Hannah wanted to tell him to shut up. If everyone on the list was like Mr Parkes then no wonder it was taking so long to work through them.
‘That’s very commendable,’ she said. ‘But if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you about last weekend.’
‘Last weekend? What about last weekend?’
‘Specifically Sunday. Did you drive last Sunday?’
‘Sunday? Let me think. Sunday. Yes, that’s right. I did. I went to the beach.’
‘You drove to the beach? Which beach would that be?’
‘It’s called Playa de El Palo. Do you know it?’
‘No, I can’t say I do. Where is that?’
‘Just outside Málaga.’
‘Málaga? Málaga in Spain?’
‘Is there another?’
‘Wait. Let me get this straight. Last Sunday, you drove all the way to a beach in Málaga?’
‘Sure. It’s not that far. Couple of miles, maybe.’
Hannah rubbed her forehead. It was beginning to ache.
‘So . . . what you’re telling me is that you were staying there, in Málaga?’
‘Yes. What did you think I meant?’
‘You have an apartment there?’
‘Yes. A timeshare.’
‘When did you go?’
‘Thursday. Not yesterday, of course. The previous Thursday.’
‘So you went to Málaga last Thursday. In late October.’
‘October is a nice month in Málaga. Not too hot, but not cold either. Nothing like it is here. Very pleasant.’
‘And when did you come back?’
‘Tuesday. I wanted to stay longer, but I had to be back for my sister’s birthday party. She was sixty this week. Two years younger than me. I took early retirement, you know. They kept putting the pension age up, and I thought to hell with this, I’m getting out of here before I drop dead on the factory floor. I worked in a biscuit factory, did I tell you that?’
Hannah ignored the question. She didn’t want to get into a long discussion about the merits of bourbons versus custard creams.
‘So you were away from Thursday to Tuesday, and on the Sunday you drove from your apartment down to the beach?’
‘I did.’
‘With Sheila?’
‘No. I already told you: she died three years ago.’
‘No. I mean you drove in Sheila the car? The Toyota?’
‘No. I had a hire car. A little Fiat. Sheila would never last a journey like that, all the way from England to the south of Spain. She’s getting on a bit. I don’t think she’ll ever be as old as my wife, but then I’ve probably not got that many years left either. I have very high blood pressure, you know, and I get angina.’
Hannah was beginning to think Mr Parkes was unlikely to be the killer she sought.
‘Mr Parkes, is it possible that anyone could have used your car without your permission while you were abroad, particularly on Sunday?’
‘Used Sheila? No. Not possible.’
‘You seem very certain.’
‘I am. She was locked away.’
‘Locked away? Where?’
‘In the garage.’
‘You have a garage?’
‘No. I mean the garage where they fix cars. Like I said, when Sheila gets sick, I get her better, and I always use the same doctor. Been using them for years. Very reliable, and they don’t charge the earth, either. They picked it up while I was away, fixed it, and brought it back again on Tuesday.’
