thin-skinned as a skeleton’s silhouette. They’d both had a few drinks. Maybe Arlo tried it on when she wasn’t in the mood, who knows?’
‘Wouldn’t that be pretty insensitive, given that she was so recently widowed?’
‘Tell you what, Daniel. My motto is: Ask no questions, and you won’t be told any lies . These things happen. Tomorrow it will all be forgotten. Nobody died.’
‘George Saffell died.’ Louise shivered. ‘Someone turned his lakeside retreat into a ball of fire.’
‘Nothing to do with what happened last night.’ Wagg’s jaw tightened. ‘Except that Wanda is grieving. She deserves to be cut some slack.’
‘You’ve known her a long time?’ Louise asked.
‘We were at school together. She was a few years younger than me, but even then, she stood out from the crowd. I remember taking her out to the cinema a few times when we were teenagers. All very innocent, of course.’
‘I bet.’
‘Believe me.’ He feigned injured innocence. ‘I never got further than a quick fumble on the back seats at the Royalty in Bowness. Very well-behaved young lady was Wanda. Single-minded, too. Obsessed with her hobby, nothing else mattered to her half as much.’
‘Her hobby?’
‘Vocation, business, whatever. She loves printmaking. As a kid, I promise you, she was much more interested in that than me. Still is, to this day.’
‘You knew her husband?’ Daniel asked.
‘Old George? Sure, we moved in the same business circles. And he loved books as much as I do.’
Louise arched her eyebrows. ‘Do you really love books, darling?’
‘What do you mean?’ Wagg sounded like a bishop accused of blasphemy.
‘I wondered…if what you really love is the thrill of the chase. Tracking down a rare first edition, then squirrelling it away, so nobody else can have the pleasure of owning it.’
For a moment, there was silence.
He shook his head. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘How many of your precious tomes have you actually read?’ She turned to Daniel. ‘You should see his library. It’s a miniature Bodleian. But I doubt if he’s read a tenth of his collection.’
‘One of these days,’ Wagg muttered. ‘When I have more time.’
‘Meanwhile, you still have to keep Marc Amos in business, I suppose?’
‘You know Marc’s partner.’ Daniel wanted to change the subject, stop Louise from needling Wagg. It was her habit to be provocative, but he sensed the man had a temper to match Wanda Saffell’s. ‘DCI Scarlett.’
‘The lovely Hannah?’ Wagg grinned. ‘Your sister tells me that you managed to get yourself involved in one of Hannah’s cases.’
More than one, actually, but Daniel kept his mouth shut. He wished Louise hadn’t talked about him with Stuart Wagg. Even more, he wished she hadn’t fallen for the man. He didn’t like the way the whisky had loosened Wagg’s tongue.
‘Her career ran into the buffers, did you know? After she messed up over a major trial, they sidelined her. It was all presented in a positive light, needless to say. Young woman detective on the fast track? They could hardly throw her overboard. Not with all those politically correct diversity targets to meet.’
‘She’s in charge of the cold case team,’ Daniel said. ‘A high-profile job.’
‘Not exactly at the cutting edge, though. Zero pressure. No need to race against the clock when a victim’s spent years mouldering in the grave.’ Wagg gave a theatrical sigh. ‘But Hannah will be fine. If she keeps her nose clean until she’s got her years in, she’ll have a nice fat pension. No need to rely on the money Marc makes from sad bibliomaniacs like me.’
Daniel felt his cheeks reddening as he counted to ten.Hannah didn’t need him to defend her, but he couldn’t help it.
‘She doesn’t strike me as a time-server.’
Wagg yawned and stretched his arms. ‘Well, who cares? I’d better be getting home. Thanks for the booze.’
As Louise stood up, he turned to her and said, ‘Are you
‘Wouldn’t that be pretty insensitive, given that she was so recently widowed?’
‘Tell you what, Daniel. My motto is: Ask no questions, and you won’t be told any lies . These things happen. Tomorrow it will all be forgotten. Nobody died.’
‘George Saffell died.’ Louise shivered. ‘Someone turned his lakeside retreat into a ball of fire.’
‘Nothing to do with what happened last night.’ Wagg’s jaw tightened. ‘Except that Wanda is grieving. She deserves to be cut some slack.’
‘You’ve known her a long time?’ Louise asked.
‘We were at school together. She was a few years younger than me, but even then, she stood out from the crowd. I remember taking her out to the cinema a few times when we were teenagers. All very innocent, of course.’
‘I bet.’
‘Believe me.’ He feigned injured innocence. ‘I never got further than a quick fumble on the back seats at the Royalty in Bowness. Very well-behaved young lady was Wanda. Single-minded, too. Obsessed with her hobby, nothing else mattered to her half as much.’
‘Her hobby?’
‘Vocation, business, whatever. She loves printmaking. As a kid, I promise you, she was much more interested in that than me. Still is, to this day.’
‘You knew her husband?’ Daniel asked.
‘Old George? Sure, we moved in the same business circles. And he loved books as much as I do.’
Louise arched her eyebrows. ‘Do you really love books, darling?’
‘What do you mean?’ Wagg sounded like a bishop accused of blasphemy.
‘I wondered…if what you really love is the thrill of the chase. Tracking down a rare first edition, then squirrelling it away, so nobody else can have the pleasure of owning it.’
For a moment, there was silence.
He shook his head. ‘You’re wrong.’
‘How many of your precious tomes have you actually read?’ She turned to Daniel. ‘You should see his library. It’s a miniature Bodleian. But I doubt if he’s read a tenth of his collection.’
‘One of these days,’ Wagg muttered. ‘When I have more time.’
‘Meanwhile, you still have to keep Marc Amos in business, I suppose?’
‘You know Marc’s partner.’ Daniel wanted to change the subject, stop Louise from needling Wagg. It was her habit to be provocative, but he sensed the man had a temper to match Wanda Saffell’s. ‘DCI Scarlett.’
‘The lovely Hannah?’ Wagg grinned. ‘Your sister tells me that you managed to get yourself involved in one of Hannah’s cases.’
More than one, actually, but Daniel kept his mouth shut. He wished Louise hadn’t talked about him with Stuart Wagg. Even more, he wished she hadn’t fallen for the man. He didn’t like the way the whisky had loosened Wagg’s tongue.
‘Her career ran into the buffers, did you know? After she messed up over a major trial, they sidelined her. It was all presented in a positive light, needless to say. Young woman detective on the fast track? They could hardly throw her overboard. Not with all those politically correct diversity targets to meet.’
‘She’s in charge of the cold case team,’ Daniel said. ‘A high-profile job.’
‘Not exactly at the cutting edge, though. Zero pressure. No need to race against the clock when a victim’s spent years mouldering in the grave.’ Wagg gave a theatrical sigh. ‘But Hannah will be fine. If she keeps her nose clean until she’s got her years in, she’ll have a nice fat pension. No need to rely on the money Marc makes from sad bibliomaniacs like me.’
Daniel felt his cheeks reddening as he counted to ten.Hannah didn’t need him to defend her, but he couldn’t help it.
‘She doesn’t strike me as a time-server.’
Wagg yawned and stretched his arms. ‘Well, who cares? I’d better be getting home. Thanks for the booze.’
As Louise stood up, he turned to her and said, ‘Are you
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