Chapter 29
DI Harrison knew something was off the moment she walked into the morning briefing.
If the stares of her colleagues weren’t enough to unsettle her, the presence of the DCI in the room definitely was.
A formidable man with an equally formidable waistline that he put down to ‘networking lunches’, he pretty much never got involved in the day-to-day running of a case, especially one as relatively straightforward as this.
‘Good morning, everyone. Chief,’ she said, trying to keep her voice level. ‘Let’s get straight down to it, shall we? DS Rogers, we’ll start with you.’
‘Actually, Detective Inspector,’ DCI Venables interrupted. ‘I wondered if I might have a quick chat with you. Are you able to spare me five minutes in my office?’
‘I’d prefer to get this done, Sir,’ she replied, trying to buy time to work out what on earth he’d want to talk to her about. ‘Then we can release the team to their work.’
‘I’m sure DS Rogers can deputise for you, just this once. DS Rogers?’
‘Umm, yes, Sir. That will be fine.’
Feeling thoroughly outmanoeuvred, DI Harrison followed the chief to his office.
‘Take a seat, Claire,’ he said wearily, settling his considerable frame into the chair behind the desk, causing it to creak ominously.
‘Sir, I have to object to DS Rogers running the meeting. This is my case and—’
DCI Venables held up his hand to stop her. ‘I’m taking you off the case, Claire,’ he said simply.
‘Why, Sir? I don’t understand.’
DCI Venables sighed deeply. ‘Certain information has come to light, which changes things somewhat. Am I right in thinking you visited the crime scene yesterday?’
‘Yes, but I followed all the correct protocols. I wouldn’t have disturbed any evidence.’
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t. It just so happens that your arrival coincided with one of the neighbours, a Mrs Jones, returning from a shopping trip.
I’m not going to insult your intelligence, Claire.
She says she recognised you as the victim’s girlfriend.
She was surprisingly adamant about it, despite the twenty-year gap. ’
‘Oh, come on, Sir!’ Claire tried to sound as if the idea was totally absurd even as the panic rose in her chest, threatening to squeeze the breath out of her. ‘Is this the same woman who was so hazy before? She’s unreliable at best, attention-seeking at worst.’
‘That may be true, and I hope it is. But, as of now, we have to treat you as a suspect. I’m therefore suspending you from duty on full pay until further notice.
I’m sorry, Claire, but you know how much scrutiny the police force is under these days.
We have to be seen to be doing everything exactly by the book.
I’m sure it will all turn out to be nothing, so just enjoy a bit of time off, OK? ’
‘It’s no good,’ Liv says, barging into my room a week after my date with Finn.
‘I’ve been wracking my brains and can’t think of a way to get Finn down here without him smelling a massive rat.
I had it all worked out in my head, you know?
He comes into the patisserie, looking a little nervous.
He sees you behind the counter with a coffee and slice of Tarte Normande ready to go, the string music swells and voilà! ’
I laugh in spite of myself. ‘I never had you pegged as such a romantic.’
‘Oh, yes. In the wilder versions, you’ve got a bit of flour on your nose, which he gently wipes away before kissing it.
We’re talking full-on romcom here. Anyway, I’ve failed.
Sorry. I’m pissed off too, because I’m sure a slice of my Tarte Normande would persuade him he never wanted to leave Margate again. ’
‘You tried, and that’s the main thing.’
‘Have you got any ideas?’
‘Nope. I messaged him the day after we went out for dinner to say thanks, as you know, and got a pretty vanilla response.’
‘You could demand to see him. Say you need to talk.’
‘I think that would spook the hell out of him. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, and we should just let it go.’
‘Nonsense. That matchmaker woman clearly saw something.’
‘Is this the same matchmaker woman you accused just a week ago of putting too much pressure on me?’
‘Yes, but we have to consider the possibility that she did have a point. All that kissing—’
‘Two kisses.’
‘—and your romantic morning walks. You didn’t shoot people down when they suggested there could be more, which means you were open to it. I just wish there was a way to get you two back together.’
‘It’ll happen if it’s meant to be, Liv. In the meantime…’ I indicate my laptop.
‘Oh, yes. I’ll leave you in peace. Don’t forget Donna’s bringing Chinese takeaway tonight. I think she does it deliberately to wind me up. She knows as well as I do that the stuff we get here isn’t a patch on real Chinese food. Did I ever tell you about the street market I worked at in Chonqing?’
‘No, but you can tell us both later. I need to get this done.’
‘Of course. Sorry. Do you want a cup of tea in a minute?’
‘That would be lovely. Thank you.’
I’d like to be able to say that the book is providing a welcome focus since my disastrous dinner with Finn, but progress is still agonisingly slow.
However hard I try to concentrate on the plot, I keep finding myself disappearing down a rabbit hole of analysis, replaying every snippet of our stilted conversation and trying to work out what I could have said to bring about a different outcome.
I did definitely feel something on that day when we kissed each other, but it’s the memories of us wandering into Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, chatting about everything and nothing, that I daydream about most of all.
I mean, Angus and I used to chat, but it was usually about boring domestic things or the dog.
Finn seemed interested in everything about me, as I was with him.
He had a way of making me feel like I was the only other person in the world when we were talking. Damn it. I miss him.
As I’m sitting there, staring at the screen, I can feel something shift inside me. This isn’t Liv’s problem to solve, or Finn’s, or anyone else’s for that matter. The fact is that I need to see him again, if only to bring closure. I grab my phone and bash out a message to him.
Are you working today?
To my relief, the ticks go blue and his reply comes back quickly.
Staring at set design concepts at home. Why?
I’m smiling as I type.
