her boyfriend, Cliff. She’d been meeting another man I think, on the side, especially flush with money, he was. And older. He could be married. I warned her not to play around as Cliff Jones has a reputation for having quite a temper if provoked.’
‘So?’
‘I think she picked up a taxi along the street as I left here. I heard the car door slam. What has Jones got to say? I bet he’s feeling pretty cut up. He was nuts about her. Or doesn’t he know yet?’ She tapped out the ash into the glass ashtray. Colour was coming back now into her pale cheeks.
‘It was Jones that informed us that she was missing, Mrs Flitch. He came into the station first thing. We had no idea of her identity when her body was first found. Her purse was missing and the gold anklet he said she usually wore.’
‘So she could have been mugged and then killed. I’d say that the anklet was worth a great deal. It was for real all right. She showed it to me and it was engraved with her name. Very proud of it she was. I think her parents spoilt her rotten that was half her trouble.’
‘So how well off is Jones? Did she mention anything to you? Was he earning sufficient to spend plenty on her?’
‘She likes - liked money. Lots of it.’ She drew hard on the cigarette again and Turner watching felt for another sweet in his jacket pocket. He would have to try a patch he thought desperately. ‘And I wouldn’t say that he’s that flush, Inspector. He’s a chef at a hotel. But he does get contracts for putting on special dinners for the swells in town. He aims to open up his own restaurant soon, according to Yvette. Now if you have all you need, I must clear up the broken glass,’ she said stubbing out her cigarette into the glass ash tray.
‘Thank you, Mrs Flitch. You have been very helpful.’
21
‘Jon - you look bushed, so how’s it going?’
‘Not good, I’m afraid. I won’t be good company this evening, Viviane. Sorry to spoil it for you,’ Jon said when he walked through the side gate into the garden, where he found Viviane with the aid of the watering can trying to undo some of the damage that the heat wave was wreaking on her shrubs and plants. ‘This new victim, her parents are flying over to identify her tomorrow.’
‘Who was she, Jon? You must know if her parents are coming. Flying you say? She’s not local?’
‘She was a French student. Just eighteen.’
Viviane stared back at him and let the water from the can drain away over her sandals and into the lawn. ‘Damn! Sorry Jon, when you told me that there was another girl, I didn’t want to believe it not at first. So is it possible that the two deaths are connected? Can you tell, or is it too early yet?’
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Can’t say for the moment. For God’s sake , I hope that they aren’t. If they are perhaps it would make things much easier for us to deal with.’
‘You can’t really mean that.’ She stared back at him. ‘You do! Why?’
‘Because it would mean that there’s only one killer to pin down and catch. According to Turner, lovers find those woods irresistible. We think she was dumped there after she was killed elsewhere. Just like Maureen Carey.’
‘So the killer knows all the quiet spots. Where else is he going to strike before you stop him?’ She refilled the watering can from the water butt. ‘He’s running rings around you. Two murders in three days, that’s really going some, isn’t it?’
‘Viviane...’ He put a hand gently on her shoulder for a second and then took it away again. ‘Don’t worry. We will do our best to catch the bastard. What else can I say? I can’t promise anything else. Two families have lost their daughters and I don’t want it to happen again. But we have a clue given us by a taxi man who said that he dropped her off at a chapel near midnight.’
‘A chapel! So late at night! How strange. Does that mean she was meeting somebody who used it? You’ll have
‘So?’
‘I think she picked up a taxi along the street as I left here. I heard the car door slam. What has Jones got to say? I bet he’s feeling pretty cut up. He was nuts about her. Or doesn’t he know yet?’ She tapped out the ash into the glass ashtray. Colour was coming back now into her pale cheeks.
‘It was Jones that informed us that she was missing, Mrs Flitch. He came into the station first thing. We had no idea of her identity when her body was first found. Her purse was missing and the gold anklet he said she usually wore.’
‘So she could have been mugged and then killed. I’d say that the anklet was worth a great deal. It was for real all right. She showed it to me and it was engraved with her name. Very proud of it she was. I think her parents spoilt her rotten that was half her trouble.’
‘So how well off is Jones? Did she mention anything to you? Was he earning sufficient to spend plenty on her?’
‘She likes - liked money. Lots of it.’ She drew hard on the cigarette again and Turner watching felt for another sweet in his jacket pocket. He would have to try a patch he thought desperately. ‘And I wouldn’t say that he’s that flush, Inspector. He’s a chef at a hotel. But he does get contracts for putting on special dinners for the swells in town. He aims to open up his own restaurant soon, according to Yvette. Now if you have all you need, I must clear up the broken glass,’ she said stubbing out her cigarette into the glass ash tray.
‘Thank you, Mrs Flitch. You have been very helpful.’
21
‘Jon - you look bushed, so how’s it going?’
‘Not good, I’m afraid. I won’t be good company this evening, Viviane. Sorry to spoil it for you,’ Jon said when he walked through the side gate into the garden, where he found Viviane with the aid of the watering can trying to undo some of the damage that the heat wave was wreaking on her shrubs and plants. ‘This new victim, her parents are flying over to identify her tomorrow.’
‘Who was she, Jon? You must know if her parents are coming. Flying you say? She’s not local?’
‘She was a French student. Just eighteen.’
Viviane stared back at him and let the water from the can drain away over her sandals and into the lawn. ‘Damn! Sorry Jon, when you told me that there was another girl, I didn’t want to believe it not at first. So is it possible that the two deaths are connected? Can you tell, or is it too early yet?’
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Can’t say for the moment. For God’s sake , I hope that they aren’t. If they are perhaps it would make things much easier for us to deal with.’
‘You can’t really mean that.’ She stared back at him. ‘You do! Why?’
‘Because it would mean that there’s only one killer to pin down and catch. According to Turner, lovers find those woods irresistible. We think she was dumped there after she was killed elsewhere. Just like Maureen Carey.’
‘So the killer knows all the quiet spots. Where else is he going to strike before you stop him?’ She refilled the watering can from the water butt. ‘He’s running rings around you. Two murders in three days, that’s really going some, isn’t it?’
‘Viviane...’ He put a hand gently on her shoulder for a second and then took it away again. ‘Don’t worry. We will do our best to catch the bastard. What else can I say? I can’t promise anything else. Two families have lost their daughters and I don’t want it to happen again. But we have a clue given us by a taxi man who said that he dropped her off at a chapel near midnight.’
‘A chapel! So late at night! How strange. Does that mean she was meeting somebody who used it? You’ll have
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