Dew, Holly?" I asked on a whim when we sat down in the lounge.
"Youth what?" She looked blank. "Is it a drink?"
I shook my head.
"Youth Dew. It's a perfume."
"Oh, I can't wear perfumes. They give me a headache."
No, Holly Danvers wasn't the sort to suit perfume - certainly not a heavy fragrance like Estée Lauder's classic. Candida Clark, on the other hand … I kicked myself for not having asked her when I'd had the opportunity.
"So, what can I do for you, Holly?"
I took a small sip of wine before putting the glass on the table. For the sake of the precious contents, it was a good job I did so because Holly said, "I've got JayJay's diary."
"What? Here?"
She nodded, reaching down to her bag out of which she drew out a fancy leather bound book with a metal clasp and passed it to me. Just in case there was any doubt it had the word 'diary' picked out in gold on the front.
"Where did you get hold of this?"
Holly coloured slightly.
"There's an office next to mine with a connecting door. JayJay always used it for the thirteen weeks when she was recording ' Star Steps' "
"But haven't the police already searched that?"
"Oh, yes. A nice young sergeant came and went through JayJay's desk." This time a more pronounced blush appeared on her cheeks. "But I'd got it."
Whether the blush was for the sergeant, probably D.I. Farish's sidekick Stott, or her failure to hand over what could be a vital piece of evidence was hard to tell.
"You see," Holly went on, anxious to explain herself, "JayJay kept the diary in a drawer. She didn't carry it round with her."
Easy to see why, I thought. It had the dimensions and weight of a medium sized paperback and wouldn't fit in the type of small, flimsy handbags so favoured by celebrities.
"Anyway, one day she phoned me from outside and asked me to check up on an appointment so I went and fetched the diary but I didn't take it back. I was busy, um …" she faltered to a stop.
"So you put the diary in your drawer and forgot about it?"
"Yes. It got pushed to the back and, and …"
"Well, no harm done. Don't blame yourself," I said in an attempt to console her. The poor kid had guilt written all over her face. "The police will need to have this, though."
"Oh yes, I know, but I thought, as you are investigating, you might like to see it first."
I nearly sprayed the mouthful of Merlot I'd just taken all over the carpet.
"Me! Investigating?"
"Yes. And then you could give it to the police, couldn't you?"
"If that was a hint, Holly, it was about as subtle as a train crash," I informed her. "Anyway, what makes you think I'm investigating?"
"Well, you found her and when you came to the studios yesterday, I rather got the impression you wanted to do a bit of detecting, yourself."
"Hmmm, maybe I did but that was before everyone started telling me to stay out of it and leave it to the police."
I thought bitterly of my conversation with Inspector Farish and KD's pronouncements.
"Oh," she looked disappointed. "I thought you'd be pleased to have the diary."
I was, of course, but I still didn't want to give her any unnecessary encouragement to think of me as Agnes Merryweather.
"I suppose it won't do any harm to have a look. Are there any secrets or racy details inside?"
If I'd thought to catch her out I didn't succeed.
"I don't know, I've not looked."
"But you looked when JayJay called you."
"Yes, but I just went straight to the date and it said '12.30, lunch, KC."
"Do you know who KC is?" I asked, taking another sip of wine before sliding the clasp undone and opening the diary.
"I don't think so," said Holly, shaking her head.
I flicked through the pages until I got to June. There was only one entry and that was for Tuesday 8th June when she'd had, but never kept, a hairdresser's appointment at 10.30. I turned back a page to the previous week. JayJay had had no appointments between Monday 31st May and Sunday 6th June. I went back another week.
"Do you know who Dawn is?" I asked
"Youth what?" She looked blank. "Is it a drink?"
I shook my head.
"Youth Dew. It's a perfume."
"Oh, I can't wear perfumes. They give me a headache."
No, Holly Danvers wasn't the sort to suit perfume - certainly not a heavy fragrance like Estée Lauder's classic. Candida Clark, on the other hand … I kicked myself for not having asked her when I'd had the opportunity.
"So, what can I do for you, Holly?"
I took a small sip of wine before putting the glass on the table. For the sake of the precious contents, it was a good job I did so because Holly said, "I've got JayJay's diary."
"What? Here?"
She nodded, reaching down to her bag out of which she drew out a fancy leather bound book with a metal clasp and passed it to me. Just in case there was any doubt it had the word 'diary' picked out in gold on the front.
"Where did you get hold of this?"
Holly coloured slightly.
"There's an office next to mine with a connecting door. JayJay always used it for the thirteen weeks when she was recording ' Star Steps' "
"But haven't the police already searched that?"
"Oh, yes. A nice young sergeant came and went through JayJay's desk." This time a more pronounced blush appeared on her cheeks. "But I'd got it."
Whether the blush was for the sergeant, probably D.I. Farish's sidekick Stott, or her failure to hand over what could be a vital piece of evidence was hard to tell.
"You see," Holly went on, anxious to explain herself, "JayJay kept the diary in a drawer. She didn't carry it round with her."
Easy to see why, I thought. It had the dimensions and weight of a medium sized paperback and wouldn't fit in the type of small, flimsy handbags so favoured by celebrities.
"Anyway, one day she phoned me from outside and asked me to check up on an appointment so I went and fetched the diary but I didn't take it back. I was busy, um …" she faltered to a stop.
"So you put the diary in your drawer and forgot about it?"
"Yes. It got pushed to the back and, and …"
"Well, no harm done. Don't blame yourself," I said in an attempt to console her. The poor kid had guilt written all over her face. "The police will need to have this, though."
"Oh yes, I know, but I thought, as you are investigating, you might like to see it first."
I nearly sprayed the mouthful of Merlot I'd just taken all over the carpet.
"Me! Investigating?"
"Yes. And then you could give it to the police, couldn't you?"
"If that was a hint, Holly, it was about as subtle as a train crash," I informed her. "Anyway, what makes you think I'm investigating?"
"Well, you found her and when you came to the studios yesterday, I rather got the impression you wanted to do a bit of detecting, yourself."
"Hmmm, maybe I did but that was before everyone started telling me to stay out of it and leave it to the police."
I thought bitterly of my conversation with Inspector Farish and KD's pronouncements.
"Oh," she looked disappointed. "I thought you'd be pleased to have the diary."
I was, of course, but I still didn't want to give her any unnecessary encouragement to think of me as Agnes Merryweather.
"I suppose it won't do any harm to have a look. Are there any secrets or racy details inside?"
If I'd thought to catch her out I didn't succeed.
"I don't know, I've not looked."
"But you looked when JayJay called you."
"Yes, but I just went straight to the date and it said '12.30, lunch, KC."
"Do you know who KC is?" I asked, taking another sip of wine before sliding the clasp undone and opening the diary.
"I don't think so," said Holly, shaking her head.
I flicked through the pages until I got to June. There was only one entry and that was for Tuesday 8th June when she'd had, but never kept, a hairdresser's appointment at 10.30. I turned back a page to the previous week. JayJay had had no appointments between Monday 31st May and Sunday 6th June. I went back another week.
"Do you know who Dawn is?" I asked
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