phoned ahead so Mrs Larkin was expecting him. She appeared the moment he parked his Mazda at the kerb outside her front door. Middle-aged, plump, with a bun of auburn hair curled tight on her head. Her eyes were blue, almost turquoise.
‘Thank you for seeing me,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more notice.’
She smiled, revealing mint-white teeth. ‘That’s all right. My husband and I run a shop close by. He can manage without me for a few hours.’
She waved him in and closed the door. It was a clean, bright house with tasteful furniture and a warm feel. He followed her through to the kitchen where she invited him to sit down and asked if he wanted a tea or coffee.
‘I won’t, thanks,’ he said. ‘I’ve had more than enough already this morning.’
She sat opposite him at the table and said, ‘I saw you on thenews just now. This is such a terrible business. Is it true that whoever did it is threatening to do it again?’
‘There has been a threat,’ Temple said. ‘But he might just be trying to scare people.’
‘Well, he’s scared me. I don’t plan on using the motorway until he’s caught.’
Temple’s instinct was to tell her there was no need to overreact, that the chance of her becoming a target were infinitesimal. But he held back because he knew he’d be wasting his time. He took out his notebook and pen and placed them on the table in front of him.
‘As discussed on the phone, Mrs Larkin, I’d like you to tell me what you told the officer. About the man you saw on the bridge. And take your time. Try to remember every detail.’
‘Do you think he was the sniper, Inspector?’
Temple shrugged. ‘It’s possible, but we won’t know for sure until we trace him.’
She sat back and cleared her throat.
‘It was just after five,’ she said. ‘As my husband started preparing to close up the shop I took the car to fill it with petrol ready for the morning. The petrol station is on the other side of the bridge.’
‘Was there much traffic around?’
‘A fair bit, but no more than usual. That road doesn’t get busy until around half five.’
‘So where did you see this man?’
‘He was crossing the road. When he saw me driving towards him he stopped in the middle. I slowed down so he could get all the way across.’
‘Did you get a good look at his face?’
‘I’m afraid not. It was dark and when my headlights were on him he turned away and raised his arm to acknowledge me. He was also wearing a hood.’
‘What kind of coat did he have on?’
‘It was a parka, I think. Green or khaki. I can’t be sure.’
‘You told the officer that the man was carrying some kind of bag.’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. It was on his back, like a big rucksack.’
‘What do you mean by big? Aren’t rucksacks all about the same size?’
She shrugged. ‘They usually are, but this one seemed to be bigger. Not bulky but long. I remember thinking that maybe he was carrying a musical instrument or a snooker cue.’
Or maybe it was a rifle, Temple thought.
‘So what happened then?’ he asked.
She gave a lopsided grin. ‘Well, I drove on after letting him cross, but when I got to the station I realized I’d forgotten my purse. So I had to turn around and head back to the shop.’
‘And that’s when you saw him again?’
‘Yes. I noticed him because he was standing on the bridge looking down at the motorway. I didn’t really think anything of it at the time.’
‘Was he still there when you went back to the petrol station?’
‘I didn’t go back straight away. I decided to help close up the shop first. But then we heard the sirens and everything went crazy. The road outside was suddenly blocked with traffic and it wasn’t long before we learned about what had happened. Then a few hours later a policeman came to the house and asked us if we’d seen anything suspicious, so I told him about the man. Not long after that a reporter phoned here. God knows how
‘Thank you for seeing me,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more notice.’
She smiled, revealing mint-white teeth. ‘That’s all right. My husband and I run a shop close by. He can manage without me for a few hours.’
She waved him in and closed the door. It was a clean, bright house with tasteful furniture and a warm feel. He followed her through to the kitchen where she invited him to sit down and asked if he wanted a tea or coffee.
‘I won’t, thanks,’ he said. ‘I’ve had more than enough already this morning.’
She sat opposite him at the table and said, ‘I saw you on thenews just now. This is such a terrible business. Is it true that whoever did it is threatening to do it again?’
‘There has been a threat,’ Temple said. ‘But he might just be trying to scare people.’
‘Well, he’s scared me. I don’t plan on using the motorway until he’s caught.’
Temple’s instinct was to tell her there was no need to overreact, that the chance of her becoming a target were infinitesimal. But he held back because he knew he’d be wasting his time. He took out his notebook and pen and placed them on the table in front of him.
‘As discussed on the phone, Mrs Larkin, I’d like you to tell me what you told the officer. About the man you saw on the bridge. And take your time. Try to remember every detail.’
‘Do you think he was the sniper, Inspector?’
Temple shrugged. ‘It’s possible, but we won’t know for sure until we trace him.’
She sat back and cleared her throat.
‘It was just after five,’ she said. ‘As my husband started preparing to close up the shop I took the car to fill it with petrol ready for the morning. The petrol station is on the other side of the bridge.’
‘Was there much traffic around?’
‘A fair bit, but no more than usual. That road doesn’t get busy until around half five.’
‘So where did you see this man?’
‘He was crossing the road. When he saw me driving towards him he stopped in the middle. I slowed down so he could get all the way across.’
‘Did you get a good look at his face?’
‘I’m afraid not. It was dark and when my headlights were on him he turned away and raised his arm to acknowledge me. He was also wearing a hood.’
‘What kind of coat did he have on?’
‘It was a parka, I think. Green or khaki. I can’t be sure.’
‘You told the officer that the man was carrying some kind of bag.’
She nodded. ‘That’s right. It was on his back, like a big rucksack.’
‘What do you mean by big? Aren’t rucksacks all about the same size?’
She shrugged. ‘They usually are, but this one seemed to be bigger. Not bulky but long. I remember thinking that maybe he was carrying a musical instrument or a snooker cue.’
Or maybe it was a rifle, Temple thought.
‘So what happened then?’ he asked.
She gave a lopsided grin. ‘Well, I drove on after letting him cross, but when I got to the station I realized I’d forgotten my purse. So I had to turn around and head back to the shop.’
‘And that’s when you saw him again?’
‘Yes. I noticed him because he was standing on the bridge looking down at the motorway. I didn’t really think anything of it at the time.’
‘Was he still there when you went back to the petrol station?’
‘I didn’t go back straight away. I decided to help close up the shop first. But then we heard the sirens and everything went crazy. The road outside was suddenly blocked with traffic and it wasn’t long before we learned about what had happened. Then a few hours later a policeman came to the house and asked us if we’d seen anything suspicious, so I told him about the man. Not long after that a reporter phoned here. God knows how
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