‘How’s Dan doing?’ Ron asked as they headed for the door.
‘Grief-stricken as you can imagine,’ she said. ‘Do you know him well?’
‘Only through work functions, but they were utterly besotted with each other. She called him her knight in shining armour, and he doted on her and Ava. He’s one of the good ones.’
Kim thanked him again and headed towards the exit.
* * *
‘What was that last bit about?’ Bryant asked once they were outside.
‘Not sure,’ Kim said.
It was strange that Ashley’s boss had felt the need to specifically mention that Daniel was a good guy. What had he done to warrant such praise?
She took out her phone to call Stacey with the names of Robbie Steele and Joe Butler, but it lit up before she had the chance.
‘Stone,’ she answered, even though she was pretty sure her boss knew whom he’d contacted.
‘I need you back at the station. Now.’
The call ended, and she groaned as she got in the car.
Requests like that normally came for one of two reasons.
Because of something she’d done or something she was going to have to do.
And right now she had no idea which one it was.
Twelve
The door opened as Penn lifted his hand to knock. It was a long shot, but he was hoping the woman living at the house not far from the crime scene might have something to add.
A woman in her mid-fifties clutched her chest with the hand not holding a dustpan and brush.
‘Jesus, man, you nearly gave me a heart attack,’ she said, stepping back.
Penn produced his identification.
‘That don’t help my bloody ticker none, copper or not,’ she said, leaving the house and stepping past him.
She was wearing a light blue tee shirt and navy slacks. There was a logo on her left chest pocket, but he hadn’t read it before she bent down to sweep up the cigarette ends.
‘Suppose you’re here about that ruckus up the street,’ she said with her head down, focussed on the task at hand.
‘I am. Did you happen to see…?’
‘I don’t live here,’ she said, straightening up. ‘I’m just the home help. It’s Irene you want, but she wouldn’t have seen anything, and if she did, she probably wouldn’t tell you.’
Penn frowned as she continued. ‘Cantankerous old goat she is, especially today.’
‘I can bloody hear yer,’ shouted a voice from behind them.
The woman rolled her eyes before nodding to the open doorway.
‘You’d best go in and see for yourself. Give my ears a rest for a minute.’
Penn stepped inside and found a large woman, probably early seventies, sitting in a wheelchair by the window. A packet of cigarettes and a lighter sat on the windowsill.
