us.’
At the door, Rose gripped her arm. ‘The papers said that Mr Quincey had been strangled.’ She brought her face so close that Von could smell her sour smoker’s breath. ‘And that he’d been blinded. The doll too.’
‘That’s right, Miss Manning,’ Von said softly.
She brought her hands to her chest, fingering the pearls, her nails like drops of blood against the pale jumper. ‘Lord, I don’t know what the world is coming to, I’m sure I don’t. Such a wicked place.’ She turned away. ‘Wicked, wicked.’
In the foyer, Von and Steve watched the men remove the last of the dolls from the crates.
‘I have to say it, boss, but Max Quincey could certainlycharm the ladies. Whatever his sexual orientation.’
‘Maybe, but if I see another woman in tears over him, I’ll be reaching for the sick bag.’
They left the building and walked towards the Toyota, parked a couple of blocks away.
‘I see those dolls everywhere now,’ Von said.
‘Aye, and after opening night, London will be heaving with them.’
‘Even the wardrobe mistress had one.’
‘She was something else, wasn’t she? Pity her name doesn’t match her appearance.’
She tapped him lightly on the forearm. ‘That’s bitchy, Steve.’
‘My mother had a twinset just like that, in a colour she referred to as heather mixture. And she wore American Tan tights.’
She watched a cyclist mount the pavement to get ahead of the slow-moving traffic. ‘Interesting that Rose seems to have adored Max Quincey enough to give up her empire at the Garrimont and take to the road with him. Not an easy life.’
‘Fine when you’re young, but she isn’t. How old would you say?’
‘Pushing retirement.’ She held up her warrant card as the cyclist approached. With a rapid motion, he swerved back onto the road and disappeared into the distance.
‘So, in her early forties, when the rent boys’ murders took place.’
‘Did you see how she buttoned it when I pressed her about the Duke? And what do you make of Gillanders wanting to run the Quincey Players?’
‘I don’t buy it, boss. If Gillanders decided to kill Quincey and take over the Players, he wouldn’t have waited this long.’
‘People can be patient.’
They reached the Toyota. Steve started the engine and theymoved away at a crawl. The cyclist, several cars ahead, was weaving in and out of the traffic.
‘Steve, have you noticed that everyone seems remarkably keen to tell us that Gillanders was around in 1985? What did Harrower have to say about him?’
‘Gillanders had no alibi for the two late attacks on the rent boys. And as for the earlier attacks, the sergeant taking his statement scribbled in the margin that his character disappears early, so he could have left, killed them, then returned for lights up.’
‘But no hard evidence?’
‘That was the problem with the old case, boss. Everything was circumstantial.’
‘Let’s get back to the murder of Max Quincey.’ She pulled a document from her bag. ‘The floor plan of Mrs Deacon’s shows Gillanders’s room one floor down from Quincey’s. Leaving aside there’s no evidence Gillanders had murderous intent, he could easily have slipped into Quincey’s room, stunned him, tied him up and strangled him.’
‘And made it look like the old murders?’
‘Nothing like throwing the filth off the scent.’
‘What about the sex, though, boss? Quincey had sex before he died. Surely not with Gillanders.’
She shrugged. ‘Quincey could have had sex with someone else, Gillanders heard him leave, then crept upstairs. Quincey would have been naked on the bed.’
‘How can you be sure he had sex naked?’
She suppressed a smile. ‘Do you have sex with your clothes on?’
‘He’d have to get his timing spot on. He could have been seen by Quincey’s lover coming down the stairs.’
‘Come on, you saw how thin those floorboards are. Didn’t you hear the creak on the steps?’
‘You mean he’d have
At the door, Rose gripped her arm. ‘The papers said that Mr Quincey had been strangled.’ She brought her face so close that Von could smell her sour smoker’s breath. ‘And that he’d been blinded. The doll too.’
‘That’s right, Miss Manning,’ Von said softly.
She brought her hands to her chest, fingering the pearls, her nails like drops of blood against the pale jumper. ‘Lord, I don’t know what the world is coming to, I’m sure I don’t. Such a wicked place.’ She turned away. ‘Wicked, wicked.’
In the foyer, Von and Steve watched the men remove the last of the dolls from the crates.
‘I have to say it, boss, but Max Quincey could certainlycharm the ladies. Whatever his sexual orientation.’
‘Maybe, but if I see another woman in tears over him, I’ll be reaching for the sick bag.’
They left the building and walked towards the Toyota, parked a couple of blocks away.
‘I see those dolls everywhere now,’ Von said.
‘Aye, and after opening night, London will be heaving with them.’
‘Even the wardrobe mistress had one.’
‘She was something else, wasn’t she? Pity her name doesn’t match her appearance.’
She tapped him lightly on the forearm. ‘That’s bitchy, Steve.’
‘My mother had a twinset just like that, in a colour she referred to as heather mixture. And she wore American Tan tights.’
She watched a cyclist mount the pavement to get ahead of the slow-moving traffic. ‘Interesting that Rose seems to have adored Max Quincey enough to give up her empire at the Garrimont and take to the road with him. Not an easy life.’
‘Fine when you’re young, but she isn’t. How old would you say?’
‘Pushing retirement.’ She held up her warrant card as the cyclist approached. With a rapid motion, he swerved back onto the road and disappeared into the distance.
‘So, in her early forties, when the rent boys’ murders took place.’
‘Did you see how she buttoned it when I pressed her about the Duke? And what do you make of Gillanders wanting to run the Quincey Players?’
‘I don’t buy it, boss. If Gillanders decided to kill Quincey and take over the Players, he wouldn’t have waited this long.’
‘People can be patient.’
They reached the Toyota. Steve started the engine and theymoved away at a crawl. The cyclist, several cars ahead, was weaving in and out of the traffic.
‘Steve, have you noticed that everyone seems remarkably keen to tell us that Gillanders was around in 1985? What did Harrower have to say about him?’
‘Gillanders had no alibi for the two late attacks on the rent boys. And as for the earlier attacks, the sergeant taking his statement scribbled in the margin that his character disappears early, so he could have left, killed them, then returned for lights up.’
‘But no hard evidence?’
‘That was the problem with the old case, boss. Everything was circumstantial.’
‘Let’s get back to the murder of Max Quincey.’ She pulled a document from her bag. ‘The floor plan of Mrs Deacon’s shows Gillanders’s room one floor down from Quincey’s. Leaving aside there’s no evidence Gillanders had murderous intent, he could easily have slipped into Quincey’s room, stunned him, tied him up and strangled him.’
‘And made it look like the old murders?’
‘Nothing like throwing the filth off the scent.’
‘What about the sex, though, boss? Quincey had sex before he died. Surely not with Gillanders.’
She shrugged. ‘Quincey could have had sex with someone else, Gillanders heard him leave, then crept upstairs. Quincey would have been naked on the bed.’
‘How can you be sure he had sex naked?’
She suppressed a smile. ‘Do you have sex with your clothes on?’
‘He’d have to get his timing spot on. He could have been seen by Quincey’s lover coming down the stairs.’
‘Come on, you saw how thin those floorboards are. Didn’t you hear the creak on the steps?’
‘You mean he’d have
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