Shocking her with the discovery was worth a try. He might not have said a word for all the reaction he got.
He reached for an evidence bag containing a bolt gun and dropped it on the table. ‘There’s no telling if this was the one, but we picked it up from your surgery in case. The big question I asked myself many times was why anyone needed to destroy a marvellous horse worth over a million to your father. The deal with Sheikh Abdul was drawn up and ready to sign.’
Davina continued to stare ahead.
This wasn’t meant to be a monologue. Diamond gave her the chance to say something that wouldn’t incriminate her. ‘Your father bought Hang-glider in the yearling sales at Newmarket in October, 1990. Remember how much he paid?’ He knew, of course. It was on public record.
‘Two hundred thousand,’ she said in an expressionless tone.
‘Pounds?’
Her lip curled in contempt. ‘Guineas.’
‘He must have had great faith in the colt.’
‘Great judgement,’ she said. ‘It was a half-brother to a Prix Lupin winner who lost the Irish Derby in a photo.’ Diamond was outside the racing fraternity and she wanted him to know it.
‘Still a risk, wasn’t it?’
She shrugged. ‘The whole of the sport is risky. Some expensive yearlings never do anything.’
‘I mean he could have lost his investment through the choice he made.’
‘If you want to invest, put your money in National Savings. He was buying a horse.’
‘You speak as a successful owner yourself,’ he said.
‘In a different league.’
‘What made your father spend so much?’
‘He’d talked about owning a thoroughbred for years. It was his life’s ambition. He’d raced horses before, but they never had the breeding. Let’s give him credit. He picked a champion.’
‘At a cost,’ Diamond said.
‘Tell me about it.’ The bitterness cut through. Was this a factor in her behaviour – father blueing her inheritance on a horse?
‘Two hundred thou was just the beginning,’ she added. ‘A top trainer like McDart doesn’t come cheap, and then there were all the extras. Stabling, race fees, transportation, jockeys.’
‘Vets.’
She gave a cautious nod.
‘He could save on vet fees by using you.’
‘He didn’t,’ she said, spotting the trap. ‘McDart uses his own Lambourn vet.’
‘All this outlay on Hang-glider,’ he said. ‘Was it funded from his surveying business?’
‘No chance. It was private money. Look at his company accounts if you don’t believe me.’
‘Family money, then?’
‘His savings, and he took out a loan as well.’
‘Good thing it was such a fine racehorse. Did it earn back the money?’
‘Hardly,’ she said. ‘Another season might have made a difference, but it got the injury and that was it. That’s why you have to treat racing as a gamble. Things go wrong.’
‘But you insure against accidents.’
‘Insurance. That’s another expense I didn’t mention,’ she said. ‘It’s massive in the case of a racing thoroughbred. They base the premium on the value of the animal by looking at the bloodline, the price paid and so on. You’re shown a portfolio of options and you have to decide which you can afford.’
‘He must have bought medical insurance.’
‘It covered the cost of treatment, not the loss of income.’
‘But all was not lost… yet,’ Diamond said. ‘Hang-glider’s stud value as a classic winner was considerable, and along came the sheikh with an offer that would make light of all these costs you’ve talked about. Half a million, wasn’t it, with an extra fee for every mare Hang-glider covered?’
‘That’s what I read in the Racing Post.’
‘Didn’t your father let you in on it?’
‘He wasn’t counting on anything until the money was in the bank,’ she said. ‘Rightly, as it turned out.’
‘The agreement was drawn up, but not yet signed by Sheikh Abdul. Then this ill-fated farewell to Lansdown was arranged, parading Hang-glider for his admirers to see him one last time.’
‘It was home territory,’ she said. ‘His debut win was at Bath. The racegoers knew him and they knew Fa. He deserved his tribute.’
‘They didn’t know he was about to be put down.’
‘No one knew.’
‘That isn’t true, is it, Davina? Where were you that evening?’
‘Delivering twin calves at Upper Westwood.’
The answer came pat, as if she’d expected the question. Westwood was the other side of Bath. Difficult to prove or disprove at this distance in time.
‘I thought as a lady of the turf, you wouldn’t miss an evening meeting at Lansdown.’
‘Nobody explained that to the cow.’
‘Do you keep some sort of diary or appointment book?’
‘For 1993? I threw it out years ago.’
‘Yet you remember where you were that evening.’
‘Of course. It was a huge, horrible day for our family.’
‘Your father lost a fortune. He told me he got something back in insurance that he described as a pittance. Under a hundred thousand. It still sounds a lot to me.’
‘It didn’t cover the outlay,’ she pointed out. ‘And it was way below the offer he had in writing. He’s never owned a horse since.’
‘When we question him, as we will shortly, do you seriously expect him to confirm your version of events?’
There was a telling moment of hesitation before Davina said, ‘Certainly.’
‘Because we all know this isn’t only about the killing of the racehorse. We’re investigating two murders and we have evidence that incriminates you both.’
‘A stun gun that I bought last year?’ she said with contempt.
Her solicitor put a restraining hand on Davina’s arm. ‘If there’s evidence of the sort you’re describing, superintendent, we wish to be informed about it.’
‘Forensic tests need to be completed before we can release any details,’ he said. ‘Meanwhile, we’ll have a word with Sir Colin.’
Outside, he said to Ingeborg, ‘We’ll let that sink in. It’s time to talk to the father.’
She said, ‘She’s got an answer for everything.’
‘Up to now.’
On the other side of the observation window Diamond asked where Septimus was. The shrewd DI from Bristol was the obvious choice to have beside him for the second interview. John Leaman said Septimus was using his computer in the incident room.
‘Doing what?’
‘Checking stuff from way back, he told me.’
‘Ah. Should have remembered. A task I set him.’
‘Do you want me to fetch him, guv?’
‘He’ll come when he’s ready.’ He looked around the room to see who else was there. Paul Gilbert was in the back row cradling a mug of coffee. ‘You made it, then. Did Duckett actually appear?’
Gilbert shook his head. ‘There’s a lad from uniform guarding the site.’
‘Bit of luck came your way?’
‘Charlie Smart came over to check up on me and I borrowed his phone.’
‘Good initiative. You slipped my mind, I have to admit. Have you had supper?’
‘Not yet, guv.’
Diamond took a fiver from his back pocket. ‘For you. I meant it, about the bangers and mash. You did well today.’
There was an awed silence. Such generosity from the main man was rare.
‘Inge did well, too,’ Leaman said.
‘Putting a witness in hospital?’
‘Fortunes of war,’ Leaman said. ‘She could have been the one who was hurt.’
‘Okay. Inge gets supper, too.’ He felt in his pocket again and peeled off another note.
Amazing.
‘Nice to know the front line people are appreciated,’ Leaman said. ‘The boys in the back room may get a chance to shine some time.’
‘Bloody hell,’ Diamond said. ‘All right, team. It’s supper for everyone when this job is done.’