Someone banging on the car roof shattered the silence.
“Are you ever coming indoors?” asked Suzie.
“Sorry,” said Gus, “Kassie had more stories to tell than I dreamed possible. She was so chatty that she forgot to give me that doggy bag she promised. Have you eaten?”
“I ate that salad I mentioned on the phone,” said Suzie. “It’s too warm to sit indoors. I’ve got a glass of Chardonnay in the back garden with your name on it. We can chat while you decide what you want for dinner.”
Gus trailed along behind Suzie as she walked past Tess’s climbing roses to the small patio at the rear of the bungalow. Suzie was right; this shady spot was ideal for the evening. Food could wait for an hour.
“How was your day?” asked Suzie.
Gus went through the Stacey Read case's final throes with her and the latest murder file the team had received from Kenneth Truelove. The Alan Duncan murder had occurred before Suzie’s time with the detective squad at London Road. Death on the county's northern border made the local newspapers for a day or two, but the trail went cold quickly, and the world moved on.
“It sounds a tricky problem,” she remarked. “What did Kassie Trotter have to say that was so urgent?”
“Kassie’s hopes of a wedding to a hunky rugby player appear to have faded fast,” said Gus. “Rhys Evans is more into yoga than sticky buns.”
“Poor Kassie,” said Suzie. “Have you decided what you’re eating yet?”
Gus went into the kitchen to check the fridge and the freezer. He wasn’t short of options, just time. While watching Suzie enjoying a second glass of white wine through the window, he spotted their list of essential telephone numbers next to the waffle maker. Gus ordered a pizza which the young girl assured him would arrive in thirty-five minutes. If he couldn’t eat the whole thing, he was sure Suzie would feel peckish later. Gus returned to the fridge and removed the second bottle of chilled Chardonnay, just in case.
Tuesday, 31st July 2018
When Gus drove away from the bungalow at eight-thirty, Suzie was behind him for a change. He was keen to get to the Old Police Station for the start of interviews on the Alan Duncan case. Suzie had lingered in the bathroom this morning. Gus had vague memories of days like that with Tess.
He had found it better not to pry. If there was anything to know, he heard about it when Tess was good and ready, and not before. He assumed Suzie would be the same. As they reached the London Road HQ, Gus looked in his rear-view mirror and gave her a wave. Suzie flashed her headlights before turning into the car park. Gus made a mental note to wait until Suzie spoke first tonight.
The Crime Review Team car park was busy. Blessing Umeh was reversing into a parking space under polite instruction from Neil Davis. Alex Hardy and Lydia were already upstairs because Lydia’s red Mini sat in a safe spot in the extreme left-hand bay.
Luke Sherman drove up and waited while Neil and Blessing completed the manoeuvre with no damage to Neil’s car or Blessing’s. Gus and Luke parked in the remaining bays and then joined the others by the lift doors.
“Blessing’s getting better, guv,” said Neil.
“Thank you, Neil,” said Blessing. “There’s no need to highlight my shortcomings.”
“Did you have any further thoughts on my last question yesterday, guys?” asked Gus as they travelled up in the lift.
“The money, guv?” said Neil. “I can’t make head nor tail of it yet.”
“Until we know more about Alan Duncan’s life, we can’t work it out, guv,” said Luke.
“What do you think, Blessing?” asked Gus.
“It seemed an odd amount, guv,” said the young Detective Constable.
“Exactly,” said Gus.
Neil and Luke exchanged a glance as the lift doors opened. Another of their boss’s cryptic remarks. What did it mean?
“We have thirty minutes before we’re due at Madeleine Telfer’s home,” said Gus. “How long will that take us at this time of the morning, Alex?”
“Twenty minutes, guv,” said Alex.
“Come on then, Lydia,” said Gus. “We’ll see whether your boyfriend is right. Let’s not keep Mrs Telfer hanging around.”
Gus and Lydia returned to the ground floor.
“Shall we take my car, guv?”
“Can you drive in those heels?”
“Fair comment. Alex drove us in from his house this morning.”
“I would have suggested I collected you from your place in Chippenham,” said Gus, “but I didn’t want to ask if you’d be at home.”
Lydia laughed.
“My place is on the Devizes side of Chippenham, guv. It would be perfect for you to have picked me up on the way to Cepen Park. I don’t know why we don’t just get rid of both places and find something big enough for both of us closer to the office.”
“That feels like a commitment, doesn’t it,” said Gus.
“We’re happy as we are, guv. I don’t see that changing. I think Alex wanted to keep his options open when you suspended him. That’s behind us now, and we’re looking forward to a future together. As long as we’re with the CRT, everything will be perfect.”
“I can’t control that one hundred percent, Lydia,” said Gus. “As long as the senior team at London Road continues to support us, then there shouldn’t be an issue. A new person at the top might prefer to move one of you into a different role. There’s still an old-fashioned view that couples can’t work together successfully.”
“Fingers crossed then, guv. I’m glad you had your
