“Interesting.” James typed away. “And you think there’s some kind of connection there?”
“I think it’s strange, that’s all. Four people attend a wedding forty years ago, then three of them are murdered in a week.”
“I’m inclined to agree with you.” James stood up and looked out the window. “Killian has a nice view from his office. What do you think of Jack Killian?”
“I like him. He’s a good DI. He’s fair and he gets stuck in. Everybody around here respects him.”
“Did you speak to DI Killian about this wedding?”
“Of course. He didn’t think there was anything to it.”
She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips. She had a feeling she had just helped sign Killian’s death warrant.
“I see,” James sat down again. “This is how it’s going to work. I’ve always advocated the benefits of a small team. You’ve got to have tight lines of communication for a successful murder investigation. Obviously, I’ll be heading up the team and all decisions taken will be passed through me first. DI Jane Carrick will be joining us from Exeter — she’s originally from London and has many years’ experience. DS Paul Southern and DC Phil Brown will be recruited for the groundwork. All in all, there’ll be five of us.”
“Five?”
“Unless you’d rather not join us.”
“No. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”
“Good.” James reached over and shook her hand. “Welcome aboard. Any questions?”
“Plenty.”
“And they’ll be answered in due course. Now get a good night’s sleep. You’re going to need it. The officers from Exeter will be arriving this evening. We’ll assemble back here at 6 a.m. for a preliminary briefing. See you tomorrow. At six on the dot.”
CHAPTER FORTY
Killian had already left for the hospital by the time Taylor re-joined DS Duncan and Eric.
“Is it me up next, then?” Duncan asked.
“DCI James didn’t ask for you,” Taylor told him. “I think he’s finished with the interviews. He has the team he needs.”
“So we’ve all been kicked aside?” said Eric. “This is bullshit.”
“I’m on the team,” Taylor admitted. “It seems I’m the only one from Trotterdown he wants.”
“You?” Duncan said. “And what makes you so special?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask to be picked.”
“You’ve been here five minutes.” Duncan’s face was getting redder and redder.
“It wasn’t my decision. James asked me a few questions, I answered them and he told me I was in.” She was starting to feel dizzy. She realised she hadn’t eaten anything all day.
“Congratulations then,” Eric said. “What are the rest of us supposed to do in the meantime?”
“Go home. Enjoy the weekend. I have to be back here at six tomorrow morning.”
“How many are on the team? How many of the Exeter snobs are going to be swarming around our station?”
“Only four, including DCI James. He reckons small groups tend to get better results.”
“Good luck with that.” Duncan said and stomped out of the canteen.
“Ignore him,” said Eric, “he’s just jealous. Well done. You’ll do all right. You do realise you’re going to piss a few people off around here, though, don’t you?”
She did. She’d realised it the moment DCI James had shaken her hand. She would be seen as a traitor. She had only recently started to be accepted at Trotterdown station. Now she would be the outsider again.
* * *
She drove the long way home, taking the coast road along the edge of the cliffs. She needed some time to think things through. On her left, the Atlantic was a lighter blue than usual. Yachts had already set out on their weekend cruises and sails of all shapes and sizes were flapping in the light breeze. She couldn’t get Eric White’s words out of her mind. She knew exactly what was going to happen. She’d hear muttering every time she set foot in the station. It was going to be like Edinburgh all over again.
Taylor suddenly remembered she’d run out of sleeping pills. She would need a good night’s sleep before the scheduled meeting the following day. She headed for Trotterdown centre and parked her car. Tourists ambled up and down the main walkway, apparently not looking for anything in particular. Youngsters walked in groups carrying bottles of wine and boxes of beer, no doubt gearing up for the weekend. To her relief the pharmacy was still open, but her heart sank when she saw a stranger wearing the pharmacist’s white coat.
“Afternoon,” Taylor said. “I have a prescription here. My name’s Harriet Taylor. I’m on the system. I’ve run out of sleeping tablets.”
The young woman tapped a few keys on the keyboard and looked up at Taylor through a pair of rimless glasses.
“Hmm,” she said. “This prescription has expired. You’ll need to speak to your doctor to arrange another one.”
“I can’t. My doctor’s in Edinburgh.”
“Then you’ll have to register with a doctor around here. You have to have a consultation first. You realise that these should only be used on a short-term basis?”
“I can’t sleep,” Taylor said much more loudly than she meant to. A few customers turned round and stared at her.
“I can’t sleep,” she repeated, much more softly this time, “please, I’ll register with another doctor when I have the chance. Mr Walsh knows me. He always lets me have them.”
“I’ll tell you what.” The queue was growing. “I’ll renew it for you this time, but next time you’ll have to see a doctor. These tablets are nothing to play around with.”
“Thank you.” Taylor’s heart was pounding in her ears. She watched as the woman opened up a jar of blue capsules and emptied about twenty into a small plastic packet.
“You can’t stay on these forever,” the pharmacist told her. “The side effects can be very dangerous.”
“I know. Just a few more weeks. I’ll register with a doctor as soon as I can.”
* * *
Taylor drove away from the town centre. She let out a huge sigh of relief. The pills were safely tucked away in the little box in her jacket pocket. The tension she had experienced in the pharmacy had scared her. I’m turning into an addict.
As she approached her house, she was surprised by the white van outside — she’d completely forgotten that Alice Green was staying with her.
When she walked in, a mouth-watering smell hit her. She was even hungrier than she’d realised.
“Hello, dear,” Alice said. “Good day at work? I hope you don’t mind, but I thought the least I could do was cook you something nice. There wasn’t much in the freezer but I found a nice piece of gammon at the bottom.”
“I don’t get much chance to go shopping. That smells delicious.”
“I made an apple sauce to go with it. It’s an old family recipe. You didn’t have any apples in the house, so I did a bit of shopping. I got a nice bottle of port too if you’re interested.”
“I’d better not. I’ve got an early start in the morning.”
“On a Saturday?” Alice opened up the bottle of port and poured a large glassful.
“There’s a team coming in from Exeter tonight. They’ll be taking over the investigation. I’m the only one who’s been asked to join them.”
“That’s not going to make you very popular.” Alice took a long sip of port and smiled sympathetically. “Life’s not going to be too pleasant for you at work, my dear.”
“I know,” Taylor said, “but I could hardly say no. I really need a shower. Have I got time before the food’s ready?”