The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths

Author:Elly Griffiths
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Quercus Editions Ltd
Published: 2020-01-15T10:08:47+00:00

Chapter 19

‘So Ivor March did know Heidi Lucas.’ Judy is examining the photographs. Nelson is rather envious of the fact that she doesn’t have to hold them at arm’s length to do so.

‘Apparently so. Do you know who all these other people are?’

‘That’s March, obviously. Crissy is on one side, Chantal on the other.’

‘I bet he loved that,’ says Nelson. ‘His ex-wife and his mistress both all over him. But it’s interesting. Chantal told me that she’d never met Jenny.’

‘Well, she obviously had. This is quite a gathering. Next to Chantal is Bob Carr, the printmaker. That’s Leonard Jenkins, the sculptor who’s now a teacher. I’m not sure who that is . . .’

‘That’s John Robertson, the gardener at Grey Walls. I don’t recognise the man next to him.’

‘Nor do I. That’s Jenny McGuire at the front next to Heidi.’

‘And who are the men with Crissy Martin in the other picture?’

‘Bob and Leonard.’

‘Looks as if they’re both in love with her. Their tongues are practically hanging out.’

‘Leonard called her a “wonderful woman” but he’s gay.’

‘Doesn’t stop him being in love with her.’

‘You’re learning,’ says Judy.

Nelson ignores this. ‘What about Bob Carr? Wasn’t he in a relationship with Ailsa?’

‘Yes, but she married Leonard. It’s all very confusing.’

‘That’s one word for it. Anyway, we need to ask all these people about Heidi. This is a coincidence too far.’ He squints at the picture. It’s too small for him to see Heidi’s face clearly but she looks relaxed, one hand pushing back her hair, the other holding the stick with which she’s poking the fire. But what is Heidi doing here with these people?

‘You heard that we got the forensics back from the lab,’ says Judy.

‘Yes,’ says Nelson. ‘That’s good news.’ They have managed to retrieve enough DNA from the first two bodies for a positive identification. It is now beyond doubt that it is Nicola Ferris and Jenny McGuire who were buried in the garden of the Jolly Boatman.

‘Nothing on the third body?’ he says.

‘Not yet,’ says Judy. ‘It was in the ground longer so the DNA has deteriorated too much. But I’ve got Sofia Novak’s dental records. We should soon know if it’s her or not.’

‘Are you going to tell the families?’

‘Tony and I are just off now.’

‘OK,’ says Nelson, ‘but we need to ask Heidi’s boyfriend and family about these pictures.’

‘That’s Tanya’s patch.’

‘I suppose it is,’ says Nelson.

*

Nelson briefs Tanya who immediately sets off to see Josh Evans, Heidi’s boyfriend. Judy and Tony head out to visit the Ferris and McGuire families. Nelson disappears into his office to avoid talking to Super Jo, who is hovering on the edge of the briefing, the words ‘press conference’ forming on her lips.

He has hardly closed the door when his phone starts to buzz. ‘Ruth’ says the screen.

‘Ruth,’ says Nelson, ‘is it—’

‘It’s not about Kate,’ says Ruth. She sounds harassed and rather tense. Nelson imagines her in that depressing-looking office with the panels and the oil paintings. That place would be enough to make anyone feel stressed.

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