Read Online All Quiet on Arrival by Graham Ison - Free Book Online Page B

dead woman.’
    â€˜What dead woman is this?’ asked Dave, affecting an air of innocence.
    â€˜Diana. It was her party.’
    We were getting close to having to caution Shelley Maxwell, but she might just have a little more to tell us before we resorted to arresting and charging her with murder. I decided to take a hand.
    â€˜Shelley, we are investigating the murder of Diana Barton whose body was found at twenty-seven Tavona Street the night you and Thomas Hendry were there.’
    Predictably, Shelley Maxwell burst into tears. ‘It was nothing to do with us,’ she protested, in between sobs that might even have been genuine.
    I made a decision, a bit of a rarity for me. ‘Miss Maxwell, I’m taking you to Southampton Central police station where I shall question you further. That interview will be recorded for your protection.’
    More tears followed this announcement and I got the impression that Shelley Maxwell was in this affair over her head, and couldn’t really cope with the resulting stress.
    I called Jock Ferguson on my mobile, and asked him to arrange transport to the nick.
    Once the plethora of forms had been duly completed, a procedure necessary whenever anyone is brought into a police station, we got down to business in one of the interview rooms.
    â€˜You and Thomas Hendry live together, do you?’ I asked for openers.
    â€˜Yes,’ murmured the girl.
    â€˜Where do you work?’ I was thinking that she was probably an exotic dancer, or a striptease artiste, or even a prostitute. But I was wrong.
    â€˜I’m a supermarket check-out assistant.’
    Well, that was a first.
    â€˜And you were both at a party at twenty-seven Tavona Street, Chelsea on the night of Saturday the twenty-seventh of July.’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Shelley, her voice almost inaudible.
    â€˜You must speak up,’ I said, ‘otherwise the tape recorder won’t pick up your answers.’
    â€˜Yes,’ she said again.
    â€˜What time did you arrive there?’
    â€˜About half past four, I suppose.’
    â€˜And was Thomas Hendry with you?’
    â€˜Yeah, course he was.’
    â€˜So, you travelled all the way up from Southampton just to attend a party in Chelsea.’
    â€˜No, not exactly. Tom had booked us into a hotel for the Saturday night. He said as how we was going to have the weekend in London. But he did say we was going to a party an’ all.’
    â€˜And which hotel did you stay at?’
    â€˜We never. See, Tom changed his mind, and said we’d come back here.’
    â€˜Why was that?’
    â€˜I don’t know. He just said we ought to go home.’
    â€˜Why did he give police the name of Carl Morgan when the officer spoke to him?’
    â€˜Did he? I didn’t know that. I suppose it was because he didn’t want to get mixed up in this business.’
    â€˜Did he set fire to the house before you left?’
    There was a pause, long enough for me to know that she was going to lie.
    â€˜No. I don’t think so.’
    â€˜Where’s Tom gone?’
    â€˜I’ve no idea.’ Shelley sniffed.
    â€˜If he wasn’t involved in the death of Diana Barton, why did he run away when we arrived at your house?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’
    â€˜Do you know the names of any of the other guests at this party?’
    â€˜No.’
    I imagined that to be a lie, too.
    â€˜Why did Mrs Barton hold a party?’ I continued to press the girl even though I thought she perhaps didn’t know any of the answers to my questions. ‘From what I heard, she was a quiet sort of woman. Not the type to have a party where loud music was being played to such an extent that the neighbours complained to the police. And where half naked girls were running about.’
    Shelley dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, and then blew her nose. ‘She said she wanted to celebrate having a new kitchen installed. We all had