as I wrote down the content of the conversation.
I got the impression that Josie had been expecting the call. I guessed that she’d already been warned by her mother, and Josie confirmed this was the case. She was in another country so there was little we could have done to prevent them contacting each other, which was a shame: it was always better to catch someone off guard if possible, as they were more likely to give something away, even if it was just the way they looked at you. On the phone, all I could glean was that she had a very soft lisp and was well-spoken. That revealed little.
‘Mother has lost it a bit,’ she said. ‘She may have appeared to be somewhat, shall I say, eccentric? I gather that you were asking about Amanda. Such a shock. What can I help you with?’
‘It’s a bit sensitive over the phone really,’ explained Pierre as tactfully as he could. ‘We are aware that you, your mother and Amanda were all involved in prostitution. I know that’s in your past but, as this is a murder investigation, we have to speak to those who may have information. Is there anything you can tell us that may help lead us to the person or people who stabbed Amanda?’
There was a short pause. Pierre and I looked at one another.
‘Silly Amanda. She was such a bad judge of character. We did all work as prostitutes but I’ve not taken part in anything of the sort for a number of years. Neither has my mother.’
That at least was good news. I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing. From the shaking of Pierre’s shoulders, I could see he was finding the thought of Mrs Newman and her wig turning tricks fairly funny too. Getting it caught on the back of a chair would be the least of her worries.
Josie, unaware of our silent merriment, continued, ‘I left England some time ago and settled in the South of France six years ago. I’ve made a new life for myself. I’ll help however I can but I haven’t seen or spoken to Amanda since I left. I readabout her online. Her little boy – he’ll be about eight years old now, won’t he? Is his father looking after him?’
‘Yes, he is, Josie,’ said Pierre.
We took the rest of her contact numbers from her, and requested that she call us if she thought of anything else at all, and then Pierre and I started winding down for the end of the shift. I’d enjoyed the day working with Pierre, despite my disappointment at the lack of progress in my love life. And that he kept eating my chocolate.
My headache had subsided and I fancied a drink.
Chapter 14
22nd September
I had offered to work on my rest day but, under the guise of health and safety, I was told to take the day off. The truth centred around an already overspent budget. Forensics alone was costing tens of thousands. I drank heavily, slept heavily and woke up feeling lousy. I drew up a list of chores I had to pack into one day off, before seeing an old friend in the afternoon and then heading off to meet Laura for a drink later that evening.
First, I worked my way through the jobs I could achieve without leaving the house. It made sense to prioritise telephone and internet tasks. Besides, I was probably still over the limit.
A couple of hours later, having demolished a pot of tea and a bacon sarnie, I got into my old, slightly worse-for-wear BMW and drove to the supermarket, where I bought the usual essentials for myself and a couple of bags of luxuries for my old acquaintance, Annie Hudson. It was difficult to describe my and Annie’s relationship. I’d got to know her when I was working as a Metropolitan police officer in the area she’d lived in all her life; we’d met through some terrible domestic circumstances of hers. When I’d transferred to the neighbouring force where I now worked, although I’d moved home as well as changed job, I hadn’t been able to leave Annie behind. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t shake loose of her. For over fifty years, Annie had
I got the impression that Josie had been expecting the call. I guessed that she’d already been warned by her mother, and Josie confirmed this was the case. She was in another country so there was little we could have done to prevent them contacting each other, which was a shame: it was always better to catch someone off guard if possible, as they were more likely to give something away, even if it was just the way they looked at you. On the phone, all I could glean was that she had a very soft lisp and was well-spoken. That revealed little.
‘Mother has lost it a bit,’ she said. ‘She may have appeared to be somewhat, shall I say, eccentric? I gather that you were asking about Amanda. Such a shock. What can I help you with?’
‘It’s a bit sensitive over the phone really,’ explained Pierre as tactfully as he could. ‘We are aware that you, your mother and Amanda were all involved in prostitution. I know that’s in your past but, as this is a murder investigation, we have to speak to those who may have information. Is there anything you can tell us that may help lead us to the person or people who stabbed Amanda?’
There was a short pause. Pierre and I looked at one another.
‘Silly Amanda. She was such a bad judge of character. We did all work as prostitutes but I’ve not taken part in anything of the sort for a number of years. Neither has my mother.’
That at least was good news. I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing. From the shaking of Pierre’s shoulders, I could see he was finding the thought of Mrs Newman and her wig turning tricks fairly funny too. Getting it caught on the back of a chair would be the least of her worries.
Josie, unaware of our silent merriment, continued, ‘I left England some time ago and settled in the South of France six years ago. I’ve made a new life for myself. I’ll help however I can but I haven’t seen or spoken to Amanda since I left. I readabout her online. Her little boy – he’ll be about eight years old now, won’t he? Is his father looking after him?’
‘Yes, he is, Josie,’ said Pierre.
We took the rest of her contact numbers from her, and requested that she call us if she thought of anything else at all, and then Pierre and I started winding down for the end of the shift. I’d enjoyed the day working with Pierre, despite my disappointment at the lack of progress in my love life. And that he kept eating my chocolate.
My headache had subsided and I fancied a drink.
Chapter 14
22nd September
I had offered to work on my rest day but, under the guise of health and safety, I was told to take the day off. The truth centred around an already overspent budget. Forensics alone was costing tens of thousands. I drank heavily, slept heavily and woke up feeling lousy. I drew up a list of chores I had to pack into one day off, before seeing an old friend in the afternoon and then heading off to meet Laura for a drink later that evening.
First, I worked my way through the jobs I could achieve without leaving the house. It made sense to prioritise telephone and internet tasks. Besides, I was probably still over the limit.
A couple of hours later, having demolished a pot of tea and a bacon sarnie, I got into my old, slightly worse-for-wear BMW and drove to the supermarket, where I bought the usual essentials for myself and a couple of bags of luxuries for my old acquaintance, Annie Hudson. It was difficult to describe my and Annie’s relationship. I’d got to know her when I was working as a Metropolitan police officer in the area she’d lived in all her life; we’d met through some terrible domestic circumstances of hers. When I’d transferred to the neighbouring force where I now worked, although I’d moved home as well as changed job, I hadn’t been able to leave Annie behind. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t shake loose of her. For over fifty years, Annie had
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