day was about to become even longer.
Chapter Six
Beard nodded again towards a plump woman in her mid-thirties who was currently the only occupant of the station's waiting area. Her reddened nose and eyes revealed she was upset. This redness did no more to improve her plain appearance than did her mannish tweed trouser suit and stout brown brogues.
‘Name of Sandrine Agnew —
Ms,
I shouldn't wonder,’ Beard added. ‘Claims she's a good friend of Felicity Raine and demanded to speak to the officer in charge. Said she's got evidence—’
‘Evidence,
yes. I'm always glad of more of that. Ms Agnew, you say?’
Beard nodded.
Rafferty beckoned Llewellyn and they crossed the floor to the waiting area. ‘Ms Agnew?’
The woman, who until he spoke had seemed lost in her own thoughts, looked up and nodded.
Rafferty introduced himself and Llewellyn. ‘I believe you've been waiting to see me?’
She nodded again, before earnestly asking, ‘I spoke to Stephanie Raine earlier. She said that you've arrested Felicity Raine for the murder of her husband? Surely it can't be true?’
She didn't wait for Rafferty to confirm or deny it, but immediately continued. ‘You've made a dreadful mistake. Felicity didn't kill Raymond. She couldn't — wouldn't. Besides, you do know he beat her, don't you? Raymond really was a very violent man and if Felicity had to resort to self-defence measures—’
It was interesting that she should make the same claim as Elaine Enderby. To have two independent witnesses suggest the same thing strengthened the likelihood that their accusations were true, and also increased the chances that the charges against Felicity Raine would be reduced to manslaughter — if they even advanced as far as a trial. It was now clear that Felicity was no longer the only suspect with a good motive for murder; and whilst any financial motive she might have had for killing Raymond was now dead in the water, the same wasn't true of Stephanie and Mike Raine, who had both been less than open with them.
‘I understand your concerns, Ms Agnew,’ Rafferty told her. ‘But as you're a friend of Mrs Raine, what would you say if I told you that on the very morning of Mr Raine's death, she gave us a confession — a voluntary confession?’
Sandrine Agnew looked suitably startled. ‘What can have possessed her?’ She searched Rafferty's face for clues. ‘You didn't believe her, I hope?’
‘At the moment, since your friend has now retracted her confession, I'm not sure what to believe,’ he admitted. ‘But let me assure you that my entire team will be putting in long hours in order to find the truth. If Mrs Raine is innocent of this crime we'll find out.’
Hope glistened briefly in her eyes at his words.
‘Perhaps, while you're here, you could explain why you believe that Mr Raine was violent towards his wife.’
‘One would have had to be willfully blind not to notice. It was perfectly obvious that he beat her. One only had to look at Felicity's poor, bruised face to know what went on. And then I saw her several times in Casualty — I work there as a volunteer — but when I tried to speak to her, she rushed off without waiting for treatment.’
‘I see. But from what you say, Mrs Raine might have attended Casualty for something else, especially as it seems she didn't actually confide in you about this matter?’
Sandrine Agnew looked put out that this was so and that she was obliged to admit it. ‘Though I suppose it's understandable that Felicity suffered from misplaced loyalty. Many women do, I'm afraid. I urged Felicity to leave him. But even though she told me several times that she would, she kept putting it off. I think she was too frightened of what his reaction might be if she did so, even though I was more than happy to offer her a roof.’
Rafferty, as he studied the rather mannish Ms Agnew, got the unmistakable impression that Bill Beard's political incorrectness had been spot on and that a
Chapter Six
Beard nodded again towards a plump woman in her mid-thirties who was currently the only occupant of the station's waiting area. Her reddened nose and eyes revealed she was upset. This redness did no more to improve her plain appearance than did her mannish tweed trouser suit and stout brown brogues.
‘Name of Sandrine Agnew —
Ms,
I shouldn't wonder,’ Beard added. ‘Claims she's a good friend of Felicity Raine and demanded to speak to the officer in charge. Said she's got evidence—’
‘Evidence,
yes. I'm always glad of more of that. Ms Agnew, you say?’
Beard nodded.
Rafferty beckoned Llewellyn and they crossed the floor to the waiting area. ‘Ms Agnew?’
The woman, who until he spoke had seemed lost in her own thoughts, looked up and nodded.
Rafferty introduced himself and Llewellyn. ‘I believe you've been waiting to see me?’
She nodded again, before earnestly asking, ‘I spoke to Stephanie Raine earlier. She said that you've arrested Felicity Raine for the murder of her husband? Surely it can't be true?’
She didn't wait for Rafferty to confirm or deny it, but immediately continued. ‘You've made a dreadful mistake. Felicity didn't kill Raymond. She couldn't — wouldn't. Besides, you do know he beat her, don't you? Raymond really was a very violent man and if Felicity had to resort to self-defence measures—’
It was interesting that she should make the same claim as Elaine Enderby. To have two independent witnesses suggest the same thing strengthened the likelihood that their accusations were true, and also increased the chances that the charges against Felicity Raine would be reduced to manslaughter — if they even advanced as far as a trial. It was now clear that Felicity was no longer the only suspect with a good motive for murder; and whilst any financial motive she might have had for killing Raymond was now dead in the water, the same wasn't true of Stephanie and Mike Raine, who had both been less than open with them.
‘I understand your concerns, Ms Agnew,’ Rafferty told her. ‘But as you're a friend of Mrs Raine, what would you say if I told you that on the very morning of Mr Raine's death, she gave us a confession — a voluntary confession?’
Sandrine Agnew looked suitably startled. ‘What can have possessed her?’ She searched Rafferty's face for clues. ‘You didn't believe her, I hope?’
‘At the moment, since your friend has now retracted her confession, I'm not sure what to believe,’ he admitted. ‘But let me assure you that my entire team will be putting in long hours in order to find the truth. If Mrs Raine is innocent of this crime we'll find out.’
Hope glistened briefly in her eyes at his words.
‘Perhaps, while you're here, you could explain why you believe that Mr Raine was violent towards his wife.’
‘One would have had to be willfully blind not to notice. It was perfectly obvious that he beat her. One only had to look at Felicity's poor, bruised face to know what went on. And then I saw her several times in Casualty — I work there as a volunteer — but when I tried to speak to her, she rushed off without waiting for treatment.’
‘I see. But from what you say, Mrs Raine might have attended Casualty for something else, especially as it seems she didn't actually confide in you about this matter?’
Sandrine Agnew looked put out that this was so and that she was obliged to admit it. ‘Though I suppose it's understandable that Felicity suffered from misplaced loyalty. Many women do, I'm afraid. I urged Felicity to leave him. But even though she told me several times that she would, she kept putting it off. I think she was too frightened of what his reaction might be if she did so, even though I was more than happy to offer her a roof.’
Rafferty, as he studied the rather mannish Ms Agnew, got the unmistakable impression that Bill Beard's political incorrectness had been spot on and that a
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