Frank raised an eyebrow. 'Have you got it with you?'
The DI reached into his pocket and took out a tape cassette. 'We made copies at the Hammersmith nick, then took the original back to the flat.' He put it on the desk in front of him. 'Hers is the last message. I've listened to it several times now and I'm inclined to agree with Fraser that she has no idea Leo and Meg are dead.'
Cheever fingered the cassette for a moment, then picked it up, swiveled in his chair, and pushed it into a tape deck on the shelf behind him. He sat with bowed head, listening to the recorded messages, only stirring when Jinx's ended. He pressed Rewind, listened to hers again, then rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he pressed Stop. 'She says she can't remember anything since June the fourth,' he pointed out.
'Which tallies with the Fordingbridge report,' said Maddocks. 'According to that, the concussion after the accident left her with amnesia.'
'Agreed, but it doesn't mean she didn't know about the deaths. Do you follow what I'm saying? She could have wiped the knowledge from her memory.' He tapped a finger on the desk. 'I think it would be extremely foolish to assume anything on the basis of this one recording.'
'I'm not arguing with you, sir, but it strikes me this is our best opportunity to question her without raising anyone's hackles, least of all her father's.' He leaned forward. 'Look, we are simply trying to trace the whereabouts of Miss Harris. Her credit cards have come into the possession of the police after the arrest of a thief, but repeated attempts to contact her at her address in London have failed to produce a response. Hammersmith police, concerned for her welfare, have entered the flat in order to trace her family and friends, only to discover that the flat has been cleared out. The one lead they came up with is Miss Kingsley because she was the only caller who left her telephone number. We have been asked by Hammersmith to interview Miss Kingsley with a view to tracing Miss Harris.' He spread his hands. 'Are you going to give me a shot at her on that basis? It's a legitimate approach.'
The Superintendent steepled his fingers on the desk in front of him and stared the other man down. 'You do realize I'll have your hide if you make a mess of it.'
Maddocks grinned. 'Trust me, sir.'
His eyes narrowed. 'I hate people who say that. Just make sure you get the consent of her doctor before you talk to her. In fact, you can go farther, and ask him to be present while you put your questions. I do not want this force accused of bullying a sick young woman.'
'Do me a favor, sir,' said Maddocks plaintively. 'I wouldn't know how to begin. I like women.'
Frank's eyebrows beetled into a ferocious frown. It was common knowledge that Maddocks had been the subject of sexual harassment complaints by three different female officers, although, predictably, nothing had come of them. 'You've been warned,' was all he said.
CANNING ROAD POLICE STATION, SALISBURY-8:00 P.M.
WPC Blake stuffed a photocopy under the nose of the Sergeant as she came in at the end of her shift, and shook it vigorously. 'Read that, Sarge. It's a dead ringer for Flossie Hale's experience. Same MO, same refusal to talk, same injuries.'
He took it in both hands and placed it squarely on his desk. 'It may come as a surprise to you, Blake, but I have A-one vision. As yet, I do not require documents to be held half an inch from my eyes in order to read them.' He then scanned the page.
Incident report
Officers attending: PC Hughes & PC Anderson.
23.3.94. Disturbance reported 23.10 at 54 Paradise Avenue.
Woman banging on neighbor's door and causing a nuisance. On investigation, woman found to be in need of urgent medical treatment. Severe bruising to the face and lacerations of the rectum.
Name: Samantha Harrison. Known local prostitute.
Claimed assailant was her husband but believed to be lying. Refused to cooperate further.
'Have you followed this up with Hughes and Anderson?' he asked.
'Not yet.'
'Talk to them tomorrow.' He spread a broad palm across the sheet. 'Then have a word with Samantha, assuming you can find her, and keep me posted. Good girl. I think you could be onto something. Let's see you nail this bastard.'
Blake flushed a rosy red. At twenty-one she was still untouched by cynicism, so other people's approbation mattered.
THE NIGHTINGALE CLINIC-11:30 P.M.
Time had no relevance. An hour spent reading a book passed in a minute. A minute of agony lasted an hour. Only fear was eternal, for fear fed itself.
Even the dark was fearful.
A moment of clarity.
*10*
For various reasons, DS Sean Fraser was none too happy about accompanying Maddocks to the interview with Jane Kingsley, and he sat in gloomy silence in the passenger seat as the car headed for Salisbury. He had made himself a hostage to fortune by rashly promising his wife and two young daughters that he would take them to the beach at Studland that Sunday, and their tears and recriminations at the canceled treat lay heavily on his conscience. His gloom was exacerbated by Maddocks's disgusting cheerfulness at the thought of a possible collar, which he chose to express through a tuneless and repetitive rendering of 'The sun has got his hat on, hip-hip-hip- hooray.'
'Give over, Gov,' he said at last. 'It's worse than having a tooth extracted.'
'You're a miserable creature, Fraser. What's eating you, anyway?'
'It's a Sunday, Gov, so it's going to be a waste of time. You realize her entire family will probably be there
