‘And I wasn’t.’ George, as cool as you come, repeated the words. ‘I wasn’t there last night. Ask your mum. I was at the theatre with her and Kamran.’
‘Oh, I knowthat! Great alibi, getting my mum to vouch for you.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ George finally said, ‘Will you just shut up for two minutes, Jess?’
‘It’s Jessica.’
‘I wasn’t there last night. I’ve never, in my life, been to Queen’s Gardens. I obviously know Rob Traynor…’
‘Well, yes, you can’t deny that!’ I snapped.
‘But I’ve only just realised who Henry Cavendish Brown is.’
‘Darren Singleton?’ Robyn put in helpfully.
‘Look,’ George said, moving back towards Joel, ‘can we get Joel home? He’s had a bit of an argument with some rusty barbed wire, and it needs looking at.’
We all turned towards Joel who, unsmiling, held up his right arm. There was blood on his white T-shirt. ‘Might need a tetanus jab,’ Robyn said.
‘Had one recently.’ Joel shook his head. ‘Just needs cleaning up a bit.’
‘Well, he’s coming withus.’ I turned to George. ‘I don’t trust you with him. You might drive off with him somewhere.’
‘All right, all right!’ George put up two hands. ‘But let me follow you back to your place.’
‘I don’t know what for,’ I said crossly, turning to Joel, who’d still said very little. ‘That OK with you, Joel? George coming with us, I mean?’
Joel nodded, and a minute later Robyn was turning back the way we’d come a short time earlier.
* * *
‘Mrs Butterworth, we did ask you not to leave the house.’ A rather more senior-looking officer than the two who’d been left to babysit Lola and me the previous evening was in the kitchen, drinking coffee with Mum, Fabian and Kamran. He looked up in some surprise as the three of us trooped in, and actually stood as George followed us in.
‘Mr Sattar?’
Ah ha! So, Georgewasknown to the police.
‘George,’ the officer went on, shaking his hand.
‘Ralph,’ George replied, smiling back.
Oh, God, don’t tell me the local police were all in on it. We’d be needing thatLine of Dutybloke and AC12 lot in next. And was that maybea funny handshakethe pair had just accepted from each other? I glanced across at Robyn, but she didn’t appear to have noticed anything untoward.
And then Fabian took charge. ‘I think, Superintendent, it’s pretty obvious that Jess here was just an innocent bystander down at Queen’s Gardens last night.’ (Not so sure about the innocent, I thought, remembering Henry’s creeping fingers up my leg.) ‘She was there to collect Lola, her daughter, who is Singleton’s daughter’s school friend.’
‘We need to have her down at the station for a chat, sir,’ the officer insisted. ‘I know you’re able to vouch for Mrs Butterworth, Mr Carrington, sir’ – (oh the kudos attached to one’s being a KC!) – ‘but we obviously have to find out what she can tell us about the set-up down there.’
‘She’s absolutely shattered,’ Fabian said. ‘Had very little sleep. You can see how exhausted she is. So, if I stand as guarantor that I’ll personally bring Mrs Butterworth down to the station – and act as her advocate once there – can we let her get some rest now and leave it until Monday?’
Ralph, the superintendent, looked about to argue the toss, but with Mum and Kamran backing Fabian, he appeared to relent. I guessed he’d have had to actually arrest me if he wanted me to go with him there and then.
Once Ralph had left, Mum turned to the rest of us. ‘Right, Kamran and I are going to take Joel back up to our place and look at that arm. Then, we’ll feed him and let him sleep.’ She turned to Joel. ‘You can have Sorrel’s room, Joel. Would you like that?’
‘Mum, he’s not a three-year-old.’ Robyn tutted.
‘Well, if that’s all right with you,’ Joel said shyly. ‘That all right, Jess? Let you have the house to yourself? A bit of peace and quiet? I seem to have caused you enough aggro for one day.’
When I hesitated, he smiled. ‘And you’re quite safe with George. I promise.’
