Friday 29 November 2019, Norfolk
The police didn’t just take Alice; they took Bill and Lars as well. But not Toby. They refused to take Toby.
Bill and Lars were not under arrest; the police wanted to ask them some more questions and they wanted to do it at the station.
Serious questions then.
And they had a warrant to search Alice’s belongings and to take away her laptop, iPad and phone.
Toby was angry the police wouldn’t take him too. He was angry they had arrested Alice. He was angry that they were stupid enough to think Alice had killed anyone. And he was angry with Bill for letting them arrest her. He was sure there were things that Bill could tell them that would get Alice off the hook.
But he held it all in, at least until they were all out of the house. He had watched as two officers went through Alice’s clothes and her briefcase, and didn’t object when they rummaged through his own underwear mixed with hers. Being angry wouldn’t help; the police wouldn’t release a murder suspect just because her husband was angry.
At last they were gone. He, Maya and Megan stared out of the kitchen window at their departing car.
‘What a bunch of bloody idiots!’ Toby said. ‘How can they think Alice killed anyone?’
‘They are,’ said Maya. ‘They’ll realize their mistake, don’t worry, Toby.’ She put a hand on his arm. She seemed to have recovered her habitual air of detachment. ‘I’m going up to my room. Let me know if there is any news.’
Megan followed her out of the kitchen.
Toby was left alone with Rickover, who seemed as unhappy as the rest of them. He broke out a Polo for the dog.
It was all going to be all right, he told himself. Bill would hire a good lawyer who would find ways to show that Alice couldn’t possibly have killed Sam, despite having been seen visiting him at the time of his death. And that there was a perfectly good reason why she should lie to her husband about where she was.
Why did she do that? Didn’t she trust him? Why couldn’t she have trusted him with whatever it was that she was thinking? With whatever she was talking to Sam about?
Rickover whined. Toby bent down to scratch him behind the ears. ‘You and me both,’ he said.
Megan returned, carrying a bottle of wine. She reached up for two glasses from a kitchen cupboard, found a corkscrew and went to work.
‘Here,’ she said.
Toby took his glass gratefully.
‘To freedom,’ said Megan and knocked back half her glass in a gulp. Then the other half, and she refilled it.
‘To Alice’s freedom,’ said Toby. He drained his own glass and thrust it out. Then he slipped the dog another mint.
‘Does Alice know you do that?’
‘No.’
Megan cocked her head. ‘Bet she does.’
‘Probably,’ said Toby.
They drank again, more slowly this time. The wine was very good. Toby checked the bottle: a 2006 Margaux.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Megan. ‘There are six of them.’
‘I can’t believe they’ve arrested her,’ said Toby.
‘Maya’s right. They’ll realize their mistake soon enough.’
‘I think your father might be able to help her,’ said Toby. ‘I’m sure there are things he knows that he’s not saying that would explain what’s going on.’
‘Oh yeah,’ said Megan.
‘Do you have any idea what those things might be?’
Megan shook her head. ‘No more than you. Alice might know. There’s stuff Dad would tell Alice that he wouldn’t tell the rest of us.’
‘I can believe that,’ said Toby. He drained his glass. He was feeling slightly better: the alcohol and the company.
Rickover whined.
‘Do you reckon it’s his suppertime?’ Toby said.
‘Could be.’
‘There must be dog food in this house somewhere.’ The two of them searched the kitchen, and found a stash. They poured some into Rickover’s bowl; he seemed to appreciate it.
The wine was fast disappearing.
‘You really love her, don’t you?’ Megan said.
‘Of course I do.’
‘Don’t you think she is a bit uptight?’
‘Yeah, she’s uptight. But that’s part of why I love her.’
‘Oh, I’m not knocking it. I just don’t know how you can stand it. Miss Perfect.’
Toby felt a flash of anger. ‘Hey! Miss Perfect is in jail on a murder charge.’
For a moment Megan looked as if she was about to argue, then she slumped back in her chair. ‘Sorry. You are right, of course. I always want to argue with Alice, even when she’s not here. And Dad. We need another bottle. They’re in the basement.’
Toby went down to the dusty cellar and found the five bottles of Margaux. He hesitated; did they really need such an expensive wine? They did. He grabbed two and returned to the kitchen.
‘It’s Alice who keeps our family together,’ said Megan. ‘It looks like it’s Dad, but it’s Alice who keeps him together. Maybe that’s why I give her a hard time. Maybe I’m jealous that it’s not me everyone relies on.’ She attempted a grin. ‘Although they’d all be in real trouble if they did that. I’m the flaky one.’
Toby opened one of the bottles and poured two more glasses. He wasn’t going to contradict her.
‘I’m scared, Toby,’ Megan said. ‘We need Alice. Alice is the one to spring me from jail, not the other way around.’
‘Bill will sort it,’ said Toby, with more confidence than he felt. He frowned. ‘You don’t think your dad believes she actually did it, do you?’
‘No. No way,’ said Megan. ‘If there was a problem, Alice would find a solution, and a lot better one than murder. Dad knows that. Alice would never kill anyone. Alice wouldn’t drive at thirty-one through the village; you know her.’
‘I do.’
‘Well then?’
Toby didn’t answer.
‘Hey, Toby.’ Megan put her hand on his. ‘Don’t doubt her. You can’t doubt her. She needs you.’ Her brown eyes stared intensely at him through her glasses.
‘I’m not doubting her,’ Toby protested, but he knew that was exactly what he was doing. He didn’t really believe that Alice was capable of murder. But he could believe that she wouldn’t shrink from a difficult course of action if she decided it was the right one. ‘Something’s going on that she’s not telling me, clearly. And it’s probably something pretty bad.’
Megan withdrew her hand and drank her wine. ‘Maybe we should figure out what exactly that is.’
EIGHTEEN
They were getting close to the bottom of the second bottle but no closer to figuring anything out, when Rickover leapt up from beneath the table and started barking. A moment later they heard a car pull up outside.
Bill and Lars appeared. But no Alice.
Bill glanced at the three bottles on the table. ‘Is that the Margaux?’ he said.
‘Yeah,’ said Megan. ‘Want some?’
Bill looked about to protest. Then he grabbed a couple of glasses from the cupboard and pulled up a chair next to Toby. His face, usually so strong, had become haggard. ‘Yes.’
Megan filled the glasses. Lars and Bill drank from theirs.
‘So, they didn’t release Alice?’ Toby said.
‘No,’ Bill replied. ‘They’re keeping her in overnight. The good news is they haven’t charged her.’
‘That’s good news?’ said Megan. ‘How long can they lock her up for?’
‘Thirty-six hours, apparently. I made a couple of calls and I’ve gotten hold of a good criminal solicitor from London. She’s driving up here now.’
‘That’s something,’ said Toby. ‘Good. Thank you.’
Bill raised his eyebrows in a ‘she’s my daughter’ gesture. ‘She’s going to be OK. The lawyer has told her not to say anything until tomorrow morning.’