MURDER IN THE GARDEN by Faith Martin

Author:Faith Martin [MARTIN, FAITH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books crime, thriller and mystery
Published: 2018-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Gemma Fordham glanced up as her boss walked through the crowded office to her desk. ‘I’ve just brought Martha Hepton in,’ Hillary said coolly by way of greeting, and briefly brought Gemma up to date. ‘I’m letting Barrington sit in with me, but I’d like you to observe. I’ve got a feeling she’s going to be a wily one.’ Hillary suspected another set of eyes and ears might come in very handy.

Gemma felt her heart rate skip. ‘Right, guv.’ She picked up her notebook and headed for the door. She liked to watch Hillary in action, and this was the first real lead they’d had since starting the investigation. Who knew, she mused: if Hillary could break her down they might get a confession and have the case wrapped up by teatime.

Hillary collected her favourite personal mini-cassette recorder and slipped it into her bag, then glanced across at Danvers’s cubicle and saw that it was empty. She started to write out an update for him concerning their new suspect when her phone rang.

‘DI Greene.’

‘Hello, DI Greene? This is DC Stephen Crane, ma’am. You don’t know me, ma’am, but I’m one of the officers in Thame.’

Hillary jerked upright. What the hell was going on now? ‘Yes, Constable?’ she said warily. She wouldn’t put it past Brian Vane to be setting her up for something. After all, he’d warned her in front of Donleavy to stay out of Mel’s case, and she didn’t know this DC Crane from Adam.

‘I think you should know, ma’am, that I’ve just seen an ex-sergeant of yours,’ Stephen Crane said, carefully and unhappily. ‘In fact, I’m looking at her right now.’

Hillary caught her breath. Shit! Janine was in the vicinity of Myers’s house? What the hell was she thinking of?

‘Is she on foot?’ Hillary asked sharply.

‘No, ma’am. In her car.’

‘I’ll be right there. If she tries to leave the car, please tell her I’ll be there shortly.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ came the relieved reply. Hillary swore colourfully as she hung up and grabbed her coat. She all but ran across the office, down the stairs and into the interview rooms in the basement.

She didn’t go immediately to interview room two however, where she’d left Martha Hepton not five minutes ago, but rather to the adjoining observation room. There she stuck her head around the door.

‘Gemma, it’s all yours,’ she told her startled sergeant. ‘I have to go out. I want you to get Barrington out here and let him fill you in more fully, then start the interview without me. I expect to be back within the hour, so keep her talking if you can.’

‘Guv, what if she wants to walk?’ Gemma asked in alarm. They both knew that unless a suspect was actually under arrest, he or she could leave at any time they liked. ‘Do I charge her?’

‘Hell no,’ Hillary said forcefully. ‘We don’t have anything like the evidence for that yet. Just get a feel for her. See if you can draw her out.’

Damn it, Hillary fumed.

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