‘No,’ says Claire, her indignation apparent. ‘Absolutely not. Why are you even asking me that?’
‘We spoke to one of Oliver’s friends. He gave us the impression that there might have been something going on between you and Oliver.’
‘Well, that’s crap. Oliver is a good-looking man, but I would never… well, I just wouldn’t.’
‘Okay. Sorry, but I had to ask. If you ever do hear from Oliver, could you please contact the police straight away?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Thank you. Sorry to bother you.’
They exchange goodbyes and then Cody puts the phone down and sighs. It feels like yet another dead-end. He has no reason to disbelieve what Claire Somerville has told him, no evidence to suggest that she is holed up in a remote cottage somewhere with Oliver at her side, or even wrapped between her legs.
That’s the problem with police work. People lie. And not just because they’re guilty of the crime under investigation. Sometimes they just don’t want to put their skeletons on display, and that’s perfectly understandable. There are plenty of things going on in Cody’s own life that he has lied about to friends and colleagues.
It’s not helping him find a double murderer, though.
His phone rings. He picks it up again.
‘DS Cody.’
‘Mr Cody. It’s Liam again. You know, from the leisure centre?’
‘Hi Liam.’
‘Hi. Yeah. I, er, I just wondered how the investigation was going. You know, into Alexa Selby’s murder?’
‘It’s going well,’ Cody lies, because he doesn’t think it’s going at all well, but he’s not about to confess that to a member of the public, even to one who aspires to be a fellow officer.
‘Cool. Does that mean you’re close to solving the crime, then?’
‘We’re optimistic. But obviously I can’t say much about that at the moment. I’m sure you understand.’
‘Oh, yeah, deffo. But do you think… well, the information I gave you, do you think it’s helped?’
‘Absolutely. We couldn’t have got this far without you.’
‘That’s excellent news. Glad to hear it.’
He pauses, causing Cody to wonder if the sole reason for his call was to get a pat on the back.
‘So, anyway,’ Liam continues, ‘I’ve been giving a lot more thought lately to joining the police.’
‘That’s great, Liam.’ Cody finds his eyes wandering to his computer screen. The nagging feeling is returning. Something he has missed. He could really do with getting off the phone now.
‘And I was wondering if, like, what I did for you guys, could that be used in my application? You know, to say that I provided crucial information in a murder case?’
‘I’m sure it wouldn’t do any harm. At the very least, it would show you’re a stand-up citizen.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Because most people, they don’t get to help out like I did, do they? I should use that, right? Whatever works.’
‘Of course. Whatever works. And I wish you the best of luck with it.’
‘Thanks. Who knows? I might be working on a case with you and Detective Wibbly one day.’
‘Webley.’
‘Sorry?’
‘It’s DC Webley. But yeah, you should definitely take a shot at it.’
‘I will. Thanks again. And if there’s ever anything else I can do to help you guys out again, you know where I am.’
‘Will do. See you around, Liam.’
‘Yeah, see ya.’
Cody hangs up. He hopes that Liam isn’t going to keep pestering him about his application. There are other things on his mind right now.
He’s just not sure what they are.
28
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
– Queen
Webley parks up outside her house, then checks her phone again. She has no missed calls from Parker, no text messages. For her part, she has called and messaged numerous times throughout the day, but clearly Parker has decided to play silly buggers.
