be able to help us.’
‘A body?’
‘I’m afraid so, yes.’
‘What do you mean? He’s dead?’
‘We don’t have formal identification at this stage. But we’re pretty certain it is Dr Murphy.’
‘It’s not him, not Karl,’ Red said emphatically. ‘You’ve got that wrong. What makes you think it could be him?’
‘Did you have any kind of falling out with him?’ the sergeant asked.
Red shook her head resolutely. ‘Absolutely not. Far from it. I thought that we . . .’ Her voice tailed off.
Karen Nelson looked at her expectantly. After some moments she prompted, ‘You thought what?’
Red shook her head. ‘For one brief moment in my life, I thought that Karl might be different from other men, that’s all. Then he stood me up last night.’ She gulped down some wine, picked up her pack of cigarettes and shook one out. ‘Mind if I smoke?’
‘It’s your home,’ DS Nelson said.
‘I love the smell,’ Spofford said. ‘Please go ahead.’
‘Want one?’ She offered him the pack.
‘I’d love one. But no thanks.’
Red lit the cigarette. ‘Please tell me what’s happened? You said you found a body – has Karl had an accident?’
The two police officers exchanged yet another glance. And that glance told Red all she needed to know.
‘Please tell me something, tell me what you know!’ Red pleaded. ‘Has he had an accident? Please tell me at least that!’
‘Can we establish when you last had contact with Dr Murphy?’ Sergeant Nelson replied.
‘The last time I saw him was on Sunday. But we spoke every day – several times a day. I last spoke to him on Tuesday evening. He . . .’ She hesitated. ‘He told me he adored me.’
‘Would you say that Dr Murphy was depressed at all?’
‘Depressed? No! Well, let me qualify that. Yes, he told me he had been very depressed after his wife died. He told me at one point he had felt suicidal because he loved her so much. But he would never commit suicide, he said, because of their children. He couldn’t do that to them.’
‘He talked about suicide?’ the sergeant pressed, and made a note on her pad. ‘What exactly did he say?’
Red shook her head. ‘He didn’t talk about it in a serious way. He said it had gone through his mind – in the immediate aftermath of her death. But he totally dismissed it.’
‘How sure are you of that?’
‘That he couldn’t kill himself? One hundred per cent. He’s a bright guy, very positive. And he lives for his children. They are the world to him.’ She felt engulfed in a dark cloud. ‘Why . . . why are you asking me about suicide?’
‘I don’t want to cause you unnecessary distress, Ms Westwood,’ Karen Nelson said. ‘But the body that has been found that may be Dr Karl Murphy appears to be a suicide victim. We can’t be sure at this stage, but the mobile phone recovered from the scene is the one you have been ringing.’
Red closed her eyes. ‘Oh God no, please no, please don’t let it be Karl.’
Sergeant Nelson raised her hands apologetically. ‘I will give you more information as soon as I can, I promise.’
‘Just to confirm, Red,’ Spofford said. All has been quiet with Bryce Laurent for how long now?’
Red thought for some moments. ‘Since we split up,’ she said.
‘Okay, good.’ He made a note in his book. ‘You’ve heard nothing at all? Not seen him anywhere?’
‘Nothing, not a call, and I haven’t seen him – well, I thought I might have seen him outside my office this morning, but I’m not sure. You were very helpful in bringing all that to an end, and I really appreciate it.’
‘You thought you saw him this morning? Despite the exclusion order? He’s not allowed within half a mile of you. Did you report it?’
‘No,’ Red said gloomily. ‘I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure. I might have imagined it. I went out and couldn’t see any sign of him.’ She shrugged.
The two officers stood up and Red showed them to the door. ‘I think you
‘A body?’
‘I’m afraid so, yes.’
‘What do you mean? He’s dead?’
‘We don’t have formal identification at this stage. But we’re pretty certain it is Dr Murphy.’
‘It’s not him, not Karl,’ Red said emphatically. ‘You’ve got that wrong. What makes you think it could be him?’
‘Did you have any kind of falling out with him?’ the sergeant asked.
Red shook her head resolutely. ‘Absolutely not. Far from it. I thought that we . . .’ Her voice tailed off.
Karen Nelson looked at her expectantly. After some moments she prompted, ‘You thought what?’
Red shook her head. ‘For one brief moment in my life, I thought that Karl might be different from other men, that’s all. Then he stood me up last night.’ She gulped down some wine, picked up her pack of cigarettes and shook one out. ‘Mind if I smoke?’
‘It’s your home,’ DS Nelson said.
‘I love the smell,’ Spofford said. ‘Please go ahead.’
‘Want one?’ She offered him the pack.
‘I’d love one. But no thanks.’
Red lit the cigarette. ‘Please tell me what’s happened? You said you found a body – has Karl had an accident?’
The two police officers exchanged yet another glance. And that glance told Red all she needed to know.
‘Please tell me something, tell me what you know!’ Red pleaded. ‘Has he had an accident? Please tell me at least that!’
‘Can we establish when you last had contact with Dr Murphy?’ Sergeant Nelson replied.
‘The last time I saw him was on Sunday. But we spoke every day – several times a day. I last spoke to him on Tuesday evening. He . . .’ She hesitated. ‘He told me he adored me.’
‘Would you say that Dr Murphy was depressed at all?’
‘Depressed? No! Well, let me qualify that. Yes, he told me he had been very depressed after his wife died. He told me at one point he had felt suicidal because he loved her so much. But he would never commit suicide, he said, because of their children. He couldn’t do that to them.’
‘He talked about suicide?’ the sergeant pressed, and made a note on her pad. ‘What exactly did he say?’
Red shook her head. ‘He didn’t talk about it in a serious way. He said it had gone through his mind – in the immediate aftermath of her death. But he totally dismissed it.’
‘How sure are you of that?’
‘That he couldn’t kill himself? One hundred per cent. He’s a bright guy, very positive. And he lives for his children. They are the world to him.’ She felt engulfed in a dark cloud. ‘Why . . . why are you asking me about suicide?’
‘I don’t want to cause you unnecessary distress, Ms Westwood,’ Karen Nelson said. ‘But the body that has been found that may be Dr Karl Murphy appears to be a suicide victim. We can’t be sure at this stage, but the mobile phone recovered from the scene is the one you have been ringing.’
Red closed her eyes. ‘Oh God no, please no, please don’t let it be Karl.’
Sergeant Nelson raised her hands apologetically. ‘I will give you more information as soon as I can, I promise.’
‘Just to confirm, Red,’ Spofford said. All has been quiet with Bryce Laurent for how long now?’
Red thought for some moments. ‘Since we split up,’ she said.
‘Okay, good.’ He made a note in his book. ‘You’ve heard nothing at all? Not seen him anywhere?’
‘Nothing, not a call, and I haven’t seen him – well, I thought I might have seen him outside my office this morning, but I’m not sure. You were very helpful in bringing all that to an end, and I really appreciate it.’
‘You thought you saw him this morning? Despite the exclusion order? He’s not allowed within half a mile of you. Did you report it?’
‘No,’ Red said gloomily. ‘I wasn’t one hundred per cent sure. I might have imagined it. I went out and couldn’t see any sign of him.’ She shrugged.
The two officers stood up and Red showed them to the door. ‘I think you
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