much time that Delia felt neglected. She was a friendly, outgoing young woman.’
‘Anybody’s,’ Amanda said. ‘You can speak frankly. I knew my own daughter. It’s in the genes. I was no saint when I was her age.’
‘And she didn’t realise how deeply Danny was hurting.’
She took in a sharp, angry breath. ‘Being hurt is one thing. It didn’t entitle him to kill her.’
‘Nothing justified that.’
His firm response encouraged her. ‘And the fact that he killed himself later doesn’t make him any less evil.’
‘I understand you, ma’am,’ he said, ‘but I’m trying to keep an open mind until I’m one hundred per cent certain Danny was the killer.’
She turned to look at him, frowning. ‘Is there any doubt?’
‘My job is to make certain.’
‘Why else would he have killed himself?’
‘That’s what I have to explore. Sadly it happens often, a deeply disturbed man killing his partner and sometimes their children as well and then topping himself. It’s such a familiar pattern that it’s easy to assume this is what happened here. I can’t do that. I have to try and find evidence.’
‘You can’t know what was in Danny’s mind,’ she said.
‘He could have spoken to someone, or written it down in a diary or a suicide note. Nothing has turned up yet, but I have to investigate.’
‘And if you find nothing?’
‘Then we report to the coroner and the court decides.’
The door behind him made a sound and a child’s face appeared round it at the level of the handle. ‘Gran, we’re bored. Can we see The Invincibles?’ She was dark, with large blue eyes.
Amanda was on her feet. ‘In a minute, dear.’
The face was gone.
‘I was about to go, anyway,’ Diamond said. ‘You’ve helped a lot.’
‘That’s the six-year-old, Sophie,’ Amanda said, and there was a note of pride. ‘I expect her big sister pushed her forward. Could you see her mother in her features?’
He wasn’t going to remind her that his only sight of Delia was after she’d been dead a few hours. ‘I think she takes after you.’
‘What — outspoken?’
‘No. Up with the times.’
On the drive back to Bath he weighed what he had heard about Danny Geaves: caring, quiet, supportive, a far cry from Corcoran’s version of the jerk who’d never shown any interest. But then you couldn’t expect Corcoran to give a glowing testimonial to the ex-lover. On the other hand, it was disputed by no one that Danny had ceased to take an interest in his daughters after Delia left him. That suggested callousness rather than caring. Perhaps the truth lay somewhere between.
13
T hat evening he drove up the steep rise of Lyncombe Hill to where Paloma lived. He’d always thought of Lyncombe Vale as aloof from Bath, once promoted as a spa in rivalry to the city amenities, with a public house and pleasure garden grandiosely called King James’s Palace. A local legend persisted that King James II went into hiding in Lyncombe after abdicating in 1688, but the royal connection didn’t bear examination. Even so, in the jargon of estate agents, Lyncombe was still a sought-after residential area.
He saw at once that Paloma had a house better described as dreamed-of than sought-after, a three-storey building with a fine Georgian front and a cobbled drive in a large circle around well-kept lawns. Paloma’s silver Porsche was in front of the house and so was a blue Nissan Pathfinder. With a sudden dip in confidence he wondered if this evening would turn out to be a dinner party. She’d surprised him once before.
After ringing the doorbell he had a moment of near panic when he heard her say, ‘That’ll be Peter. I’ll get it.’ Visions of other guests in suits and long dresses. He’d gone for the casual look: short sleeves and light-coloured trousers.
There wasn’t time to cut and run. She was opening the door.
She did look dressy, in a black creation trimmed with pink chiffon. But her smile made him feel she’d dressed for him alone.
He handed her a bottle of red wine, a good one, they’d said at the off-licence. ‘Just in case you’re not into light American beer,’ he said.
‘Come in and meet Jerry,’ she said and added in a whisper, ‘He’s on his way out.’
So that was who she’d been talking to. Jerry was the son, he remembered. The personal trainer. He was standing in the room to the right, dark, with designer stubble. He was in faded jeans and a T-shirt. He had blue eyes like his mother and the same set of dimples when he smiled.
Diamond said, ‘How are you?’ and Jerry said, ‘Hi,’ and gripped his hand with a force that spoke of the hours in the gym.
Paloma said, ‘Jerry dropped in some shopping for me. He’s on his way to hospital.’
What can you say to that? Nothing. But you might be thinking that fit people who pushed themselves physically and got injuries shouldn’t be using the National Health Service.
‘He’s a volunteer,’ Paloma added, and Diamond took back the thought and felt mean.
‘Driving patients around?’
‘Nothing so useful as that,’ Jerry said. ‘It’s low-key stuff, mine. Mostly I go round with my book trolley, and sometimes I get lucky and I’m on tea and biscuits.’
Paloma chimed in, ‘Jerry, you make it sound as if you drink the tea yourself.’
‘I do in slack moments. It’s allowed. Are you local?’ he asked Diamond.
‘Weston.’
‘That’s local. I’ve drunk at the Old Crown.’
‘Peter is in the local police,’ Paloma said to her son. ‘At Manvers Street.’
Jerry gave one of the standard responses every off-duty copper is used to hearing. ‘We’d better watch out then.’
‘No need,’ Diamond said and trotted out the standard reassurance. ‘Like everyone else, we try and leave the job behind at the end of the day. I like a drink at the Old Crown, too.’
‘Hey, I’m obviously missing something,’ Paloma said. ‘I must try this pub.’
‘You’d love it, Mother,’ Jerry said. ‘Quaint old building. Terrace garden looking out across the Locksbrook valley. A pleasure in store, perhaps.’ He grinned at Diamond, man to man, and then looked at his watch. ‘I’d better shoot if I’m going to get round all the wards.’
Jerry wished them a good evening and left.
‘You must be proud of him,’ Diamond said to Paloma. ‘At his age my life consisted of rugby, girls and beer.’
‘I don’t know about the rugby,’ she said, ‘but I think the girls and the beer feature in his life. Still, he’s a good son. He’s always looked out for me.’
‘That’s his four-by-four, then?’ Diamond said, hearing the deep thrumming of the engine. ‘Personal training must pay all right.’
‘Jerry’s well qualified. Sports science at Loughborough. I couldn’t see where it was leading at the time, but when he got his degree it was perfect timing because everyone was suddenly into fitness. Do you think it will last? I sometimes wonder what he’ll do if everyone turns to meditation, or gardening.’
‘He’ll adapt.’
‘Yes, but to what?’
‘Teaching higher thoughts while using the treadmill.’
She laughed.
