He waved it in her face as she held the door open for him. ‘Never know when it might come in handy.’
* * *
‘You’re not even a bit funny,’ she said once they were back in the car.
Despite his attempt at humour, she didn’t need any supernatural abilities to know what was coming next.
‘Guv, normally I am a superfan of your tenacity,’ Bryant said, looking straight ahead. ‘There have been times when I haven’t agreed with you, and you’ve eventually proven me wrong, but on this occasion I’m pretty confident you’re looking for something that’s not even there.
‘You’ve had an itch about this case since you sat down with Martha. You’ve interviewed her, you’ve interviewed her whole family, you’ve interviewed the neighbour, and you won’t let it go.’
Kim had no argument to make, so she stayed quiet even though the feeling in her gut refused to go away.
‘I know Donna and Eric’s plight affected you. I know you’d like to heal that family. But as long as they believe in that curse, you’ve got no chance.’
He took a breath, and Kim knew he was right.
‘Martha has confessed. Woody has warned you off it. Hell, even Keats has called it and released the body.’
‘One last visit,’ she said, sitting up in her seat. ‘And then it’s over.’
‘Oh, Jesus, what the hell did I say now?’
‘Well done, Bryant,’ she said, taking out her phone. ‘Today you’ve earned your keep.’
Fifty-Four
‘Trust me, Bryant, this is going to be worth your time,’ Kim said as they approached the farmhouse.
‘Sorry, guv, I’m still kicking my own ass for whatever it was I said that prompted you to do the exact opposite of what I was advising.’
‘You’ll see,’ Kim said as the door opened to reveal Lena Hubbard.
‘What do you want?’ she asked, folding her arms.
Normally, Kim realised, in a fight there was good and evil, right and wrong, likeable and unlikeable. In this case, both matriarchs were equally hateful. It was just that this one smelled better.
‘Just another couple of questions.’
‘I’m due at the funeral director’s in?—’
‘We won’t keep you long,’ Kim said, edging past her.
Kim strode back into the open-plan kitchen and diner that she’d admired that morning. Now she saw it completely differently.
‘Like I said, we talked to Eric yesterday. He misses his dad very much. Did the two of you miss Eric?’
‘Of course we did, but I could never forgive him for the betrayal. While he’s with that slut, I’ll never be able to speak to him again.’
‘No, you wouldn’t, would you? But maybe your husband could. Maybe he was prepared to forgive Eric.’
‘I doubt it,’ she said.
Kim looked out of the window and then turned towards her. ‘Why did George walk past the oak tree, Mrs Hubbard?’
‘I… have no idea. He must have made a mistake.’
‘He’s never made that mistake before. What could have possessed him to go beyond the bounds of safety on that day? He knew the Stouts would see him approach.’
