It had been a long day. Jane watched from a window in the ladies, which overlooked the car park, and saw McDermott guiding Justine into the passenger side of his Bentley. He tucked a blanket around her before closing the door. Tyler was standing to one side and she watched as the two men shook hands before McDermott got into the driver’s side and drove out of the police yard.

*

Tyler came back into the incident room and stood by the board, writing up the time and date that Justine had been released from custody, while Jane sat at her desk typing up her report of the interview. Part of her did not want to believe Justine’s story because she always seemed to be acting. But she couldn’t help feeling that she was also a genuinely tortured woman.

Tyler looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders as he slowly moved along the incident board, which was now taking up almost the entire length of the room. He looked back to the expectant faces of the gathered officers.

‘We’re back to square one,’ he said.

Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next morning Jane had showered and blow-dried her hair in plenty of time so she could have breakfast at the station. Before getting in the shower she had put in a call to Elliott, but there had been no reply. She decided to try again before leaving, but got the same result. However, when she got down to the front door, her mail had been delivered and there was the acceptance of her membership for the rifle club. There was a note welcoming her and suggesting she keep the enclosed card in a safe place. The card gave the code for the garage doors. She would be given the club door’s entry code from the secretary because security was, at all times, uppermost in their minds.

Jane placed the card in her wallet and was now even more eager to have another session, preferably with Elliott; she realized, with a touch of surprise, that after their last meeting at Gravesend that she was beginning to rather like him.

*

Jane was at her desk when Miller walked in with two pads of cotton wool in his nostrils. There was also a red-purple bruise around his right eye. The young detectives quickly smothered their sniggers as Miller approached Jane.

She looked up.

‘We didn’t find any drugs at Foxley’s flat, but we know from the postmortem that he had a high quantity of cocaine and amphetamines in his system. I believe Justine Harris lied because we know from the search at her house that there was cocaine and amphetamines in his bedroom. I have every intention of arranging a further interview with Ms. Harris.’

‘We know she knew her ex-husband was at home on the afternoon of his murder. Do you think Justine took him the drugs?’