Dan dropped his shopping on the kitchen counter, then he grabbed the jug of water from the fridge. He poured a large glass and gulped it down, closing his eyes to savour the sensation. It had taken him some time to make Craig see sense, but he’d got there in the end. Now he needed time to think.
Out of habit, Dan took out his phone and checked the screen. There were four missed calls, three of them from Kristen, and a twinge of anxiety pinched at his gut. A few hours ago, I’d have been thrilled at the prospect of talking to her, he thought. But now? He placed his phone face down on the counter and refilled his glass with water, then he wandered through to the front room.
Gazing out through the window, a sudden sadness came over him. The village seemed so peaceful, but beneath the air of gentle respectability, the tides of drive and desire flowed as powerfully as those that coursed through any city street; the undercurrents of emotion just as deep and just as dark. All human life is here, he thought. Why did I ever think otherwise?
He thought back to the angst he’d seen in Craig’s eyes, the sheer desperation. The man had been driven to the edge of reason, and though some of his troubles were his own fault, caused purely by his greed, someone else had set him on the wrong path and given him a hearty shove in the right direction. Could it have been Kristen? And was he seriously considering the idea that she could’ve killed Mortimer? That was ridiculous, wasn’t it?
How could he know, one way or the other? He had no proof, nothing concrete to rely on, but his intuition latched onto the notion that Kristen had something to hide, and he held it tight.
Outside, as if summoned by his imagination, Kristen appeared in the street. As Dan watched, she half turned to deliver a friendly wave to someone out of sight then, smiling, she strolled away without a care in the world.
“My God,” he whispered. “She’s been to Alan’s house.”
Dan froze for a moment, wrestling with the implications of the scene he’d just witnessed, then he headed outside.
I need to go gently, Dan thought as he stalked toward Alan’s front door. Alan was a good man, but he could be naïve, and he’d been knocked off balance by the accusations hanging over his head. Be polite, Dan told himself. Don’t go charging in.
But when Alan answered the door with a benign grin on his face, Dan said, “Well, are you going to invite me in or what?”
“Not if you’re going to scowl and carry on like a spoilt brat, no.”
“I have to come in,” Dan insisted. “We need to talk. It’s important.”
“Oh well, in that case, you’d better come in.”
Dan followed Alan through to the kitchen, then they stood, facing each other.
“Right. What’s so important?” Alan asked.
“I saw Kristen leave. What did she want?”
Alan nodded slowly. “I see. Like that, is it?”
“Like what?”
“You don’t like the fact that Kristen called on me, when you so obviously thought you stood a chance with her.”
Dan almost laughed. “Do me a favour. I’m not thirteen.”
“Then stop being so childish. Honestly, if you could see yourself now: the image of a spurned suitor.”
“That’s nonsense,” Dan insisted. “This has got nothing to do with me. The point is—”
“That a woman like Kristen could never be interested in a man like me, especially not when you’re the alternative,” Alan interrupted. “You don’t have to spell it out; it’s written all over your face.”
“You’re way off beam, Alan. You really are.” Dan took a steadying breath. “Look, Kristen is not the person we thought.”
“In what way?”
“Craig came to find me earlier. He took me up to some godforsaken forest in his Land Rover, and we had a very strange conversation. It turns out that he didn’t inherit Mortimer’s land after all.”
“So who did?”
“I’m not sure, but I do know that the whole estate is tied up in offshore companies,” Dan said. “It seems likely that Kristen has known this fact all along, but she let Craig believe that he’d inherit.”
“No, that can’t be right,” Alan protested. “I did some research, and it seems likely that the land below the spoil heaps is contaminated. But when I mentioned it to Kristen, she said it was Craig’s problem because it was his land.”
“She was putting up a front. I’m sorry to say this, but she’s pulled the wool over our eyes all along. She ran Mortimer’s business affairs, remember. She knows a lot more than she’s letting on. Craig wasn’t spinning me a line. The man is in pieces. He’s been left with nothing.”
Alan pressed his lips together tight. He looked down for a moment, and when he lifted his head, the animation had gone from his expression. “She lied to me.”
“It certainly looks that way. But don’t blame yourself. She took us all in.” Dan wasn’t sure whether he should pat Alan on the arm, so he settled for a reassuring smile. “At least we know the score now. We know that she can’t be trusted. And there’s something else we have to talk about.”
“You think she had something to do with what happened to Mortimer?”
“Yes. We have to consider that possibility.”
Alan nodded, but his eyes had lost focus, and he stared into the middle distance, lost.
Someone hammered on the front door.
“I’ll get that for you,” Dan said. “Whoever it is, I’ll get rid of them. Sit down. We’ll figure this out.”
Dan hurried to the door, but when he opened it, he stared at the two men waiting patiently outside. “DS Spiller. What’s going on? What’s happened?”
“Afternoon,” Spiller said. “Is Mr Hargreaves at home?”
“Yes. Why?”
Spiller gestured toward the hallway. “Mind if we step inside, sir?”
“I’m not sure. Who’s your friend?”
“This is DC Collins. We have business with Mr Hargreaves, and we can only discuss it with him personally. So if you wouldn’t mind…”
Dan had an urge to send them packing, but the policemen fixed their stares on him, and he could think of no valid excuse. “I suppose you’d better come in,” he said. “This way.” Dan led the policemen through to the kitchen. “Alan, it’s DS Spiller and his colleague.”
