In the Shadows (The Outsiders Book 1) (26 page)

“Why do you assume that simply because of what those kids said? What do they know? They have no real experience.”

“I talked to
a couple of the teachers, too. They told me that Maura Barrington was quiet and gentle, and sometimes it seemed she wasn't tough enough to be a teacher. In fact once, shortly after she qualified, she completely lost control of a class. It got so bad that one day she lost her temper and threw something across the room. A pupil said she had thrown it at him, but another teacher had been going into the room at that point and said it was just a piece of chalk and it hit the ceiling—it was accepted that it was an accident. Still, she left the school for a while soon after, and said she was going to take time out to look after her mother who was dying.”

Dave sat silent
, thinking, for the rest of the ride.

Back at Kate’s
house, they searched through more emails and faxes that had come through. Somehow, Kate had gotten copies of Jared’s school records, which showed he was an average student. Nothing, however, seemed to move them forward.

Frustrated, Dave ran his
hand over his hair and said, “Let’s take another look at the police reports, particularly anything involving Raybourne family friends and neighbors.”

“We’ve already looked at the murder report.” She pulled out a piece of paper, put on her glasses
, and began reading out loud.

Dave closed his eyes,
tuning out most of it since it was the same report he’d already read.

“On the morning the victim was found, police went to the flat where Maura Barrington lived. She, having recently moved out of the victim’s home and being a
potential witness, was wanted for questioning. Upon discovering she’d fled from London, the police issued a bulletin alerting the public to be on the lookout for her.”

He opened his eyes. She’d run away before she was ever questioned
and was only considered a witness at that point. He thought back to the many times she’d run away: when she was flustered in the general store, again when she saw the gendarmes, and when his grandmother and Jeannette had intimidated her at lunch. And what about when she’d supposedly been attacked by the man who’d given her a ride? Did she always panic when cornered? Or was she always running away because she was guilty?

Dave
frowned. Up until now, he’d convinced himself that no one could ever manipulate him again, that he knew how to spot the Diana Lewis’ and he wouldn’t fall prey. The evidence was telling him otherwise. His grandmother had also succeeded in fooling him, and now Maurelle . . . .

As he’d done on numerous occasions, he
continued the debate internally with himself. Was he an idiot? Did he really know what he was doing? What was his motive for getting involved? Part of him wanted to hand her over to the police and let them sort it out. Another part wanted to just walk away and have done with it. Yet another part wanted . . . what? To find the truth no matter what it took or where it led?

Realizing that he was not going to fare any better with this internal argument than he had on prior occasions, h
e looked at Kate and asked, “Can we look at other crimes committed in the area? Maybe we’re missing something. Maybe it was a random murder or a break-in. What about a case of mistaken identity, or maybe someone from school had a grudge against Jared? Or just maybe, his murder is linked somehow to something else.”

“All right. We can do that, but I doubt we’ll find anything more.”

By evening, Dave
and Kate were bleary-eyed and hungry. Dave suggested to Kate that they take a break and grab some dinner at a local Indian restaurant Kate had pointed out earlier in the day, saying it was a favorite of hers. During dinner, not being able to break habit, they discussed a couple of vandalism reports, a couple of drug-related arrests, several Peeping Tom reports, and a cat killing report that had never really developed into a real case. They decided to visit some more of the neighbors the next day.

After dinner,
and after seeing Kate off, Dave went back to his hotel, hoping that he would get a call from Greg. He waited up until midnight, vaguely watching TV, but after dozing off three different times, he gave up and went to bed.

Dave awoke
abruptly
to the buzzing of his hotel room telephone. He almost knocked over an alarm clock when he reached for the phone. “Hello?”

“Cheerio, mate,” Greg said.

“Hey, you made it to Reynier.”

“Yep,” Greg said. “Met your Simone, too. She’s pretty and sexy and flirty the way you described
her.”

“Sounds like you two hit it off, if she’s flirting already,” Dave said, rubbing
his eyes and the stubble on his face, trying to fully wake up.

“Oh yeah. So how goes the investigation?” 

“Long story,” Dave said. “We’re slowly moving along, though we haven’t got a suspect yet. At least nothing concrete. Right now, I’m more interested in what you found out.”

“Well, I’m heading to Orleans this morning with Simone. We’re going to visit her mother at Simone’s aunt’s house.”

“Does that mean Simone knows you’re working with me?” Dave felt a flash of alarm. “I thought you were working this on the down low.”

“
Don’t worry, I am. She told me that she was going to visit her mother, and I asked if I could tag along, seeing as how I had nothing better to do. I played up the fact that you ditched me the way you ditched her. She seemed to like that.”

“
Thanks. I sound like a real nice guy. Anyway, that certainly sounds like Simone,” Dave said, chuckling. “Does that mean you’re already . . . getting friendly?”

“
Jealous? I thought you weren’t interested in her anymore.”

