roof wasn't all she would like to offer Felicity.
‘She wouldn't even allow me to speak about the abuse. She just changed the subject very pointedly every time I brought it up. She was in denial, of course. Willfully so.’
She wasn't the only one, thought Rafferty. It was clear that Sandrine Agnew carried a torch for Felicity Raine. But it seemed unlikely the exquisite Felicity would have anything stronger than feelings of friendship for the plain and ungainly Sandrine Agnew.
‘But I want to do anything I can that might help her. Someone has to, and from what you say it's clear that Felicity is in no state to help herself. But until I can come up with some more pro-active way of helping her, the least I can do is make an official statement about Raymond's violence. I want to be sure it's taken into account.’
‘Of course. Perhaps you'd wait here while I get my sergeant to organise someone to take it?’
‘Can't
you
do it? I promise it won't take very long.’
Rafferty, thinking of the evening with Abra that lay ahead, was tempted to refuse. But then he thought of Felicity Raine, who would surely, come the morrow, find herself in the cells, and changed his mind. Besides, he reminded himself, he might learn something valuable. Sandrine Agnew had claimed to be a friend rather than just a neighbour. It was possible she knew more about the Raines and the state of their marriage than Elaine Enderby.
He collected a statement form from behind the desk and led her and Llewellyn to one of the interview rooms.
Once the statement was taken care of, Rafferty asked Sandrine Agnew, ‘How come you and Mrs Raine know one another?’
‘We're unlikely friends, you mean? Me being so plain and Felicity so gorgeous?’
Rafferty hastened to deny that such had been in his mind.
To Sandrine Agnew's credit, she laughed.
‘I've found that not everyone is as reticent in airing their opinions as you, inspector.’
Beside him, Llewellyn shifted restlessly. A tiny sigh escaped from his lips as if in protest at such a dubious judgment. But he said nothing.
‘Several people haven't scrupled to say exactly what they're thinking. Anyway, as to how come we became friends, we both used to attend the same keep-fit classes and a group of us would go out afterwards to the pub and undo the good we had just done. Gradually, people fell away, as you do when it comes to keeping fit. Felicity and I did the same, but we seemed to have struck up an acquaintance more deep than merely one of commiserating with one another over our aching bodies. And although we dropped the keep-fit, we continued with the pub bit for a while, but then that too petered out. I met her again shortly after she married Raymond and even though she said nothing, I could see that something was troubling her.’
‘Apart from the violence you've already mentioned, what else can you tell me about their relationship?’
‘Not a lot, I'm afraid. I didn't see much of him. Felicity and I generally met elsewhere and she rarely talked about him — I suppose she was worried that if she did so she might encourage more unwelcome questions about her bruises and black eyes.’
‘May I ask
you
something?’ Llewellyn asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Do you think there's any possibility that she could have killed Raymond?’
Ms Agnew shook her head vehemently. ‘No. Never. I'd stake my life on it.
Felicity Raine certainly didn't lack for champions. Though it must be sad to know, Rafferty thought, as Sandrine Agnew surely must, that your love was hopeless.
Once Rafferty had ushered Sandrine Agnew out, with reassurances that he would do his best by her friend, he said to Llewellyn that that really
was
it for the night. ‘I don't know about you, but I for one can absorb nothing more.’
By now it was eight thirty. He'd just have time to shower and change into one of the fancy Italian suits he'd treated himself to a couple of investigations ago and, with the associations they conjured
‘She wouldn't even allow me to speak about the abuse. She just changed the subject very pointedly every time I brought it up. She was in denial, of course. Willfully so.’
She wasn't the only one, thought Rafferty. It was clear that Sandrine Agnew carried a torch for Felicity Raine. But it seemed unlikely the exquisite Felicity would have anything stronger than feelings of friendship for the plain and ungainly Sandrine Agnew.
‘But I want to do anything I can that might help her. Someone has to, and from what you say it's clear that Felicity is in no state to help herself. But until I can come up with some more pro-active way of helping her, the least I can do is make an official statement about Raymond's violence. I want to be sure it's taken into account.’
‘Of course. Perhaps you'd wait here while I get my sergeant to organise someone to take it?’
‘Can't
you
do it? I promise it won't take very long.’
Rafferty, thinking of the evening with Abra that lay ahead, was tempted to refuse. But then he thought of Felicity Raine, who would surely, come the morrow, find herself in the cells, and changed his mind. Besides, he reminded himself, he might learn something valuable. Sandrine Agnew had claimed to be a friend rather than just a neighbour. It was possible she knew more about the Raines and the state of their marriage than Elaine Enderby.
He collected a statement form from behind the desk and led her and Llewellyn to one of the interview rooms.
Once the statement was taken care of, Rafferty asked Sandrine Agnew, ‘How come you and Mrs Raine know one another?’
‘We're unlikely friends, you mean? Me being so plain and Felicity so gorgeous?’
Rafferty hastened to deny that such had been in his mind.
To Sandrine Agnew's credit, she laughed.
‘I've found that not everyone is as reticent in airing their opinions as you, inspector.’
Beside him, Llewellyn shifted restlessly. A tiny sigh escaped from his lips as if in protest at such a dubious judgment. But he said nothing.
‘Several people haven't scrupled to say exactly what they're thinking. Anyway, as to how come we became friends, we both used to attend the same keep-fit classes and a group of us would go out afterwards to the pub and undo the good we had just done. Gradually, people fell away, as you do when it comes to keeping fit. Felicity and I did the same, but we seemed to have struck up an acquaintance more deep than merely one of commiserating with one another over our aching bodies. And although we dropped the keep-fit, we continued with the pub bit for a while, but then that too petered out. I met her again shortly after she married Raymond and even though she said nothing, I could see that something was troubling her.’
‘Apart from the violence you've already mentioned, what else can you tell me about their relationship?’
‘Not a lot, I'm afraid. I didn't see much of him. Felicity and I generally met elsewhere and she rarely talked about him — I suppose she was worried that if she did so she might encourage more unwelcome questions about her bruises and black eyes.’
‘May I ask
you
something?’ Llewellyn asked.
‘Of course.’
‘Do you think there's any possibility that she could have killed Raymond?’
Ms Agnew shook her head vehemently. ‘No. Never. I'd stake my life on it.
Felicity Raine certainly didn't lack for champions. Though it must be sad to know, Rafferty thought, as Sandrine Agnew surely must, that your love was hopeless.
Once Rafferty had ushered Sandrine Agnew out, with reassurances that he would do his best by her friend, he said to Llewellyn that that really
was
it for the night. ‘I don't know about you, but I for one can absorb nothing more.’
By now it was eight thirty. He'd just have time to shower and change into one of the fancy Italian suits he'd treated himself to a couple of investigations ago and, with the associations they conjured
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