Poised, I wait for their questions, already knowing I have to watch each word, every nuance; how imperative it is that they believe me.
The DI frowns. ‘So you’ll know the woman who owned the house was a Ruth Preston?’
I pause for a moment. It would be so much easier to tell them that it’s Amy they should be talking to, but it could just as easily work against me. I have to take this step by step, so that the police can work it out for themselves. ‘It belonged to the grandmother of a friend of mine. I only knew her as Gran.’ Then because he’s going to ask, I add, ‘My friend’s name was Emily Preston – so in answer to your question, I guess the answer is yes.’
He doesn’t miss a beat. ‘And it was her sister, Kimberley Preston, who died?’
I nod calmly. ‘That’s correct.’ But my brain is racing. ‘Why would someone send a letter like this now?’
The DI doesn’t answer. ‘Can you tell me what happened that day?’
Sitting up straighter, I try to wrestle back some control. ‘Should I be asking for a lawyer?’
‘I’m sure that’s not necessary.’ The DI leans back in his chair. ‘How old were you when it happened?’
‘I was fifteen. It was terrible.’ My voice lowers. ‘Kimberley was older – seventeen, I think. She didn’t really hang out with us – she had her own set of friends. We all loved being at Kimberley and Emily’s gran’s house. She let us run wild. The garden was a wilderness and the lane led straight onto the Downs. We used to go off on our own for hours.’ I break off for a moment, thinking back. ‘Their gran used to make home remedies from the plants she grew. Now and then, we’d sneak in and try them. That’s what Kimberley did, but unfortunately she consumed something poisonous. It hit her really fast. One minute she was running outside, the next, she was hit by a van.’ An image comes back to me, of Kimberley unsteady on her feet, her eyes huge, her pupils dilated as she lurched into the road, before collapsing as the van hit her.
‘There is one thing.’ The DI looks puzzled. ‘We looked the case up. Records mention Kimberley and her sister, Emily, and a third teenager called Alison Macklin. There’s no mention of a Fiona Rose.’
‘That’s because I changed my name, Detective Inspector.’ I regard him coolly. ‘You can hardly blame me. I didn’t want to forever be linked to what happened to Kimberley. Fiona’s my second name. Rose came from my ex-husband.’
‘I see.’ While PC Page makes notes, the DI looks unfazed. ‘It really was rather tragic, wasn’t it? An accident, though the grandmother took responsibility. It’s noted that she said her remedies had only ever been created for beneficial use, never for harm.’ He studies me closely. ‘You say you tried some of them? You and your friend?’
I shrug. ‘Once or twice. They didn’t have much effect, to be honest.’
He frowns. ‘Unlike Kimberley’s death. That must have had quite an impact on both of you – especially your friend, losing her sister like that.’
‘Yes.’ I’m rigid, trying not to show my irritation, because it was what everyone had said. Poor Emily. No-one thought about me. Nor did they care what happened to me, after.
DI Lacey looks thoughtful. ‘Is the grandmother still alive?’
PC Page shakes her head. ‘I don’t imagine so. Ms Reid told us she moved there after the old woman who’d lived there for years died. We’re trying to get hold of records of ownership of the house, but for some reason, there’s been a hold up.’ She pauses. ‘Odd isn’t it.’ She looks straight at me. ‘Like you said – why would someone send a letter like that after all this time?’
‘Really odd.’ I stare at the table. ‘That family went through so much when Kimberley died. After all this time, it’s hard to imagine why someone would want to stir it up.’
The DI frowns. ‘This line, about how the truth has been hidden, but that you were the person who knows what really went on … Do you have any idea what they’re getting at?’
I look up at him. ‘Other than the grandmother shouldn’t have felt responsible, not really.’
His frown deepens. ‘Wasn’t she responsible, though? If she stored potentially harmful substances somewhere teenagers could easily access them?’
I look at them both. ‘She kept them in a locked part of the garden, behind a stone wall. It wasn’t that easy to get into. You had to want to.’ Realising it sounds as though I’m defending her, I add, ‘But maybe you’re right.’
When neither of them speaks, I stand up. ‘Will that be all? I have another meeting I really can’t miss.’ I hold my breath, waiting for them to tell me that’s all for now, that if there’s anything else they’d be in touch.
But he holds my gaze a little too long, speaks a little too lightly. ‘Ms Rose. Sit down, please. We’ve only just started. I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere.’
Chapter Thirty
For a moment, I’m silent. Then I shake my head. ‘I’m sorry. I really do have to go. I’m already behind with meetings. I can come back another time. I haven’t been arrested.’
‘If you’re determined to leave, you’ll give us no choice.’ PC Page is very calm, leaving me in no doubt she means it.
‘On what grounds? You don’t have anything, other than an anonymous letter clearly written by some kind of crackpot.’
‘I think you’ll find suspicion of perverting the course of justice would fit quite well.’ The DI breaks off, his eyes not leaving me, as he adds, ‘Would you kindly sit down?’
Uneasy, I do as he asks, my mind racing again as I try