“I’m not. I’m curious. I didn’t think even you worked that quickly.”

“I haven’t made a move on her—yet,” Greg said. “But that might change.”

“Yeah, sure. While you’re staying in her aunt’s house with her mother down the hall. Fat chance.” Dave grinned, imagining Greg in a house with those women, and he was suddenly thankful that it was Greg going there and not himself.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there, old man.” He laughed and added, “Oh well, maybe when we get back to Reynier.”

“Have you found out anything about Maurelle and my grandmother?”

“Only that the police have been asking lots of questions around this village. Most people aren’t talking to me, probably because I’m a stranger.”

“What about Paul? Simone said he’s the one who called the gendarmes.”

“From what I heard, he told the gendarmes that Jeannette Devlin has two cousins who live in Paris. He thought that’s where they would go to hide.” He paused for a second, and before Dave had a chance to comment, added, “Oh, I almost forgot. The gendarmes also discovered that Maura’s or Maurelle’s father lives in Paris. That gives them two possible hiding places in the same general area.”

“Hmm,” Dave said. “Actually
, that might be a good thing. I don’t think they would go there. Maurelle would steer clear of Paris.”

“
Hope you’re right. Anyway, I’d better go. I’m supposed to meet Simone in fifteen minutes. I’ll call when I can.”

“Hey, before you go, how did you get all of this information if no one knows that you’re working with me
and nobody’s talking to you?”

“
Easy,” Greg said. “This whole damned village is a gossip mill because of all the excitement. Everyone’s talking to everyone else. All I have to do is eavesdrop. Apparently, the police were the only people around here who couldn’t get an earful, so they left.”

Dave chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds like Reynier.”

Kate had personal
errands to run in the morning. She told Dave she would meet him after lunch in Hampstead. Dave grabbed a quick breakfast before sitting himself in front of the hotel lobby computer to do some research on the internet. When he finished, he took in a bit of sightseeing in London proper, eventually ending up in Hampstead, where he ate lunch in one of the pubs.

In the early afternoon Kate phoned Dave and picked him up outside the pub.
They drove to Willoughby Crescent and parked on the street, about a block from the Raybournes’ house.

“Where should we begin?” she asked. “Any idea which neighbors know the
Raybourne family?”

Dave glanced at his notes again. “Alice Rickards is the next door neighbor, but she’s in a nursing home right now. I called and tried to talk with her. Her caregiver, who lived with her, told me that
Alice had gone into the hospital the day before and wasn’t home at the time of the murder. Greg and I already spoke with the neighbor on the other side, Judy Winston. She also wasn’t home at the time of the murder. She did tell us a little about Jared’s bad behavior, vandalism, etc. Ian Waitley was home, as far as I know. I guess I’d like to speak with him again.”

“What about other neighbors?”

“Sally Kavanaugh lives there, on the corner,” Dave said, pointing at a house. “She’s a friend of Elizabeth’s, but she wasn’t at home when Greg and I were here last, so we should talk to her if we can. Also, I was told that Nick and Jenny Hallowell from a few doors down were friends with Elizabeth and Peter. There’s another friend, Rob Carsters. He lives on the next street over.”

“
Very cozy. All right. Let’s try Sally Kavanaugh, first, and then make our way around to the others.”

Sally Kavanaugh looked at them skeptically,
until Kate showed her a business card. “Oh, I know who you are. I read an article of yours in the paper a while back. I guess I can answer a few questions.”

She invited them inside, and showed them into the living room. As Dave sat down on
a sleek black leather sofa, he looked around at a large number of black and white photos covering the walls.

“I’m guessing you’re a photographer,” he said.

“Yes, I am.”

“They’re lovely photographs
,” he said, indicating the walls. “Do you have an exhibit going?”

“
Thank you. I did. I hope to have another in a few months. Some of these are from the last exhibit.”

Dave nodded
as he looked around the room again, carefully viewing studies in isolated alleyways, lonely people, and bridges over the Thames River, all captured very artistically. All of the pictures were framed in shiny black or white frames.

“This is all your work?” he asked.

“Mine, yes, but these are not all of them. I have many rooms full of photographs. Make yourselves comfortable and look around more if you’d like while I bring some coffee, tea, and biscuits.”

While she was in the kitchen, Dave and Kate walked around
most of the ground floor of her large house. Nearly every wall was covered with her photography. One room held nude photos. This caused Dave to wonder about Sally. She was around Elizabeth’s age and attractive, shoulder-length pitch black hair, sleek and shiny. Would a sixteen-year-old be interested in her?

Back in the living room, they sat down as Sally returned with a tray.

“Are you interested in photography, Mr. Martin?”

He picked up a biscuit and a cup of hot coffee, took a sip, and replied.
“Actually, I am. My mother is an amateur photographer. I think she’s always wanted to make a career of it.”

