‘I told you. I loved Daddy. I suppose I was his favourite, “daddy’s girl”, though I never tried to seek his approval. Quite the opposite, really. It was Ronald who was desperate to impress and please him, but it never got him very far. Daddy was a complex person.’
‘Didn’t he and Ronald get along?’
Poppy shook her head. ‘Too alike. Peas in a pod. Fractious. I suppose that’s how I’d describe their relationship.’
‘And yours?’
She widened her eyes. ‘With Ronald? He’s a stuffy old bore as far as I’m concerned. And a cold fish, to boot.’
‘What did your father do, exactly? I know he was in finance, but in what way?’
Poppy shook her head. ‘I really have no idea. That world is beyond me. Don’t you know I’m just a good-time girl? I’m thick. I hardly got any more “O” levels than Princess Diana. As long as the money keeps coming in, I don’t ask where it’s from, I just spend it. Daddy did deals, facilitated things for people. Offers bribes and loans for all I know. I never asked him and he never said. Why?’
‘The circumstances of his death are a little unusual, to say the least.’
‘Are you saying he was murdered?’
‘No. There’s no evidence of that. But there are a lot of questions to be answered.’
‘You think it could have had something to do with his work?’
‘Possibly something to do with the world he worked in. It’s easy to make enemies when you’re handling huge amounts of money. Easy to upset the wrong people.’
‘Oh, I’m sure Daddy pissed off the odd CEO or two.’ Poppy went back to her drink. She seemed much calmer now, even lucid, and far less likely to need to create a scene.
‘Did you visit him up here often?’
‘Now and then, when I felt the need to get away for a few days.’
‘Did you ever see him with anyone?’
‘What do you mean? Like a woman? A girlfriend?’
‘Maybe.’
‘No. Never. Not since Mummy died. I’m sure he must have had some female company, but if he did he was very discreet about it.’
‘Other friends?’
‘He had people around occasionally. Other businessmen. Local bigwigs. But he’d usually advise me not to come if he was going to be busy networking. They were all such bores.’
‘Oh? I thought you just dropped in when the spirit moved you?’
Poppy snorted. ‘You must have been listening to Balter. She thinks I’m the devil incarnate, or some female version of it.’
‘So you don’t just drop by whenever you feel like it?’
‘I always check with Daddy first. If he’s going away or going to be busy, I put off my visit. I wouldn’t want to drop in and find him... you know... with someone. There are plenty of places I can go when I want a break from the city.’
‘But I thought you arrived at all times of the day and night whenever you needed to get away?’
‘Balter again. I like driving at night. I’m afraid of the dark. It helps to be doing something like driving up the M1 with lot of other cars around and the music playing loud.’
‘I see. And that’s what you did last night?’
‘Yes.’
‘When did you last speak to your father?’
‘I rang him on Friday and asked if I might come up for the weekend. He told me he was busy, but it would be OK to come midweek.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘Not at all.’
‘Did he say what he was going to be busy with over the weekend?’
‘No. Like I said, he never explained his business to me, and I never questioned him about it.’
‘Were you here the weekend before?’
‘No. I went to Brighton. Well, just outside. A country house party. Lady Barton. You wouldn’t know her.’
Poppy excused herself to ‘powder her nose’. Annie stared at a hunting scene and felt sorry for the fox. Poppy came back. Her expression was set, lips downturned at the edges, eyes still watery. She sniffled occasionally, and Annie couldn’t tell whether it was due to a quick snort of coke or grief. Probably a bit of both.
‘What time did you arrive last night?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t wear a watch. Time’s a nuisance.’
‘Tell me about it.’
Poppy squinted at her. ‘You’re weird, you are.’
‘So I’m told. Guess what time you arrived.’
‘Maybe two, three in the morning. I know I was tired, too tired to unpack.’
‘Did you expect your father to be awake at that time?’
‘Not really. But he knew I was coming. I assumed he’d be home.’
‘So you were worried when you arrived and found him absent?’
‘Not at first. Like I said, I was tired. He didn’t usually wait up for me. I thought he was probably in bed asleep. I tried to keep quiet, so as not to disturb him. I had a few drinks, just to take the edge off, like. Next thing I knew it was the following morning and Balter was knocking at the bedroom door.’
‘You were worried then?’
‘Yes, when he wasn’t anywhere to be found. I’d tried to phone him on his mobile earlier, when I first woke up. He never goes anywhere without it. But it went straight to voicemail.’
‘It was in his study. Didn’t you hear it ring?’
‘No. I was in bed when I called. It’s a long way.’ She put her fingers in her ears. ‘Besides, my hearing’s not great at the best of times. Too many loud rock concerts. Tinnitus. I didn’t hear anything until Balter started banging on the door.’
‘You were once connected with Nate Maddock, right?’
‘I’d rather not talk about that period of my life. Besides, it’s not relevant to my father’s death.’
‘And now you’re connected with a supermodel?’
‘That’s rubbish,’ Poppy snorted. ‘Just the fucking tabloids wanking themselves off as usual. Gretchen’s just a drinking buddy. I’m unattached at the moment, and not looking for anyone, either. Man or woman.’ She slugged back the rest of the gin. ‘I want to go home.’
‘London?’
‘No. Rivendell.’
‘Was your father a Lord of the Rings fan?’
‘Do you know, I think he was a bit of a hippy back in the day, before he got bitten by the money bug. He still listens to Pink Floyd and King Crimson.’
Not unlike Banks and Ray, Annie thought. They stood up and walked towards the car. ‘What are your plans now?’ Annie asked.
Poppy shook her head. ‘Not a clue. I suppose I might as well hang about up here until... well, you know... the funeral and all that.’
‘It could be some time until the funeral, depending on what we uncover.’
‘I told you, I don’t fucking know.’
They went out and got in the car. Annie started it up.
Poppy stretched herself out in the passenger seat and yawned. ‘No doubt my arsehole brother will be arriving this evening. I’m not sure I could stand being in the same house as him for very long, so maybe I’ll just go back down south, anyway. Why? Am I not supposed to leave town?’
‘Just stay in touch, that’s all,’ said Annie. ‘There may be developments very soon, and I may have to talk to you again.’
‘Yeah. Sure. Fine.’ Poppy dug around in her bag and found a pair of sunglasses. She put them on, rested her head back on the car seat and feigned sleep. Annie tapped her fingers on the wheel as she drove, wondering how she could break it gently to Poppy that she couldn’t return to Rivendell to spend the night now that they knew the suspicious death was that of her father. That the house was a crime scene, at least technically. Even letting her inside to repack her bag under supervision was pushing it at this point, but Annie reckoned she could balance that against showing consideration for the victim’s daughter and give her a few minutes to pick up her pills and tampons.