‘And you were in your room all that time?’
‘Yes.’
Kelly noticed no flicker of hesitation. Not one sniff of vagueness.
‘Right. And so you went downstairs.’
‘That’s when it happened.’ Sandy looked up at the ceiling as if she might find answers there.
‘Did you notice anyone missing from the conference during the day at all?’
Sandy looked at her suspiciously. ‘I didn’t see Paul.’
‘Paul Burlington, Jamie’s partner?’
‘Yes, they were inseparable. He wasn’t here when the police came. When everybody was screaming and running around, trying to figure out what the hell happened. He wasn’t here.’
‘And Joe Folly, have you heard that name? Or the DiggerMan?’
‘The what?’ Sandy chuckled.
‘It’s his podcasting name,’ Kelly said.
‘Oh. No, who is he, is he here? He could have been invited as media.’
‘I doubt it; he was digging, excuse the pun, into the damage pharmaceuticals cause people. Were you aware you were facing litigation from several sources?’
‘At our size, somebody is always suing us for some unfairness.’
‘Oh, my mistake, I thought I saw you listed as a liaison for the legal department during a couple of personal damages cases over the last couple of years.’
‘Oh, yes, right, that. I give advice on the scientific bit.’
‘Jamie was dealing with a few litigation cases; I’ve seen the emails. He cc’d you?’
The vagueness was back but the demeanour was just as tough. However, Kelly saw that her foot was curled around the chair leg so tightly, the skin around her ankle was changing colour.
‘I work for a pharmaceutical company; people sue us all the time.’
‘Sure. Was Jamie worried about any of them?’
‘The cases? Not that I recall.’
‘Right. Can I ask you one more thing. Did you know Jamie’s sister?’
‘His sister?’
‘Yes, Angelina.’
Sandy shook her head and kept the rest of her body very still. ‘He had a sister?’
‘Yes, she was staying not far from here, in a hotel, paid for by Jamie. So, you never met? He never introduced any of your colleagues to his family?’
‘No.’
‘It’s just that Angelina was found murdered on Monday afternoon and I was hoping somebody in the company might be able to cast a little light on who might have something against both brother and sister.’
Kelly saw the colour in Sandy’s cheeks change.
