She rolled her eyes. “Her married boyfriend, you mean. It was a bit of a sore point between us. She assured me she knew what she was doing, the risks she was taking, and to stop nagging her. I agreed. I hated that she was carrying on behind his wife’s back. You know what young girls are like, though. Apparently he promised her the earth and she fell for it.”
“Have they been seeing each other very long?”
“A few months, I suppose. What’s with all the questions? Has my daughter done something against the law, is that why you’re here?”
Katy prepared herself and tried to steady her breathing. “It’s with regret I have to inform you that yesterday afternoon a woman who we believe to be your daughter lost her life in an incident we’re investigating.”
Mrs Lascombe sat perfectly still, stunned. Slowly, as the news sank in, she shook her head as if rejecting the unwanted news. She whispered, “No, this can’t be happening. I need to ring her.” She tapped a number into the mobile she was holding and stared at Katy while it rang out. Tears dripped onto her cheeks as the realisation dawned on her. “How? Was she with him? Did he kill her?”
“What makes you say that?”
She shrugged. “Nothing good could have come out of the situation, could it?”
“If you’re asking us if he killed her, we can’t answer that just yet. If it’s any consolation, she didn’t die alone.”
“Oh right. Did he die as well?”
“Yes. He was murdered. We’re unsure, at present, what the cause of death will be for who we assume to be your daughter.”
Her brow pinched into tight wrinkles. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’re trying to piece together what happened. It’s going to be difficult, and the crime scene analysis will be hampered somewhat because there was a fire on board the boat.”
“Boat? What boat? Where? Here in the UK, or are you telling me this happened abroad somewhere? I’m confused, please, can’t you tell me outright how this happened?”
“As far as we know, Tina and her boss—you’re aware she was seeing her boss, aren’t you?” Katy asked, cringing when she thought she’d put her foot in it.
“Yes, that’s why I had a go at her. It’s not right that these men should be allowed to take advantage of the women who work for them. They dangle all sorts of promises for them to grasp. Despicable, especially when he was bloody married. You know what young girls are like, they think they know best, and now…she’s gone. What the hell does that say about my mothering skills? If only I had spoken to her as an equal, maybe I could have persuaded her not to get involved with the bastard. Sorry for speaking ill of the dead, but this is my daughter we’re talking about here. My only child.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. Maybe you can tell us more about their relationship, if you wouldn’t mind?”
“What’s to tell? He set his sights on my beautiful baby, and the rest is history. He splashed the cash around, she fluttered her eyelashes, and he promised her the earth.”
Katy’s interest went up a notch. “Do you think he was planning on leaving his wife for your daughter?”
“Are you suggesting she might be behind their deaths?”
“Not outright, no. However, we’ll definitely be looking into that side of things during our investigation.”
“You think a woman would be capable of such an act?”
“Who knows, if the risks are high and she has everything to lose if he ditches her?”
“Hard to fathom, but nothing should surprise me any more in this cruel world. I don’t think the news has sunk in yet. Why am I not devastated? I should be, shouldn’t I?”
“Grief presents itself in different ways. Because we haven’t got a formal identification yet, you still have hope. Maybe when we’re gone it will sink in and hit you. Do you want me to ring anyone, maybe get someone over here to sit with you?”
“No. I think I’ll be all right. If I sense I can’t cope after you’ve gone, I’ll call someone. Damn, what about my hospital appointment? I’ve waited over a year to get one. They think I have cancer. I’m about to get the prognosis today.” Her head bowed, and she clenched her fists in her lap. “I could have done with Tina’s support today, but she chose to be with him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like us to give you a lift rather than you relying on public transport?”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’ll pass. I’d rather go alone, it’ll give me time to think. Oh gosh, how on earth do you start planning your daughter’s funeral? Where do I begin if it is her?”
“There are grief counsellors out there willing to help you. Would you like me to give you a number you can ring?”
“No. I don’t think I can deal with it right now. Let me work through the process first. At least, that’s what I think I need to do. Who knows? My God, what am I bloody saying? She’s possibly dead, and I’m sitting here numb, not thinking straight. What is wrong with me?”
“Please, don’t beat yourself up about this,” Katy said, suddenly out of her depth, not knowing what to say next to heap yet more sympathy on the woman.
“Why don’t I make you a drink?” Charlie offered.
“Yes, maybe that would be a good idea,” Mrs Lascombe replied. “Tea, milk, two sugars. Thank you, dear.”
“Nothing for me, Charlie,” Katy chipped in.
While Charlie was out of the room, Katy tried to speak to the woman. Her aim wasn’t to bombard her with questions but to lend her a sympathetic ear. “If you need to talk about Tina, feel free. Is her father around?”
“No. He walked out on us when I was eight months pregnant. Haven’t seen or heard from the bastard since then either.”
“That’s disgusting. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. We’ve coped better without him. He was
