Sophie shook her head. ‘Yeah, heard that one before. Thanks.’
‘We can.’
‘Just take me home. And keep my past out of this.’
‘I’ll try, but-’
She turned to him, eyes alight with angry fire. ‘You’ll fuckin’ do it. If I’m keepin’ you out of this, you can do the same for me.’
Clayton sighed. ‘All right. I will.’
‘Good. Come on.’
She led him to the door. The barman watched them leave, eyes on her buttocks, lewd imagination written all over his face. Outside, the air had turned cold. Clayton pointed out his BMW to her.
‘Nice,’ she said. ‘Always thought you’d do well for yourself. ’
Clayton smiled, got in, Sophie beside him. He drove off as fast as he could.
24
‘Mind where you walk,’ Phil said.
Marina didn’t need to be told. The blood in Claire Fielding’s apartment had dried to various shades of dark brown and black, but it was still unmistakably blood. And the carpet and walls of the hall were still covered in it. The earlier smell of dirty copper and spoiled meat had dissipated somewhat. But that didn’t make the scene any less horrific.
‘Oh God…’
Phil noticed Marina touch her stomach as she spoke.
There had been a tense silence in the car on the drive across town, the air thick with unspoken emotion. This was the first time they had been alone together since they had met again. They had nothing to say to each other, yet everything to say to each other. Not to mention the scene in the bar.
‘So,’ Phil had said to break the silence, ‘Fenwick hasn’t changed much, has he?’
Marina managed a small smile. ‘Wanker.’
‘Still, at least he made you feel welcome.’
Marina didn’t reply. Another silence, then: ‘Did you hit him? When you took him outside?’
Phil smiled. ‘You like that, do you? The thought of two men beating each other to a pulp over you?’
‘Defending my honour. And my professional integrity, of course.’
‘Of course I didn’t hit him. I took him away for his own protection. That famous Italian temper of yours was about to make its presence felt.’
She laughed. ‘And he would have deserved it. I felt like walking out.’
Phil kept his eyes on the road. ‘Glad you didn’t.’
The rest of the journey had taken place in silence.
‘You okay?’ Phil asked, back in the flat.
Marina didn’t turn round. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Your… stomach. Is it hurting?’
She still didn’t turn, but he saw her shoulders tense. Her hand dropped from her stomach. ‘No. Everything’s fine.’
‘This isn’t upsetting you?’
‘I’m hardcore.’
‘Well, as I remember-’
‘Shut it, Brennan. Concentrate.’ She looked at the blood. ‘So this was… Julie Simpson.’
‘Yeah,’ said Phil, glad to be able to focus on the case. ‘She must have answered the door. Judging by the way we found her and the wounds inflicted, he killed her straight away.’
Marina nodded, looked at the wall. She pointed. ‘Intercom,’ she said. ‘Videophone?’
Phil nodded.
‘If she knew them, she would have buzzed them up.’
‘Does that rule out or rule in Brotherton?’
Marina frowned. ‘I don’t know. Can’t see her letting him up.’
‘No,’ said Phil. ‘But perhaps the intercom didn’t go. Perhaps he was already in.’
‘Someone let him in and he was waiting? Planned, premeditated. It would fit.’
‘So there’s a knock at the door, say. Julie Simpson goes to answer it. Next thing…’
Marina nodded. She examined the walls in more detail, traced the arcs of dried blood with her finger. ‘Very decisive. She opens the door…’ She positioned herself in the doorway, taking the place of the attacker. ‘He looks at her, knows she’s not the one he wants – probably because she’s not pregnant – then…’ She scythed her arm in an arc, ending abruptly, sharply. ‘Cuts her. Gets rid of her.’ She looked at Phil. ‘What does that tell you? What does that say?’
Phil didn’t know if he was supposed to reply, or whether she was just using him as a sounding board. He ventured an answer. ‘Well, he… Julie Simpson wasn’t the primary target. So get her out of the way, move on.’
‘Exactly what I think. Get her out of the way. He didn’t knock her out, tie her up, anything like that. He didn’t paralyse her with his needle. He killed her. Straight away. No hesitation.’
‘So… she was just an obstacle,’ Phil said.
‘Just something between him and his goal.’
‘Claire Fielding.’
‘Claire Fielding’s
‘If you’re right.’
‘So.’ She again took the position of the intruder, mimed the actions. ‘He slits her throat, drops her to the floor. Does he wait to see that she’s dead? No. It doesn’t matter. She can’t move, can’t call out. If she’s not dead yet, she’s as good as dead.’ Marina moved down the hallway. ‘Then he comes along here.’
‘Just a minute,’ said Phil. ‘Slits her throat and drops her… doesn’t see her as a person…’ Something was coming to him. Connections were being made. ‘Knife… Could this person work with animals?’
‘How d’you mean?’
‘Well, a farmer. Not a vet, obviously. Or someone used to slaughtering livestock? In an abattoir, maybe?’
Marina smiled in admiration. ‘It’s a possibility. Well done. We’ll make a decent copper out of you yet.’
Phil couldn’t help returning the smile. ‘Right then. Off you go, and leave us professionals to get on with it.’
‘My work here is done.’
They both stood there, smiling, not speaking. Unspoken emotions again humming between them like high- tension wires.
Marina broke the silence. ‘Where was Claire Fielding?’ She walked to the end of the hallway, her voice once again businesslike, focused.
‘Here, we think,’ said Phil, picking up the lead from her voice, following her. He stopped at the end of the hallway, pointed to scuff marks on the wall. ‘Signs of a struggle here.’ There was a potted plant lying on its side. ‘Maybe he attacked her, knocked her into this.’ He examined the wall. ‘Not much damage, though.’
Marina joined him. ‘There wouldn’t be. If it’s the baby he was after, he wouldn’t want her harmed. Well, not too much.’ She looked round. ‘Then what?’
‘We found her in the bedroom. Tied to the bed and… well, you know the rest.’
Marina stopped walking, looked round again. ‘This is the living room, yes?’ she said, pointing towards the room on her right.
‘Yeah.’
‘So…’ She looked round again, examined every surface with her eyes, stretched out fingers.
‘It’s fine,’ Phil said. ‘Touch what you like. The lab boys have finished here.’
Marina nodded. ‘Is this room how you found it?’
‘More or less. Presents on the coffee table, not much disturbed. ’
‘So the living room wasn’t touched. He either knows the layout of this flat, or he’s supremely confident about
