McIntyre raised himself from the chair and walked around the room, looked at the pictures on the walls, checked the book Grantham was reading and sat down again. He looked Grantham straight in the eyes. ‘The police will suspect Samantha,’ he said. ‘I want you to find out from her what is the truth.’
‘Are you seriously stating that your daughter could be responsible?’
‘I’m saying nothing. If, as I believe, you and she are serious, then we need to protect her.’
‘Even if she’s guilty?’
‘I hope she’s not. Let the police conduct their investigation; you conduct yours and don’t try to conceal anything from me.’
‘Did you kill Stephen Palmer?’ Grantham said.
‘Others have accused me of lesser crimes. None of them is in any position to give you advice on how you approach me and what you say. I suggest you take heed of that fact. I am giving you my confidence; use it wisely.’
With that, McIntyre opened the front door of the house and left. Grantham sat for five minutes pondering on what had just occurred. To him, it sounded as though the man had given a de facto confession to the murder of Stephen Palmer and an admission that he was convinced that his daughter had killed Liz Spalding. He would need to act soon, and without hesitation.
***
Larry spent the day after Wendy’s and his return from Cornwall in a haze. As Wendy had predicted, he fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes, continually holding two fingers up to his mouth in the act of simulation. In the end and in desperation, he had purchased chewing gum to distract him.
An update from Forensics in Plymouth: they had identified the lipstick that had been found on Liz Spalding’s clothing. It was nothing special, just a lipstick that could be bought in most chemists’ and most department stores.
Jim Greenwood phoned soon after. ‘We’ve had a visitor down here.’
‘Liz Spalding’s delayed man?’ Larry said.
‘Not him, Bob Palmer. He said he hadn’t seen Liz for a long time, not since his brother’s funeral. The man was distraught, wanted to see where she died. I got the local doctor to give him a sedative. He’s at the hotel where you stayed. He’s not committed any crime, apart from being a damn nuisance. What do you want me to do with him?’
‘Find out how he knew she was down there. We’ve not released the name yet, not all the next of kin have been informed,’ Larry said. ‘It’s almost twenty years since his brother took her out. Time hasn’t moved on for Bob, and it’s obsessive people who commit murder.’
‘He could have killed Liz if Forensics is wrong,’ Wendy said.
‘It’s unlikely, but then again, all these years, he could have been stalking her, too scared to approach, unable to leave the past where it belonged. Spend some time with Palmer, push him, find out what you can,’ Larry said. ‘Ask him how he knew it was Liz and how he knew she was in the village. We don’t suspect him of murder, not of her. We should regard him as harmless, but of concern. Check out where he intends to go and what he plans to do after he leaves the village.’
***
Fergus Grantham sat opposite Samantha Matthews in the front room of her house. After his encounter with her father, and what he sensed was a change in the man from polite to malevolent, he was curious to see if Samantha displayed the same.
He’d never given much thought to McIntyre’s reputation before. He was the man’s lawyer, that was all. He was concerned that the woman he cared for had inherited violent traits from her father; after all, genetic inheritance is stronger than any acquired skills or values.
‘You told my father that we’re involved,’ Samantha said. She was dressed in a green dress with matching high heels. It was still early, and she had not finished putting her makeup on when Fergus knocked on the door.
‘He knew already. He offered no opinion for or against, but he was clear on one matter, his concern for you.’
‘I’ve done nothing, if that’s what he believes. What about you?’
I believe that you would be justified in any action that you might take.’
‘Are you implying I murdered that woman? How dare you imply such a thing.’
Fergus realised he had not mentioned the name of Liz Spalding or her death. He wasn’t sure if the police had.
If Samantha had killed the woman, he thought, how could she be so calm? What dark depths were there in her psyche? What else was she capable of?
He decided a different approach was required to remove her from any possibility of being arrested and found guilty of the murder. He, like her father, didn’t care whether she was guilty or not.
‘Your father is concerned,’ Fergus said. ‘He will protect you, regardless. As your lawyer and as a person who loves you, so will I.’
‘I know,’ Samantha said. She poured herself a small sherry, poured one for Fergus. She wasn’t sure what to say, as she had no compunction or guilt about what she had done to the woman who had blighted her life. She knew that she had left the village with a sense of elation. ‘There is nothing for you to do, Fergus, and nothing for my father to be concerned about. As you’re here and you’ve got time, I suggest we go upstairs. Is that acceptable for a lawyer to consider?’
Grantham followed her up the stairs. He knew the truth; the reason was not important, protecting her was.
Chapter 18
DCS Goddard met with Isaac. They were
