Culverhouse smiled cockily as the door to 101 Heathcote Road swung open. He entered without being invited.
‘Ah, Mrs Levy. Good to see you're both in. If you don't mind, DS Knight and I have a few things we'd like to broach with you.’
Culverhouse noticed the suitcases propped against the far wall.
‘Going somewhere, are we?’ he asked.
‘To Cuba. For a holiday. We need it,’ Darren Parker said. He took a seat.
‘I’m not too sure you'll be going anywhere just yet,’ Culverhouse said. ‘We've just been speaking to Sylvia Arthurs, Mr Parker. She has just signed a statement saying that she paid you ten thousand pounds to see that Bob Arthurs was killed.’
‘What? Nonsense! What utter rubbish.’
‘Of course, nothing can be proved because you returned it to her, didn't you? And you thought you'd throw us off the scent and in the direction of Gary McCann, the man who had sacked your step-daughter only days before. That’s why you wrote “G McC” on the note, wasn’t it?’
‘Inspector Culverhouse, if that's the best you can do, I'm afraid you're going to have to—’
‘Oh, there's more, don't you worry. I also know about your role in the death of Danielle Levy.’
‘I beg your pardon! I most certainly did not kill my step-daughter.’
‘Oh, no. I quite agree.’ Culverhouse rose and walked over the mantelpiece, picking up a photograph and smiling. ‘You know, I really don't know how I didn't realise earlier. Your wife had Danielle when she was very young, didn't she, Mr Parker?’
‘Yes. She was just fifteen. What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘Mmm. So that puts her where, Thirty-two?’
‘Yes. Just.’
‘Would you say Danielle was mature in her looks, Mr Parker?’
‘I don't know. I suppose so.’
Culverhouse laughed. ‘I knew it all along, I think, but it only made itself clear when we were speaking to Sylvia Arthurs. It was the mention of a younger woman that did it for me. Mr Parker, you didn't kill Danielle Levy, did you? You killed your wife, Miriam Levy.’
The woman afore-named as Miriam began to sob uncontrollably.
‘And Danielle Levy isn't dead at all, is she? She's sat right here with us. Isn't that right, Danielle?’
She continued to sob.
‘Mr Parker, I think you had better tell us everything.’