‘But you lean towards Lady Chalmers, don’t you, even though you’ve been warned off?’
‘So what if I do? It’s not your job on the line. Do I think she killed him? No, I don’t. Do I think she’s closely connected somehow with what happened? Damn right, I do. But it could equally as well have been Trevor Lomax, Jim Cooper or Dayle Snider.’
‘Yet you haven’t let Winsome or me in on any of this. It’s just been you and your pretty little—’
‘That’s not true, and you know it. Hold on a minute, Annie. Are you sure this isn’t just you being jealous? Because there’s nothing to be jealous of. There’s nothing between me and Gerry.’
‘Oh, come off it, Alan. Just look at the sweet simpering little thing. She practically wets her knickers every time she gets near you.’
‘That’s not true, and it’s bloody rude of you to say it,’ came another voice from the hall, shortly followed by Gerry Masterson herself, striding through from the conservatory. Her face was red, and she was breathing hard. ‘If anyone’s jealous, it’s you, you miserable bitch. Jealous that DCI Banks has trusted me with the job and not you.’
‘Don’t be so stupid. And don’t—’
‘I’m not stupid. You march in here and practically call me a tart, accuse me of sleeping with my boss, and you expect me to just stand there and take it. You can’t talk about me like that, even if you do outrank me. Yes, ma’am, no, ma’am. Is that what you expect? Well, I’m doing my job as professionally as I can under difficult circumstances, and I suggest you try and do the same instead of playing the jealous girlfriend. As far as I can see, you’re the only one in this room who has slept with the boss.’
‘Why, you pissy little bitch—’ Annie flew at her.
‘Annie! Gerry!’ cried Banks, getting between them before things went any further. ‘Stop it. Both of you. Let’s all sit down, take a deep breath and have a drink. I don’t know about you two, but I bloody need one.’ He managed to shepherd them both, stiff-shouldered, still bristling with rage, through the connecting door into the entertainment room. It seemed the safest bet, and the closest. There were comfortable chairs, dim, relaxing lighting, and a disc of Chopin’s nocturnes was playing. There was also a cocktail cabinet and a small wine rack beside a row of glasses. Banks reached for a bottle of Layers. Thank God it was screw-top, he thought. His hands were shaking too much to handle a corkscrew. As he poured, he said, ‘Let’s all just try and calm down and get this sorted. There’s no need for fighting.’
‘She can’t talk about me like that just because she’s my boss,’ said Gerry.
‘Gerry, sit down.’ Banks handed her a glass. Her hand was shaking, too, he noticed.
Annie was still breathing fire and stalking the room. ‘Annie.’ Banks held out her glass.
For a moment Annie just glared at him, then she took the glass and flopped down in the nearest armchair, slopping a little wine down her front. Luckily, she was wearing a burgundy top. She ran her free hand through her mass of curly brown hair.
Gerry also sat, about as far away from Annie as she could get, Banks noticed, and took a demure sip of wine.
‘Right,’ said Banks. ‘Let’s all put our ranks aside for the moment. What’s this all about, Annie?’
‘I’ve seen her notes. The phone calls. The research.’
‘You’ve been going through my desk while I was out, haven’t you? Prying into my affairs,’ said Gerry. ‘Poking around my desk. I suppose you’ve been into my computer, too?’
Annie looked away. ‘Oh, don’t get your knickers in a knot.’
Banks took it that she was guilty as charged. ‘That’s not on, Annie,’ he said. ‘You know that.’
‘Why not? I have a right to know what’s going on. She works under me. I’m the deputy investigating officer, or don’t you remember that? I’m her superior officer, and I have a right to know what the people under me are up to.’
‘Superior? That’s a laugh. I do my assigned work, my duty,’ said Gerry. ‘HOLMES 2 is up to date. You find fault with my data handling if you can.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ said Banks, speaking to both of them. ‘None of this. It’s mine. I’ve handled it badly. I should have come clean.’
‘A bit late for that now, isn’t it?’ said Annie.
Banks took a slug of wine. All they needed now was to get drunk and fall into some sort of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? drunken row. But that was two married couples, he remembered. Still, he would keep his intake to a low level. ‘It’s a very delicate situation,’ Banks said, choosing his words carefully. ‘A balancing act. As everyone knows, I got a hell of a bollocking from the AC and the ACC the other day, and I was told in no uncertain terms to lay off the Lady Chalmers angle. But as I’m sure everyone also knows — and you, in particular, Annie — I don’t take kindly to being given orders simply because someone plays golf with the chief constable and passes on a complaint. What neither of you know is that Lady Chalmers phoned me the other night and apologised, said it wasn’t down to her that it happened. It was her brother-in-law, Anthony Litton, who was present when you and I talked to her last Thursday, Annie. So you can’t say I didn’t include you in that, can you, in addition to telling you and Winsome my thoughts on Lady Chalmers the other day. And who got the bollocking? It wasn’t you.’
‘Oh, so she’s off the hook now, is she, because she phoned and made up?’ said Annie. ‘I suppose you had a nice old nostalgic chat about how good the sixties were, didn’t you? Fancy her as well, do you?’
‘Cut it out, Annie. What I’m trying to say is that it made me even more suspicious in some ways. What Gerry’s been doing — what I’ve been asking her to do — is vital to any investigation of what role Lady Chalmers may have played in the events. And in case you don’t realise it, Gerry also happens to be the best researcher we have. She’s also the one taking the risks by doing that research. If you were to think about it all clearly, I’ve been protecting you ever since I got the bollocking last Thursday.’
‘Oh, come off it, Alan. You can’t get away with that. It’s me you’re talking to. Annie Cabbot. Remember? Your “partner”.’ She glared at Gerry Masterson. ‘And I mean that in a professional sense. When have I ever made you think I don’t have the stomach to do what it takes to get the job done?’
‘Never. But this is different.’
‘Bollocks, it’s different.’
‘I’m sorry, Annie, but—’
‘Well, at least you’re sorry. That’s a start.’ Annie drank some more wine.
She seemed to be calming down a little, Banks thought, but he would have to play this very carefully if he wanted to pull the team together rather than push them apart.
‘Is it true that I’m so easily expendable?’ Gerry asked quietly. ‘That you’ve been using me as some sort of cover to protect your favourites, DI Cabbot and DS Jackman? Because if that’s true—’
‘Of course it isn’t true,’ said Banks, not used to getting it from both barrels like this. ‘I told you. You’re the best researcher we have. That’s why I asked you to do it.’
‘Anybody could have done what I’ve done. I was a fool, wasn’t I? You never let me in on any of the important interviews. You used me. I’ve never even met Lady Chalmers. You’d either go by yourself, or take DI Cabbot here, while I slaved over the computer and the phone just waiting for AC Gervaise to walk in and catch me.’
‘Don’t be silly, Gerry,’ said Banks. ‘The work you’ve been doing is essential. That’s just my way. If anything happened, I’d take the flak for you. You must know that. Annie? You, too. Tell her.’