‘You probably saw my picture in the papers. And – to my extreme embarrassment – I was onscreen a little as a teenager, in a soap.’
‘Oh! Which one?’
‘Gibba’s Farm.’
‘Yes!’ said Kim, warming to the woman hugely.
‘Nothing stranger than being a little recognizable from twenty years ago.’
‘You didn’t go on to acting?’
‘I was so rubbish at it. The whole of my life I’ve been told I’m just too honest for my own good. I would come on set happy, they would tell me to play upset, and I would just look slightly less joyful. I made my life with dear Jonathan, and we had two perfect children, now grown-up, and it was all so wonderful, and then it was destroyed. I’ve tried to be strong for them.’ Wendy sipped her mint tea. ‘Like I say, ask me anything.’
Kim wondered what Edward’s three questions would have been, but she knew hers could be better.
‘Your husband died as a result of being shot by someone with a crossbow—’
‘Not me.’
‘I know, I’ve seen all the reports,’ said Kim. ‘You were at a cinema watchingThor.’
‘To be precise –Thor: Love and Thunder.’
‘Had you ever seen a Marvel film before?’
‘First question, and it’s a good one. No, I had not.’
‘Is that suspicious?’ asked Kim. ‘You were in a cinema watching a film you weren’t interested in, which meant you couldn’t be on the scene?’
‘My husband bought me the ticket. He loved Marvel films. Wanted me to share the joy.’
‘Do you mind if I write that down?’
‘Kim, do you promise you aren’t police? Ordinary people don’t write stuff down.’
‘I have to tell Edward, that’s all.’
‘The sleuth.’
Kim prickled. ‘There are three of us, and we only solved one crime, but I think he’d like to help you. He’s very … sympathetic.’
‘Good for a radio presenter.’
Kim reached into her top and pulled out her smartphone.
‘That’s a good place to keep it,’ said Wendy.
Kim said, ‘The first time it buzzed in there I thought I was having a heart attack.’ She opened a Notes file and typed.
‘So you got to the cinema in Barnstaple, and while you are in there, your husband is – is sadly killed—’
‘You can just say “killed”, Kim.’
‘—with your crossbow. Why did you have a crossbow?’
‘I honestly think the crossbow we owned is just a distraction. Okay, he was killed with one. And yes, we had one, and it was missing. But crossbow bolts are not like bullets. They don’t have barrel-marks that trace them back to the weapon.’
‘The bolt went through his heart.’
