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“What?”
“Well, I got the impression from Je
A
“Why didn’t she share with you?”
“Hounslow’s too far out for her, and I need to be here because of my work. I’d hate to have to drive to Heathrow and back every day from the city.”
“They didn’t get along, Kate and Je
“I don’t mean that. You can get along with someone who’s not the same as you, can’t you, in general, even if some of their habits a
“True,” said A
“That’s what they were like. They got along well enough. Kate kept the place clean and tidy, didn’t leave food to go rotten in the fridge, remembered to lock the door when she went out, didn’t make a lot of noise. That sort of thing. The things that are important when two people are sharing a common living space. They never had rows or anything. It’s just that Kate’s a bit bossy as well as nosy. Likes things just so. And she’s got a bee in her bo
“I suppose so,” said A
“What about them?”
“Any problems there?”
Melanie pushed her hair back. “I think Kate got sort of put off men. She had a scare a while back. Thought she was pregnant, so Je
“And Je
Kate paused, seemed to come to a decision, then went on. “Je
“Is that what happened?”
“Yes.” Melanie laughed. “The holiday was supposed to be a cure. Get him out of her system. Get rat-arsed and shag lots of good-looking blokes.”
“Is that how it worked out?”
“No. Does it ever? Je
“And afterward?”
“She got over him.”
“And he her?”
“Not quite,” said Melanie with a frown. “Je
“At work or at home?”
“Both.”
“When you say ‘pestered’ her, do you mean stalked her, threatened her, what?”
“She just said he pestered her.”
“Can you remember his name and address?”
“Not his address, no, but I’ve got it written down somewhere. Remind me before you go. I do remember he lives out Chalk Farm way. His name is Victor Parsons.”
“Was Je
“I think so. Very recently.”
“Past few weeks?”
“Yes. Couple of months at the most. She was moving very cautiously. Anyway, I got the impression that she liked him a lot.”
“Do you know his name?”
“Sorry, she didn’t say. I mean, she didn’t really say very much about it at all; she was being very cagey. It’s just that I’ve known her for so long, you get to sort recognize the signs, if you know what I mean.”
“Do you think he might be married?”
“Married? Good God, I hope not. I mean, Je
A
“At work, I should think. She hardly goes anywhere else, except with me.”
“Look, I know this is probably a bit of cliché,” A
Melanie didn’t hesitate. “No,” she said, her eyes filling with tears again. “Je
“You don’t know of any enemies she might have had?”
“She didn’t make enemies. If you ask me, this was one of those random attacks you hear about on the news, maybe a serial killer, someone who didn’t know her. Like that other girl, in the spring.”
“What about at work? Was everything all right there?”
“You’d have to ask them, but she never said anything to me about any problems. She liked her job.” She started to cry again. “I’m sorry. I just can’t get my head around it.”
A
When Banks woke on Sunday morning to the sound of birdsong, his head was pounding, his mouth was dry, and he had the distinct memory of something very odd having happened during the night.
He stumbled to the bathroom, drank two glasses of water and took three aspirin tablets, then returned to the entertainment room, where he had slept on the sofa. He picked up Roy’s mobile and found that the image was still there, and that it made no more sense in the light of day than it had during the middle of the night. He found the incoming call on the call list. It was listed only as “unknown.”
Banks examined the photo more closely. The foreground was out of focus, the figure blurred. Behind the slumped figure was what looked like a wall and Banks thought he could see the fuzzy outlines of letters written on it. There were no actual words he could read, but an expert might be able to glean something from it.
Was the man in the chair Roy? He could be, Banks supposed; the features weren’t clear, but the hair looked about right. If it was Roy, was this some sort of oblique way of informing Banks that someone had taken – had kidnapped – his brother? Would a ransom demand come soon?
The man in the photo could still be anyone, though, Banks decided in the end. Perhaps Roy himself had sent the photo. It could be a message of some kind, or a warning. On the other hand, it had been sent to Roy’s mobile, so was it intended for Roy, or did someone know that Banks had the phone? The latter thought didn’t do much to quell Banks’s fears for his brother. If someone already knew he was staying at Roy’s house and had Roy’s mobile, then he had better keep his eyes open and his wits about him.