others, we had good cooperation from everyone.'
'But nothing helpful?'
'I didn't say that'
'Get to it, then,' Hen said. 'Who are you talking about?'
'Naomi Green admits she went out during the night, she thinks at about three a.m.'
An avalanche of new possibilities crashed into Hen's brain. 'What on earth for?'
Stella turned to Andy Humphreys. 'You'd better explain.'
He pulled out his notes. 'I interviewed them both — the Greens, I mean. They'd heard about the fire on local radio, so it didn't come as a surprise to them. I spoke to Naomi first and she was very straightforward in her answers.'
'Was Basil present?'
'No, guv. He went out to do something in the garden.'
Johnny Cherry said, 'Like disposing of an empty petrol can?'
Typical bloody Johnny.
Hen said without even a glance in his direction, 'Andy, tell us what Naomi had to say to you.'
'The first time round she didn't admit to anything. She claimed she was working at her computer, entering stuff on her website until well after midnight. She keeps late hours apparently'
'Website?'
'It's some kind of diary she and Zach are writing.'
'An insider's view. We know.'
'Only Zach isn't pulling his weight, so it's all down to her, she says.'
Johnny said, 'He's shagging Sharon instead.'
'Shut up, Johnny. Naomi was working till late, you said?'
'Basil went off to bed about one a.m. and she went — I'm quoting her — 'some time after'. They don't sleep together.'
'Yes, we established that before. She didn't say precisely when she got to bed? You asked, I take it?'
'She wasn't sure. Didn't check the time.'
'Unlikely, but go on. Did you look at her hands, shoes and so on?'
'She showed me them without any fuss. I thought I was doing well, getting so much cooperation out of her. I didn't pick up any petrol smell. At that stage she had the all clear as far as I was concerned. Then I interviewed Basil.'
'Alone?'
He nodded. 'Naomi went off to do some more writing. Basil confirmed he got to bed around one, like Naomi said, while she was still using the computer.'
'And?'
'I asked him if he would have heard Naomi going to bed and he said no.' Humphreys put in a personal observation. 'They're a funny couple. If they were in this together they could give each other alibis easily.'
'But they don't,' Hen said, 'so we assume they aren't.'
'Then he added something that really dropped her in it. He said he heard the front door go when she went out. He said this in a matter-of-fact way as if we both knew all about it. I said, 'She went out?' And he said, 'Yes, doing research.' I asked what time it was and he said it must have been between two and three. He said he knew she was going because she'd told him not to lock up.'
'Did he hear her come in?'
'No, he fell asleep. This morning they both got up late.'
'I'm not surprised. So you spoke to Naomi again?'
'I did, and she didn't turn a hair when I said she'd not told me the whole truth. She said she hadn't lied. She just didn't think it was important.'
'Oh, that old applesauce. Did you ask what she was up to?'
'She said she was' — Humphreys quoted from his notes — ''getting a sense of what it must be like on the streets at night'. She's trying to get into the mind of the arsonist, she says. I said she'd better come up with something better than that and she turned quite stroppy. She said I was incapable of understanding how a serious writer worked and a lot of stuff like that.'
'So how did you handle it?'
'I asked where she went and what sort of research she did.'
'Good.'
'She took the van and drove into town and parked in North Street in one of those spaces at the top end.'
Hen pictured North Street: the paved walkway ended halfway up, north of the red-brick Council House, and traffic could approach through St Peter's and park at the side. 'Did she say why?'
'Research.'
'I know. Researching what?'
'She didn't explain, guv.'
'And you didn't press her?'
Stella came to his aid. 'You know who lives in North Street, above the building society? Tudor.'
'So he does,' Hen said. 'Did she mention Tudor?'
Humphreys said, 'No, guv.'
'What happened, then?'
'Nothing, according to her. It was all about atmosphere — the city at night.'
'Atmosphere, huh? The action was in Vicars Close. Are you sure she didn't go there?'
'She was very clear about that, guv. She stayed where she was.'
'Imbibing the atmosphere?'
'I suppose.'
'How long for?'
'About an hour. Then she reckoned she'd got what she wanted and drove back home and went to bed.'
'She says.' Hen was silent for a while, brooding on what she'd heard. 'I wonder what else wasn't important enough to mention. It's all right, Andy. I'm not taking a swipe at you. You did good, lad.' She turned back to Stella. 'And what else did we glean? Were the rest of our beauties all tucked up in their little beds by three a.m.?'
'Pretty much, guv. Some went later than others. Anton was online on his computer, and can prove it. Tudor was writing a new chapter of his life story until late, but reckons he was in bed by two.'
'Anyone away from home?'
'Not this time.'
'And that's the sum of this morning's interviews?'
'The bits worth mentioning.'
'Statements on my desk before you leave tonight. Wait.' Hen put up a restraining hand. 'I haven't finished. I want to pick your brains. Here we are with a third death by arson. One rather unpopular man and two inoffensive women. We had a few theories as to why Edgar Blacker was murdered. Fewer for Miss Snow. And I can't think of any reason at all why Jessie had to go. Can you?'
'She was an easy target,' DC Shilling suggested. 'Like Miss Snow.'
'Lived alone, you mean?'
'And in the centre of town.'
'That's risky, surely?'
'Plenty of escape routes, plenty of cover.'
'Fair enough, but you seem to be assuming they were killed for no other reason than convenience.'
Shilling gave a shrug. 'If the idea is to pick off members of the circle one by one, it makes sense to start with the easy ones.'
Johnny Cherry said as if to a child, 'Blacker was the first to go, and he wasn't in the circle.'
'All I'm saying,' Shilling said, 'is that the two women were sitting ducks.'
'No, you said the idea was to pick off members of the circle and I'm challenging that assumption.'
Hen sensed that there was more behind Cherry's remark. The man was still a peevish, grudging presence at meetings, unable to get over his displeasure that the investigation had been taken from him. But if he had
