Chad pocketed the money, then dropped the tin on the floor.
Romeo, ever the gentleman, pulled a chair out for Chad on the opposite side of the table to Michael.Chad bowed his head in thanks, then went to sit down.
Romeo stood by the back door, arms folded, head cocked.
Chad looked past Michael to the shelves on the wall.There were photographs of Michael’s grandchildren, his great grandchildren, but the biggest picture was of Lucinda, central on the middle shelf.
There was a picture of Lucinda, several in fact, but none of Harriet, his other dead daughter.
Chad pulled off his mask, giving the green light for Romeo to do the same.
Michael glanced at Romeo, but his look held no recognition.He took a longer look at Chad, then pressed back in his chair.
“DC Chad Fuller.”
Romeo tutted.Chad imagined he was pissed he hadn’t been recognized but the disgraced detective from Bardhum had.“I don’t go by that title ...or that name anymore.”
“W-what is this?”Michael uttered, glancing between them.
“On face value it will look like a burglary gone wrong.That’ll give us at least two days to get well clear.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I.That’s why you’re going to explain it to me.”
Michael shook his head.He shot a clueless look at Chad.
“Why did you murder your daughter Mr.Hastings?”
Michael’s lips popped open.His breath hitched.“I didn’t.I’d never hurt one of my daughters.”
“You didn’t tell the police Lucinda stayed at her friend Candice’s house on the night Harriet went missing.”
“She took my truck, I didn’t want—”
“You needed an alibi.”
Michael turned to Romeo.“Are you hearing this?”
Romeo stuck a savage finger out at him.“Don’t look at me.Look at him.”
There was a growl in Romeo’s voice that said bad things would happen if he kept looking at Romeo.Bad things were going to happen regardless, but Chad needed to say what he had to first.This wasn’t about getting a confession, not anymore.This was about laying down the reason Michael was about to die.
“Here’s what I think happened,” Chad said, bracing his gloved hands on the table.“I think Harriet got picked up from school by James Poole that afternoon.I think they drove to Melbourn Spring, and I think they got into an argument.”
“Lucinda went after him,” Michael said.“She thought it was James that killed her sister, not Vincent.She thought you were helping James cover it up.So she ...she killed him.”
Chad carried on as if Michael hadn’t spoken.“I imagine James, aware that there was a serial killer about, tried to convince Harriet to get back into the car, but she refused.He drove off, she started walking home.It was quite a long way from the spring to your farm.The last part of it is a single-track road, relatively straight, straight enough that Harriet would’ve seen if you were driving towards her—”
“I didn’t get in the truck—"
“I know you didn’t.Lucinda did, but what I’m saying is Harriet would’ve seen it in the distance coming.She would’ve assumed it was you, her dad that hated James Poole, with good reason I might add, her dad that would offer her no comfort after her and James’s falling out.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying she probably hid.There’s enough hedges and trees along that road to easily get behind.The truck goes past, maybe Harriet still thought it was you, or maybe she saw Lucinda going by, it doesn’t matter.It went by, and Harriet continued on her way home.That’s why Lucinda never saw her sister.”
“This is ludicrous,” Michael laughed without humor.“It’s fantasy.Vincent Whitehall kidnapped and murdered my daughter.”