Four o’clock. Time for a cup of tea and a delicious biscuit.
OK…
Have you got delicious biscuits?
I think there are some chocolate digestives in the cupboard. They might even be in date…
Here’s the plan. We’re each going to make a cup of tea and get a biscuit. I’m going to video call you in ten minutes, and I expect to hear all about the show. OK?
The ticks go blue but he’s not typing. Shit, have I overplayed this? Just as I’m beginning to think this was a really bad idea, his reply comes through.
See you in ten *smiley face emoji*
‘I thought you were in the thick of it and I was bringing you tea?’ Liv looks confused when she walks into the kitchen to find me fiddling with the teapot.
‘Yes, but I reached a good break point,’ I lie. ‘Anyway, you’re always making the tea. Time I made it for you for a change.’
She looks at me suspiciously for a moment before smiling. ‘Fine. Just make sure you warm the pot and use the timer. I’ll know if it’s over brewed. There are some Madeleines in the tin there. I’ll have one of those as well.’
‘Great. Why don’t you go and make yourself comfortable and I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.’
‘I assume you’re joining me?’
‘Not today. I’ve got a call I need to go on.’
Another suspicious look. ‘Really? You never mentioned it just now.’
‘It’s a last-minute thing.’
By the time I’ve made the tea and reassured Liv for a second time that nothing weird is going on, honestly, nearly fifteen minutes have passed. I practically run into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me and stabbing the call button on my phone.
‘Hiya,’ Finn says as the call connects. ‘This is a surprise. What brought it on?’
‘It’s partly an apology,’ I tell him.
‘What for?’
‘For my part in whatever happened when you came down here. I thought that doing something that we did every day while we were in France might give us the opportunity to reset our friendship.’
He sighs. ‘It’s me that needs to apologise,’ he says.
‘I was really looking forward to seeing you, but then I just kind of froze. I can’t explain it, and I’ve been trying to find a reason to get in contact and say sorry.
But then I thought maybe this was what you wanted, and then it all got in a mess in my head. ’
‘Me too. God, what a pair.’ As if choreographed, we each take a sip of our tea. I can’t help studying the background on my screen, trying to get a feel for his home.
‘So, tell me about the show,’ I prompt after a moment, before things can get awkward again. ‘Have you got the set design there?’
He smiles. ‘I have, but it’s top secret so I’m not sure I can show it to you.’
‘Worried I’m going to sell the idea to the competition?’
‘You can never be too careful but, as it’s you…’ He picks up the phone and switches to the rear camera so I can see his screen, which is one of those massive things that pretty much spans his entire desk.
‘This is a 3D rendering,’ he tells me as the phone wobbles momentarily.
‘Sorry, just grabbing the mouse so I can show you around. So, the contestants will stand at the podiums here, and there is a display on the front of each one showing their prize fund. Then this massive screen facing them here is where the auction items will be displayed, and this is where the really clever stuff happens.’
‘Go on.’
‘We’re going to be using virtual reality.
So the contestants will have VR headsets they can put on, and then they can handle the objects in the virtual world, turning them over to look at them from different angles and so on.
Whatever they see will be shown on the screen here so the studio audience can follow along.
For viewers at home, we’ll just cut to the VR feed. ’
‘Impressive.’
He turns the camera so I can see his face again. ‘It is, isn’t it? I wish I could take the credit for the idea, but it actually came from one of the brainstorming sessions at the beginning.’
I can feel myself relaxing as he talks me through the rest of the concept. I’m still not really up on game shows, but I feel a connection to this one after all the time we spent on it together. However, while I’m excited to see it coming to life, I’m more pleased that my idea seems to be working.
‘How’s the book?’ he asks when we’ve been through everything to do with the show. We’ve covered a few other topics too, and I’m surprised to see that nearly an hour has passed.
‘Top secret. I’m not sure I can tell you anything.’
‘Hold on, that’s not how it works!’
I laugh. ‘I’m joking. If I tell you now, we won’t have anything to talk about at teatime tomorrow, will we?’
He grins. ‘That’s an excellent point. I might have to buy some better biscuits though. These digestives are definitely past their best.’
‘Hold off if you can,’ I tell him. ‘I think I might have an idea about that. Give me your address. I want to send you something.’
‘Everything OK?’ Liv asks when I join her downstairs. ‘Did you sort whatever it was?’
‘I did, thank you, but I need to ask a favour.’
‘Go on.’
‘You know how you’re the best patissière in Margate?’
‘I sense I’m being buttered up for something I’m not going to like. Yes?’
‘The point is you’re brilliant, and therefore you must know other brilliant patissiers. Who’s the best one in London?’
‘If it were me, I’d go to Jean-Luc. Why?’
‘I want to send someone some Madeleines.’
Her eyebrows shoot up. ‘Do you now? Am I allowed to know who?’
I grin. ‘Finn, if you must know. I think we might have made a breakthrough. That was him I was just talking to.’
By the time I’ve explained my idea for us to meet virtually for tea every day, recreating a little bit of what we had in France and hopefully setting the scene for our next real-life encounter to be much less awkward, she’s fully on board and it’s all I can do to stop her from ringing Jean-Luc to demand he drop whatever he’s doing to go and bake Finn some Madeleines this instant.
‘I’d still prefer it was me making them,’ she says when we’ve placed an online order for delivery the next day. ‘But Jean-Luc is one of the best, and I’ll send him a threatening text tomorrow to make sure he’s on his A-game.’
For the first time since our disastrous dinner, I feel at peace as I climb into bed that night. Even if this is as far as we go, it’s really nice to be speaking to Finn normally again.