Page 60 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘I mean, even if the police don’t, this solicitor is going to ask about everything to do with Anthony, his past and his previous… you know, people he’s liked. Should I mention Susan?’

‘Only you can answer that one, Pauline.’

‘But I’m asking for your help, Leo. What should I do?’

He took several breaths before he answered. ‘If I was you, Pauline, I’d only answer the questions I was asked. Don’t give them any other information.’

‘But what if they find out some other way? What will happen then when they ask why I didn’t tell them?’

‘You didn’t think it was relevant. Or you’ve been so preoccupied with worrying about Anthony that you completely forgot all about her. Shrug it off as a non-event.’

‘I’m really worried, Leo,’ she said.

‘You don’t need to go through any of this on your own. I’m here for you, and for Anthony, every step of the way.’

She gave him a small smile. ‘Positive thinking, yes?’

‘Absolutely,’ he smiled back.

‘I suppose I should have something to eat before we go and see this solicitor then.’

‘That’s the spirit.’ He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. He stood up and went over to the cooker where he turned on the gas and took a can of baked beans from the shelf. He smiled to himself. It felt good to be needed.

ChapterTwenty-Four

Superintendent Alec Marsh was sitting at his desk readingThe Sunand drinking a mug of coffee when there was a knock on the door. Before he could say ‘come in’ DI Henry Bishop waltzed in like it was his own office.

‘You wanted to see me,’ Bishop said, sitting down without being offered a chair.

Marsh closed his paper and leaned forward on his desk, knitting his fingers together. ‘You’ve made an arrest in the Alice Patterson case.’

‘I have.’

‘How sound is it?’

‘He’s confessed.’

‘I’m aware. But how sound is his confession?’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Bishop said, crossing his legs at the knee.

‘Don’t play the innocent with me, Bishop. I know your tactics. Under normal circumstances I’d be patting you on the back and putting twenty quid behind the bar of the local boozer for you andyour team to get pissed on. But these are not normal circumstances.’ He picked up the tabloid he’d been reading and slapped it on the desk in front of Bishop so he could see the front page spread.MAN ARRESTED FOR TRAGIC ALICE’S MURDERscreamed the banner headline with a photograph of a smiling Alice Patterson underneath.

‘All the tabloids are leading with this. There’s very little information, as the press release was made too late in the day for a more detailed story. I’m assuming that was done deliberately.’

‘I’m not in charge of the press releases, sir,’ Bishop said with a hint of a smile.

‘No. You’re also not the one who gets it in the neck when the shit hits the fan. So, I’ll ask you again, is the confession sound?’

‘Yes. I wouldn’t have made the arrest if I didn’t, one hundred per cent, believe in Anthony Winstanley’s guilt,’ Bishop said with firm conviction.

‘Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.’ Marsh leaned back in his seat. ‘Who’s his brief?’

‘An appointment’s been made this morning. Someone called Jennifer Ripley will be coming over about eleven o’clock.’

‘Never heard of her,’ Marsh shrugged. ‘Still, a woman solicitor can go either way. She’ll either be a pushover who you’ll be able to charm the knickers off, or she’ll be like a Jack Russell and be biting your ankles forever more.’

‘She’s from Inglethorpe and Bryce.’