The overall effect was of something bred for the sea not the land: aquadynamic. He was almost completely bald and short. Like most short men, I sensed he wore about him like a cheap shawl the air of someone who wished he were six inches taller and naturally resented anyone who was. I was. And more.
When he thought he’d impressed me enough with his importance, he looked up and snagged my eyes with his dead gaze. ‘Mr Booker.’ A cold fish.
It didn’t sound like a question, so I didn’t answer him. He’d lost my goodwill and any natural deference I would harbour for his position. As an interrogator he could have been his own worst enemy.
‘You know why you are here?’ That did sound like a question.
‘Only that you wanted to see me.’
He flicked his empty eyes up at Cash. ‘We want to talk about your aunt’s death and your uncle’s disappearance.’
‘Good. Me too.’
‘How was your relationship with both of them?’
One thing you could say for the man, he got straight down to what was on his mind.
‘What? What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘It might have a lot to do with it.’
The room seemed suddenly smaller and hotter.
‘You are joking?’
He shook his head from side to side slowly fixing me with those dead cod eyes, like something dying on the hook. ‘By your own admission you were back in Dymchurch about the time your aunt is believed to have drowned. We’ve confirmed you flew in to Heathrow when you said you did and we’ve traced the taxi driver who drove you to your relatives’ home. That’s all nice and neat for us. So we have opportunity.’
I sat stunned by his theory and his homework. ‘I don’t believe this. You seriously think that the moment I arrived in Dymchurch I attacked and killed my relatives?’
‘It’s possible, Mr Booker. Like I say, you had the opportunity.’
‘Possible and stupid. With that kind of reasoning anyone in Dymchurch at the time could have killed them if being around is all it took.’
‘Why do you say them , Mr Booker? Only your aunt is dead.’
‘You still believe that? My uncle’s been missing for thirty-six hours without a word. He’s dead.’
‘We’ll remember you volunteered that. What did you do when you got home and found the place empty?’
‘I already told Detective Cash.’
‘Well, now I’d like you to tell me.’
‘I hung about the house, went to the pub to see if they were there, came back home and fell asleep on the sofa. I didn’t wake up till the morning.’
‘Didn’t it strike you as odd that neither of them were there and you had had no word of them?’
‘Of course it did,’ I said, injecting as much incredulity at the idiotic comment as I could muster. A thought occurred to me. ‘I phoned them on both of their mobiles several times while I was travelling down from Heathrow to Ashford. Check their phones. Check mine. You’ll see that none of my calls was answered.’
He thought about that before changing tack: ‘You didn’t report either of them missing for how long?’
‘I called the police the following morning. I was told I couldn’t officially report either of them missing until twenty-four hours had elapsed. Ask your Detective over there.’
He looked at her and she confirmed it with a nod; something else that had been checked up on.
In the quiet pause that followed I said, ‘What would be my motive?’
‘I don’t know. Why don’t you tell us? Got any money problems? We can easily find that out.’
It could have gone one of two ways. I could have exploded at him, told him what I thought of his dim-witted policeman’s logic and got myself some trouble, or I could see it for what it was – a man without a clue poking at snakes – and rise above it.
Despite my strong inclination to push away from the table and tell him what he could do with his theory, I calmed myself with a deep, stabilising breath. ‘I understand that you are just doing your job. I also understand that you
When he thought he’d impressed me enough with his importance, he looked up and snagged my eyes with his dead gaze. ‘Mr Booker.’ A cold fish.
It didn’t sound like a question, so I didn’t answer him. He’d lost my goodwill and any natural deference I would harbour for his position. As an interrogator he could have been his own worst enemy.
‘You know why you are here?’ That did sound like a question.
‘Only that you wanted to see me.’
He flicked his empty eyes up at Cash. ‘We want to talk about your aunt’s death and your uncle’s disappearance.’
‘Good. Me too.’
‘How was your relationship with both of them?’
One thing you could say for the man, he got straight down to what was on his mind.
‘What? What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘It might have a lot to do with it.’
The room seemed suddenly smaller and hotter.
‘You are joking?’
He shook his head from side to side slowly fixing me with those dead cod eyes, like something dying on the hook. ‘By your own admission you were back in Dymchurch about the time your aunt is believed to have drowned. We’ve confirmed you flew in to Heathrow when you said you did and we’ve traced the taxi driver who drove you to your relatives’ home. That’s all nice and neat for us. So we have opportunity.’
I sat stunned by his theory and his homework. ‘I don’t believe this. You seriously think that the moment I arrived in Dymchurch I attacked and killed my relatives?’
‘It’s possible, Mr Booker. Like I say, you had the opportunity.’
‘Possible and stupid. With that kind of reasoning anyone in Dymchurch at the time could have killed them if being around is all it took.’
‘Why do you say them , Mr Booker? Only your aunt is dead.’
‘You still believe that? My uncle’s been missing for thirty-six hours without a word. He’s dead.’
‘We’ll remember you volunteered that. What did you do when you got home and found the place empty?’
‘I already told Detective Cash.’
‘Well, now I’d like you to tell me.’
‘I hung about the house, went to the pub to see if they were there, came back home and fell asleep on the sofa. I didn’t wake up till the morning.’
‘Didn’t it strike you as odd that neither of them were there and you had had no word of them?’
‘Of course it did,’ I said, injecting as much incredulity at the idiotic comment as I could muster. A thought occurred to me. ‘I phoned them on both of their mobiles several times while I was travelling down from Heathrow to Ashford. Check their phones. Check mine. You’ll see that none of my calls was answered.’
He thought about that before changing tack: ‘You didn’t report either of them missing for how long?’
‘I called the police the following morning. I was told I couldn’t officially report either of them missing until twenty-four hours had elapsed. Ask your Detective over there.’
He looked at her and she confirmed it with a nod; something else that had been checked up on.
In the quiet pause that followed I said, ‘What would be my motive?’
‘I don’t know. Why don’t you tell us? Got any money problems? We can easily find that out.’
It could have gone one of two ways. I could have exploded at him, told him what I thought of his dim-witted policeman’s logic and got myself some trouble, or I could see it for what it was – a man without a clue poking at snakes – and rise above it.
Despite my strong inclination to push away from the table and tell him what he could do with his theory, I calmed myself with a deep, stabilising breath. ‘I understand that you are just doing your job. I also understand that you
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