was steaming Sharon, now dressed, joined her. ‘That smells good,’ she said, pouring a cup. ‘I’ve left the kids.’
Margaret nodded, and just then they heard the front door open and Frankie, now looking better, and Roxie joined them. Frankie looked better than she had the day before, the dark rings under her eyes having faded slightly.
‘Coffee,’ said Roxie. ‘Bloody great.’ She kissed Sharon and Margaret and poured two more cups.
‘I’d better switch the phone back on and check for messages,’ said Sharon, and as she got up to go to the study the front doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it,’ said Margaret. ‘You check the phone.’
She went to the front door where she found a man in his mid-thirties standing on the porch. ‘ Detective-Inspector Mahoney,’ he said, showing his warrant card. ‘Guildford CID. Mrs Smith?’
‘No, I’m her sister,’ said Margaret. ‘Margaret Doyle. Detective-Sergeant.’
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘Detective-Sergeant Doyle. I know about you.’ The way he said it, and the insolent way he grinned, made Margaret think he didn’t much like what he’d heard. But she didn’t care. Straightening her back, she looked him in the eye and said. ‘I’m sure you do. What can we do for you?’
‘I need to speak to Mrs Smith,’ he said.’ Something’s come up.’
‘I’m her sister. You can talk to me.’
‘Sorry. I need to speak to Mrs Smith personally.’
‘Then you’d better come in.’
17
Margaret showed the policeman into the living room. ‘Can I get you anything?’ she asked.
‘Just Mrs Smith,’ he replied, quite obviously dismissing her.
Mags walked out of the room and left him standing there as she went upstairs. ‘It’s the police,’ she said, knocking on Sharon’s door. ‘Some big-headed DI. He wants to see you.’
‘Why?’
‘Dunno. He wasn’t very forthcoming. Didn’t take to me at all. It’s obvious he knows all about what happened in London. My suspension. Must have done his homework .’ She cursed the fact that the consequences of that day continued to follow her around.
‘You’ll come with me?’
‘Of course.’
They both went downstairs to where DI Mahoney was pacing up and down the carpet. ‘Mrs Smith,’ he said to Sharon as they entered the room.
Sharon nodded.
‘I need to speak with you… privately.’ He gave Margaret a look.
‘I want my sister to stay,’ said Sharon.
Mahoney blew out a breath, not best pleased. ‘She doesn’t need to be here,’ he said, not looking at Mags.
‘I’ll be the best judge of that,’ said Sharon, her voice hard.
‘Very well, if you insist.’
‘I do. Please sit down.’
Mahoney took an armchair, Margaret and Sharon sat on the sofa. Margaret shut the door before she sat down.
‘Mrs Smith,’ said Mahoney, referring to a notebook he took from his pocket. ‘First of all let me say how sorry I am for your loss. You and your family.’ He gave Margaret another long look. ‘But something new has come up in the course of our investigations.’
‘What?’ asked Sharon, perplexed.
‘As you know,’ Mahoney went on. ‘We removed the car from the crash site and took it to be examined at our garage. Our technicians went over it and found something .’
‘What?’ Sharon again.
‘The truck driver who witnessed the accident said that the car seemed to speed up instead of slow down on the hill. It seems the brakes were tampered with – the servo, so that the brake fluid leaked away. It was an inexact attempt at sabotage. The brakes could have failed just parking up outside the house. But unfortunately not.’
‘Are you serious?’ said Margaret, incredulously.
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘Wait a minute. Couldn’t it have happened onimpact?’ Mags looked at her sister, whose face was a picture of horror. ‘Sorry Sharon, but this is crazy.’
The detective shook his head. ‘No. Not possible. Our technicians are convinced. A team has been out to the crash site and they found
Margaret nodded, and just then they heard the front door open and Frankie, now looking better, and Roxie joined them. Frankie looked better than she had the day before, the dark rings under her eyes having faded slightly.
‘Coffee,’ said Roxie. ‘Bloody great.’ She kissed Sharon and Margaret and poured two more cups.
‘I’d better switch the phone back on and check for messages,’ said Sharon, and as she got up to go to the study the front doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it,’ said Margaret. ‘You check the phone.’
She went to the front door where she found a man in his mid-thirties standing on the porch. ‘ Detective-Inspector Mahoney,’ he said, showing his warrant card. ‘Guildford CID. Mrs Smith?’
‘No, I’m her sister,’ said Margaret. ‘Margaret Doyle. Detective-Sergeant.’
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘Detective-Sergeant Doyle. I know about you.’ The way he said it, and the insolent way he grinned, made Margaret think he didn’t much like what he’d heard. But she didn’t care. Straightening her back, she looked him in the eye and said. ‘I’m sure you do. What can we do for you?’
‘I need to speak to Mrs Smith,’ he said.’ Something’s come up.’
‘I’m her sister. You can talk to me.’
‘Sorry. I need to speak to Mrs Smith personally.’
‘Then you’d better come in.’
17
Margaret showed the policeman into the living room. ‘Can I get you anything?’ she asked.
‘Just Mrs Smith,’ he replied, quite obviously dismissing her.
Mags walked out of the room and left him standing there as she went upstairs. ‘It’s the police,’ she said, knocking on Sharon’s door. ‘Some big-headed DI. He wants to see you.’
‘Why?’
‘Dunno. He wasn’t very forthcoming. Didn’t take to me at all. It’s obvious he knows all about what happened in London. My suspension. Must have done his homework .’ She cursed the fact that the consequences of that day continued to follow her around.
‘You’ll come with me?’
‘Of course.’
They both went downstairs to where DI Mahoney was pacing up and down the carpet. ‘Mrs Smith,’ he said to Sharon as they entered the room.
Sharon nodded.
‘I need to speak with you… privately.’ He gave Margaret a look.
‘I want my sister to stay,’ said Sharon.
Mahoney blew out a breath, not best pleased. ‘She doesn’t need to be here,’ he said, not looking at Mags.
‘I’ll be the best judge of that,’ said Sharon, her voice hard.
‘Very well, if you insist.’
‘I do. Please sit down.’
Mahoney took an armchair, Margaret and Sharon sat on the sofa. Margaret shut the door before she sat down.
‘Mrs Smith,’ said Mahoney, referring to a notebook he took from his pocket. ‘First of all let me say how sorry I am for your loss. You and your family.’ He gave Margaret another long look. ‘But something new has come up in the course of our investigations.’
‘What?’ asked Sharon, perplexed.
‘As you know,’ Mahoney went on. ‘We removed the car from the crash site and took it to be examined at our garage. Our technicians went over it and found something .’
‘What?’ Sharon again.
‘The truck driver who witnessed the accident said that the car seemed to speed up instead of slow down on the hill. It seems the brakes were tampered with – the servo, so that the brake fluid leaked away. It was an inexact attempt at sabotage. The brakes could have failed just parking up outside the house. But unfortunately not.’
‘Are you serious?’ said Margaret, incredulously.
‘I’m afraid so.’
‘Wait a minute. Couldn’t it have happened onimpact?’ Mags looked at her sister, whose face was a picture of horror. ‘Sorry Sharon, but this is crazy.’
The detective shook his head. ‘No. Not possible. Our technicians are convinced. A team has been out to the crash site and they found
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