book where murder’s concerned.’
It took them just over half an hour to reach Sophie Cliff’s work place. At night the journey would have taken about twenty minutes. She worked in an unprepossessing building on an industrial estate on the East side of the town. From outside it resembled an airport hangar. The interior was smart and conventional, with light powder blue walls and floor covered in matching carpet tiles. A young woman sat behind a curved pine desk, studying her computer screen.
She looked up as they entered. ‘Can I help you?’
Geraldine held out her warrant card. ‘We’d like to speak to your IT manager, please.’
‘Certainly, madam. Would you like to take a seat, while I give him a call?’ She flicked a button on her switchboard. ‘Mr Corrigan, can you come to reception, please?’ A moment later, she picked up her phone. Her finger nails gleamed scarlet in the halogen lighting. ‘Yes sir. But there are two visitors to see you, sir… Yes, sir… But sir… It’s the police, sir… Yes, sir.’ She hung up and turned to Geraldine. ‘Mr Corrigan will be with you directly, madam.’
The manager arrived after about ten minutes. ‘I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. We’re desperately short staffed and my back up operator has gone down with the flu. Would you believe it? Typical. How can I help you?’
Geraldine stood up. ‘We’d like a word with you in private.’ Mr Corrigan hesitated. ‘If it’s not convenient to talk here, you can accompany us back to Harchester police station. It’s only about half an hour’s drive from here. But we’re as keen as you are not to waste any time. We’d appreciate your co-operation.’ Without a word, Mr Corrigan turned and led the way through two sets of swing doors and along a hushed powder blue corridor.
‘We can talk in my office,’ he explained over his shoulder as they followed him to a door labelled Edward Corrigan. ‘Please, take a seat.’ He sat behind a large wooden desk, where he swivelled gently from side to side on a leather chair as Geraldine spoke.
‘Mr Corrigan, we’d like to begin by confirming Sophie Cliff’s movements last night.’
He nodded. ‘I heard about the fire. Terrible, just terrible. Is her husband going to be all right? He was in the house, wasn’t he, when it happened?’
‘Mr Cliff died in the fire. Did you know him?’
‘Never met him, I’m afraid.’
‘He worked here.’
‘A lot of people work here, Inspector. He worked on the admin side, I think. Our paths don’t often cross. I may have been in the same room as him, but I wouldn’t recognise him. We’re a large organisation… But this is simply terrible. What a horrible way to go. And they’d not been married long.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m sorry to hurry you, Inspector, but our systems operation has to be my top priority. We have banks dependent on our print runs, and hospitals. The penalties are prohibitive if we overrun. So I’d be grateful if we could keep this brief, with minimum disruption to my staff. We’ve already lost Sophie – I don’t suppose you have any idea when she might be able to come back to work?’
Mr Corrigan confirmed that Sophie had been called into work on Friday night. She had been contacted at two twenty, and had arrived at the office at two fifty-five.
‘Would it have taken her thirty five minutes to get to work at that time of night?’ Peterson asked.
‘She had to get dressed,’ Geraldine pointed out. Sophie’s phone had registered an incoming call at two twenty from a withheld number. Corrigan’s confirmation saved them having to trace the call. He told them it was a regular occurrence butthere was no way Sophie could have known in advance if she was going to be summoned on any particular night. Her contract stated how often she had to be on call but often she could fix problems remotely without leaving home. She had to go into the office about once a month, on average.
Corrigan was
It took them just over half an hour to reach Sophie Cliff’s work place. At night the journey would have taken about twenty minutes. She worked in an unprepossessing building on an industrial estate on the East side of the town. From outside it resembled an airport hangar. The interior was smart and conventional, with light powder blue walls and floor covered in matching carpet tiles. A young woman sat behind a curved pine desk, studying her computer screen.
She looked up as they entered. ‘Can I help you?’
Geraldine held out her warrant card. ‘We’d like to speak to your IT manager, please.’
‘Certainly, madam. Would you like to take a seat, while I give him a call?’ She flicked a button on her switchboard. ‘Mr Corrigan, can you come to reception, please?’ A moment later, she picked up her phone. Her finger nails gleamed scarlet in the halogen lighting. ‘Yes sir. But there are two visitors to see you, sir… Yes, sir… But sir… It’s the police, sir… Yes, sir.’ She hung up and turned to Geraldine. ‘Mr Corrigan will be with you directly, madam.’
The manager arrived after about ten minutes. ‘I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. We’re desperately short staffed and my back up operator has gone down with the flu. Would you believe it? Typical. How can I help you?’
Geraldine stood up. ‘We’d like a word with you in private.’ Mr Corrigan hesitated. ‘If it’s not convenient to talk here, you can accompany us back to Harchester police station. It’s only about half an hour’s drive from here. But we’re as keen as you are not to waste any time. We’d appreciate your co-operation.’ Without a word, Mr Corrigan turned and led the way through two sets of swing doors and along a hushed powder blue corridor.
‘We can talk in my office,’ he explained over his shoulder as they followed him to a door labelled Edward Corrigan. ‘Please, take a seat.’ He sat behind a large wooden desk, where he swivelled gently from side to side on a leather chair as Geraldine spoke.
‘Mr Corrigan, we’d like to begin by confirming Sophie Cliff’s movements last night.’
He nodded. ‘I heard about the fire. Terrible, just terrible. Is her husband going to be all right? He was in the house, wasn’t he, when it happened?’
‘Mr Cliff died in the fire. Did you know him?’
‘Never met him, I’m afraid.’
‘He worked here.’
‘A lot of people work here, Inspector. He worked on the admin side, I think. Our paths don’t often cross. I may have been in the same room as him, but I wouldn’t recognise him. We’re a large organisation… But this is simply terrible. What a horrible way to go. And they’d not been married long.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’m sorry to hurry you, Inspector, but our systems operation has to be my top priority. We have banks dependent on our print runs, and hospitals. The penalties are prohibitive if we overrun. So I’d be grateful if we could keep this brief, with minimum disruption to my staff. We’ve already lost Sophie – I don’t suppose you have any idea when she might be able to come back to work?’
Mr Corrigan confirmed that Sophie had been called into work on Friday night. She had been contacted at two twenty, and had arrived at the office at two fifty-five.
‘Would it have taken her thirty five minutes to get to work at that time of night?’ Peterson asked.
‘She had to get dressed,’ Geraldine pointed out. Sophie’s phone had registered an incoming call at two twenty from a withheld number. Corrigan’s confirmation saved them having to trace the call. He told them it was a regular occurrence butthere was no way Sophie could have known in advance if she was going to be summoned on any particular night. Her contract stated how often she had to be on call but often she could fix problems remotely without leaving home. She had to go into the office about once a month, on average.
Corrigan was
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