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.To be so close…And then he had another thought.It was a measure of Shand’s desperation that that thought centred upon a card nestling in the top pocket of his jacket.Saffron.The ‘con’ column was immense, but the single entry under ‘pro’ was telling.She’d do it.Everything else can be overlooked when you’re desperate.He checked the ‘con’ column again.Yes, she thought she was psychic; yes, she was slightly batty and ,yes, she couldn’t stop talking.But she had helped last night.She could have left the car outside Lee’s house and gone home.But she’d stayed.For five hours in a cold car with a neurotic dog.She could be trusted.And if he got a result, what did any of it matter? Wiggins wouldn’t care if he used a team of psychic monkeys.He took out the card and phoned.CHAPTER FORTY-NINESaffron volunteered with a squeal.A squeal that a less desperate Shand would have taken as a warning sign.But he pressed on and explained what she had to do.“We’ll run it through several times,” said Shand.“First run through, I’ll be you, and you be the murderer.”“Ok, Shandy, fire away.”“The phone is ringing, you pick up and I say, ‘I saw you.’”He paused to let the words sink in before continuing.“Four o’clock, Saturday morning, up at the circle, carrying that Annabel.”“Who is this?” said Saffron.“You sound very scary.”Shand closed his eyes.Doubt hovered ever watchful over his shoulder.“A friend,” he said.“A very good friend if you get my drift.Someone who deserves a birthday present.Ten grand will do for a start.Unless you want me to tell the police.You can write me a cheque, I’m not going anywhere.”“Why are we asking for a cheque?” said Saffron.“That’s stupid.We should be asking for cash.”“Because we haven’t got time.A cheque they can write now.Cash they can stall for.I want the meeting at lunchtime, in public, and in daylight.”“They’re going to think me a pretty stupid blackmailer asking for a cheque.”“That’s the plan.”~They practised for twenty minutes.Shand coaching, trying to cover all possible variations.What if the murderer wanted more time, denied being at the circle, said they couldn’t make it at lunchtime?Saffron coped with each variation – eventually – and began to sound more natural and less like a bad B movie actress.It was time.“Are you ready?” Shand asked.“As ready as I’ll ever be.”He rang off.And waited for Saffron to make the call.A tractor engine droned in the distance.Everything else was silent.Minutes passed.Hadn’t Saffron got through? Had it all gone wrong?He checked his watch, gave it a shake to make sure it was working.Surely more than four minutes had passed?Still she hadn’t rung back.He checked his phone.Had the battery gone dead?It rang.“All set,” said Saffron.“I’ll meet you at the pub.”~At the pub, Shand went over everything again.Was there anything he’d overlooked? The surveillance camera blended into its surroundings so well it was practically invisible.The sound levels were perfect.And there was no car outside that could be recognised.He and Marcus had driven to the pub in the next village to meet Saffron and hitch a lift back with her in her car.They’d even been given a storeroom in the back to watch the monitor from.But did the restaurant look too empty?Shand left the storeroom and took another look.He’d chosen the pub on Taylor’s recommendation.“There’s a separate restaurant area that’s practically empty at lunchtimes.All the food trade’s in the evenings, but they keep the room open lunchtimes for coffee and young families.”It was exactly what Shand wanted.Somewhere quiet.But was it too quiet? Saffron was on her own in there.Would it look like a set up?He stood by the entrance to the restaurant.There were over a dozen tables, seating for forty-eight.A buffet bar along one side and a carvery in the corner.Did it look closed? It certainly looked empty.Maybe he should seat Saffron more visibly? He’d agonised over that for twenty minutes, they’d changed the camera angle twice.Which is better? To tuck Saffron around the corner in the quietest part of the room, or have her visible from the foyer?Both had their advantages.He should have brought more people into his plan, maybe rung Langton Stacey and populated the restaurant with a few more couples.He checked his watch.Thirty minutes to go.He’d better leave [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.To be so close…And then he had another thought.It was a measure of Shand’s desperation that that thought centred upon a card nestling in the top pocket of his jacket.Saffron.The ‘con’ column was immense, but the single entry under ‘pro’ was telling.She’d do it.Everything else can be overlooked when you’re desperate.He checked the ‘con’ column again.Yes, she thought she was psychic; yes, she was slightly batty and ,yes, she couldn’t stop talking.But she had helped last night.She could have left the car outside Lee’s house and gone home.But she’d stayed.For five hours in a cold car with a neurotic dog.She could be trusted.And if he got a result, what did any of it matter? Wiggins wouldn’t care if he used a team of psychic monkeys.He took out the card and phoned.CHAPTER FORTY-NINESaffron volunteered with a squeal.A squeal that a less desperate Shand would have taken as a warning sign.But he pressed on and explained what she had to do.“We’ll run it through several times,” said Shand.“First run through, I’ll be you, and you be the murderer.”“Ok, Shandy, fire away.”“The phone is ringing, you pick up and I say, ‘I saw you.’”He paused to let the words sink in before continuing.“Four o’clock, Saturday morning, up at the circle, carrying that Annabel.”“Who is this?” said Saffron.“You sound very scary.”Shand closed his eyes.Doubt hovered ever watchful over his shoulder.“A friend,” he said.“A very good friend if you get my drift.Someone who deserves a birthday present.Ten grand will do for a start.Unless you want me to tell the police.You can write me a cheque, I’m not going anywhere.”“Why are we asking for a cheque?” said Saffron.“That’s stupid.We should be asking for cash.”“Because we haven’t got time.A cheque they can write now.Cash they can stall for.I want the meeting at lunchtime, in public, and in daylight.”“They’re going to think me a pretty stupid blackmailer asking for a cheque.”“That’s the plan.”~They practised for twenty minutes.Shand coaching, trying to cover all possible variations.What if the murderer wanted more time, denied being at the circle, said they couldn’t make it at lunchtime?Saffron coped with each variation – eventually – and began to sound more natural and less like a bad B movie actress.It was time.“Are you ready?” Shand asked.“As ready as I’ll ever be.”He rang off.And waited for Saffron to make the call.A tractor engine droned in the distance.Everything else was silent.Minutes passed.Hadn’t Saffron got through? Had it all gone wrong?He checked his watch, gave it a shake to make sure it was working.Surely more than four minutes had passed?Still she hadn’t rung back.He checked his phone.Had the battery gone dead?It rang.“All set,” said Saffron.“I’ll meet you at the pub.”~At the pub, Shand went over everything again.Was there anything he’d overlooked? The surveillance camera blended into its surroundings so well it was practically invisible.The sound levels were perfect.And there was no car outside that could be recognised.He and Marcus had driven to the pub in the next village to meet Saffron and hitch a lift back with her in her car.They’d even been given a storeroom in the back to watch the monitor from.But did the restaurant look too empty?Shand left the storeroom and took another look.He’d chosen the pub on Taylor’s recommendation.“There’s a separate restaurant area that’s practically empty at lunchtimes.All the food trade’s in the evenings, but they keep the room open lunchtimes for coffee and young families.”It was exactly what Shand wanted.Somewhere quiet.But was it too quiet? Saffron was on her own in there.Would it look like a set up?He stood by the entrance to the restaurant.There were over a dozen tables, seating for forty-eight.A buffet bar along one side and a carvery in the corner.Did it look closed? It certainly looked empty.Maybe he should seat Saffron more visibly? He’d agonised over that for twenty minutes, they’d changed the camera angle twice.Which is better? To tuck Saffron around the corner in the quietest part of the room, or have her visible from the foyer?Both had their advantages.He should have brought more people into his plan, maybe rung Langton Stacey and populated the restaurant with a few more couples.He checked his watch.Thirty minutes to go.He’d better leave [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]