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Authors: Deborah Crombie
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happened to your fiancée, but it would be helpful if you could give us a bit more information about Miss Hammond.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Mortimer answered. “Annabelle’s thirty-one. She was thirty-one in January. She’s the managing director of Hammond’s Teas. It’s her family’s business—Annabelle took over from her father five years ago. I handle the marketing side of things. The warehouse is just down the far end of Saunders Ness Road.” Gemma hadn’t a clue where that might be, but she wrote it down in her notebook. “And what does Annabelle look like?” She saw the tendons flex in Mortimer’s hands as they tightened on the mug. “Height?” she prompted, not wanting to give him any longer to ponder the significance of the questions.
“About like you. And she’s slender, with red hair.” He studied Gemma. “But not like yours—it’s lighter, almost golden, and longer, too.”
“Eyes?”
“Blue.”
“And can you tell us what she was wearing last night?” Gemma asked, eyes on the pen poised over the page of her notebook.
She felt his gaze on her face before he answered softly, “A black jacket. Long, with silvery buttons. And a little black skirt.”
Making a conscious effort not to glance at Kincaid, Gemma wrote deliberately in her notebook. She felt none of the elation she’d expected over an almost certain identification. Until this moment, the anonymous woman had been merely a puzzle; now she had become real, someone with a name, a job, a family, a lover.
Kincaid rested his fingertips on the edge of the table. “Mr. Mortimer, you’ve been very helpful, and we appreciate that.”
Gemma looked up and reluctantly met Reg Mortimer’s eyes, knowing she needed to observe his reaction as Kincaid continued.
“But I’m afraid I have to tell you that the description you’ve given us of Annabelle Hammond matches that of a woman found this morning in Mudchute Park.”
Mortimer’s face was still, expressionless. He licked his lips. “Dead?”
“I’m afraid so.”
For a moment longer Reg Mortimer stared at them, the only change the draining of color from his face. Then the handle of the tea mug he still held snapped cleanly off. He looked down at the shard of cheap pottery in his hand, as if he couldn’t quite work out where it had come from.
“If you could make a formal state—”
“Since when?” Mortimer demanded.
“Sometime last night. I’m afraid we can’t be more definite than—”
“How?”
“Mr. Mortimer, we’re not sure of anything yet. If you could just give us her sister’s name and—”
“I want to see her.”
“I’m afraid it’s customary for a family member to make the identification,” Gemma said gently. “If you could just—”
“Surely you won’t make Jo...” His voice broke.
“It’s procedure, Mr. Mortimer. I’m—”
“I don’t think I can bear not knowing.”
Although she understood his plea, Gemma shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said again.
Mortimer rose unsteadily to his feet. “Then I think I’d like to go home.”
Kincaid pushed back his chair. “We’ll arrange it. But if this busker was the last person to see Annabelle, we’ll need to talk to him. Had you seen him before? Can you describe him?”
For a moment, Gemma thought Mortimer hadn’t heard, but he wiped a trembling hand across his mouth and seemed to make an effort to collect himself. “The street musician? I’d never seen him before. And I didn’t really look when I passed him in the tunnel.... But when I looked back...” He closed his eyes, frowning, then gripped the back of his chair for support as he swayed a little. “He was tall.... I remember Annabelle was looking up at him. Short hair... fairish. Military clothes.”
“What instrument did he play?” Gemma asked.
Reg Mortimer opened his eyes. “I remember I thought it a bit unusual. The clarinet.”
KIT STOOD IN THE CENTER OF KINCAID’S SITTING ROOM, WATCHING THE
After a moment’s hesitation, Mortimer answered. “Annabelle’s thirty-one. She was thirty-one in January. She’s the managing director of Hammond’s Teas. It’s her family’s business—Annabelle took over from her father five years ago. I handle the marketing side of things. The warehouse is just down the far end of Saunders Ness Road.” Gemma hadn’t a clue where that might be, but she wrote it down in her notebook. “And what does Annabelle look like?” She saw the tendons flex in Mortimer’s hands as they tightened on the mug. “Height?” she prompted, not wanting to give him any longer to ponder the significance of the questions.
“About like you. And she’s slender, with red hair.” He studied Gemma. “But not like yours—it’s lighter, almost golden, and longer, too.”
“Eyes?”
“Blue.”
“And can you tell us what she was wearing last night?” Gemma asked, eyes on the pen poised over the page of her notebook.
She felt his gaze on her face before he answered softly, “A black jacket. Long, with silvery buttons. And a little black skirt.”
Making a conscious effort not to glance at Kincaid, Gemma wrote deliberately in her notebook. She felt none of the elation she’d expected over an almost certain identification. Until this moment, the anonymous woman had been merely a puzzle; now she had become real, someone with a name, a job, a family, a lover.
Kincaid rested his fingertips on the edge of the table. “Mr. Mortimer, you’ve been very helpful, and we appreciate that.”
Gemma looked up and reluctantly met Reg Mortimer’s eyes, knowing she needed to observe his reaction as Kincaid continued.
“But I’m afraid I have to tell you that the description you’ve given us of Annabelle Hammond matches that of a woman found this morning in Mudchute Park.”
Mortimer’s face was still, expressionless. He licked his lips. “Dead?”
“I’m afraid so.”
For a moment longer Reg Mortimer stared at them, the only change the draining of color from his face. Then the handle of the tea mug he still held snapped cleanly off. He looked down at the shard of cheap pottery in his hand, as if he couldn’t quite work out where it had come from.
“If you could make a formal state—”
“Since when?” Mortimer demanded.
“Sometime last night. I’m afraid we can’t be more definite than—”
“How?”
“Mr. Mortimer, we’re not sure of anything yet. If you could just give us her sister’s name and—”
“I want to see her.”
“I’m afraid it’s customary for a family member to make the identification,” Gemma said gently. “If you could just—”
“Surely you won’t make Jo...” His voice broke.
“It’s procedure, Mr. Mortimer. I’m—”
“I don’t think I can bear not knowing.”
Although she understood his plea, Gemma shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said again.
Mortimer rose unsteadily to his feet. “Then I think I’d like to go home.”
Kincaid pushed back his chair. “We’ll arrange it. But if this busker was the last person to see Annabelle, we’ll need to talk to him. Had you seen him before? Can you describe him?”
For a moment, Gemma thought Mortimer hadn’t heard, but he wiped a trembling hand across his mouth and seemed to make an effort to collect himself. “The street musician? I’d never seen him before. And I didn’t really look when I passed him in the tunnel.... But when I looked back...” He closed his eyes, frowning, then gripped the back of his chair for support as he swayed a little. “He was tall.... I remember Annabelle was looking up at him. Short hair... fairish. Military clothes.”
“What instrument did he play?” Gemma asked.
Reg Mortimer opened his eyes. “I remember I thought it a bit unusual. The clarinet.”
KIT STOOD IN THE CENTER OF KINCAID’S SITTING ROOM, WATCHING THE
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