'Yes, but what was their reason for meeting? It's not as if they were the best of friends. They met a couple of times when I was serving at Fulham in the eighties, but they didn't know each other well.'
'You've worked it out, haven't you?'
'It's preyed on my mind all these months, Julie, and the explanation is so bloody obvious I'm ashamed of myself. Steph gave it to me the night before she was killed and I didn't see it until today.'
'Share it, then. I want to hear it, guv.'
'You have to know the kind of person Trish Weather was. We called her Mary Poppins in the old days. She was forever chivvying us into behaving properly, doing the right thing, giving presents to anyone who left. She was the mother hen of the place.'
'There's usually one.'
'Right. I've been told that even after she quit the police to set up her temping agency, she kept dropping in at Fulham nick to look up old friends. It was as if she couldn't bear to leave.'
'It happens.'
'Now listen, Julie. On the last evening I spent with Steph she reminded me my fiftieth birthday was coming up. What's more she told me some friends had seen an article in the paper that mentioned my age and they were talking about giving me a surprise party. She wouldn't say who. You don't, do you, if it's meant to be a surprise? She was just sounding me out, confirming what she'd guessed already—'
'That you couldn't think of anything worse?'
'You know me and parties, Julie.'
'You think Trish was behind the surprise party?'
'I'd put money on it.' Immediately he was hit by a doubt. 'Don't tell me it was you.'
'I didn't even realise you had a special birthday this year.'
Relieved, he let his excitement bubble over. 'Everything points to Irish. In the diary Steph actually notes which evenings I'm out, so she can call her and discuss it. She knew very well what my reaction would be.'
'You think Steph squashed the idea?'
'No, that wasn't her style. Softly, softly. As I say, she spoke to me first, just to be certain of my reaction. The next day - if I'm right - she meant to break the news to Trish that it wasn't such a good plan. Knowing Steph, she'd want to do it without hurting the woman's feelings.'
'She could tell her on the phone.'
'No, they fixed to meet. She'd prefer to tell her face to face.'
'Who suggested the meeting, then? Trish?'
'I think so. She'd have said it would be nice to meet anyway and she came to Bath sometimes to visit her parents. Steph was friendly, as you know. She'd have fallen in with the idea. They picked the park because that was really close to where Trish's people live. Does that sound plausible?'
Julie sidestepped. 'But why did Trish bring a gun with her?'
'She had a different agenda.'
'Obviously.'
'The surprise party was just a blind.'
'Okay,' she said with a huge note of doubt. 'So what turned her into a killer?'
'Julie, that's the big question only one person can answer now.'
'Stormy Weather.'
He didn't need to confirm it.
Julie said without prompting, 'You think Stormy shot his own wife, don't you? He found out she'd killed Steph and he put her down like a dangerous dog.'
'He's been a strong support to me,' was all he would answer.
'I haven't met the man,' she said. 'I'm just looking at it coldly. He's a Chief Inspector. You and I know what he'd face if his wife was convicted of the murder of another officer's wife. He'd be finished.'
He said indifferently, 'I'm not going to shop him.'
Julie latched on immediately. 'Exactly. What's done is done. If Stormy shot his wife, leave it to Billy Bowers to work it out.'
He started to say, 'But I have to know why—'
Julie cut in, 'Guv, I know how your mind is working. Stay away from Stormy. Don't have any more to do with him. You can only panic him.'
Speaking more to himself than Julie, he started the statement a second time, and completed it, 'I have to know why Steph was murdered and I will.'
A November storm hit the West Country that night, uprooting trees and bringing down fences. Roads right across Somerset and Wiltshire were closed by flooding. Diamond decided not to drive. He took the InterCity to Paddington, crossed London on the Bakerloo Line and completed the journey to Raynes Park by a suburban train. And at intervals, resonating with the rhythm of the wheels, he fancied he heard Julie's voice urging him to stay away from Stormy.
Fat chance.
