“Yes. I was,” Theo answered in a resigned tone. He focused his gaze on Keya, and she realised he had small but intense eyes. “How did she die?” he pleaded.
“We’re not sure,” Keya replied in a kindly tone. “And we won’t know until after the post-mortem.”
“Which is being conducted as we speak,” Inspector Evans confirmed. “I checked with our crime scene technician before this interview and, so far, there is no obvious cause of death.”
“So are you saying she died of natural causes, Inspector?” asked the lawyer.
“No, I’m not. I’m saying that no clear cause of death has been found yet.”
Keya looked at Theo and said, “I’m so sorry. I met Daisy last week, and I was thinking of using her bread at my cafe. It’s delicious.”
“I hope you still will,” Theo replied, and he gave her a sad, fleeting smile. “Daisy would want that, although I’ve no idea who’ll run the bakery now she’s…” he faltered and gulped in air, before finishing simply with, “gone.”
“Was it her idea to open the bakery?” Keya asked.
“It was an idea we both developed. Daisy started baking bread to showcase our flour at events, and it proved so popular we thought we should do more. The bakery was more about marketing the mill than about being profitable itself, but Daisy had done so well and, with the commercial clients she was attracting, I was sure it would soon be in the black.”
“And you and Daisy lived together?”
“Yes, in the mill manager’s house beside the stream, along the lane from the mill. I like to be close to work, especially at the height of the season when we operate round the clock. Daisy loved the garden, and she’d started redecorating the house. Nothing expensive, but the previous manger had lived there for over fifty years and the interior was rather dated. My uncle extended the kitchen before I moved in, but the rest of it was up to me. To us.” Theo sniffed again.
Inspector Evans sat back in his blue chair. He seemed content for Keya to continue.
She went on, “I spoke to some of the people in the village today and they all said Daisy was well liked.”
“Of course she was. She was such a wonderful person who always had time for everyone. She liked to walk to the bakery so she could stop to talk to the people she met. And she loved being outside, in the fresh air.”
“So you don’t know of any reason someone would want to hurt her?”
“No, of course not. Why would they do that? Are you saying someone killed her?” Theo’s voice rose in volume.
“No, Mr Watson,” Inspector Evans pacified him. “We’re not making any assumptions. But your girlfriend’s death is suspicious, and we need to establish the facts, while they are fresh in everyone’s memory.”
The lawyer cleared his throat. “My client is clearly upset. If you’ve finished questioning him …”
“Let’s move on to yesterday evening,” interrupted the Inspector. “What time did you and Daisy arrive at the standing stones?”
Theo looked levelly at the inspector and replied, “We left the house at half past seven and walked through the village and up the hill. I offered to drive but Daisy said it was such a lovely evening, we should walk. And we weren’t the only ones. We met Aurora and Viv on the path.”
The inspector sat back again so Keya could continue the questioning.
She asked, “So you arrived at the standing stones around eight?”
“I guess so.”
“And was it busy?”
“Fairly. People weren’t just at the stone circles. They were walking along the edge of the field to the Whispering Knights tomb, which is another group of stones, while others were in the woods or sitting around eating and drinking.” Theo stopped and looked directly at her. “I should probably tell you that it wasn’t my idea to go to the solstice event. In fact, I would have been much happier staying at home and having an early night. We’re currently preparing the mill for harvest season and there’s a lot of work to do.”
“So it was Daisy’s idea?”
“Yes, and she was so excited that I agreed to go with her. I was actually quite relieved when she finished dancing around the fire and told me she felt tired. I suggested we find a spot to sit down, so we did, inside the stone circle. We happily sat together watching the fire as darkness fell and then she closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. I covered us both with blankets and I must have dozed off as well.”
Theo’s gaze dropped, and Keya thought he was considering the night’s events.
“I kept waking during the night and when I did, there were always people talking softly and some were even wandering about near the fire. The atmosphere was pleasant and peaceful, but also with an undertone of anticipation. Although the sun didn’t rise until nearly five, it was getting light from around four and people were moving about and preparing for it. That’s when I tried to wake Daisy. But I couldn’t.”
Theo gulped before continuing in a dry voice, “I removed our blankets and shook her, but her eyes remained closed. I think I started to panic. I know an elderly lady with a bright yellow headscarf came to help. She told me Daisy was dead. But I didn’t believe her. She tried to drag me away, but I stayed with Daisy, waiting for her to wake up.”
Keya waited for Theo to continue.
“Then Dr Reid arrived and spoke to the woman. He also told me Daisy was dead. I think I let the woman take me away, but only because Dr Reid promised to look after Daisy. I’m not really sure what happened after that. Are you sure Daisy really is dead?”
Theo looked at Keya, his small eyes intense and pleading.
Keya drew her lips together and nodded. As she watched Theo, she couldn’t believe he’d harmed Daisy, unless he was an exceptional actor.
Inspector Evans declared, “Interview terminated at 13.07.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Keya thought Gilly and Aunt Beanie both looked their age when she walked into the interview room and saw them sitting on the other side of the grey Formica table. But it might have been the harsh office light reflected off the table and the grey walls.
“Thanks for coming in, but it’s best we do this properly,” Keya said as she placed her notepad and pen on the table and pulled out a chair.
As she sat down, she asked, “Do you mind if we record the interview?”
