Vernon sighed. ‘He’s a young man, isn’t he? Twenty years
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old. You know what young men are like. Laura was a very attractive girl. Very attractive. You could see by the way he looked at her what he was thinking. I had to get rid of him in the end. It never occurred to me when I took him on — I blame mvself for that.’
‘So he looked at Laura.’ said Tailbv. ‘Anything else?’
‘ J J O
‘Well … he took any excuse to strip off his shirt when he worked in the garden. Whenever he knew she was watching him. I thought of telling him not to, but it would only have drawn attention to the fact.’
‘It’s not what I’d call a relationship,’ said Tailby.
‘It was obvious that he wanted to go further. I don’t need telling about young men like Sherratt, Chief Inspector. I had to nip it in the bud. I couldn’t have him pestering my daughter.’
‘Did she say he was pestering her? Did she complain?’
‘Well, in a way.’
‘ j
‘Mmm. Yet from what you say, it sounds as though Laura was equally interested in the young man.’
‘For God’s sake, she was only fifteen. That age is … difficult. They’re easily influenced, in the full flush of adolescent hormones. Surely you understand that.’
It was obvious to them both that Vernon was floundering.
‘So you sacked him.’
‘Yes. Last week. I told him we didn’t need him any more. He wasn’t very pleased, I can tell you.’
‘You tend to deal with these things yourself, do you, sir? Rather than your wife.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, you’re away all day on business. Sometimes you work long hours, no doubt. You arrive home late in the evenings. But your wife is at home most of the time, I gather. She would have
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had more contact with a gardener. Yet you would do something like that yourself, rather than letting your wife do it.’
‘Yes.’
“I just thought, it might have been difficult to find the
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opportunity to speak to Sherratt, if you weren’t at home during the day.’
‘I made a point of it on this occasion, Chief Inspector.’
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‘I would also have thought it might be difficult for you to get the chance to observe the boy.
‘Observe him? You’re losing me.’
‘I’m going on your description just now. You described him looking at your daughter and showing off to her while she watched. That suggests to me, sir, that you must have spent some time observing him. Perhaps I should say, observing them both ‘
Vernon was pacing towards the windows with his whisky. His hands were moving again now, touching his lips as if he feared his
mouth miwht react of its own accord. ‘I don’t know what vou’re
&
getting at. It’s quite natural. Are those men of yours finished up there yet?’
‘Shall we see, sir?’ suggested Tailbv.
‘ oo J
Sheila Kelk’s gaze passed over Daniel’s shoulder to the doorway from the main hall. The tall policeman stood there, smiling politely, raising a slightly quizzical eyebrow. She wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there.
o o
Daniel turned and stared at him. ‘And who exactly are you?’
‘Detective Chief Inspector Tailby, Edendale CID. Here with Mr Vernon’s permission, of course.’
‘Oh, sure.’
There were more footsteps in the hall behind Tailby.
‘Daniel?’ Graham Vernon looked tired rather than impatient now, the conflicting pressures starting to wear him down. He looked from Tailby to his son. ‘We didn’t expect you quite so soon.’
‘Mr Daniel Vernon, is it? I’d like to have a chat with you sometime, sir, when it’s convenient.’
Sheila looked at Daniel and received a glare so venomous that her mouth shut suddenly, and she began to drag the Dvson
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towards the dining room, awav from the scene of confrontation.
O ‘ ,’
