She phoned Woody.
‘I’m up in the layby,’ she said, ‘trying to calm down.’
‘Why, what’s happened?’ he asked.
‘What’s happened is my interview with Bill Robson,’ Kate replied. ‘What a despicable man!’
‘Surely he’s not that bad, Kate?’
‘He bloody well is!’ Kate related an account of her conversation with the new detective inspector. ‘And, Woody, he made some snide remark about the murders having only been committed since I arrived down here! The cheek of the man! And he’s desperate to pass the buck for Edina’s poisoning to us at the medical centre and more or less accused us of not controlling her dosage. I think the man is too lazy to do his job. He seems determined to blame Edina’s death on medical negligence. Either that or simply put it down to the fact that she finished herself off! But, Woody, I know she didn’t want to die!’
Woody was silent for a moment. Then he asked, ‘Did you tell him about the meals?’
‘Yes, I did, but he doesn’t even seem to think it necessary to test them. And do you know what? He’s quite fit to say that I made those holes myself. Next thing you know I’ll be the chief suspect!’ Kate was aware that her voice had been rising higher and higher.
‘Kate, the first thing you need to do is calm down. Go home, take the dog for a walk or something. I have to go up there today so I’ll have a word with Bill Robson. He is still concentrating on suicide or, I’m sorry to say, a mistake at the surgery. But the least he can do is check those meals to see if they contain digoxin. I’ll see that he does. And’ – he paused, but she could tell he was smiling – ‘I’ll give you a very good character reference!’
When Kate arrived home she was welcomed by an ecstatic Barney. The first thing she was going to have to do was take him for a walk. Kate always felt guilty because she’d been away overnight and out for most of the morning. She worried about Barney, in spite of the fact that the dog was supposed to be Angie’s. Where was Angie anyway? Still in bed, Kate guessed. She couldn’t always be trusted to let Barney out for a late-night pee before she went to bed, and she was rarely up early enough to do likewise in the morning. The result was frequently a puddle on the kitchen floor, an apologetic-looking dog and a row with Angie. On one occasion Angie, who, as usual, had had one too many, did remember to let Barney out but then forgot to let him in again, leaving the dog outside all night. Kate reckoned it was worse than having an unpredictable teenager in the house because at least you could blame it all on hormones as opposed to gin.
On this occasion there was no puddle and Kate decided to have a quick cup of tea before setting out with Barney for a walk up to Penhallion cliff opposite, on the north side of Woody’s house, which was easier terrain than the steep climb to the cliff walk above Lavender Cottage that eventually led to Seaview Grange, if you walked and climbed long enough. As she drank her tea, she felt herself finally beginning to relax.
Kate loved their kitchen, a large extension which had been added on at the rear by the previous owners. It was light and airy with Shaker units and French doors to the back garden. There was a wide arch leading to the sitting room, which overlooked the sea at the front. It had taken them a little time to get used to the three steps which separated the two rooms. On one occasion Angie and her glass of gin went flying across the kitchen floor but, fortunately, both Angie and the glass remained intact by some stroke of good luck.
Kate drained her cup of tea, feeling much calmer, and set off with Barney. As they climbed the path her thoughts kept returning to the unfortunate Edina Martinelli. Whoever had poisoned her hadn’t done it by halves as they’d taken the trouble to inject every meal. It could therefore be assumed that the person who administered it had wanted her well and truly dead.
The wind was chilly but there was hardly a cloud in the sky on this beautiful autumn day. When they reached the top Kate, as always, stopped to admire the stunning views in every direction. Looking out across the ocean she could see a container ship on the horizon heading north, probably to Avonmouth, full of shiny new cars from the Far East. Looking south the dramatic coastline was visible as far as Trevose Head, and to the north she could decipher Hartland Point up in Devon and the silhouette of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. The sea washed rhythmically on the rocks beneath and the gulls, as always, wheeled and screamed overhead. While Barney investigated every tuft of grass and hollow, Kate remained deep in thought.
This whole Edina Martinelli business fascinated her. Who was this woman anyway? Might she be Italian, as her name suggested? She had a stepson so she must have been married at least once. And what about her singing career? If she’d sung at Covent Garden then she must have had a good voice. If she’d been successful then probably she could be googled. Kate decided that, as soon as she got home, she’d get her laptop out.
She’d now reached the wooden seat, anchored to a concrete base, which faced the Atlantic at the highest point of the cliff, and sat down to get her breath back. Since coming to Cornwall this seat had been a pivotal point of her life and it had taken weeks for her to face coming back
