Devil's Garden by Aline Templeton

Author:Aline Templeton [Templeton, Aline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780749026066
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2020-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

When the desk buzzed to say that DCI Strang had arrived, DI Hammond went down to greet him. The man was tall, with something of an army bearing, but it was the scar that ran down the right-hand side of his face that caught the attention first; perhaps it was that that made him look somehow daunting – that and the level brows above cool hazel eyes. He advanced on him with his hand outstretched.

‘DCI Strang? I’m Steve Hammond. Glad to meet you, sir. Very grateful you’ve been able to come down to help us with this problem. Come to my office and I’ll arrange for coffee. Reasonable journey down from Edinburgh?’

Strang’s response seemed wary, but he shook hands and followed along the corridor with some anodyne remark about the traffic. Hammond was pretty sure he had the upper hand; there was no way Strang could know they’d sussed out his plant.

‘Ms Morelli has no doubt given you her take on what has happened?’ he said. ‘I’m sorry for the ladies – it’s been a very stressful time for them recently.’

‘Yes indeed,’ Strang said. ‘And your take is …?’

Hammond sighed. ‘It’s a case of post hoc ergo propter hoc, I’m afraid. That means—’

‘Yes,’ Strang said, ‘I do know. After something, therefore because of it. You’re suggesting that Ms Morelli is assuming that because Jackson burgled Anna Harper’s house after her son died and her daughter had an accident, he was responsible for those?’

He wasn’t sure how to take this. Did that mean Strang accepted the idea, or he didn’t? ‘I’m afraid so, yes. And it’s awkward because Anna Harper has a lot of clout around here. We can’t just say we’ve investigated thoroughly and leave it at that.’

‘I see. Then we have to check it all out and reassure her, don’t we?’

‘Absolutely,’ Hammond said heartily. ‘I can talk you right through it now, if you like.’

‘No need to take up your time. I can get the details later. Can you brief me on this Jason Jackson, though?’

Hammond was beginning to feel that perhaps he didn’t have the upper hand after all. He still had the Murray hand-grenade though; it would be a serious embarrassment for Strang to admit she’d been planted in his team without his knowledge. But he’d need to deploy it when it was most damaging. He certainly mustn’t waste it.

He sighed. ‘Oh yes, Jason! He’s one of the regulars at the pub I go to myself. Talks as if he’s the big man but he’s a pussycat. His problem is he’s got a thing about Anna Harper wrecking his future as a writer. He told me he thought she must have secrets that he could use to stop her trashing the next one and I gave him a stern warning at the time about blackmail. He was dumb enough to break into the house and got the reward he deserved – found nothing. So now he’s got himself in big trouble.’

He was watching Strang to see how he was reacting, but he couldn’t read him.

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