Maya couldn’t bring herself to comment, riled by the sardonic tone in his voice. There was another heavy silence as they both stood staring at the corpse.
‘Right.’ Maya sniffed. ‘I’ll just ask the divers to collect a water sample for me before they head off and then I’ll get him bagged up.’
‘Thank you. I’ll ask Curly to give you a lift with him.’ Never one to get his hands dirtier than he needed to, Redford was keen to get back to Beech Field and his sterile office.
Maya felt detached as she prepared the body bag, placing Mark Posner in it with an automation she would never have imagined possible when dealing with the dead. The stress of the break-in was more than she could endure, and she also had the added pressure of having to speak to DS Turner about Spence’s arrest. What the hell was that all about anyway? She almost didn’t want to know, she had enough to think about.
Maya yearned to go home. Not home to her apartment, but home to Dominique. There were times when only a mother’s hug could make everything better. Plus, Dominique was the only other person on the planet who would appreciate how terrifying the mention of Naylor’s name was. She could barely focus on Curly as she left the scene; her eyes brimmed with tears as she drove back to Beech Field. The nightmare of today was far from over. She still had a hell of a lot of awkward hours ahead of her and she was beginning to doubt her ability to cope with much more.
58
Dominique was exhausted. Work had been busy enough, but then there had been the charity sale at the community centre. Her feet were aching after standing for so long and the heat had made her ankles swell. Maya still had the car which meant she had walked home. Although it wasn’t far, the hot weather made the journey feel twice as long. Now she was looking forward to sitting in the garden and enjoying a glass of the wine she had just bought to go with her dinner. She turned into her cul-de-sac and noticed a top-of-the-range black Mercedes randomly parked on the grass verge opposite her house. She frowned to herself. None of her neighbours owned such a car and neither did their relatives.
The privacy and seclusion of the cul-de-sac meant it was easy to keep an eye on the comings and goings. Everyone was familiar with their neighbour’s activities. Plus, it was an unwritten rule that to preserve the aesthetics of the neighbourhood, nobody parked on the verges. This meant the driver of the Mercedes was undoubtedly a stranger to the area. Dominique squinted, the glare of the sun reflecting off the windscreen obscured her vision as she glanced over to see if she recognised whoever was sat in the car.
She hesitated. Debating whether she should go and speak to the driver. Her musings were broken as a flash of black fur hurtled towards her. Jet arched her back and purred as she weaved her way between her legs. Her pink nose perched in anticipation of the fact it was very nearly teatime. Dominique laughed as she stroked her soft coat, muttering platitudes to her fur baby. She was such a social cat and loved her cuddles. Maya often joked she was the ficklest cat in the world, because she didn’t care who was stroking her as long as someone was.
Dominique glanced towards the car again. She should really go and investigate but Jet’s insistence on being fed decided her. If the car was still there later, she’d go and have a word. But as she placed her key in the lock the Mercedes powered off. The exhaust screamed with a pitch that set her teeth on edge and caused her heart to race. The sudden, unexpected noise was almost violent. Startled, she dropped the bottle of wine and winced as Merlot splashed up her legs. Illuminated by the evening sun, the wine glistened and gleamed like freshly spilled blood.
59
Maya had just finished her interview with DS Turner. It had been excruciatingly awkward as she justified how she had ended up spending several hours in Spence’s company on the night in question. She had confirmed the date and times she had been in The Brown Cow with him and her friends. Turner was also arranging to check the pub’s CCTV footage. Maya had provided him with Caitlin and Letitia’s details so they could also confirm Spence’s alibi. Turner had appeared satisfied with Maya’s account, but it had left her feeling even more drained. Wearily, she returned to the office. Amanda greeted her with an apologetic smile and nodded towards Kym’s office.
‘They’re waiting for you,’ she said kindly.
Maya puffed out her cheeks. ‘“They?”’
‘Ma’am, Mitton is in with Kym.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ she hissed as she resisted the urge to slam her stuff down on the desk. She smoothed her uniform down and smiled gratefully at Amanda who gave her a wink and held up crossed fingers.
‘Kym. Ma’am,’ Maya nodded to the two women, ‘I believe you want to see me?’
‘Yes, thank you, Maya.’ Kym pushed her glasses on top of her head and gestured for Maya to sit down. ‘DI Mitton and I are concerned to hear you’ve provided an alibi for a suspect connected to Operation Chrysalis.’
‘I’ve just given my statement to DS Turner.’
‘Would you mind giving us a precis?’ Kym said. The expression on her face did not match her attempt at a pleasant tone.
Maya repeated what she had told DS Turner, speaking as confidently as she could despite how intimidated she felt in the presence of the two women.
DI Mitton laced her fingers together and placed them under
