Child's Play (D.I. Kim Stone #11)(17)

‘May I ask what the Skype call?…’

‘Thirteen across and eleven down.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘The crossword, officer. That’s my job. I devise cryptic crosswords for newspapers. My editor felt that two clues in particular were far too difficult, which I argued against, but he insisted I change them.’ She stood. ‘Now, if there’s nothing else?’

‘Actually, there is,’ Kim said, staying exactly where she was. ‘Your sister had an overnight case in her wardrobe. Do you have any idea where she was planning to go?’

Kim caught the surprise in her expression. ‘Damn it, we agreed…’

‘You agreed what, Veronica?’

‘Nothing, it doesn’t matter. I’m sorry, officer, but I have no idea where my sister was planning to go.’

Kim hated barefaced lying and that’s exactly what this woman had just done.

‘Or why she was taking a healthy supply of condoms along?’ Kim pushed.

‘I’m sorry, Inspector, but I will not answer any more of your questions and I’d really like you to leave. Right this minute.’

Damn this woman’s obstinacy but right now she had no cause to push her any harder than she already had. Knowing that she was lying was not a good enough reason in the eyes of the law.

Kim stood, bid her a terse goodbye and headed down the stairs. Veronica didn’t follow them down and Bryant closed the door behind them.

‘Blimey, that cooled down very quickly, but we didn’t learn a fat lot,’ he observed as they headed to the car.

On the contrary, Kim thought, remembering what the woman had said about the crossword puzzle, and her own cleverness.

She had the distinct feeling that they’d found the sister that liked to show off.





Seventeen





Penn sat at the table and sighed heavily, trying to expel the fatigue that had settled in his bones and had nothing to do with hard work.

Sitting in a courtroom listening all day knackered him far more than a full-on twelve-hour shift. The inertia drained him as restless energy coursed around his body with no place to go.

He’d called in to the boss who had told him to go straight home. He’d considered arguing with her, wanting to insist there was something he could do to help, but the boss had told him to save his energy. He’d wanted to tell her that he’d been saving his energy all day but she’d ended the call. So, when Lynne had suggested a quick cuppa he’d been happy to accept. As had Doug, although Penn wasn’t sure the invitation had been an open one.

‘What do you think, then?’ Doug asked, loosening his tie and taking out his mobile phone.

‘Of what?’

Doug nodded towards Lynne who was loading three flat whites onto a tray.

‘Her new car. Leather interior, satnav as standard, alloy wheels and…’

‘It’s hardly new, Doug,’ Penn said, with a smile. ‘Just not as old as her last one.’

‘Yeah, well, you DSs like to flash your cash about, buying drinks, new cars.’

Penn was tempted to tell him to go for promotion himself and remembered just in time that he had and had failed the exam. It wasn’t something the man liked to be reminded of. Not that the increase in pay was a lot to shout about.

‘You seen the piece of shit I drive?’ he said, taking the cups from the tray as Lynne laid it down.

‘You moaning about my car again, Douglas?’ she asked, using the full name she knew he hated.

‘Fuck off,’ he bristled.

‘Love you more,’ Lynne joked, sitting beside him and nudging him in the ribs.

Doug’s face relaxed as he put his phone on the table.

‘Any news on Dexter McCann?’ Penn asked of the missing witness. He was no longer in the West Mercia email loop.

Doug shook his head.

‘Not gonna lose too much sleep over it,’ he said, adding two sweeteners to his drink. ‘Their witness not ours. Gotta be lying anyway. We know we got our guy.’

‘But why lie?’ Penn asked. ‘He’s only a neighbour, so what’s he got to gain?’

Doug narrowed his eyes dramatically. ‘You switching sides, dude?’

Penn had to admit that one of the things he didn’t miss was just how annoying Doug could be when the mood took him.

Penn shook his head, ignoring the ‘dude’.

Doug turned to Lynne. ‘You think Dexter McCann is lying?’

Lynne thought for a minute and then shook her head.

‘I think he’s confused. He knows the guy calls his dog to come into the house at ten thirty every night. How can he remember every single night exactly?’

Which was precisely what they’d all said at the time.

She sipped her drink and continued. ‘I reckon we’ve got enough bother with our own witnesses without worrying about the ones for the other side.’

‘Yeah and wasn’t that a bloody slip-up?’ Penn asked. He turned to Lynne. ‘That’s what he said, wasn’t it? I mean from the very first statement?’

Lynne gave him a look of irritation mixed with something else he couldn’t quite read.

‘Nah, I made it up cos like I really don’t know how to take a statement,’ she snapped, slamming her cup back into the saucer.