‘Where’ve you been? I tried to ring, you’ve been completely missing in action. You weren’t even on the radio last night – what’s going on?’
‘I got beaten up.’
‘What?’
He had to repeat it. She asked to see the injuries, as if she didn’t believe him. ‘Not out here,’ he said. They went inside and he stripped off to his boxers.
She put her hand over her mouth.
‘Literally black and blue.’
‘In Sidmouth?’ she exclaimed. ‘What did the hospital say?’
‘I haven’t been.’
‘Police?’
He had not even rung them, but he lied. ‘They just gave me a crime number.’
‘They need to see these bruises, honey! Go there in person! I should photograph you!’
‘Kim, they were dressed as – or they were – police officers. What if this pair were actual cops? I don’t want to make it worse. Jordan’s been sabotaged by his own officers – what if they’re all in on it? And the police are deep into their radiation investigation, and this is nothing by comparison.’
‘But it’s connected, right? It must be. They don’t want you asking questions. Why not?’
‘I thought everything was out there already,’ he said, embarrassed to still be crying.
‘They could have killed you.’
‘They were literally enormous. And ferocious. One of them screamed every time she hit me.’
‘She?’
‘He, she, I don’t know why I said that. I couldn’t tell. I thought they were trying to push me over.’
‘Over the cliff?’
‘We were right at the far end of the garden, where it’s crumbling away.’
‘Hey – stand by for a crazy thought – what if it was those two weirdos who are trying to buy the penthouse flat?’
‘The Asian woman is too slight,’ he said. ‘And wasn’t he short? This pair were seriously big and chunky. Both six foot. Their outfits were weird. Why would it be them?’
‘Bad people in pairs,’ she said. ‘Nothing more than that.’
‘That’s not quite the threshold required by a court,’ said Edward. They laughed. He was surprised to hear his own laughter. ‘Have you not thrown them off the trail, the penthouse pair?’
‘We’re on a go-slow with them, which I hope works. They do keep ringing though. Mad about the flat. They’re not getting it, the weird bastards.’ She looked tenderly at him. ‘You’ll be okay. So do you think “Stop asking questions” was about the radiation and your radio show?’
‘Maybe,’ Edward hedged. ‘But you know what? It also made me think of Wendy Wrigley. I asked questions because she wanted me to. I need to speak to her. It kind of got washed away, all that crossbow stuff. I left it hanging. I wanted something from Jordan Callintree, but I can’t face chasing him.’
‘He did well out of that professor outburst.’
‘Did he? The guy has to lead an investigation from a locked room somewhere, and the Met are taking charge of everything.’
‘Mate,’ she said tenderly, ‘you need to take it easy.’
‘I can’t. I’m in today, and I saw that the Met have a big press conference at six p.m. Aspinall will want me to cover it; not that he can get in touch with me to tell me so.’
