Hunt follows me into the lounge and I ask him if he’d like tea. He’s checking out my house like a prospective buyer, but the ones who can’t afford it and only come to peep.
‘No, I’m good, but thank you. Is Ewan home?’
‘Yes, but he’s had a shock. It’s not a good day.’
We sit opposite one another on armchairs, and I wonder what it’d be like to analyse Hunt. I have my opinions, of course. Like all humans, I judge within seven seconds of meeting somebody, and it’s not good. Hunt reminds me of the hare in a hurry from the famous fable. He’s keen to get answers, but probably hasn’t got the mettle to commit to the race. He’s under pressure, I can see that. He’s been busy this morning, I’m not his only call – I know that from Tony – and with a murder on his hands, he’s only just getting started. He’d probably rather be relaxing at home, watching Match of the Day, or down the pub with his other copper pals, talking shop. He’s already got sweat patches under his arms, and his suit is tired. He wishes he’d gone to college and got a better-paying job, but he messed around at school.
‘Like I said, Ewan’s got a lot on his plate today. The boy’s death in the news – he went to school with Brandon Stand, you see, and then—’
‘That’s what I’m here about.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Brandon Stand.’
‘Oh. Is this to do with the assault on Wednesday?’
‘No, sorry, I wasn’t aware of that.’
‘Brandon was Ewan’s bully.’ I let it hang.
‘I see. That makes sense.’
‘Pardon?’
Hunt takes one of those long sighs that coppers do when they think the layperson has missed something obvious, because civilians, to them, are quite simple creatures.
‘There have been developments in the case of Brandon’s death, and we’ve made an arrest this morning for supplying the pills that killed him. He had a lethal amount of MDMA in his system. Enough to fell a racehorse.’
‘Crikey.’
I bet racehorses aren’t so stupid.
‘Does the name Archibald Morgan mean anything to you?’
‘Yes, I know his parents. Ewan goes to school with his sister, Natalie.’
‘Exactly. Well it’s Archibald who has been arrested and Natalie has also been questioned. We think that Archibald gave her the pills and she sold them to Brandon, and I wonder if it might have been on purpose. Your son was with her last night.’
I can feel the cranberry juice from earlier gurgle in my belly and I think I want to rewind to sometime last week when my life seemed so much easier. It’s acidic in my mouth. I’m fighting my instincts because I want to scream at him, but I need to remain calm.
‘So you can see, doc, why I might want to speak to your son.’
Behind Hunt is a family photo, framed after a trip to the Serengeti. The children are pointing at a lioness and her cubs and I know what she is thinking. Ewan smiles back at me and my heart rate slows. I’m in control.
‘Goodness. The day that keeps on giving.’
‘Doesn’t it?’ Hunt says.
I read his body. He’s uncomfortable. He doesn’t want to implicate a well-to-do boy, the son of a decorated psychologist who offers no resistance to his questioning.
‘I’ve just told my children what happened to Monika.’
I let it sit.
‘You must come across this all the time. The way families implode when something so awful happens. Monika was a family friend. Ewan was close to her.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Brandon Stand, on the other hand, was Ewan’s tormentor for years. He’s blaming himself for what happened to Brandon, but I know my son. This friend, Natalie, who says she was with Ewan last night – has she said that Ewan had anything to do with the drugs?’
‘I can’t really divulge—’
‘I know. I work with the police all the time. I’m restricted by the same rules with my clients. We’re bound by confidentiality. But sometimes, it’s also good to share information and expedite, if you follow me.’
I can see his relief open his body to me. He’s thinking how lucky he is to have a fellow professional to be technically smug with.
‘Off the record, it looks like Archibald Morgan is a seasoned dealer. He’s looking at manslaughter. The sister wants naturally to protect him and so she’s willing to take the fall for him. She’s swearing she took the pills and gave them to Brandon. But what we’re really after is their supplier.’
I’m not really interested in the motives of other people’s children. My allegiance is to my own.
‘So, Ewan’s physical presence at the rec last night might land him in the dock as a witness?’
Hunt nods.
‘Can you give me time with my son? I need to speak to him and get to the truth. You know how a police officer can put people off.’
He smiles. His oral hygiene needs work.
‘He’s also a minor.’
‘I’m not suggesting that I want to haul him in, if that’s what you mean. I can give you time. You can feed back to me when you’ve had time to chat. Say, tomorrow? I’ll give you my mobile number so you can contact me.’
I take his card and smile at him.
‘Have you found who killed Monika?’
He sighs again but this time he’s inviting me into his quandary with him as a fellow expert.
‘We’ll get him, that’s for sure. I’m looking into several options. I don’t want to brag, doc, but my background is in expert profiling, and I can say with certainty that we’re looking for a narcissist.’
I almost regurgitate my cranberry juice, which is dangerously creeping up my oesophagus. He has no idea what he’s talking about. However, his incompetence might work in my favour.
‘A narcissist?’
‘Yup. The feeling of power they get when they take control, and, you know, their sense of entitlement.’
I nod. He’s way off the mark. Personality disorders are complex, and I’ve got one sat right in front of me, that’s for sure.
‘I have a feeling that your inquiries will lead back to me all in good time. I can save you the trouble,’ I say.
‘Come again?’
‘I’m a therapist, Mr Hunt. I have some very wealthy local clients, and at some point you’ll be asking me for a warrant to open my files, because this is a small town with a shortage of experts offering what I do. Monika’s name came up in several of my case histories.’
‘Is that ethical?’
It’s a fair question, but one I’ve already looked into.
‘As long as my clients aren’t related, or connected to me in some way, I can treat them. There are certain scenarios when I might refuse treatment, for example, I can’t treat my own family, or friends. Monika wasn’t a client.’
‘But you’re telling me that you do treat one or more people who knew her?’
I nod. ‘I’m sure you probably haven’t even heard of them, and I’m sure it’s nothing, but Monika meant a lot to us. If I can help in any way. Henry Nelson is one and Carrie Greenside the other. I also treat Grace Bridge, Monika’s personal trainer.’
I can tell by Hunt’s face that his bells are going off like Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve and he can taste victory. Maybe he’ll get a pay rise if he cracks this case quickly.
‘I’ve already checked with my governing body. I haven’t crossed any professional lines. They were distinctly separate cases. Until now.’
‘Did you treat Tony Thorpe?’
‘No. He’s been a friend for many years. My husband and I were at university with Tony back in the day. He’s a good example of somebody who I could never treat.’
‘Your clients – the ones who you’ve mentioned – how well did they know Monika?’
He is well aware how well they knew Monika, but, like Ewan always tells me when we play Monopoly, he’s on Pall Mall and I’m already on Mayfair.
‘Can I suggest something? My priority right now is my son. I need to talk with him. Then, I’ll gather together some information for you about when Monika’s name came up in my sessions. Petition an emergency court order for my files. It might be helpful if you also request a formal meeting with me for this, so we tick all the boxes. Client confidentiality is watertight in my profession unless there is a crime suspected, of course.’
He raises his eyebrows because he didn’t think I’d know how investigations work, but I do.
‘Of course. I’ll leave you to speak to your son. Call me tomorrow.’
‘I’m sure you’ve got a hell of a day ahead.’
We stand. He sighs and I reckon he’s replaced the air in my house twice over.
‘Tomorrow.’
I show him out but once he’s gone, I can still smell him all over the house.