James resisted the urge to phone Annie when he and Stevens moved on from the Curtis house. He wanted to know if it was true that she’d had an abortion, and if so, why she hadn’t told him.
It wouldn’t upset him if she had. After all, it was some twenty years ago – long before she’d ever met him – and, given the circumstances, it was probably the sensible thing to do.
But the way it had come out was a source of embarrassment for him, especially when he wasn’t able to answer the question, and could only warn Daniel not to approach Annie about it.
‘Two decades have passed since you and she were together,’ he’d said. ‘So take my advice and let it rest.’
Before going back to the patrol car, James asked DS Stevens if he’d mind keeping what had been said in the Curtis home to himself.
‘Of course, guv,’ he replied. ‘My lips are sealed. It’s a private matter and nothing to do with me.’
He didn’t know if he could trust Stevens – after all, they hadn’t been the best of mates since the move to Cumbria – but there wasn’t much he could do other than take him at his word. He had too much on his mind to worry about it.
But he was annoyed. It was as though his position as senior investigating officer was being compromised at every turn. First Annie’s Uncle Bill gets thrown into the mix, and now this link between his wife and another suspect.
As they headed towards the home of former detective Giles Keegan, James hoped that he wasn’t about to be hit for six by yet another unwelcome surprise.
Of all the houses James had visited during the past couple of days, Giles Keegan’s was by far the most impressive.
It was a detached converted barn, with stone walls and striking views of the dales from the back windows. James had driven past it many times without realising that it was where the ex-cop was enjoying his retirement from the force.
When the patrol car pulled up outside it was still snowing and the wind had strengthened, but before them was a picture postcard setting, with lights from the downstairs windows glowing in the dark and flakes of snow swirling and dancing all around them.
Keegan hadn’t been told they were coming so he was surprised to see them. And James was surprised that he appeared to be ready for bed even though it was not yet six o’clock. He was wearing a thick dressing gown and clutching a paperback book.
‘I was about to have a bath to try to take my mind off what’s happening,’ he said, a little flustered. ‘You should have let me know you were going to drop by.’
‘It wasn’t planned,’ James said. ‘But as you’re aware we’re now investigating a second murder and we’re hoping you can provide us with some information about the latest victim.’
‘You mean Lorna?’
James nodded. ‘You were seen socialising with her last week and it raises the question of whether or not you were in a relationship.’
His eyes widened. ‘Oh, I see. Well, that’s an easy one to answer. No, we were not in a relationship, but I wanted us to be. You’d better come in and let me explain.’
DS Stevens had already told James a few things about Keegan. He was a widower, his wife having died of cancer five years ago, and he had a son who was living in London. He had spent his entire career with the Cumbria Constabulary, working his way up from a PC to DCI.
He’d lived in Kirkby Abbey for thirty years and had married his wife in the village church. He had a commendable record, according to Stevens, and had been highly rated as a detective.
His home was warm and spacious, the décor tasteful and modern. He took them through to a large kitchen-cum-dining room and invited them to be seated at a glass-topped table. They declined his offer of a drink and James got straight down to business.
‘So tell us about Lorna Manning, Giles,’ he said.
Keegan sat down himself, placing his book on the table.
‘First, you should know that I went over to the crime scene earlier hoping to speak to you, but you weren’t around and none of the other officers would talk to me,’ Keegan said. ‘I didn’t like to bother you after that as I knew how busy you’d be so I came back here and climbed into bed because her death has hit me hard. I feel like I can’t function.’
‘So what, if anything, was going on between you and Lorna?’ James asked.
Keegan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and James could see the grief clouding his features. The pain in his eyes was palpable, and his voice cracked when he spoke.
‘We’d known each other for six or seven years,’ he said. ‘My wife and Lorna were friends and when Christine died she was one of the people who helped me get through the worst of it. More recently we tended only to see each other at events in the village organised by the church and the school.
‘But then just over a week ago I was out on one of my regular walks across the fields when I spotted her sitting by herself next to the stream. I noticed she was crying so I went over to see if she was all right. She said she was, apart from being terribly embarrassed. She wouldn’t tell me what was wrong and she asked me not to keep asking. So I didn’t. But I did persuade her to come back into the village and I walked her home.
