‘There’s no one here. It’s ghostly.’
‘I don’t sell new-builds, honey,’ she said. ‘The developer does it direct these days. There’s so much snagging they usually need a couple of years sorting out. The buyers go mad when they find out the locks don’t work and the laundry room floods. I spoke to Nettles.’
‘Did you?’
‘We can rule him out of anything. He’s Cammell-Curzon’s accountant. If he’s involved, then the landlord must be too. You heard about Stevie?’
‘No.’ He felt sudden dread. The fear of bad news.
‘She only went hunting with the landlord.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘She tried to reach you. She was very excited. Quite a lot of swearing. I think she’s decided she likes posh people now. Apparently he fell off his horse and she didn’t.’
‘What did she find out?’
‘She says she texted you.’
‘This bloody phone, I’ll look. What a star. By the way, Kim – the agency who handled Lev’s rental – their name was on the form, but I didn’t take it in.’
‘I love it when you use my name. It means “Listen”. Okay, yes, that was Southleighs in Exeter. Do you want me to call them?’
‘Could you?’ Were they making progress? Not yet. He hung up, sought out the messages app on his phone to find Stevie’s text, but before he could open it an old man appeared directly in front of him.
‘Not seen you around here before,’ said the man. ‘I recognize you fromDevon Life.’ There had been an article: HOW SIDMOUTH’S FAVOURITE TALK-SHOW HOST BOUNCEDBACK FROM TRAGEDY. ‘Enjoy the show,’ said the man. ‘I’m Terry.’
The man was fair, thin, slightly stooped, with liver spots on his face that marked him out as someone who had spent a lifetime working outdoors. He wore beige cords and a grey checked shirt – ‘care home camouflage’, Kim once called it – although he looked to have his wits about him.
‘I’m reporting on the tragedy in Sidmouth,’ said Edward, using only the feeblest cover story. Stevie had put him to shame with her undercover jockey act. But outright lying to one of his own listeners felt wrong. ‘I know the Ukrainian lived here.’
‘The Russian, surely? Russian pretending to be Ukrainian. That’s what we all think. He did indeed live here,’ said the old man, staring glassily, eyes watering in the afternoon sun. ‘Lev Malnyk at number four. Made no sense, did it? The Met came half a dozen times, once in riot gear. Then the local force came, much more friendly, mainly just checking our window locks.’
‘I guess they got the CCTV, did they?’ asked Edward, pointing at one of the houses. The properties were arranged in a line, curved like an archer’s bow. The first one had a camera on the front of it.
‘That’s mine, as it happens!’ said the man, looking pleased with himself. ‘Son-in-law put it in because he’s good with that stuff. But there was a spider on the lens that stopped the movement sensor working. So it got this and that, but nothing to help them. Met were swearing like troopers. But you can’t train a spider.’
Edward almost laughed. ‘Did you see him leaving that day?’
‘Who, Lev? Nope.’
‘Did you know him at all?’
‘He was in the fourth house, like I say, or the second if you don’t count the ones opposite – back there, on the shoulder. I think a speculator bought it and divided it into flats almoststraightaway. So there were comings and goings, but comings and goings I don’t mind. I have tinnitus. What I mind is silence.’
Edward reflected on this. ‘No one saw or heard anyone leave the flat after Lev died?’
‘Well …’ the old man started, and stopped. His left eye was tearing up and he used his little finger to sluice the water away. ‘Tinnitus and watery eyes and a few other things.’
‘Someone saw something?’
‘She’s not the lady she was,’ said the man. ‘She and I were friends years back, and blow me down, she ends up at number three. Two back from mine. The downstairs only. Dementia. Just sits, looking out of the window.’
‘Did the police speak to her?’
‘Several times, but it was just mumbo-jumbo. “A man walked in twice then came out four times”, sort of thing. “A man walked in then walked in again”. I accompanied them because her sons are useless, frankly. Broke my heart. I don’t think they even took a statement in the end. “Someone went in twice and came out with a microwave.” I think she mentioned a boat as well.’
At this, Edward was suddenly alert. ‘Someone came out with a boat and a microwave?’
