‘Sorry about that,’ Wendy said as she sat back down, ‘but I’m afraid it does have a bearing on things going on in this room.’ She looked at Culverhouse, who had clearly spotted that something big was going on.
‘Well it’d better be good, Detective Sergeant, because my client has been extremely helpful to you so far — considering the circumstances. And by my watch it’s approaching mealtime. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of your responsibilities with regards to his welfare.’
‘Not at all,’ Wendy said with a wry smile. ‘He can have my lunch, if he likes. I didn’t get a chance to have any of it. It’s a rare occasion that I get to eat at mealtimes, if at all, but we’ll do all we can to ensure your client’s needs are met. Now, if I may just alter the track of the conversation slightly, my colleague just informed me that the search of Hilltop Farm has found something rather intriguing.’ She left that hanging in the air for a few seconds. ‘Cyanide. Two kilos of it. Do you have any comment?’
Father Joseph’s solicitor leaned forward and opened his mouth to speak before Father Joseph raised his hand to silence him.
‘Is it illegal to possess cyanide in this country, Detective Sergeant?’ he asked, his solicitor sitting meekly by his side.
Wendy suspected this might be his plan of attack. ‘Not at this present time, no.’
‘Then I fail to see what relevance it has to your investigation,’ came the curt response.
‘The relevance,’ Wendy replied, leaning forward, ‘is that we’re investigating potential murders at Hilltop Farm. The same Hilltop Farm where we have just discovered a large quantity of cyanide, a compound which can kill people in extremely small doses. That is the relevance.’
The solicitor piped up again. ‘With respect, Detective Sergeant Knight, that is circumstantial at best and you know it. Cyanide has many legitimate uses beyond the realms of second-rate crime fiction. And you don’t need me to remind you that, even on the extremely unlikely off-chance that you were to find victims of cyanide poisoning, the cyanide itself would still be purely circumstantial. You still have nothing to tie my client to any crime whatsoever.’
Wendy decided to throw Father Joseph a curveball. She ignored the solicitor and went straight for the jugular.
‘Father Joseph, perhaps you could enlighten us by letting us know what legal and legitimate uses you have for cyanide at Hilltop Farm.’
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, a small smile appearing across his face. ‘Pest control. Medical uses. Sculpture.’
‘Sculpture?’ Wendy asked.
‘It’s often used to give a dark blue tint to cast bronze when painted on. It’s a quite striking and desirable look.’
‘Funny. We don’t recall seeing many bronze statues at Hilltop Farm. Do you remember seeing any, sir?’ Wendy asked Culverhouse.
‘Can’t say I do.’
‘That is because we haven’t started yet. We are planning for our future,’ Father Joseph said. ‘I feel it’s always important to plan ahead.’
‘I see,’ Wendy said, smiling to humour him. ‘And what medical uses do you have for cyanide?’
‘We use it for testing ketone body levels in the urine of diabetic parishioners,’ he replied, with a tone that made it sound as though it was a question he was asked all the time.
‘Have many diabetics coming to you for help, do you?’ Culverhouse chimed in.
‘We have a small handful in the church. Nowhere near the percentage you’d see in the outside world, though. We tend not to force sugars and fats on our children. We promote a balanced, healthy, natural diet. But yes, of course there are a small number of people with diabetes.’
‘Do you not think they’d be better off being treated in a hospital, by doctors?’ Wendy asked.
‘I don’t think you quite grasp the idea of a closed community, Detective Sergeant. We have our own doctors. They are perfectly capable of treating most illnesses.’
Somehow, Wendy doubted this. She wondered how many people had died over the years through medical neglect.
‘Detective Sergeant Knight, are you going to charge my client or are you going to finally admit that you have not one shred of evidence to hold against him?’ the solicitor asked.
Wendy wished she could answer that question.