He nodded. It had been in all the papers and on radio and television, so he could hardly have failed to find out.
Diamond added, 'I tried to let you know about the funeral. She had a good one, in the Abbey. Lots of people came.'
The funeral didn't interest Dixon-Bligh. 'What do you want from me?' he succeeded in saying. He still hadn't taken off the hat.
'A cup of coffee wouldn't come amiss. Didn't get one on the train. Can't stand those paper cups.'
Glad, it seemed, of any opportunity to mark time while he marshalled his thoughts, Dixon-Bligh stepped through to the kitchen, and Diamond made sure he was close behind. There wasn't much in there, considering this was a professional caterer's kitchen. A packet of cornflakes and a cut loaf. One mug. Dixon-Bligh looked around for another and took one out of a box, still wrapped in newspaper from the house-move.
'You don't have many visitors, then?' Diamond remarked. 'I'm having to get used to being a loner myself.
Can't say I'm much good at it.'
No matey response to that.
'Is this where you keep the milk?' He opened the small fridge to the right of the door and took out a packet of semi-skimmed and checked the sell-by date. It was just about drinkable. 'I expect you get a main meal at work, like me. You
Dixon-Bligh nodded and picked up the kettle and filled it. The old-fashioned gas ring had to be lit with a match. Then he took off his cap and hung it on the door, accepting the obligation to say something. Now that the words came, they were fluent and articulate. 'I'm sorry about the way she died, truly sorry. Thought about coming to the funeral, and decided against it. The point is, there was a residue of bitterness after we parted. The marriage had been a mistake. I'm sure Stephanie must have told you. Harsh things were said, deeply wounding on both sides. I'm ashamed, looking back. I gather she was happier with you.'
'It worked,' Diamond said, not trusting himself to say more.
The man was pouring on the oil now he was over the first shock. 'I decided turning up at the funeral would have been hypocritical. I should have let you know, written a note or sent a card at the very least. I have this tendency to turn my back on things I can't handle.' He took a packet of teabags from an otherwise empty cupboard. 'I expect her family came to the funeral. Her sister . . . the name has gone.'
'Angela. Yes, she was there.'
'Didn't approve of me.'
'Me, neither,' Diamond said to encourage confidences. 'She thinks my job contributed in some way to Steph's murder. She could be right.'
'Really? I hadn't thought of that.'
'Do you have any idea who would have wanted her killed?'
'None whatsoever. She didn't have enemies. She wasn't that kind of person, as you know.'
This comparing of notes by the two men Steph had married was taking out some of the tension. Dixon-Bligh may not have dropped his guard yet, but he was willing to respond to questions.
Diamond said, 'I was going to ask if you remember anyone who took against her, with or without cause.'
'From that far back, you mean? It's a long shot, isn't it?'
'You were in the Air Force when she met you, I believe.'
'True, and there were some weird characters around then, but Steph didn't come across them. We weren't housed in married quarters. We had a flat in the city, and she didn't see much of the other officers. Even on mess nights, when some of the wives attended, Steph stayed at home because I was always on duty supervising the catering staff. Wouldn't have been much of a night out for her.'
'Where was this?'
'Hereford. Not a bad posting.'
'Hereford, right,' Diamond said placidly, making immense efforts to suppress his gut feeling that the man had murdered Steph. 'She spoke of it quite often, and I didn't link it up with the RAF. I thought she'd lived there at some earlier stage of her life. She liked it there. She more than once mentioned the view of the Black Mountains from the kitchen window.'
'Typical.'
'What's that?'
'Steph remembering the view. You could see it on a fine day, but most of the time it rained.'
'She was an optimist. And how about you? Did you like Hereford?'
'Unreservedly. Great pubs, good cider, terrific steaks.'
Diamond's eyes widened. 'Was Steph eating steak in those days?'
Dixon-Bligh grinned faintly. 'No, that was a personal memory.' The water had come to the boil, and he tossed a teabag into each cup and poured some in.
Judging that the preliminaries were at an end, Diamond sat at the table and asked, 'Do you mind talking about what went wrong in your marriage?'
'I don't mind,' he answered evenly. 'We went into it blindly, that was what was wrong. We were attracted to each other, very considerate when we were going out together, full of plans. After we married, after the nuptial bliss, I relaxed - or relapsed - and became the selfish bastard I am. To Stephanie, this came as a shock. Service life makes heavy demands anyway. A career officer is expected to spend time in the mess and she couldn't understand
