Water's Edge

Chapter XLIII

When the Butler's Away...

Becky texted me when she was out of sight saying she had found something, and to meet me back at The Marsh & Bottle when I could get out of there. I told her I'd be free after dealing with some loose ends.

We had moved back to Syke's office, utilising it's small space as an interrogation room. I leant in the doorway, like headmaster with two naughty children, and rang Viv.

"Get the troops down to Soames, can you?"

She yawned, "Ring them yourself, god sake."

"Can't. They won't answer if they know it's me. Just Yazmin..." I clarified.

Viv grumpily agreed and hung up. I turned back to face the naughty couple.

"I can't believe you shut down an entire facility just to get your jollies on."

"Mr. Fields, what I do in my personal time is..." Edith was clutching at straws and knew it. Dobson put a hand on her own, tenderly even, and answered for her.

"We c'mere 'cause it's quiet on Thursdays, Fields. But you, you, yer fuckin' trespassin', I can 'ave ya."

"I am sure you can. But I have been tasked to follow all leads... by you, I believe?" I pointed to Edith and took out a Marlborough Light (I had earnt it), "And it has led me here and your sordid activities." I was tired, I rubbed my eye and blew the smoke out the corner of my mouth, towards the certificates of excellence on the wall, "Why is the entire facility closed on a Thursday, Sykes? Edith?" I was having none of it now, first names were like telling a kid off by using all their titles when it came to Tories.

There was a moment of silence, as blue lights appeared in the carpark, illuminating this small office through the door I occupied. I didn't flinch, although I didn't feel this was good.

"It's always bin' dead on a Thursday." Sykes clarified.

"Why?" They shrugged, or looked pointedly away, "Where were you on the Thursday Hector disappeared?" Too blunt.

"I was here..." Edith finally said.

"And I suppose you can corroborate that?" Dobson nodded.

"There's CCTV as well that night, I forgot to turn i' off."

Edith flinched; she didn't know that. Strange.

"And your husband?"

"At one of those damned gatherings with the hippies. They killed my son!" She squealed, evidently having chosen which truth she preferred now the fact she had been sleeping with the contractor had got out.

The door opened to Soames and I held tight, expecting Elle Thompson to be hauling me out of here. Yazmin appeared behind me, tapped me on the shoulder.

"Gimme a minute." I said to the pair of them, following her into the lobby.

"What on earth are you doing?" Yazmin hissed the moment we were out of their range.

"Investigating." I said.

"This isn't investigating, this is trespass."

"And a citizen's arrest, or rather me actioning my right to interview as Private Detective."

Yazmin cut me off with a raised finger, "You are on a tight-rope Harry." First name; oh dear, "If Ma'am finds out you've been interrogating Barnaby's wife without her knowledge, she'll kick you out of Thorngumbald so hard you end up behind bars." She seemed honestly worried about me, which at least was a silver lining of some sort.

"The dam is being constructed atrociously. Winthrop was outing the construction plans to The Spectator. The environmentalists we know hate this project. But we never expected Winthrop to be—"

"Stop." She raised a hand and looked to the door, Edith Wharton stood there, listening in.

"Hector just slipped?"

"That's my thinking."

She pulled her coat around her and closed the door on Sykes, "Dobson offers something Barnaby cannot during all of this. I would like to say we have an arrangement, but I'm not sure he heard me when I proposed it." She kept her back very straight, "But I was here, with Dobson, so he could not have committed the crime. And my husband was dealing with those damned hippies." She headed for the door, and no one made a move to stop her, "I will be telling the Chief Constable about this..." The blue lights illuminated her from behind at the glass doorway, "I am certain we have still found our culprit, and I will sleep for the first time in weeks knowing my Hector..." She couldn't bring herself to say it, "We all have alibis, detective. I should never have hired you."

She stormed out, and I was left with Yazmin fingering the clasp on her handcuffs, watching me. We stood like this for what felt like quite some time, before the door opened to the office again, Sykes stepping out. Yazmin stopped fingering the cuffs and motioned to the door for me. I began to make my leave.

"Detective..." It was Sykes, and I felt I could stop, even whilst Yazmin scowled at me, willing me to leave before she had to call this in, "We got a memo a while back about Thursdays needing to be closed..." They swallowed nervously.

I went back into the night.