She glanced up at voices from the corridor outside.
The glass door to her left swung open and Matthew Whittaker stood to one side to let his wife pass first.
The woman’s face was bleached of colour, and as Kay straightened her jacket and crossed the reception area towards her, she noticed Matthew’s features were equally pale.
‘Thanks for coming, Detective,’ he said as he shook her hand. ‘We appreciate it.’
They turned as the door opened once more, and a man in a dark grey suit appeared, his bald pate shining under the spotlights set into the ceiling.
‘Lady Griffith, Mr Whittaker,’ he said, shaking hands with them both, ‘I’m sorry if I’ve kept you waiting.’
‘Not at all, Henry – we’ve just arrived,’ said Diane. She gestured to Kay. ‘Detective Hunter, this is Henry Alderley, of Alderley and Sons.’
Kay shook hands with the funeral director and resisted letting out a sigh of relief. Until he appeared, it hadn’t even crossed her mind that it could have been the same undertaker she and Adam had turned to for guidance nearly a year ago.
However, the older man in front of her was a complete stranger, and she let the voices wash over her as he explained to the Whittakers the steps that would be required to release Sophie’s body.
She jerked to attention as the funeral director turned to her.
‘All the paperwork is here,’ he said. ‘We have the authority for removal of the deceased, and the coroner’s burial order has been signed.’ He took a document from the outstretched hand of one of the administrative staff and held it up.
Kay nodded. She knew Debbie had tried to persuade the Whittakers to let the funeral director meet Kay at the hospital, assuring them that there was no need for them to attend.
However, Diane Whittaker had been adamant that she would be there to collect her daughter, something which Kay could understand. She turned to the woman, who held on to her husband’s arm, her eyes wide.
‘I believe there’s some paperwork that needs to be signed, and then Mr Alderley will take care of Sophie from there,’ she said.
Matthew Whittaker stepped forward. ‘What do I need to sign?’ he said, his voice shaking.
‘It’s all been taken care of,’ said Alderley, his hands clasped in front of him. ‘I’ve signed all the documentation to release Sophie’s body into my care. There’s nothing you need to do.’
‘I want to see her.’
Kay’s heart sank. Diane Whittaker’s words were what she feared to hear.
‘Lady Griffith, I realise that you would like to see Sophie one last time,’ said Alderley before Kay could speak. ‘However, if I may respectfully suggest, it would probably be best if you didn’t.’ His face softened. ‘Please understand, it will help you to grieve if you remember how she always was, not like this.’
Diane whimpered.
‘He’s right,’ said Matthew. ‘I want to remember my beautiful girl as she looked that afternoon. I couldn’t bear it. I don’t want to be reminded of what that monster did to her.’
Diane murmured her agreement, and Kay breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes met Alderley’s, and he gave her a slight nod.
‘Will you make the necessary arrangements?’ she asked.
‘Of course,’ he said. ‘If you’d like to escort the Whittakers out, I’ll take care of everything from here.’
As Kay led Sophie’s parents along the corridor away from the mortuary, Diane dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, Matthew’s hand clasped around hers.
They left the building in silence, not speaking until they reached the car park.
‘Detective, your superior phoned us this morning.’
‘Inspector Sharp?’
‘No,’ said Matthew. ‘Chief Inspector Larch. He said he wanted us to invite some of his officers to Sophie’s funeral.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes, he said he felt it might be prudent, in case anyone there wanted to speak to you, in case anyone had remembered anything.’
Diane sighed loudly, and flapped her hand. ‘Of course, we told him that wasn’t necessary. It’s going to be bad enough as it is with the local media being there, but when he heard that he was most insistent – said at least you would be able to keep them from approaching us.’
‘Local media?’
‘Somehow, they found out about the funeral arrangements,’ said Matthew. His face flushed with anger. ‘I don’t know how, but they did.’
‘Well, I suppose when one’s family has been in the area for centuries, it is a bit of a shock for the locals to take in,’ said Diane. ‘I would imagine as they can’t all go to Sophie’s funeral, at least they’ll be able to see it on the television.’
Kay bit her lip. She didn’t trust herself to speak, despite the words that had immediately formed in her head. No doubt Diane Whittaker had tipped off the media – anything to draw attention to herself.
‘We had best be off,’ said Matthew.
Kay watched as the couple walked across the car park away from her, and then waited as the car pulled away from the hospital grounds before turning towards her own vehicle.
The last thing she wanted to do was attend another funeral, but it seemed Larch had his own plans for her and the team.
Plans he hadn’t seen fit to share with her that morning.
She sighed, and turned the key in the ignition.
It was going to be a long week.
Thirty-Seven
When Kay returned to the incident room, a sullen atmosphere hung in the air, and the door to Sharp’s office was closed.
‘What’s going on?’ she said to Barnes as she typed in her password for her computer.
‘Jude Martin from the CPS has been over,’ he said. ‘They’ve recommended we drop all charges against Peter Evans. Larch went ballistic.’
‘I’ll bet.’
Kay could well imagine the DCI’s wrath at the turn the investigation had taken. She had little sympathy for his motives though – all Larch would be concerned about