‘She invited me in for a cup of tea and we talked for a while. I realised then that she was just as lonely as me, and I thought we got on really well, so I invited her out for a meal on Wednesday evening at The King’s Head, which I’m guessing is where we were seen together. It was really great and we agreed to do it again before Christmas. I was hoping it might lead to something more serious.’
His eyes were glazed now and James could tell he was on the verge of losing it.
‘When was the last time you saw her, Giles?’ he asked.
‘That would be yesterday. We’d agreed to meet at the carol singing, but got split up after Charlie’s body was found. I popped round to her house later in the afternoon to see if she was okay.’
‘And was she?’
‘Not really. Like everyone else, she was shocked and upset.’
‘So how long did you stay there?’
‘A couple of hours, I think. I left about five because she said she had some school work to do.’
‘And how was she when you left?’
‘Much the same. She was struggling to understand what’s going on in the village and she kept saying how worried she was for the children.’
‘Do you know if she intended to meet up with anyone else later in the evening?’
‘She told me she was going to bed early. I asked her if she was planning to go to the church service for Charlie and she said she was.’ There were tears in his eyes now and phlegm rattled noisily in his throat. ‘I assume you’re linking the two murders. But please tell me you’re making some headway. The villagers are rightly terrified.’
‘Well, as you more than others can appreciate, it’s early days still,’ James said. ‘But we do suspect the same person is responsible.’
‘So we’ve got a serial killer in Kirkby Abbey.’
James shrugged in a noncommittal way. ‘I don’t suppose you have any idea who it might be?’
Keegan took offence at that, shaking his head and fixing James with a belligerent stare.
‘Don’t you think I would tell you if I knew?’ he said. ‘I’ve been racking my brain but getting nowhere. None of it makes sense. This is a small village in Cumbria, for Christ’s sake. It isn’t crime-ridden London.’
Keegan fell silent for a few seconds, his wet eyes distant, his lips trembling.
‘Sorry about that,’ he said eventually. ‘But this is all so close to home. I had feelings for Lorna and I can’t believe what’s happened to her.’
Stevens asked him if he had managed to find out why Lorna had been crying that day by the stream. The DS also pointed out that several people, including Father Silver, had mentioned that she had often appeared depressed.
He nodded. ‘I’m sure there was something bubbling beneath the surface, but she wouldn’t tell me what it was, and I wasn’t inclined to push it. I wish now that I had. Do you think it had something to do with why she was killed?’
‘We don’t know,’ Stevens said. ‘It’s possible.’
‘We’ve just come from interviewing Daniel Curtis. He told us you had an encounter with him on Friday evening,’ James said. ‘Can you explain what that was all about?’
Anger flashed across Keegan’s features. ‘Sure, I can. That pervert was standing outside the school. I saw him when I left the nativity play. He must have been waiting to ogle the girls.’
‘So what did you do?’
‘Told him to shove off. The guy’s a nonce, and I should know because I was part of the team that helped get him convicted.’
‘And did he resist?’
‘He started to but then thought better of it and left. I hate it when he comes back here to see his old man because I don’t trust him.’
James had no intention of telling him that Daniel claimed he had been waiting outside the school to speak to Annie. The fewer people who knew about that the better.
He was about to wrap up the interview when Keegan’s expression changed.
‘Hold on a minute,’ he said. ‘Something has just occurred to me. What if the git was waiting for Lorna? She was in the school and would have left there soon after me.’
‘There’s no reason to believe he was, unless you know something we don’t,’ James said. ‘Did Lorna have reason to even know the man?’
He thought about it while shaking his head. ‘I’m certain that she didn’t. But it could be that she got on his bad side. Maybe she’d seen him before outside the school and warned him to stay away and he didn’t like it.’
‘It’s hardly a motive for murder,’ James said.
‘That man has an evil streak running through him, and to my mind he’s capable of anything. You need to look into it and find out if he’s had any issues recently with Charlie Jenkins. If it was me leading this fucking investigation I would—’
‘Stop there, Giles,’ James interrupted him, his voice stern. ‘You are not in charge, and I don’t appreciate you telling me how to do my job. We’ll be following up every lead, you can be sure of that. In the meantime, I’ll expect you not to get involved. And that means staying away from Daniel Curtis.’