He’d risen from his desk, ignored her as he walked past hers, and five minutes later she’d joined him, dangling the keys to her own small car from her forefinger.
Barnes had raised an eyebrow. ‘Like that, is it?’
She’d nodded, and he’d remained silent until they were on the move, pushing their way through the afternoon school traffic.
‘Are we going where I think we’re going?’
‘Yeah.’
She’d pulled up into a lay-by overlooking the fence line to the Hamiltons’ property away from the main road forty minutes later, and killed the engine before pushing Barnes’s knees to one side and extracting a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment.
‘Covert ops!’ Barnes had said, feigning a look of excitement on his face.
‘Grow up.’ She’d rolled her eyes, then stepped from the car and walked towards the fence. Keeping low, she’d trained the binoculars on the front of the house.
‘His car’s still there. We wait.’
Now, she sat forward in her seat as a flash of silver appeared in front of them.
‘Down!’
She knew the chances of Hamilton turning to look up the narrow lane as he passed by were remote, but she wasn’t prepared to take the risk.
The rush of tyres on asphalt passed by, and she peered out the windscreen.
‘Give it a minute.’
‘I will.’
The next sixty seconds passed too slowly for comfort, and the moment the second hand on her watch passed the zenith, she started the engine and steered the vehicle out of the lay-by.
She slammed the brakes on as a second car passed the junction at the end of the lane, travelling in the same direction as Blake Hamilton’s.
‘Wasn’t that Diane Whittaker?’
‘Yeah,’ said Kay.
‘Follow her, or speak with Courtney Hamilton?’
Kay bit her lip. After a moment, she shoved the car into gear and turned right. ‘Stick with the plan. Speak to Courtney.’
Within ninety seconds, she was braking to a halt outside the Hamiltons’ front door.
Courtney opened it the moment Kay rang the bell. ‘I saw a car coming up the driveway,’ she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. ‘I wondered who it was.’
‘Can we come in?’
Courtney’s eyes moved from Kay to Barnes, then back. She bit her lip. ‘He’ll be back in a couple of hours. He said he had to drop something off to the church and have a chat to Duncan.’
‘That’s okay. I wanted to speak to you alone. We’ll be gone before he gets back.’
‘You’d better be.’
She stood to one side and let them pass, and Kay noticed how she peered through the gap in the door as she closed it, as if checking that her husband’s car hadn’t returned while they were talking.
‘Come through to the kitchen.’
Kay followed, Barnes at her heels, and moved towards the central worktop.
A magazine lay open on the surface, an empty mug next to it alongside a mobile phone and a laptop computer.
Courtney leaned over and closed the laptop, a fleeting look of apology crossing her features. ‘Shopping. I thought I’d redecorate Josh’s room.’
‘Courtney, I won’t waste your time or ours. After all, you said yourself that Blake would be back soon. What isn’t Josh telling us about him and Sophie Whittaker?’
The other woman’s mouth dropped open. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘I don’t believe you. Both you and Josh were holding back something when we spoke yesterday. Blake doesn’t know, does he?’
Courtney sat down on the stool, and rested her elbows on the worktop, her face in her hands. ‘He’d kill him if he found out.’ She jerked upright. ‘I mean – of course, he won’t. I mean, he didn’t.’
Kay held her breath and waited.
‘Josh came to me about three months ago. He – he asked me to buy him some condoms.’
‘He couldn’t buy them himself?’
Courtney shook her head. ‘You don’t understand. Blake watches him constantly. If Blake can’t do it himself, he bribes others. He thinks money sorts out everything.’
‘What happened?’
‘I bought the condoms.’
‘So, he was sleeping with Sophie?’
‘Yeah. I guess.’
‘And Blake doesn’t suspect anything?’
‘No. And he mustn’t.’
‘What was Diane Whittaker doing here?’
‘She wanted to know if they could hold Sophie’s wake here after the memorial service. I don’t think she could face having it at home, not after…’
‘Did Josh know Peter Evans?’
‘No – we already told you that.’
‘Yes, but you also withheld the information that Josh was sleeping with Sophie. So, did Josh know Peter Evans?’
‘I don’t think so, no. I kind of feel sorry for Peter, to be honest.’
‘In what way?’
‘Oh, you know. I think he did love Sophie. Must’ve been one hell of a shock to find out she was pregnant, though.’ Courtney folded her arms across her chest and sighed. ‘Mind you, if she was inclined to sleep around like that, I’m glad Josh didn’t marry her, that’s for sure.’
Barnes cleared his throat. ‘Sorry, Mrs Hamilton. Would you mind if I used the bathroom?’
‘Sure. Through there, down the hallway. Second door on the right.’
‘Thanks.’
Kay waited until she had Courtney’s attention once more. ‘I understand from our conversation when we first spoke with you that Josh would have been able to use Sophie’s aristocratic connections to further his father’s business interests. How would that have worked?’
‘Oh, I have no idea. Blake’s always doing deals for different people. It’s not like he manufactures anything. He networks, puts people in touch with each other that have a common interest or goal, and takes a commission.’
‘He seems to be doing very well from it.’
‘He’s got good contacts.’ Courtney stretched, and checked her watch.
‘It’s okay. We’ll be leaving in a minute—’
‘Boss?’
Kay spun round. ‘What’s wrong?’
Barnes’s eyes flickered to Courtney, and then back to her, his excitement palpable.
‘I think you better call Harriet. And DI Sharp.’
Twenty-Eight
Diane reversed her car into the last remaining space outside the restaurant, turned off the engine and sat for a moment to gather her thoughts.
She’d been surprised when Blake Hamilton had agreed so easily to meet with her at short notice. Relief had coursed through her body, too. The trauma of the past
