‘They were all involved in a violent altercation. When we tried to break it up, it the twins then assaulted PC Broadstairs and myself,’ she added, in no mood to soft-soap things. ‘Mr and Miss Vander have also positively identified this lady as the woman who gate-crashed their mother’s party on New Year’s Eve, Sarge,’ she added warningly.

O’Grady, who by now had read all the files, looked at Phyllis Raynor with much more interest. Now that he’d taken over the case, he’d seen at once that interviewing everyone who’d seen or spoken to the dead man in his final hours was a top priority. And this woman, in particular, was high on the list of witnesses he wanted to hear a detailed and thorough account of that fateful night from.

‘Did they now?’ O’Grady said, smiling like a wolf at the more and more discomfited Phyllis.

‘Sarge, Mr and Miss Vander have also alleged that she is currently engaged in trying to blackmail their mother, Mrs Millicent Vander,’ Trudy swept on, rather enjoying the sensation this occasioned in both of her superior officers.

‘That’s an out-and-out lie,’ Phyllis responded defiantly. ‘Let them try and prove it,’ she added viciously. She was fairly confident that, under normal circumstances, Millicent would deny any such accusation as well. After all, only someone with some nasty secret to hide could be a victim of blackmail, and Millicent would be desperate to deny any such thing was possible. But these were not normal circumstances, Phyllis knew. Soon Millicent would be informed that her precious children had been arrested. Would the stupid, wretched woman land herself in the soup in order to confirm their allegations and try to get them out of trouble? Or would she brazen it out and hope for the best?

She wouldn’t like to call it. Phyllis thought that she’d recognised in Millicent a woman who was soft and selfish but shrewd. And, as she knew herself, there was no denying that maternal instincts could be the very devil!

But, she tried to comfort herself, even if Millicent did back up her children’s claims, she was still sure that none of the Vanders could provide actual proof. Not real evidence. No money had yet exchanged hands, after all, so it was her word against theirs. All she had to do was keep a clear and cool head.

Except, of course, she would have to come clean about who she was. And when they realised she was Terrence Parker’s legal wife …

Phyllis could quite see that she was going to be in for an uncomfortable time. And worst of all – any chance she had of getting any cash out of Terry’s philandering ways was well and truly up the spout now.