Blood Ties by Jane A. Adams Page A

involved?’

TWELVE
    S omehow it had seemed more natural for Mrs Hargreaves to go to Susan for advice, rather than straight to the police, and it had seemed equally natural for Susan to go next door to the farm and fetch Alec back to the still-closed pub.
    They sat around what had been Eddy’s table – that, too, seeming natural – and Alec and Naomi listened to what Kevin and his mother had to say.
    Explains the key, Naomi thought, reflecting that quite a bit of potential evidence seemed to have walked from the scene before anyone realized Eddy had been killed rather than just fallen.
    Alec listened carefully to what Kevin and his mother had to say. Kevin, he learned, was twenty-two and had known Eddy well. Like Susan, Alec realized, Kevin had a real affection for the old man. His mother, a dark-haired woman who showed every one of her forty plus years – forehead lined, hair showing more grey than brown – was clearly anxious.
    â€˜They’ll think he had something to do with it, won’t they? Because he was there. The police will think he done it.’
    â€˜Aw, Mam. Everyone knows I wouldn’t hurt Eddy.’
    â€˜The police don’t know that, boy. How can they possibly know that?’
    â€˜What time did you leave?’ Alec asked.
    â€˜Not sure. I got there at half ten, eleven, maybe. Eddy was in his dressing gown but he let me in and sent me through to the kitchen.’
    â€˜Late for a visit,’ Naomi commented.
    â€˜That’s what Eddy said. I told him I didn’t think and he said I never did, but he weren’t angry or anything. I often called round late. I’d been at Brian’s. We’d been playing computer games and I had to come home past Eddy’s so I thought I’d drop in. I’d found some coins when we were together at the weekend. Eddy couldn’t find them in his books so I’d popped in to see Dr Matthews on the way to Brian’s home. Mam, I told you I was going to do that.’
    She nodded confirmation.
    â€˜Dr Matthews?’
    â€˜Local archaeologist,’ Susan said. ‘He helps run the portable antiquities scheme. You know, where people report what they’ve found and if it’s valuable they get the money for it.’
    â€˜There’s a bit more to it than that,’ Kevin protested.
    â€˜Well, we’ll come back to it,’ Alec intervened. ‘So you went to Brian’s. At what time?’
    â€˜Be seven-ish. We ordered takeaway. I left maybe ten fifteen, ten thirty. News was on. I was passing Eddy’s door so I stopped off to get my stuff and tell him what Dr Matthews had said about the coins.’
    â€˜How long does it take to get from Brian’s to Eddy’s?’
    â€˜Ten minutes, maybe. No more.’
    â€˜Not the way you drive.’
    â€˜Mam!’
    â€˜So,’ Naomi said. ‘If you left when the news was still on, that finishes at half ten. You couldn’t have arrived at Eddy’s any later than, say twenty to eleven. And you stayed, how long?’
    Kevin had clearly been thinking about it. ‘I went through and put the kettle on and he went upstairs. He was gone a few minutes. I’d made the tea by the time he got down. He’d said use the big pot, so I knew he wasn’t annoyed about me coming late. If he’d wanted just a quick cuppa, to be polite, and then wanted to get to bed, he’d have said to use the blue pot. That only holds enough for a couple of mugs.’
    Susan laughed. ‘Eddy had a complete code wrapped up in his tea making,’ she said.
    â€˜Like the pink stripy mug,’ Kevin agreed.
    â€˜Stripy mug? Never mind, tell me all about it later. Let’s get the timeline established, shall we?’ Alec had slipped into work mode. ‘So, you drank tea.’
    â€˜Ate biscuits.’
    â€˜Talked about the finds. How long would all that have taken?’
    â€˜Maybe an hour. I think it was no more