems for you, but there are some more things we need to ask you about. How about you give us an hour of your time tomorrow instead of us taking up your time now. We can come to your apartment, make it simple.’
‘Where will you be tomorrow?’ asked Willis.
‘In board meetings all day.’
‘Then we’ll leave it to you to phone the number on the card,’ said Carter. ‘Tell us when you’re free to discuss things.’
‘Okay, thank you.’
On the way out Carter stopped to chat with Maria at the desk whilst Willis went outside to watch the riverboats and the lights reflecting on the Thames. Every time she looked at the river she couldn’t help but think of the bodies that must be at the bottom of it, stuck where there was no current and lodged with the rusty bikes and the silt and the plastic bags.
Willis saw she had a missed call from Tucker, but she waited until she got inside the car before returning it. Carter was still talking to Maria. When Tucker answered she could hear the sound of people in the background.
‘Hang on,’ he said. ‘I’m just going to find a bit of quiet.’
‘If you’re busy, it doesn’t matter, I’m just returning your call, that’s all.’
‘No, it’s okay. It’s great. How did your interview go?’
‘Okay, thanks, it was useful the stuff you told me, it really was, it felt reassuring to know that you had met him.’
‘Good, good. Listen, Eb, I’m sorry if you got the wrong end of the stick about things, about us, I mean. I hope we can always be friends, call on one another. I never wanted to put pressure on you to push forward with something you weren’t comfortable with.’
‘There was no pressure. I just thought we were okay like that, I suppose. How’s it going with Zoe?’