Julie nodded.
‘So the obvious place for a bit of privacy would be in a nice, quiet corner of a barn?’
Julie nodded again. ‘We were only kissing…’
‘I believe you,’ Amir said. ‘I can remember how difficult it was to find somewhere out of the way when I was dating at your age.’ He hesitated. ‘But did Tom upset you in some way?’
‘It was just something he said,’ Julie muttered. ‘Something about overhearing Mom and Uncle Angus talking the day before the games, but I promised him I’d tell no one what it was.’
‘Perhaps they’d had a row?’ Amir suggested.
Julie shrugged. ‘Mom argues a lot with people, so I wouldn’t have been surprised. I asked Tom about that but, at first, he shut up like a clam and said he wished he’d never opened his mouth.’
Amir nodded slowly. ‘Trouble is,’ he said, ‘once you’ve said something, you can’t unsay it – know what I mean? But heobviously upset you, and, honestly, Julie, I do need to know what he said.’
‘It was something real bad, and I can’t believe it.’ Julie looked at him imploringly.
‘Would you like Ally to leave the room for a moment?’ Amir nodded at Ally.
‘No, it’s fine. It’s just that it can’t be true. Itcan’t!’
‘Tell me, Julie. No matter how bad it was, we only have his word for it. Remember that.’
Julie lowered her head and stared at the floor. ‘He said that he overheard Mom and Uncle Angus talking, and that Mom asked Uncle Angus for a gun.’
Amir stared at her. ‘This was the daybeforethe games?’
‘Yeah, just after we got here. She asked him for agun!’
‘Did Angus ask her what she wanted it for?’
Julie shook her head. ‘And there’s more! She even said that he should break into the cabinet because otherwise everyone would know it was him because he has a key.’
‘And your friend, Tom, overheard all this?’
‘Yes.’ Julie was weeping again.
‘And you haven’t told your mum what it was he told you?’ Amir probed gently.
‘No because Ally said I shouldn’t tell anyone until I’d spoken to you!’ Julie blew her nose. ‘I honestly wish I’d never set eyes on that Tom!’
‘One way or the other, he doesn’t sound very admirable,’ Amir agreed. ‘I’ll have a little chat with him later. Off you go now and give your mum a hug! But, Julie, donottell her what you’ve just told me. Promise?’
Julie stood up. ‘I won’t. Can I go now?’
‘Yes, you can,’ Amir said. ‘After you’ve promised to say nothing to anyone, including your mum, about what Tom told you. I think there’s a fair chance he was lying, and there’s no need for her to get herself upset.’
‘I promise,’ Julie said.
Then, after the door had closed behind her, Amir said, ‘You can guess where I’m heading now.’
Ally spent most of the day on tenterhooks, wondering if Amir would be able to work out if Tom had been telling the truth. Then she thought about Rigby, his predecessor, now retired due to heart problems. Rigby would probably have had a different approach: more direct; straight to the point; yes or no; did you or didn’t you? She had a feeling that Amir wasn’t like that. He would probe gently to gain someone’s confidence, be almost sympathetic. Then she wondered if Amir would tell her anything anyway because, after all, it wasn’t really her business. Unless… unless it was something to do with her guests. And, let’s face it, she had been extremely useful to him.
Amir phoned in the early afternoon. ‘I’m coming to question Mrs Armstrong,’ he said. ‘So I want to make sure that she’s still there and not out somewhere?’
‘I haven’t heard her go out,’ Ally replied. ‘Give me a minute and I’ll double-check for you.’
‘If you wouldn’t mind.’
