called Bliss’s mobile from her own.
‘Gonna be a bit of a handful,’ Bliss said. ‘Zoe.’
‘How badly was she hurt?’
‘Lorra blood always makes things looks worse than they are. Injuries were superficial. No stitches required. Yeah, she’s out. I’ve called in a few favours from Billy Grace, dissecting Jonathan as we speak. We’ll be attempting to talk in depth to Zoe. With her lawyer, who, unsurprisingly, turns out to be my good friend Mr Ryan Nye.’
Slickest criminal lawyer in a county not widely known for slick.
‘And she’s been arrested. She’s in custody.’
‘For the present. Obviously, we’re having a shrink, if not two, talk to her. But no psychiatric history, not on any medication. If belief in the supernatural was a sign of mental illness, they’d’ve thrown away your key years ago.’
‘I’m assuming there’s no chance she’ll be able to go back to that house.’
‘Which would not be good because it’s haunted?’
‘Because she might
believe
—Oh God. So when you’ve finished, when the Durex suits have finished… do you clean up?’
‘Oh yeah, we send in the police housekeeping and valeting squad, all fully trained with mops and buckets and Dettol and Flash and furniture polish, room-freshener - what do
you
think? Meantime, I’ve asked for assistance fromPOLSA, the super-CSIs. Go over the whole place, looking for things we might’ve missed.’
‘Like what?’
‘If I knew that I wouldn’t need POLSA.’ Bliss paused. ‘You might be interested to know how Zoe signed the custody record.’
‘What is that?’
‘That’s to agree she’d been informed of her right to receive free and independent legal advice, stuff like that.’
Merrily waited. Sophie was listening patiently to someone on the phone.
‘Custody sergeant thought it was a bit of a funny signature,’ Bliss said. ‘Didn’t look a lot like Zoe. Or Mahonie.’
‘No, she’s in a meeting,’ Sophie said into the phone. ‘And then I believe she has to… No, if you just listen to me for
one moment
… I gather she’s made a statement through the Three Counties News Service, which is all she’s able to say at the moment. I’m sure you can understand that.’
Merrily said drably to Bliss, ‘Did the signature say Susan Lulham?’
Bliss said it didn’t.
‘No, that’s all I can tell you,’ Sophie said. ‘Thank you.’
‘How about Suze?’ Merrily said unhappily. ‘Just Suze.’
Rain was hissing on the window overlooking Broad Street.
‘Correct,’ Bliss said. ‘Just Suze. On a slant. Nice and bold.’
10. Keys
Sophie put down the phone.
‘Sky News.’ She stood up. ‘Despite my best efforts, they’ll be calling back. Have a cigarette if you like.’
Merrily stared at her.
‘I’m sorry…?’
Did she even hear that right? Normally, even with a window open…
Sophie was silent. She’d unplugged the phone. Never done that before, either. Merrily stared at the desk, listening to the crackle of the rain, wanting the recriminations over. She took a breath, looked up.
‘I didn’t have a choice, OK?’
Sophie had the kettle on. Her voice came through the hiss.
‘Evidently.’
‘She rang several times last night, she—’
‘I apologise,’ Sophie said.
The colour of the room seemed to change. Teapot in her hands, Sophie was gazing past Merrily out of the window. She put the teapot down on the dresser next to the sink. Merrily half-rose.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘You evidently did the right thing. If not soon enough.’
‘Oh.’
‘And if that was my fault—’
Blimey…
‘
No
. No, absolutely not. Huw Owen said the same. Leave her alone. Don’t go near. I was resigned to not going near. It made sense.’
‘I think,’ Sophie said, ‘that we all misjudged Mrs Mahonie. It’s not simple, is it? Or perhaps not as simple as the police might think.’
‘In their terms of reference, it couldn’t be simpler. The razor killed Jonathan, she was holding it. For me, it
‘Gonna be a bit of a handful,’ Bliss said. ‘Zoe.’
‘How badly was she hurt?’
‘Lorra blood always makes things looks worse than they are. Injuries were superficial. No stitches required. Yeah, she’s out. I’ve called in a few favours from Billy Grace, dissecting Jonathan as we speak. We’ll be attempting to talk in depth to Zoe. With her lawyer, who, unsurprisingly, turns out to be my good friend Mr Ryan Nye.’
Slickest criminal lawyer in a county not widely known for slick.
‘And she’s been arrested. She’s in custody.’
‘For the present. Obviously, we’re having a shrink, if not two, talk to her. But no psychiatric history, not on any medication. If belief in the supernatural was a sign of mental illness, they’d’ve thrown away your key years ago.’
‘I’m assuming there’s no chance she’ll be able to go back to that house.’
‘Which would not be good because it’s haunted?’
‘Because she might
believe
—Oh God. So when you’ve finished, when the Durex suits have finished… do you clean up?’
‘Oh yeah, we send in the police housekeeping and valeting squad, all fully trained with mops and buckets and Dettol and Flash and furniture polish, room-freshener - what do
you
think? Meantime, I’ve asked for assistance fromPOLSA, the super-CSIs. Go over the whole place, looking for things we might’ve missed.’
‘Like what?’
‘If I knew that I wouldn’t need POLSA.’ Bliss paused. ‘You might be interested to know how Zoe signed the custody record.’
‘What is that?’
‘That’s to agree she’d been informed of her right to receive free and independent legal advice, stuff like that.’
Merrily waited. Sophie was listening patiently to someone on the phone.
‘Custody sergeant thought it was a bit of a funny signature,’ Bliss said. ‘Didn’t look a lot like Zoe. Or Mahonie.’
‘No, she’s in a meeting,’ Sophie said into the phone. ‘And then I believe she has to… No, if you just listen to me for
one moment
… I gather she’s made a statement through the Three Counties News Service, which is all she’s able to say at the moment. I’m sure you can understand that.’
Merrily said drably to Bliss, ‘Did the signature say Susan Lulham?’
Bliss said it didn’t.
‘No, that’s all I can tell you,’ Sophie said. ‘Thank you.’
‘How about Suze?’ Merrily said unhappily. ‘Just Suze.’
Rain was hissing on the window overlooking Broad Street.
‘Correct,’ Bliss said. ‘Just Suze. On a slant. Nice and bold.’
10. Keys
Sophie put down the phone.
‘Sky News.’ She stood up. ‘Despite my best efforts, they’ll be calling back. Have a cigarette if you like.’
Merrily stared at her.
‘I’m sorry…?’
Did she even hear that right? Normally, even with a window open…
Sophie was silent. She’d unplugged the phone. Never done that before, either. Merrily stared at the desk, listening to the crackle of the rain, wanting the recriminations over. She took a breath, looked up.
‘I didn’t have a choice, OK?’
Sophie had the kettle on. Her voice came through the hiss.
‘Evidently.’
‘She rang several times last night, she—’
‘I apologise,’ Sophie said.
The colour of the room seemed to change. Teapot in her hands, Sophie was gazing past Merrily out of the window. She put the teapot down on the dresser next to the sink. Merrily half-rose.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘You evidently did the right thing. If not soon enough.’
‘Oh.’
‘And if that was my fault—’
Blimey…
‘
No
. No, absolutely not. Huw Owen said the same. Leave her alone. Don’t go near. I was resigned to not going near. It made sense.’
‘I think,’ Sophie said, ‘that we all misjudged Mrs Mahonie. It’s not simple, is it? Or perhaps not as simple as the police might think.’
‘In their terms of reference, it couldn’t be simpler. The razor killed Jonathan, she was holding it. For me, it
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