—
Laura Welsh lookedat the four of them and tried not to laugh. The four retirees were squashed together on one side of the table in Interview Room Two. The light was harsh. Behind them, paint was starting to peel off the wall. Margaret, Catherine, and Geoffrey looked embarrassed, their eyes darting nervously around the room. The dead-eyed Carol stared straight ahead.
What a funny sight they had been. Especially Catherine in her swimming cossie and Carol, apparently dressed as a cartoon stripper. She’d allowed them ten minutes to change into something more dignified before she took them to the station.
That must have caused a stir at Sheldon Oaks. Four respectable-looking pensioners being bundled into a cop car and shipped to the nick—that would have got curtains twitching.
“This is serious stuff, you know. You moved a dead body.”
Geoffrey held up a finger. “Ah. But can you prove that in a court of law?”
“I think you’re forgetting that Margaret relived the whole story in the car on the way over here,” deadpanned Laura. “I recorded it on my phone. You were all laughing.”
“We didn’t do it! We didn’t kill him!” said Catherine.
Laura spoke softly. “I know you didn’t.”
“How?” asked Carol.
“Call it a hunch. You’re busybodies, not killers.”
“I’m a killer,” said Carol, offended. “And what makes you think these three don’t have it in them? Don’t underestimate us, Laura. Geoffrey’s got a temper—I’ve seen it. Catherine asked me to help her kill her ex-husband earlier on today, and Margaret, well, she’s an ex-politician—she’s capable of anything.”
Catherine butted in: “Carol, I’m not sure you’re—”
“I just think it stinks,” said Carol. “People look at us and think we’re just sitting around in nappies doing jigsaws. We’re not a hundred, you know! We’ve got get-up-and-go! Geoffrey and Catherine shagged yesterday!”
Margaret spat out her tea.
“You should have heard some of the things they were doing.Really athletic stuff, the way Catherine describes it. Geoffrey sprained his calf! You think they don’t have it in them to lock a wimp like Giles Temple in a sauna?”
Laura stopped drawing a cobweb in the corner of her notepad and put down her pen. “I apologize if I’ve offended you. You are all very capable killers, I don’t doubt it. But you’re also all very bright. I just don’t think you’re stupid enough to walk around with the man you just killed in the middle of the day.”
Carol paused, relenting. “All right, well, I see what you’re getting at there, yes. I just don’t want you looking at us and thinking, Oh, they’re old, they could never be murderers.”
Margaret gently placed her hand on Carol’s arm. “Carol, as the only qualified lawyer in the room, may I suggest that you stop talking for a moment?”
Carol folded her arms.
“You’ve all been investigating Desmond’s death, am I right?” said Laura.
They all nodded.
“Which I assume means you’ve accumulated some evidence.”
“A little,” said Catherine.
“You’ve most likely noticed we brought Polly in yesterday, and I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your attention that as there’s been another murder while Polly was in custody, things are now kind of tricky for us.”
“You’ve got the wrong woman,” said Geoffrey.
“So it would seem.”
“Then what now?” said Catherine.
“Tell me everything you know and I’ll let you go.”
Margaret opened her mouth but Carol spoke first. “Hang on. Where’s DCI Beattie?”
