Friend of the Devil

the street. You give them a few seconds. Somebody might have forgotten something. A handbag, a jacket.”

“Very considerate of you, I’m sure,” said Banks. “And I thought you were supposed to lock up fast to avoid a break-in.”

“That, too. But . . .”

“Hayley Daniels gave you a hard time, didn’t she?”

“How do you mean?”

“When you told her the toilets weren’t working so she couldn’t use them, she gave you a verbal mouthful, used bad language. Come on, Jamie, we’ve been through this before.”

“It was vile,” Murdoch said. He shook his head slowly. “I’ve never known such vile words coming from . . . from . . .”

“Such a pretty mouth? She was a good-looking girl, wasn’t she, Jamie. Nice body, too.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Oh, come on,” said Banks. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice. Even I noticed, and she was dead when I saw her.”

Ms. Melchior gave Banks a warning glance. She obviously knew that he had a tendency to go off on weird, almost surreal, tangents to throw his suspects off their predetermined stories.

3 4 0

P E T E R R O B I N S O N

“She was fit enough,” said Murdoch.

“Fit and she knew it?”

“They usually do.”

“What do you mean by that, Jamie?”

“What I say. Girls like her. They know they’re fit.”

“Is that why you like the song, have it as your ring tone?”

“It’s just a bit of fun.”

“Flaunt it, do they, these fit lasses?”

“You should see the clothes they wear—or don’t.” He gave an unpleasant, harsh laugh.

“Like Jill?”

“Jill?”

“Yes, the girl who works for you. Jill Sutherland. She’s a pretty lass, isn’t she? She used to take shortcuts to the car park through The Maze, didn’t she? Is that where you got the idea?”

“What idea?”

“That it was a suitable place for an ambush.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“But it’s enough to drive any red- blooded bloke crazy, isn’t it?”

Banks said. “The way they dress and the things they say.”

“Don’t answer that, Jamie,” said Ms. Melchior. “He’s leading you.”

She gave Banks a stern glance. “And you, stop it. Stick to the relevant questions.”

“Yes, Ms.,” said Banks.

Ms. Melchior glared at him.

“How long had you known Hayley?” Winsome asked.

“I didn’t know her,” said Jamie. “Just saw her when she came in the pub with her friends.”

“But according to the rec ords, you were both in the first year of college together, before you dropped out,” said Winsome. She adjusted her reading glasses and tapped the file on the table in front of her.

“Maybe I saw her around. It’s a big college.”

“Ever ask her out?”

“I might have done. So what?”

“Just that you have a history, that’s all.” Winsome took off her glasses and leaned back in her chair.

F R I E N D O F T H E D E V I L

3 4 1

“You fancied her right from the start, didn’t you?” Banks said.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“But she wouldn’t have anything to do with you. She was fussy about who she went out with. Preferred older men, professors, someone with a bit of experience, money, brains.”

Jamie slammed his fist on the table.