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.‘There’s Camilla, a badminton partner,’ she said.‘Four or five years older than Daniel, but then most of his friends are.She’s a self-employed manicurist, so she could probably take time off if I paid her expenses.’‘Would you ring her? Emphasise how badly Daniel needs taking out of himself in cheerful company.’Reluctantly Anna rose.‘I’d find it easier if I do this bit on my own.‘But of course.’While she withdrew to phone from the study, Zyczynski went across to look out of the window.‘He’s going down the fields to the river.’Abercorn was lying back, cup in hand and staring at the ceiling.He grunted.‘She’s embarrassed,’ he decided.‘Not being secretive, just not accustomed to acting deviously.That implies distaste for manipulation.I tend to share your opinion of the lady: she’s not subversive.The boy has nothing to fear from her.’‘I never said what I thought of her.’‘You disagreed when your fellow sergeant suggested she’d need watching.’Zyczynski stared back blank-faced.She’d need to be careful with this one.Too observant by half.But maybe he was what this complicated case needed.So long as he didn’t let his cleverness run away with him.‘So you thought you’d warn me I’m transparent?’ she accused.‘We’re both on the same side.’Just as well, she thought.I wouldn’t give him the right to poke about in my brain.‘There’s one little puzzle.I understood she hasn’t visited for some years.How then does she know of Daniel’s current friends?’‘Maybe this girl’s more than a friend.He may have talked to Anna about her.’‘I don’t imagine he’s that open with her.’ He said no more as they heard Anna’s heels on the hall tiles.She returned impassive, nodded and sat down again to drink her cooling tea.‘Camilla will ring him this evening, invite him out for lunch somewhere, maybe Oxford or Henley.I will ring later and let Rosemary know what time she’ll be picking him up.That should leave us plenty of time to investigate Huggett’s claims about the woods.’She regarded the psychologist squarely.Actually Camilla sounded very keen.I’m afraid she may have a morbid taste for the sensational.I warned her to keep off the dreaded subject, and not to question Daniel.We don’t need him further upset.’‘Unless the dam bursts and gives him relief.’‘I’d rather that happened here, where we can get the right sort of help.’‘You’ve been very helpful yourself, Mrs Plumley.Thank you.But now I’m expected by Superintendent Yeadings, so I must leave you.’He handed back his cup and saucer, smiled at Anna and let Z lead him back to her car.Anna watched them drive off, saw Daniel in the distance walk out from a line of trees above the water meadows to stare after them.When he returned she wandered in as he shed his boots at the gun room door.‘Someone called Camilla phoned, wanting you.She’ll try again this evening.An invitation of some kind, I think.’He looked aghast.‘I’m not up to clubbing.’‘Of course not.Something rather different, as I understood it.Just a drive and some lunch.Away somewhere.Make a bit of a break.’He considered this, pulling on his slippers.It would be a relief to be free of this damnable house.Swap the grim grandmother for Camilla and her giggles.Provocative Camilla, teasing yet sexually barring him.Just the two of them.Maybe this time he’d get lucky.It was more than time something went right for him.Dr Abercorn walked into Yeadings’ office to find his desk covered in crumpled pieces of paper.A WPC, kneeling on the floor, had separated others into five piles and was now gathering them up in bundles.‘Historical archivist?’ he asked benevolently.‘In a way.Not without profit.SOCO had examined bins in the house.This lot had travelled a stage further but, thanks to the recycling system, hadn’t joined the stinkier stuff.’Abercorn hovered over the desk, after more detail.‘Some interesting results.Hoad was having problems at work,’ Yeadings informed him.‘A whistle-blower had written to him, suggesting a review of the list of employees at the Bristol foundry.There have been recent sackings, and fictional names have been substituted on the wages lists [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]