‘This is my DS, Laura Grant.’
Grant, already reseated, nodded curtly at Brook, her head bowed as if trying to avoid his searching stare.
Brook sensed the antipathy in her but had grown so accustomed to the reaction from others, that it barely registered. ‘Laura — beautiful name.’
Grant blushed, with an unexpected tremor of pleasure that teetered on the brink of annoyance. ‘Thank you.’
‘Please sit,’ said Charlton. Brook noticed the extra chairs and made for one. Clearly this meeting had been planned. ‘Now DCI Hudson and DS Grant have come all this way to see you, Inspector Brook and, as I have a liaison committee to chair, feel free to use my office.’
‘Thank you, Chief Superintendent,’ said Hudson, already turning his sights on Brook.
Brook held his gaze, staring back without emotion or apparent curiosity. Brook knew why they’d come.
‘Inspector Brook. I will need to speak to you about this Brian Burton book this afternoon. I’ll be back in the office at three p.m.,’ continued the Chief Super. ‘In the meantime I’ll leave you to it.’ Charlton was now forced to stand. To his discomfort, everyone else stood too and he became flustered, keen to flee this land of the giants. As soon as he could manoeuvre himself to the door, he scuttled out.
‘Shall we sit down, Inspector?’ suggested Hudson.
Brook fell back onto the padded chair and crossed his legs. ‘Call me Damen.’
‘Damen.’
‘Thanks for agreeing to talk to us.’
‘I haven’t agreed to talk to you.’
Hudson and Grant looked sharply at Brook. Hudson broke into a quick smile.
‘No problem. What’s going on in Bromley that you need to come all this way to see me?’ asked Brook, without a semblance of interest. ‘We’ve had telephones here in Derby for months.’
Hudson couldn’t suppress a chuckle, but Grant smiled coldly. ‘I transferred out of Bromley eight years ago, Damen. I moved to Brighton for a quieter life. Fat chance, eh?’ Hudson and Grant locked eyes on him for a reaction, but Brook was completely impassive. There was silence for a moment before Hudson spoke again. ‘Your ex-wife and daughter live there. Aren’t you worried that something may have happened to them?’
‘You wouldn’t have driven two hundred miles just to break it to me,’ said Brook softly.
‘I suppose not.’
‘In fact, we saw them recently. They’re in good health,’ added Grant. ‘Emotionally they’re not too good.’
‘Really,’ said Brook.
‘You see, your ex-wife’s husband, Tony Harvey-Ellis, is dead. He drowned in the Channel.’
Grant and Hudson were mildly shocked to see Brook’s thin smile.
‘What a pity. Drowned, you say?’
‘Yes.’
‘However, it wasn’t an accident.’
Brook’s smile faded. ‘He was murdered?’
‘It looks that way,’ nodded Hudson.
‘Drownings are almost always suicides when they’re not accidents, Inspector,’ added Grant. She glared intently at Brook.
Brook smiled and nodded, pleased that they’d tried to wrong-foot him. ‘You clearly didn’t know him, Laura. Someone as smug and self-absorbed as Harvey-Ellis could never kill himself.’
‘You still haven’t asked about your ex-wife and daughter,’ observed Hudson.
‘You don’t think Amy and Terri were responsible, I hope?’
‘We’re keeping an open mind.’
‘Well close it. They couldn’t have been involved. They wouldn’t have the strength to drown a man — especially someone as powerful as Harvey-Ellis. He was a rugby player at one time.’
‘Maybe not to hold someone like Harvey-Ellis under the water,’ agreed Hudson. ‘But a smack on the head with a baseball bat wouldn’t be beyond either of them.’ Brook said nothing. ‘You don’t seem to dispute your ex-wife and daughter might have had motive.’ Brook shrugged. ‘Can I assume then that you know about the affair between Harvey-Ellis and your daughter?’
Brook narrowed his eyes and sank further into the chair. Grant noticed his hands clenching into fists. ‘You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t certain I knew what was happening, would you?’
‘Honestly, no,’ said Hudson. ‘Out of interest, how did you find out about the affair? Did your ex-wife confide in you?’
Brook looked away. ‘I’m a trained detective. I found out. Leave it at that.’
‘You seem uncomfortable discussing this, Inspector,’ said Grant. ‘How would you feel?’ Brook glared at Grant. ‘Virtual strangers asking questions, about my daughter and her…’
‘Affair.’
‘Can we not refer to this as an affair? Affairs are for adults. Terri was fifteen. Harvey-Ellis is a predator. Was.’
There was a long silence while Hudson and Grant let Brook simmer. ‘Strong feelings feed strong motives,’ added Grant eventually.
‘Which makes me the prime suspect.’
‘Is that a confession, Damen?’
‘No.’
‘Any normal father…’ blurted Grant, then stopped, annoyed with herself. Hudson had been very specific about avoiding any hint of an accusation. She apologised to her boss with a look.
‘Are you a normal father, Damen?’ asked Hudson, deciding he had no choice now but to run with it.
‘Normal enough to threaten him,’ agreed Brook. ‘I assaulted him as well. I suspect you know that.’
‘Nearly two years ago. Is that why you got suspended?’
‘No. No-one knew about the assault. I was suspended for dropping off the grid at the height of the Wallis Inquiry.’
‘To come to Brighton to confront Tony Harvey-Ellis?’
‘Yes.’
‘But that didn’t stop the … relationship with your daughter.’
Brook’s eyes bored into Hudson. ‘No.’
‘So why didn’t you do something?’
Brook smiled sadly. ‘You’re the second person to have asked me that.’
‘Who was the first?’
‘Someone I used to know in London.’
‘And what was your answer? After all, you could’ve exposed him, made his life very difficult. You might have had a crack at putting him away, Damen.’
‘I know. It’s just … things got away from me. Later I realised how much they both loved him and hated me. There didn’t seem much point after that. It’s academic now.’
‘Before we ask the next question I want to remind you that we’re just having an informal talk,’ said Hudson. ‘But in view of your distinguished career, neither I nor DS Grant would feel happy if you felt you needed representation and didn’t ask for it.’ Hudson waited.
Brook nodded. ‘Ask your question.’
‘Where were you last weekend, Inspector Brook?’ asked Grant. ‘We’ll settle for Saturday night and Sunday morning for now.’
Brook tossed his head back to concentrate on the ceiling. ‘I’m not sure but I think I was either near Matlock or Tissington. It’s in the Peak District. I was on two weeks’ leave. I didn’t take a calendar with me and quite often I didn’t know what day it was.’
‘You were on your own?’ asked Grant, now taking notes.
‘Always.’
‘Did anyone you know see you?’