“I love my work,” she said.

Kate sat quietly sipping a cup of tea, apparently comfortable playing the observer this time and letting Dave take the lead, because Sally seemed to prefer conversing with him.

“Your photos are quite artistic, including the nudes. Ever photograph your neighborhood or neighbors?”

“Maybe.” She flashed a smile at Dave, and touched her chin. “I guess I do occasionally. But if you’re asking if I ever photographed Jared, the answer is no.”

Dave nodded. “How well did you know him and his family?”

“I’m friend
s with Elizabeth. We used to have a cozy group of neighbor friends back when Peter and Elizabeth were still married. We used to get together for dinners and to play cards. We took turns at different houses.”

“How did she take the divorce?”

She sighed. “Elizabeth was devastated.
Guess that’s not really surprising, is it?”

“
No. When I divorced I started drinking too much.”

”
Yes— well, yes, that can happen.”

“Did you ever go to her house after the divorce?”

“Sure. Several times for dinners, though we more often went out.”

Changing the subject
after taking a bite of biscuit and washing it down with another sip of beverage, Dave asked, “Did Jared have any friends in the neighborhood?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” She sipped her
tea and peered over the rim in a flirty kind of way, bright pink fingernails with glittery stars on them sparkling and enticing. “Well, now that you ask, possibly Brittany Stevas. I saw them together a few times.”

“When was this?”

“Over the last few months before Jared . . . well, you know.”

“What were they doing?”

She was silent and looked deep in thought. After a few moments, she said, “I’d completely forgotten about this until you brought it up, but the last time I saw them together, they were having an argument in the street. It must have been a few weeks, a month maybe, before his murder. Oh, you don’t think . . . .”

Dave said, “Do you remember anything else about them?”

Sally shook her head and sipped her tea.

Dave said, “What about Robin Sutcliffe? Do you know her?”

“Hah. I certainly do. She was Peter’s assistant, and not a very good one from what I’ve heard. But there, I’m just gossiping, I don’t really know. As Elizabeth told it, Robin was afraid she’d lose her job, so she started making advances on Peter. Well, you know the rest. That woman broke up the marriage.”

“Elizabeth blames Robin for the breakup?”

“Of course.”

“Did Elizabeth or Peter confide their problems to you?”

“Elizabeth, yes. Peter, only once or twice.”

“Did you actually meet Robin?”

“Yes, once at a dinner party. That was right before the break-up.”

“What did you think of her back then?”

She shrugged.

“
Then how do you know about Robin?”

“Elizabeth liked to talk. That was months ago, mind you. I wasn’t sure what to
actually believe about Robin, until I saw her and Jared together at the movie theatre.”

Dave set his cup down and asked, maintaining calm,
“When was that?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Was Peter with them?”

“No. And they looked pretty cozy, too. Even shared a drink from the same straw.”

“Did you tell Elizabeth?”

She nodded.

“What did she do?”

“They had a big blow-up
, Elizabeth and Robin, I mean. Robin wasn’t allowed at the house after that. It caused problems between Elizabeth and Jared, naturally.”

“How do you mean?”

“Elizabeth resented him. He was too much like his father. I think he was a lot like Elizabeth, also, but she didn’t see it. All she saw when she looked at him was Peter.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“She rang me and wanted to go out for drinks. She ranted for hours about Robin and Jared and Peter.”

Nick Hallowell didn’t
seem at all reluctant to invite them inside. He called out to his wife, Jenny, who met them at the door, wiping her hands on her apron. “You’re just in time for refreshments,” she said. “My cake is cooled off and the tea is finished brewing. Go ahead and show these folk around, why don’t you, Nick, while I’m in the kitchen.”

“Sure, thing, love.” He smiled, then
turned to Dave and Kate. “Follow me. My wife and I love to have guests, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

He led them into the
parlor and waved his hand. “Here in our parlor you can see some of our artwork and artifacts from around the world—Africa, Asia, you name it—we’ve probably been there.”

“What kind of work do you do?” Kate asked.

He gave a blank look for a moment, and then said, “Imports. This isn’t a hobby. We own a store where we sell these and others like them. We sell online, too.”

Kate nodded.

Dave thought of Jeannette Devlin whose house was filled with antiques. As they walked around from room to room, Dave was impressed. These were obviously people with good taste.

Back in the parlor Jenny had set out a feast
of tea, cake, biscuits, and even fresh strawberries. She poured four cups of tea. “Oh, Mr. Martin, you are American, yes?”

He nodded.

“Forgive me, we are out of coffee, I hope tea is okay? Please help yourselves to the food.” She filled her own plate with a little of each offering. Dave and Nick followed suit, but Kate merely smiled and shook her head.

H
usband and wife sat together on the sofa. Dave and Kate took the two side chairs.

“Can you tell us about your relationship with Elizabeth and Peter
Raybourne?” Kate asked.