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"Chris has gone into BG They’re operating this afternoon They think it’s a grade-three glio"

"It’s to relieve the pressure He went blind in one eye and the headaches are awful They’ll try and take some of it out, but it’s in a difficult place"

"Oh, love"

"He’ll have radiotherapy One course, it’s just palliative"

Cat sounded cold andaside the fact that she was talking about Chris

"I’ll try and coht It should be OK after the press conference"

"It’s all right, Dad and Judith are coo and see Chris"

"Oh? You don’t need me then"

"Christ Of course I need you I need everyone Simon, don’t have tantrums, I can’t cope"

Someone knocked

"Have you talked to the children?"

"Tried I never realised how hard it was just to explain, just to get them to understand even a little Saers in his ears"

His door opened Elaine

"I have to go Hold on in there I’ll come later"

He looked up

"Sorry, sir, but the Chief’s here She went into the CID rooht you’d want a heads-up"

"Thanks"

Another head round the door Vicky

"The Spanish police cah Foster Munday, Bethan Doyle’s partner … left his bar job five weeks ago Left his apartham"

"When?"

"Two days before Melanie Dreas shot"

"Right, ant photographs, full description, get on to the airport, taxis, railway, car hire I want him in here yesterday"

Vicky turned and crashed into the Chief Constable Silimpse of their faces, Vicky scarlet and horrified, Paula Devenish thunderous

"Ma’ao for tea"

"I don’t need tea I need some small scrap of evidence that you have ation"

Thirty-two

DS Whiteside pounded the front door of the cottage with ha Drew’s father opened up he looked terrified but said at once, "You’ve got soed through the front door as he was asking The DC with hietic

"What’s happened?" Alan Drew asked her

She shook her head

"OK, where is he?"

"Craig? Upstairs, I think What’s happened?"

"Call hi roo the corner of the mat over with his toe Louise stood in the doorway He was a sergeant, she was in her first sixwas out of order She wanted to say so but if she did he would take it out on her later She knew a bully when she met one, knehat you should do with bullies but felt powerless Whiteside brushed her aside and went to the bottom of the stairs "Drew! DS Whiteside here I want a word"

"What’s going on? What’s happened?"

"What’s he doing up there?"

A lavatory flushed Craig Drew ca up his belt "Have you got hi to tellstared

Poor bloke, Louise thought, poor bloody bloke, he doesn’t knohat time of day it is His wife of teeks was shot dead, he’s a mess of emotion and dread and questions he can’t answer and we’re here to ask ?"

"Cycle Bicycle Yes" He looked bewildered His father stood beside hie Fat chance my dad would protect me like that

"Been out and about on it, have you?"

"He cycles et out of here"

"Where do you go, Craig?"

"I don’t know … all over Anywhere"

"You don’t know All over Anywhere"

"I just go out"

"Lafferton?"

"Yes Or--just around Villages Nowhere in particular"

"Dulles Avenue?"

"I went there"

"What for?"

"We--I live there I went to my flat"

"On your bike?"

"Yes"

"Can’t carryto carry"

"Didn’t go to pick anything up, stuff you needed, clothes and so on?"

"I’d have taken the car"

"I’d have gone with hieant, what’s with all these bike questions?"

"Know the Seven Aces club, Craig?"

"No I , isn’t it? So for no reason"

"How do you know it’s the saot to be the sa Drew looked both confused and as if he were about to cry He glanced desperately at Louise

"Do you know the Seven Aces, Craig?" she asked gently

Whiteside shot her a look

"No"

"Have you ever been?"

"No We--I … clubs are not where I go We don’t Mel didn’t like that sort of place It’s new, isn’t it?"

"You’re telling me you’ve never so much as been past it?"

"I don’t think I have but I can’t swear to it Of course I can’t, can I?"

"Why not? I’d have thought it was perfectly simple Have you been past the Seven Aces or haven’t you?"

Craig sat down and dropped his head

Whiteside went on "Did you read about Bethan Doyle, Craig?"

"Who’s Bethan … Oh, God, her, the one with the baby Christ"

"You know about it, then?"

"You’d have to live on the moon not to know about it, wouldn’t you?" Alan Drew He had crossed the room to stand beside his son, put a hand on his shoulder for a second

"Craig?"

"Yes"

"Knohere she lived, do you? Where it happened?"

"Yes"

"Not far from your place"