‘And you’ll get it if I can think of a damned thing,’ Gemma said. ‘At this moment I can’t. It’s not as if the dead woman was one of our clients.’
‘It won’t be as obvious as that,’ Jo said. ‘How much do you know about Mr Cartwright’s life outside here?’
‘Only bits. The divorce happened yonks ago, so I doubt if that has any bearing. He lived at Apuldram and grew roses. Sometimes came in with a rosebud in his buttonhole. He fancied himself as a fashion object, I think, what with the dicky-bows and the brothel creepers. He was way off track.’
‘Was he bitter to women?’
‘Because of the divorce? I don’t think so. Not that you’d notice, anyway. He acted the gent, smiled and put on the charm, like I told you. Mind, when you visit a house you don’t ask to see the cesspit.’
‘Did he go to university?’
‘Never mentioned it.’ Gemma raised a finger. ‘Ah, you’re thinking they could have met as students. Well, I doubt it. I always thought Cartwright left school early to join the printing trade and worked his way up the ladder. Give him his due, he knew every bit of the biz.’
‘How about the marriage? Did he talk about that?’
‘Not to me, poppet. I’m sorry. I’m not being helpful. How would the marriage make a difference anyway?’
‘If his ex was a friend of Meredith.’
‘I see.’ But there wasn’t much enthusiasm in the way Gemma spoke. She hesitated and then said with a tentative smile, ‘Jo, are we in danger of clutching at straws?’
Jo nodded. It was fair comment. ‘The thing is, I never met the man and you only knew him as your boss. There’s a lot more of his life we know nothing about. Did he keep any personal items in the office?’
‘Sorry to disappoint. The police took all his stuff away last week. The drawers of his desk, files, a couple of photos, even the calendar off the wall. They had the hard disk out of his computer. Go in and look if you like, but I don’t think you’ll find anything.’
Jo sighed. This had been the key part of her plan.
‘At least it shows they’re not ignoring him,’ Gemma added.
‘Do you think they searched his house as well?’
‘It would make sense, wouldn’t it?’
‘Did they say anything about a search?’
‘To me?’ Gemma shook her head.
There was a moment of silence while each of them wrestled with her conscience. Then Jo said, ‘Are you up for it?’
‘If you are.’
Apuldram was an ancient shrunken hamlet a ten-minute drive away, fringing the Fishbourne Channel immediately south of Chichester in an undeveloped area designated as of outstanding scenic interest. The A27 bypass had effectively cut it off from the city. Known for its rose garden and the Crown and Anchor Inn at Dell Quay, it was not a bad place to have a pad, as Gemma remarked.
Jo had always believed in being open with her friends and she wanted to clear the air with Gemma, so as soon as they drove off, she said, ‘I’d better tell you, Gem. I’ve thought about Rick’s story and I’ve got serious doubts.’
Gemma said in a subdued voice, ‘Go on.’
‘Well, I wonder if he said he’d killed Mr Cartwright just to impress you, almost as an extension of the joking we did about it. The thing is, Rick is serious-minded and when he says something it doesn’t come out as wacky. He doesn’t do wacky.’
‘That’s for sure,’ Gemma said.
‘So I can’t help thinking he got himself into a situation he couldn’t find a way out of. He made this claim in such a serious way that you believed him-and so did I when he repeated it to me-and he couldn’t go back and say it was all made up.’
‘You mean because I had sex with him?’
‘Well… yes.’
‘I told you how it happened, and it was true,’ Gemma said. ‘It blew my mind when he said he’d murdered Cartwright for real. All the talk about totalling him had been meant in fun, like you’re saying. I was really scared, and I felt responsible. He’d never have done it without me opening my big mouth. So when he said the next bit, about doing the perfect murder and making every trace disappear, I can’t describe the weight that was lifted from me. Okay, it was still a nightmare, but we’d got away with it. So we shagged like the only two bunnies who made it across the motorway, and that’s the truth of it.’
‘Do you see where I’m coming from?’ Jo said. ‘It was your first time with Rick, right? It was a big deal for him.’
‘Better be.’ Gemma laughed, and it cleared the air a little.
‘And then-being Rick-he can’t tell you it was all made up.’
‘Really?’ Gemma scraped her fingers through her hair and pulled some across her mouth.
‘In his eyes, he’s conned you. He didn’t mean to, but that’s how it worked out. So he can’t bring himself to tell you none of it was true because he’s afraid you’ll slap his face and tell him to get the hell out of your life.’
‘Which I might.’
‘The thing is, Cartwright vanished, and as long as he stays vanished, Rick can stick to his story. Mind he’s not exactly shouting it from the rooftops. He didn’t want me to know until you pushed him to tell me.’
‘So I did…’ She was shaking her head. ‘Poor guy. I never thought. Jo, you’re brilliant. A mind-reader. I’m sure you’re right. It never happened and I feel so much better.’
Inside herself Jo knew she shouldn’t really take the credit. Jake had unravelled Rick’s lie, but there were times in life when silence was the right option.
Gemma started singing ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,’ and Jo joined in until they ran out of lines they remembered.
‘There’s only one thing,’ Gemma said finally.
‘What’s that?’
‘Whatever happened to Mr Cartwright?’
NINETEEN
‘What’s your take on Dr Sentinel?’ Hen asked Gary when he got back to the police station.
‘Shifty as a shithouse rat, guv.’
She smiled. ‘You don’t have to hold back. Anything in particular?’
‘What stood out is the way he talked about his wife. The first time we met him he didn’t give a hint she was playing around. I mean, you asked him if the marriage was in difficulty and he practically took a swipe at you.’
‘Stay with the facts, Gary. He said my question was in appalling bad taste. We’ve got it on tape.’
‘Yes, and today he says she’d shag anything that moved. Sorry, that’s over the top again. I can’t stand the guy.’
‘That’s beginning to come through.’
‘He’s a bilge-artist, guv. If he was really any use in his job he’d be a professor by now, not a bloody lecturer. On the telly I’ve seen professors half his age.’
‘Concentrate on the case. Did anything in his statements strike a false note?’
‘He did his best to cover up the mistress in Helsinki.’
‘True.’ Hen took the card from her pocket and reminded herself of the name. ‘Or was that all a bluff?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘I wonder if he steered us down that line of questioning.’
Gary frowned. ‘Why would he do that?’
