Eagerly, she told Clement and Vincent what had happened. ‘Do you think he could have tampered with the car somehow before Terry left for the party? And he was trying to cover it up?’ she theorised.

‘Have the mechanics gone over it yet?’ Again, it was Vincent who spoke.

‘Afraid not,’ Trudy said with a grimace. ‘Like everyone else, the motor division is short-staffed.’

‘Which do you want to take first?’ Clement asked practically. Although he shared her enthusiasm that things seemed to be moving at last, he was too aware of how disappointing life could be to be as excited as she was.

‘Well, they’re bringing Geoffrey Thorpe to the station, so I’d better go there,’ Trudy said after a moment’s thought. ‘I don’t want to risk Inspector Jennings’s wrath any more than I can help, and if he sees you actually helping me doing police business he’ll only kick up a fuss. But this girl Patsy Arles sounds desperate. Do you think you and Vincent …?’ She looked at Clement appealingly.

‘We’d love to!’ Vincent said happily. ‘Wouldn’t we, Dad?’

Clement smiled and reached out for the address she’d written down. ‘Yes, we would,’ he agreed wryly. Vincent, aware that he’d unashamedly managed to horn in, had the grace to look slightly sheepish.

Chapter 28

Geoffrey Thorpe was not a happy man. In fact, he’d never felt more uncomfortable in his life. He was feeling thoroughly cowed, miserable and apprehensive, and seeing his worried face cheered Sergeant Michael O’Grady up no end.

When he’d slogged his way back to the station that morning, feeling better than he had for many days, the sergeant had been greeted by a sour-faced Inspector Jennings, informing him that he was to take over a case currently being investigated by WPC Loveday and her pet coroner. (Not that Jennings would ever refer to the old vulture, Dr Clement Ryder, as anyone’s ‘pet’ should the good doctor be within hearing distance.)

But O’Grady did understand the reasons behind the inspector’s unhappy state. Ever since their sole WPC had been taken under the interfering coroner’s wing, the pair had come up with solutions to some surprising and high-profile murder cases. Which, whilst not exactly leaving egg on the inspector’s face, did tend to make him feel rather grumpy. And the fact that it was beginning to look as if they might be about to do the same thing again was definitely annoying him.

As the sergeant had listened to the inspector’s very brief briefing on events so far, it quickly transpired that what they’d all thought had been nothing more than a fatal driving accident was starting to throw up some nasty possibilities. And apparently, it was now up to him to take over the investigation and sort it out.