His cornflower-blue eyes glint. ‘I wanted to pay my respects.’
‘Were you also looking for the sculpture?’
He throws his hands up in the air and laughs. ‘Okay,you got me. I was hoping I’d find it. Or something of value in that bunker. When I tried to escape through the fence I ripped my favourite coat – well, the lining anyway.
‘Haven’t you got enough money?’ I splutter.
‘You can never have too much money, Imogen.’
I stand up, feeling grubby. I need to get away from this horrible man. ‘The police have taken the sculpture away and there is nothing else of value in the bunker, so you’re wasting your time.’
He raises an eyebrow at me.
‘Goodbye. Thank you for your time,’ I say stiffly. ‘I’ll show myself out.’
‘What do you think you’re going to do now?’ Alison asks later that evening. We’re on the sofa in the front room and I’ve got the fire going. We’ve spent hours discussing Annette, Dorothea, Mum. I’m exhausted and my throat is sore from all the talking. Was it really only this morning when we went to visit Dad?
I’d only been back home a short while when DI Shirley rang.
‘I’m afraid I have some distressing news,’ she said, her voice grave. She then proceeded to tell me that Rosemary’s body had been found at a bed and breakfast near Hastings. ‘It looks like she’d taken her own life, but we’re not ruling out foul play either in light of what has happened to Dorothea and Maisie. Police searched her house and found a bloodied metal ornament that wethink her lodger, Peter Bryce, used to attack Dennis. He has a previous conviction as a teenager for assault although he’s been living with Rosemary for years.’
‘Did Annette and Rosemary come up with the idea to hurt Dennis together? Because of the biography?’
‘We’re not sure, but it looks that way.’
‘And you think Annette killed her?’
‘It’s a possibility.’
The only way to ensure her secrets were safe. I’ve wondered since whether Warren knows the full extent of Annette’s crimes.
‘I’m going to call Chris tomorrow and ask if I can go back to the TV station soon,’ I say to Alison now, with resolve. ‘Especially now we know that Annette killed Dorothea.’
‘You’ll have to be careful what you write though, won’t you? Because Annette will be put on trial. She’s bound to plead not guilty.’
‘I can start working on the story, ready to publish after the trial.’ I feel confident Chris will go for it.
‘And what about Dennis and his book? Will you take up his offer?’
Dennis must have got wind of Annette being arrested as he’d called me while I was on my way home from seeing Bobby to tell me the publisher has put his book on hold for the moment. He’d wondered if I wanted to write it with him in light of all the new developments. I said I’d think about it, but it’s a way of making certain Dorothea’s voice is heard.
‘I’m still not sure,’ I admit.
‘How are you feeling about it all?’ Alison asks. ‘Dad will be released …’
‘It still feels so much to take in. Annette killing Mum …’
We both stare at each other, our expressions mirror images of one another. And then Alison says, ‘I just can’t believe all this. I feel strangely numb.’
‘Me too. I don’t think it’s hit us yet.’
We sit drinking the bottle of wine I’d opened. We’re already on our second glass.
‘What will happen with Dad?’
‘I think he’ll have to go into a hospice or something.’
I nod and take another gulp of the sauvignon blanc.
