For a moment Trudy saw an extraordinary expression cross the young man’s face. That whatever feeling had prompted it went deep, and was ferocious, she had no doubt, but she couldn’t for the life of her have placed it. Anger? Fear? Hope? Guilt? It might have been any of these, or a combination of all of them, or none of them.

‘What do you mean? Who are you talking about? Who’s dead?’ Jasper demanded, but he was not looking at his mother. Rather he was looking at Trudy. His face was now perfectly composed, but his grey eyes seemed to darken in shade a little.

‘Mr Terrence Parker,’ Trudy said simply.

Jasper blinked once, then again, and both Trudy and Clement who were watching him closely, saw his lips curl into a faint smile.

‘Is he now?’ Jasper said evenly.

Chapter 8

For a moment there was a long, odd sort of silence. Jasper was clearly thinking furiously, whilst his mother’s glazed expression said she was probably not thinking at all. Clement was watching the young man with a carefully neutral face, and Trudy wondered what she should do and say next.

On the one hand, she was here simply to get details about their victim, and begin the preliminary investigation. Apart from Clement not being sure that Terrence Parker’s dilated pupils could definitely be attributed to a brain injury of some sort, she had absolutely no reason to suspect that they were dealing with anything other than a tragic but (in the circumstances) understandable road fatality.

But instinct and observation was telling her in no uncertain terms that something odd was going on here.

‘Can you remember what time Mr Parker left the party last night, sir?’ Trudy fished delicately, turning her attention to Jasper Vander.

‘Can’t say that I do,’ Jasper said unhelpfully, holding the cup to his mother’s lips again, giving her no option but to take another sip.

‘Did you know him well?’ Trudy persevered.

‘Can’t say that I did,’ Jasper repeated, shooting her an amused glance. Since it was obvious that he knew that he was being deliberately annoying, Trudy smiled back at him sweetly.

‘Did he come alone or did he arrive with a partner?’ she asked mildly, taking care that she kept her tone distinctly light. No way was she going to let this little toad get under her skin!

‘Oh, I’m sure he was alone,’ Jasper said drolly.

Beside him, Trudy saw Millie stiffen slightly at this.

‘I was asking your mother if she had a guest list,’ Trudy said. ‘Would you mind getting it?’

‘Oh, I doubt Mother had anything so organised,’ Jasper said, staying obstinately in his seat.