cast and crew and some of the staff begin at six but the office doesnât open until eight thirty.â
âWere there a lot of people going in and out this morning? Did you see Angie go in?â
Jane shook her head. âBut sheâd been in. I knew that. Sheâd taken her post. She and Mr Wade and Mr Ford all have their own keys, so they can get in at any time. And thereâs the gate of course.â
There was. There were also the open windows in Roger Fordâs office. âIs Mr Fordâs office the only one on the ground floor?â I asked her.
âYes. Thereâs a waiting room of sorts across the entrance hall, but no one used it this morning. Mr Wadeâs and his wifeâs are on the first floor, both overlooking the garden.â
âIs that her regular office?â It seemed strange to me because she was a consultant on the film, and so technically an outsider and not part of Oxley Productions.
Jane pulled a face. âShe made a fuss and so she got it.â Then realizing these were ambiguous words, she burst into tears and Louise comforted her. âIâm sorry,â Jane wailed. âItâs the shock. Did she . . . did she die while I was there or earlier?â
âI donât know,â I said again. I had found Angie at about twenty to ten, and the blood, I recalled, was congealed. I comforted Jane by reminding her that the side gate was open when I found it, albeit that for all she knew I had pulled it open myself before asking her to guard it.
âWere there a lot of visitors this morning?â Louise repeated my question.
âYou, Miss Shaw. Mr Ford came in and out, and so did Mr Wade.â
âDid they stay in their offices long?â
âI donât know about Mr Ford, but Mr Wade never does. Not on a shooting day.â Jane looked dismayed at yet another ambiguity.
âFilming usually begins at six thirty,â Louise explained hurriedly. âIt takes a bit of time for us to get costumed, and the crew to sort themselves out so we tend to arrive here about five forty-five when the gates officially open. From about six fifteen or so, Bill is usually on set continuously.â
âWas he today?â
She looked at me stonily. âI donât know. I wasnât on call until eight. And if itâs relevant I donât know about Roger Ford either.â
I had to persist. âHe must have been in his office at some point, Jane, because the windows were already open when Bill and I went through them at twenty to ten. Was the rear door to the house locked? If it was, perhaps thatâs why Angie went through the patio doors. Or perhaps she was with him when you arrived at eight thirty?â
A step too far. Much too far. Jane closed down. âI unlocked that door like I do every day when I come in. Other than that, I really couldnât say.â
Louise stepped in. âIâm sure Jane would support me, Jack, and indeed everyone at Stour Studios, when I tell you thereâs no way Bill or Roger would have been involved in Angieâs death. Bill adored her. He was a lion to everyone else but a pussy cat where she was concerned.â
âEven when she effectively threatened his film?â
âThey would sort it out between them. Murder wouldnât come into it. Angie was sharp. She knew there was a line she couldnât cross and she rarely did.â
âShe seems to have done over Tom Hopkins. He was sacked yesterday.â
Louise hesitated. âThatâs true.â
âTom,â Jane said, âis
never
sacked. I saw him around this morning just as usual.â
Had she indeed, I thought. Then why hadnât we seen him since Angieâs body had been discovered?
My second and more formal interview with Brandon was unexpectedly straightforward. He had established himself in one of the front ground-floor offices in the production building, and the whole of the farmhouse was
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