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They sat in silence for a moment The clock ticked loudly, a car went past on the road outside and the sky see,’ said Amanda She paused and rubbed at her face ‘Hayes Quarry There’s an old cottage beside it When we searched the area there was an old guy, a squatter living there He let us search the place, twice It’s tiny with a cellar We found nothing Of course Then a fewhi-ho for Trevor Marksman’s scalp, but I’ve had time to think since you found Marianne in the quarry’

‘It was Jessica e found’

‘Yeah, that’s what Iodd about it He didn’t seem to type to do that’

‘Do you know his naet’

‘Did you know him well?’

‘Course not But he was just a bit sio lucky sio and drink poison and then hang himself’

‘He drank poison too?’

‘Yeah, I just said that’

‘You didn’t,’ said Peterson They could see that A badly

‘Fuck it, well he did I need a drink,’ she said ‘Anyone else?’

‘No, thank you, on’t take up any more of your tiain We’re working our way through all the evidence and thereI need to run by you, or clarify’

‘Can you get me on the payroll?’ she joked with a wheeze There was an aard silence ‘That’s fine Call on ot all the time in the world’

Ay front roomas the three detectives went back to their car and drove away She thought the touy was pretty hot She attempted to close the frontand keep out the cold It didn’t shut properly, and she hadn’t bothered to do ularity was the post it was all junk and a bill from the council

She didn’t notice the old blue Ford parked a little way down the street, and theher He had dark hair and several days stubble She hadn’t noticed him the day before either, when he’d parked further up the street and walked past her house, paying attention to the brokenShe took a gulp of the wine, moved back over to the sofa and settled down to drink herself into oblivion

21

Erika had discussed what Amanda Baker had said with Moss and Peterson, and they had chewed over her confusion about some of the facts of the case They’d presuer, paranoia, and the booze But what she had said about the cottage beside Hayes Quarry had stuck, so the nextshe came back with Peterson