‘Here it is,’ Larry said. He put on a pair of glasses, the first time that Isaac had seen his DI wearing them. “February 2nd Q came over”.’
‘Q?’
‘No idea. I’ll continue. “My life is a living hell; I’m not sure if I want to continue”.’
‘The date of one of her attempted suicides,’ Isaac said.
‘Her father said that she had medical reasons for her suicide attempts. This would indicate that there was another reason.’
‘So why did the father tell us it was medical?’
‘We’ll ask him in due course. It may not be important, although this Q is.’
‘Does this tie in Christine Devon?’
‘It depends if she saw the diary and understood its significance. It’s more likely she knew who this Q was, and what Amelia was doing with the man.’
‘Man?’ Isaac said.
‘It could be a woman, I suppose.’
‘We’ll need the diary checked.’
‘Bridget can go through it,’ Larry said.
‘The woman’s loaded up as it is.’
‘We’re all loaded up. And what are we going to do about the murder of Samuel Devon?’
‘Attempt to see if his death and that of his mother are related. All three murders are important, although it’s Amelia Brice who garners all the attention.’
‘I’ll go back to the office,’ Larry said.
‘Give Bridget the diary, ask her to start work on it. We’ll then meet up at Brice’s radio station. You know which one?’
‘At this time of the day, he’ll have another fifty-five minutes to go. We need to ask him about Q.’
‘He’s likely to clam up.’
‘And we’re likely to bring him into the station and put on the pressure.’
‘It’s getting murky.’
‘What’s different from our other cases?’ Isaac said.
‘There may be some other diaries in here. I’ll come back later, maybe bring Wendy with me.’
‘You’ll need to do something about your weight, you know that,’ Isaac said, trying not to sound too authoritative.
‘I know, only these diets of my wife leave me starving. I’ve tried telling her, but it’s in one ear and out the other.’
‘You’ll need to take control.’
‘Not so easy. If I lay the law down too strongly, she’s likely to walk.’
‘Anyway, I’ve said my piece. I don’t want to make it official, but there’s a compulsory medical coming up soon. If you want a promotion, you’ll need to be fit.’
‘Point taken. Give me three weeks, and you’ll not recognise me.’
‘Okay, let’s go. Brice is not going to like us turning up on his doorstep.’
‘Do you care?’
‘Not me,’ Isaac said.
***
Isaac arrived at the radio station as Jeremy Brice was wrapping up. He had listened to him on the car radio as he was driving over. Something to do with the pitiful condition of the hospitals in the country, and what was the government doing to resolve the problem. He had even had the prime minister on the line.
‘I never expected you to be here,’ Brice said. The man was standing outside the studio where he had just been broadcasting. There were others present, and he was pleasant. ‘We’ll go into another room.’
‘Mr Brice, we’ve found a diary belonging to your daughter.’
‘She always had one. Have you found out who killed her?’
Larry walked in and took a seat next to Isaac.
‘The diary mentioned February 2nd. It’s a significant day.’
‘Yes. I know what day it is. Another one of her episodes.’
‘Have there been many?’ Larry asked.
‘Two in the last year. Is this important? My daughter had a medical issue. She did not die by her hand, but by someone else’s.’
‘In the diary, it mentioned a Q,’ Larry said. ‘We assume it to be a man, although it could be a woman.’
‘And? I’m a busy man. I need to be in makeup within the hour. A television programme tonight.’
‘According to your daughter’s diary, she had met with Q, and she was contemplating suicide.’
‘Who knows what goes through the minds of someone who’s suicidal.’
‘Did you have her checked out?’
‘What kind of father do you think I was? Of course she was checked out. The best medical treatment, the best psychiatric help, but it needed discipline, hard work on her part.’
‘And as long as you supplied the money, the hard work was not necessary.’
‘Don’t lecture me on raising a child. If I had not given her the money, she would have been on the street. I couldn’t let her do that, and if the money meant that she took drugs and screwed black men, then so be it. At least she was still alive.’ Brice looked at Isaac. ‘Sorry about that, but she enjoyed the seedy side of life.’
‘No offence was taken. We know the type of men she enjoyed,’ Isaac said.
‘Are there any other diaries?’ Larry asked.
‘She was always secretive with them. As a child, there’d be a lock on them, but now, I don’t know. I never read them, my wife would sometimes, even though I told her not to.’
‘We’re concerned about the reference to Q. We’re also checking other dates that your daughter may have attempted suicide.’
‘Don’t put any credence on what she wrote.’
‘Unfortunately, we must.’
‘The other woman’s murder? Did you find out who killed her?’
‘It’s the same person that killed your daughter. We solve one, we solve the other, and now the other woman, Christine Devon, her son has been murdered.’
‘Are they related?’
‘We don’t think so. We’ll pursue your daughter’s and Christine Devon’s murders as separate to Mrs Devon’s son. If we make a connection, we’ll let you know.’
***
Samuel Devon’s death had been confirmed by Pathology as drowning, although the youth had been knifed a couple of times before being weighted down with chains and thrown off a bridge. Charisa and Billy Devon were holding up well, coordinating with Wendy
