Read Online A Narrow Margin of Error by Faith Martin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Faith Martin
Ads: Link
if he was hurting someone, or might get hurt himself in the process. But he wasn’t nasty about it.’
Darla shook her head in frustration. ‘It’s no good. I just can’t quite describe what he was like. He lived by a set of rules that was entirely his own. And if you didn’t understand them, or approve of them, or like them, well, that was just tough. But even that isn’t quite right. That makes him sound aggressive or utterly selfish – and I don’t think he was either of those – not really. He liked people to be happy. He was always happy himself. He seemed to see life as one great big adventure and a bit of a lark. Perhaps he would have grown out of it if….’
Suddenly her pretty, freckled face crumpled, and she began to cry.
Jimmy made a gentle tut-tutting sound, and reached into his jacket for a handkerchief.
Darla waved it away, and reached under a small coffee table for a box of tissues. She extracted one and wiped her eyes, staining them black with her running mascara. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sniffed.
‘Take your time. There’s no rush,’ Hillary murmured. ‘I’m sorry if this upsets you. We won’t be much longer.’
‘It’s fine. I’m fine.’ She took a long, wavering breath, and leaned back in the chair again. ‘It’s just that it suddenly hit me: he’d be the same age as me now. Who knows, he might even be married and have kids, too. Instead he’s…. It was all taken away from him, wasn’t it? That’s what suddenly got to me. And he didn’t deserve to have that happen to him – no matter what he might have done.’
‘What did the others at the house think of him?’ Hillary asked curiously, and sensed Darla’s withdrawal immediately.
‘Oh, you know. Marcie never really thought about him one way or the other at all, I’m sure. She didn’t have much interest in any of us, really. And Dwayne used to encourage him, I think. They used to go out drinking together, and have silly bets, so there was no reason for them to fall out. And Barry was such a nice man – I think he found it hard to fit in – being older and all,and married with a family and working in the building trade and all that. But Rowan never teased him about any of it. Barry was the sort who got on with everyone. I really don’t believe any one of us did it. I know Inspector Gorman was obsessed with thinking that it had to be one of us, but I think it was someone else in Rowan’s life. They just came to the house, Rowan let them in, and they killed him. Wanda, being in the basement, didn’t always know who came and went.’
Darla looked at Hillary with flat, green eyes. ‘None of us killed Rowan, of that I’m sure. That’s why you people – the police, I mean – never solved the case. Inspector Gorman simply wouldn’t look at someone outside of the house. If you want to find out who killed Rowan, that’s where you’re going to have to look.’
Hillary nodded gravely. ‘You might well be right, Mrs Pitt. Thank you for talking to us. We might have to come back at some point with some follow-up questions, but I’ll be sure to call ahead first, and make sure that you’re alone.’
Darla, who’d obviously been about to object, nodded reluctantly . ‘That’s fine. I wish you luck, I really do.’
Hillary smiled and rose and followed her outside into the hall.
Back in the car, she sat behind the wheel and looked out thoughtfully at the neat, suburban streets. ‘So, what do you think?’
Jimmy shrugged. ‘She seems genuine enough. But she’s the tense and nervy sort, isn’t she?’
‘Yes.’
‘And if the young lad led her a merry dance, like it seems he did, she might easily have snapped and stabbed him. The emotional types tend to do that.’
‘Yes.’
‘And her alibi’s no good, one way or the other.’
‘No.’
Jimmy grinned. ‘She stays on the list then, guv.’
‘Oh yes, Jimmy. They all stay on the list until we can definitely cross them off it,’ she agreed
Darla shook her head in frustration. ‘It’s no good. I just can’t quite describe what he was like. He lived by a set of rules that was entirely his own. And if you didn’t understand them, or approve of them, or like them, well, that was just tough. But even that isn’t quite right. That makes him sound aggressive or utterly selfish – and I don’t think he was either of those – not really. He liked people to be happy. He was always happy himself. He seemed to see life as one great big adventure and a bit of a lark. Perhaps he would have grown out of it if….’
Suddenly her pretty, freckled face crumpled, and she began to cry.
Jimmy made a gentle tut-tutting sound, and reached into his jacket for a handkerchief.
Darla waved it away, and reached under a small coffee table for a box of tissues. She extracted one and wiped her eyes, staining them black with her running mascara. ‘I’m sorry,’ she sniffed.
‘Take your time. There’s no rush,’ Hillary murmured. ‘I’m sorry if this upsets you. We won’t be much longer.’
‘It’s fine. I’m fine.’ She took a long, wavering breath, and leaned back in the chair again. ‘It’s just that it suddenly hit me: he’d be the same age as me now. Who knows, he might even be married and have kids, too. Instead he’s…. It was all taken away from him, wasn’t it? That’s what suddenly got to me. And he didn’t deserve to have that happen to him – no matter what he might have done.’
‘What did the others at the house think of him?’ Hillary asked curiously, and sensed Darla’s withdrawal immediately.
‘Oh, you know. Marcie never really thought about him one way or the other at all, I’m sure. She didn’t have much interest in any of us, really. And Dwayne used to encourage him, I think. They used to go out drinking together, and have silly bets, so there was no reason for them to fall out. And Barry was such a nice man – I think he found it hard to fit in – being older and all,and married with a family and working in the building trade and all that. But Rowan never teased him about any of it. Barry was the sort who got on with everyone. I really don’t believe any one of us did it. I know Inspector Gorman was obsessed with thinking that it had to be one of us, but I think it was someone else in Rowan’s life. They just came to the house, Rowan let them in, and they killed him. Wanda, being in the basement, didn’t always know who came and went.’
Darla looked at Hillary with flat, green eyes. ‘None of us killed Rowan, of that I’m sure. That’s why you people – the police, I mean – never solved the case. Inspector Gorman simply wouldn’t look at someone outside of the house. If you want to find out who killed Rowan, that’s where you’re going to have to look.’
Hillary nodded gravely. ‘You might well be right, Mrs Pitt. Thank you for talking to us. We might have to come back at some point with some follow-up questions, but I’ll be sure to call ahead first, and make sure that you’re alone.’
Darla, who’d obviously been about to object, nodded reluctantly . ‘That’s fine. I wish you luck, I really do.’
Hillary smiled and rose and followed her outside into the hall.
Back in the car, she sat behind the wheel and looked out thoughtfully at the neat, suburban streets. ‘So, what do you think?’
Jimmy shrugged. ‘She seems genuine enough. But she’s the tense and nervy sort, isn’t she?’
‘Yes.’
‘And if the young lad led her a merry dance, like it seems he did, she might easily have snapped and stabbed him. The emotional types tend to do that.’
‘Yes.’
‘And her alibi’s no good, one way or the other.’
‘No.’
Jimmy grinned. ‘She stays on the list then, guv.’
‘Oh yes, Jimmy. They all stay on the list until we can definitely cross them off it,’ she agreed
Similar Books
