Colin sank onto the bed while Adam remained standing, pacing to and fro in front of the window, the glorious sunshine filtering in, turning him into a silhouette.
‘What are you thinking?’ Colin asked.
Adam stopped pacing. He mulled things over for a while, before sitting down on the end of the bed.
‘Well, for one, I think the story he told us about why he and Danny argued was nonsense. He was always so tolerant of Danny, always sticking up for him and calming others down when his mouth got him into trouble. For Sam to lose it with him, whatever he was saying to him must’ve been really bad.’
‘He looked put on the spot with that one too,’ Colin added, thinking back to the pause he took before answering that particular question.
‘I agree. The rest of the answers flowed straight off his tongue, but this one he had to think about. We need to find out what the real reason was for his reaction to Danny.’
‘What about this key business?’
‘It checks out, I reckon,’ Adam said, ‘though it would be good to check with whoever was at reception, to confirm.’
‘Doesn’t that go against confidentiality? I don’t like the thought of someone snooping through my stuff.’
‘He probably only did it because it was the groom. I can’t imagine he’d go handing out keys willy-nilly. More than his job is worth.’
Before Colin could reply, his attention was snatched by movement outside. He got up from the bed and crossed to the window, sitting on the seat built into the bay. It offered him a perfect view of the lawn.
Crossing the recently cut grass was a girl. Her blonde hair appeared golden in the sunlight. She was wearing a pair of denim cut-off shorts and a bright, strappy vest top. From behind, it was difficult to make out who it was.
Plotting her path, it wasn’t difficult to see where she was going. In the shade of the trees at the far end of the gardens was a swing seat, so far away the details of it were nigh on impossible to make out.
One thing was easy to see, though.
The lanky frame of the person sitting on it, watching the blonde advance towards him, was none other than Ross McMullan.
The next person they needed to speak to.
‘I think you should lead the next one,’ Adam said, following Colin’s gaze.
‘Why?’
‘Well, we are a team. I led the first one and now it’s your turn.’
‘But, I don’t…’
‘Don’t know what you’re doing?’ Adam finished. ‘And I do? We’re leading a murder investigation from things we’ve learned from the television. None of this is normal.’
‘But you seem so confident.’
‘Confidence is a shroud that allows the bearer to wear many faces.’
Colin looked impressed.
‘Who said that?’
‘I did, just then. Made it up. But it sounded impressive and that’s all we can do – say things that sound good and hope that it tricks people into telling us what we want to know.’
Colin stood up and moved towards the door, ready.
‘You sure you don’t want to wear a suit for this?’ Adam joked. His laugh was cut short when he saw Colin’s narrowed eyes.
They walked across the garden, kicking clumps of cut grass to each other like footballers warming up before a match. Colin realised that he was feeling nervous and tried to think of the main points of questioning that he and Adam had gone over as they’d made their way downstairs from their room.
He wished he had a notebook to write things down in, but then, what they were doing was ridiculous enough already. The thought of pulling a notebook from his trouser pockets was a step too far.
Upon seeing them progress towards him, Ross struggled out of the fabric seat and extended a hand which both men shook. Ross stood awkwardly, stuck between retaking his place in the swing seat and seeming childish, or standing like an adult should when a discussion was clearly on the horizon.
In the end, he stood.
He reached into the back pocket of his chino shorts and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, taking one out and flicking the box towards Adam and Ross like an invitation. Both declined.
‘I forgot you both gave up,’ mumbled Ross, through lips clamped tight against the stick of nicotine. ‘I don’t know how you do it.’
Colin was appreciative of the slight gusts of wind that were playing with Ross’s lighter, causing it to flicker and extinguish just before fulfilling its purpose. It allowed him time to get his head right and size up his opponent.
‘Must be a bit weird, seeing your brother marry a girl you went out with once,’ Colin said, pleased with his opening gambit.
‘Not really. It was so long ago and we only went on a few dates,’ Sam countered, turning his attention back to his cigarette struggles.
‘It’s mad about Danny, isn’t it?’ Colin pressed on.
‘Crazy. I can’t believe it. Rumours are floating round that you two don’t buy what the police have said. I hear you’ve questioned the groom. Is that why you’re here talking to me? Am I under arrest?’
Before Colin or Adam could answer, Ross laughed at his own joke.
‘Ask away. I think it’s a silly way to spend a Saturday and a complete waste of time, but we all like different things.’
‘We’d like to hear about the argument that you stopped last night between Danny and Sam. We’ve heard Sam’s version of it, but we’d like to hear yours too.’
Ross arched an eyebrow.
‘Sam told you?’
‘Yeah,’ Colin said, surprised at how easily the lie slipped off his tongue.
‘Flip,’ Ross said. ‘I thought he was trying to keep that as secret as possible, but I guess you’re his friends. He can trust you.’
He took one last puff on his cigarette before stubbing it out in the bucket of sand at the side of the swing. He sat down on the grass and motioned for Adam and Colin to follow suit. He cast a conspiratorial glance around the trees, as if they could be enemies eavesdropping in plain sight.
‘It’s true. Danny saw him cheat on Emily on his stag do. He’d been lording it over him since, threatening to tell people if Sam didn’t buy him a pint or drive him wherever he needed to go. Stupid little things, really.’
He sighed deeply and took the packet of cigarettes out again, before reconsidering and throwing them onto the grass beside him instead, before continuing his story.
‘I was supposed to be best man, but it got changed to Danny shortly after we all came back from Ibiza. Sam told me the reason; about the girl and how Danny was blackmailing him into making him best man. He apologised and begged me not to make a big deal about it otherwise people would start asking questions and the truth would come out.’
‘And that’s what the argument was about?’ Colin asked.
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Danny was mouthing off again, and it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Sam snapped and shoved him. Danny gave him a look as he was leaving that worried Sam, so he went after him not long after in a panic. He was worried that Danny was going to blab to anyone who would listen.’
‘Do you know what happened when he went to see him?’
‘He came back looking much calmer. He said he’d sorted it and that he’d go back later to check again. He put up a bit of fuss when I told him to enjoy his night and that I’d check in later instead.’
‘And did you?’
He looked sheepish.
‘I was going to. Sam gave me the spare key to his room. I put it in my jacket pocket and then we all went on the dancefloor – the Macarena, ya know? Hard to resist.’
They all nodded in agreement. The song seemed to possess some sort of gravitational pull towards the nearest dancefloor.
‘Anyway, when we were finished, I put my jacket on and went to Danny’s room. When I checked my pocket, the key wasn’t there.’
‘Someone had taken it?’
He nodded.
‘And it’s still missing?’
Another nod.
‘Did Danny let you in?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I banged on the door, but he never answered. I could hear the TV was on, so I assumed he was in there, but I’ve just chatted to Vicky and apparently he paid her a visit last night.’
‘Vicky?’ Colin and Adam said in unison.
Of course, the blonde they had observed walking across the grass earlier. Danny’s ex-girlfriend.
‘It might be worth having a chat with her,’ Ross said. ‘Big news there.’