A Spider in the Cup (Joe Sandilands Investigation) by Barbara Cleverly Page A

a considered suggestion, “so the mutilation was performed either for his own sick satisfaction or to speak vile thoughts to the living.” Her eyes questioned him:
Have you reasoned this far?
But she stopped short of voicing the challenge. Out of respect for his rank, Joe assumed; his sex and relative youth, he guessed, would not carry much weight with Miss Herbert.
    “It wouldn’t be the first time, in my experience, that a corpse had been used as an elaborate vehicle for the outpourings of a twisted mind.” He answered her thought. “It is extremely rare, thank God, but must always be considered when the more usual motives can be discounted. I don’t think it applies in this case for the good reason that he hid her body well away from the eyes of the living. If your group hadn’t been there on that spot at that moment, she would have been lost forever, with or without toe. The sight of this body was not intended for the eyes of the public.”
    She seized on one of his words. “
Intention
. You’ve seen it. This was not a crime of passion or even emotion. I’d say it was calculated and timed to the last minute.” She leaned forward to make her point. “The man—or men—you’re seeking, Commissioner, was in possession of and knew how to interpret one of
these
.”
    Hermione opened her bag and produced a timetable of Thames tides. “I’ve compared the time I estimate she died with the time of low tide after dark on the river on that reach. There’s a space of an hour and a half during which her body might have been disposed of. There, I’ve marked it on the chart.”
    “May I keep this?” Joe made no attempt to conceal his interest from those sharp eyes. “Do you know—I watch the tide rise and fall every day from my window but I couldn’t tell you when exactly it happens. I just know it’s not a regular thing. I wouldn’tset my watch by it. I think I shall need to take a little advice from our river police with this in hand.”
    Hermione nodded her approval and Joe had the feeling that he had performed successfully at interview. “Always a sign of strength in a man, I think—the ability to take advice when necessary.” She gave him a smile of quiet triumph. “So glad I was able to catch Clive at his desk this morning.”
    Clive Who or Who Clive? Joe pretended to know and stayed silent. Home Office mandarin perhaps?
    “I told him, ‘This case could prove intractable. It calls for the attention of the best you have,’ and Clive replied, ‘Sounds to me as though you need a dose of Sandilands.’ ”
    “Ah, yes … Bloated? Irritable? Undigested fats blocking the system?” Joe quoted from an advertisement for something with the lugubrious brand name of Bile Pills. “They
will
think of me when it comes to clearing a blockage.”
    “A slug of Sandilands Stomach Salts was prescribed,” she said, picking up his reference with glee. “So far, so good. I’ll let you know the outcome.”
    He thought Miss Herbert had a very attractive gurgle when she was amused. He sensed she was about to bring her interview to a close and decided to forestall her. She’d had her fun. “Now, Miss Herbert, is there anything you would like to add to the notes we already have? No? I will send an officer to your home tomorrow to take the formal statement. You’ve all had a long day. Yes, that will be all for the time being. I’m sure Inspector Orford has thanked you for your timely and helpful intervention in all this. Please add my thanks to his. I’m going to give you my card, which has my telephone number on it. Here at the Yard.” He picked up his pen and wrote on the back. “And a second number where I may be contacted.” Joe was breaking his own rules and those of the Yard by doing this but something in the woman’s calm and intelligent manner filled him with trust.If Miss Herbert had any further thoughts he would be interested to hear them.
    “Oh, one last T to cross …” he said as she reached