Alan had taken a seat at the table, but he stood, his eyes pinched with worry. “Hello. What can I do for you?”
“We won’t take much of your time, Mr Hargreaves, but would you mind if we take a little look around the place?”
“Why?” Dan asked. “What’s this about?”
“We’re acting on information received,” Spiller replied, keeping his attention on Alan. “As part of our investigation into Mr Gamble’s unexplained death, we’d like to take a look around the house if that’s all right.”
“I’m not sure,” Alan said. “Are you talking about a search? Don’t you need a warrant or something?”
Spiller looked thoughtful as though giving the matter careful consideration. “Not necessarily. But let’s not get bogged down in the technicalities. We’re asking for a little cooperation, and that always makes things go so much easier.”
“But what are you looking for?” Dan said. “This is outrageous.”
Spiller turned on him. “This is a matter for Mr Hargreaves, sir. I’d be grateful if you’d let us do our job. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hinder a police inquiry.” He paused. “Is that what you’re trying to do, Mr Corrigan? Are we going to have words, you and I?”
“There’s no need for arguments,” Alan said. “Just tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll try to help.”
Spiller sent Dan a superior smile, then he turned his gaze on Alan. “As I said, we’re acting on information received, and we have reasonable grounds to suspect that there’s material in this house that could be pertinent to our inquiry. Now, it could be nothing. A quick look around the house might tie the whole thing up, and then we can all go about our business. But if you really object, I have to warn you that I can search without a warrant if you’ve been arrested. It’s a question of protecting evidence, you see. So if you want to go down that route, that’s fine with me. On the other hand, if our information proves to be false, there’ll be no evidence to retrieve and no need for an arrest. Do you follow?”
Alan heaved a sigh. “All right. You can have a look around. I can’t see the harm.”
“Not a good idea,” Dan said. “I don’t like this, Alan. I don’t like it at all.”
“I know,” Alan replied. “But I’ve got nothing to hide. Go ahead, DS Spiller. What do you want to see?”
Spiller smiled. “Thank you, sir.” He nodded to his colleague. “We’ll start upstairs.”
“Upstairs?” Alan’s face fell. “Why would you want to go upstairs?”
“It’s just routine, sir.” Spiller led the way, Collins hard on his heels.
“We’d better go with them,” Dan said. “We need to keep an eye on them.”
“Right.”
They hurried up the stairs and found the policemen in Alan’s bedroom.
“Very neat,” Spiller said. “Very tidy. Everything in its place.” He pointed to a pine chest of drawers. “What’s in here, sir?”
“Clothes,” Alan replied. “Socks, T-shirts. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Strolling across the room, Spiller pulled open the top drawer. “As you say, socks.” He paused. “And also, something else. DC Collins, can you come over here and confirm this?”
Collins joined Spiller in peering into the drawer. “Shall I bag it, Sarge?”
“Oh yes,” Spiller replied. “Bag it very carefully, Collins.”
Alan started forward, but Spiller raised his hand to halt him. “Mr Hargreaves, do you own a gold watch?”
“No.”
“Then can you explain how this item came to be in your possession?” Spiller gestured toward the drawer, and Collins held up a plastic evidence bag containing a gold wristwatch.
“I’ve never seen that before in my life,” Alan spluttered. “Never!”
“I’m afraid that’s not the most original response,” Spiller intoned. “But you have just seen me discover it in your drawer. It looks like quite a valuable watch, and I have reason to believe that it belonged to the late Mr Gamble. So I ask again: can you explain how it came to be in your possession?”
“Kristen,” Alan said. “Mortimer’s niece. She was in here just a little while ago. She must’ve put it there.”
Dan stared at him. “She was in your bedroom?”
“She dropped in, and we had a drink, then she asked to use the bathroom. I stayed downstairs, but I heard her come in here. The floorboards creak.”
“There you are then,” Dan said. “There’s your explanation, Spiller. Kristen set him up. I’ll bet your informant was a woman, yes?”
Spiller shook his head. “That’s DS Spiller to you, sir. I don’t have to explain myself to you, but as it happens, our information came from a man: a local, from his accent.” He focused on Alan. “Well, Mr Hargreaves, there’s nothing for it. I’ll have to ask you to come with me for a formal interview under caution.”
“But I’ve already told you how the watch got there,” Alan groaned. “I’ve got nothing more to add.”
“Perhaps, but as I’ve already explained, under the circumstances, I could arrest you,” Spiller replied. “It would be a lot better if you’d come along voluntarily. If I have to make an arrest…” He shrugged. “I’ll be honest, I’m pretty booked up for the rest of the day, so we might have to hold you overnight and carry out your interview in the morning. Although it is Saturday tomorrow, so things could get held up.”
Alan’s shoulders slumped. “I really don’t have much choice, do I. Okay, I’ll come with you, but I’ll need to call my solicitor.”
“That would be wise,” Spiller replied. “Let’s go. The sooner we get this resolved, the better for everyone.”
They made their way downstairs, and in the hallway, Dan said, “I’ll think of something, Alan. There must be some way I can prove that Kristen did this.”
“The best way to help your friend is to stay out of trouble,” Spiller said. “We may have some questions for you further down the line, Mr Corrigan, so I’d keep my nose clean if I were you.”
Dan nodded, but as he followed the others into the street and watched Alan being led to an unmarked car, he made his mind up. He was going to make sure Kristen couldn’t get away with this. He was going to make her pay for what she’d done.