‘I thought she held down some high-powered jobs before coming to Bath. You were telling me about them when we first spoke.’
‘I wouldn’t call putting cosmetics on corpses high-powered. I’m talking about heading a key department in a major theatre.’
‘Didn’t you say she ran a drama group in Manchester?’
‘The prison. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if she was an inmate.’
‘Manchester is men only.’
‘Anyway, it must have been voluntary work, not professional. And when you say ‘ran’ it, I’m sure the screws were there to make sure no one stepped out of line.’
Kate wasn’t giving an inch in her demolition of Denise’s CV.
‘She also toured Bosnia, you said, with some theatre group. Presumably they were professional?’
‘It was only a road show, darling. They all fitted into a minibus – cast, crew, costumes, scenery and all the props. That’s not theatre. That’s busking.’
‘Did you ever accuse her of undermining you?’
‘Frequently, and she laughed in my face and dared me to take it up with the management. She had a line into the board room, didn’t she?’
‘Francis Melmot?’
‘Yes. Every time I had a crisis in wardrobe, his lordship would hear about it and come gunning for me. Bloody Denise was running a campaign to get me fired and eventually she succeeded.’
‘Was she friendly with him?’
‘You mean sleeping with the shitbag? I doubt it. She may have dangled the bait, but he’s an odd fish, very odd. More like a jellyfish. And she was a stingray.’ She giggled again. ‘I shouldn’t be talking like this. You’ll be thinking I topped her. Actually I didn’t. I wouldn’t risk a life sentence for that creepy dame.’
‘Was she telling tales about anyone else?’
‘I couldn’t tell you.’ She smiled. ‘Well, I expect she told Melmot about Hedley and me, just more proof that wardrobe had gone to the dogs.’
‘How long have you and Hedley Shearman been…?’
‘Having it away? Not long. Hed’s a serial flirt, I know, but he’s sweet and does his best to fight my cause with Melmot.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t think he has much influence really. He was outgunned when they hired Clarion to play Sally Bowles. What a disaster that was. I could have told them.’
‘Did you?’
‘No, but Hedley did, and they ignored him, poor lamb. They regret it now. The chickens came home to roost with a vengeance.’
‘If Clarion was such a risk, I’m surprised they gave her the part.’
‘It was the glamour thing, wasn’t it? She was a sleb and Melmot was acting like a teenybopper. She stayed at his house. Men are so transparent, but I bet nothing happened. You can be sure his old mum was stalking the corridors all night. Have you met her?’
Diamond let it pass. There were more critical matters to explore while Kate was being so expansive. ‘On the evening Clarion was killed, you and Hedley were together in the wardrobe department.’
‘Having a five-star shag. You don’t have to be coy. Hed was over the moon because the theatre was saved. I was in a great mood, too, thinking I might get a reprieve and get my job back.’
‘This was when he told you Clarion was actually in the theatre?’
‘Bless her little cotton socks, yes.’
‘Did anyone else backstage know that she was in the box?’
‘Melmot, of course. And the security man.’
‘Binns.’
‘Yes, he’s a waste of space, that one. I much prefer old Basil, our regular stage doorkeeper. I hope they don’t sack Baz.’
‘Binns has the freedom to move around the theatre, doesn’t he?’
‘Part of his job. He should be the last to leave. He checks round and makes sure it’s safe to close up at night.’
‘Can the staff get in after hours? Say you left your handbag in wardrobe and needed it, could you go back and collect it?’
‘No problem. I know the security codes. I could go back tonight if I want and burn the whole place down.’
‘But you won’t, because you’ll be here.’
Her mouth curved upwards. ‘Unless I discharge myself. I have a right, you know. I could bum a lift back to Bath with you.’
‘No chance,’ Diamond said at once. ‘You’ve got an interview coming up with the accident investigation team. They have a lot to ask you about.’
On the way back to the car, Rogers said, ‘You decided not to arrest her, then? Is she innocent?’
