Читать книгу The Dinner Party - R. Parker J. - Страница 20

Both still anaesthetized by their experience, Ted and Juliette waited in the dark street in the back of the patrol car. It smelt of Olbas Oil. Ted took out his phone and tapped Jakob’s number. Would he have his with him? He dialled and waited. Perhaps it was ringing in the house.

‘Who are you calling? Zoe?’

‘No, Jakob.’

‘Hang up,’ Juliette said sharply. ‘The police have to deal with him now.’

She was right. But he waited for another ring.

‘Ted!’

He hung up. ‘I can’t get my head around this.’

‘You’ll have to tell the officer what you did.’

He nodded distractedly as Juliette rang Zoe and told her they were talking to the police and would explain everything at home.

They waited for twenty minutes, observing various vehicles drawing up, until an unmarked car parked directly behind them. Ted turned as a squat man in a heavy dark-woollen overcoat and black hunting hat with flaps covering his ears emerged and noisily trudged down the gravel drive to the rear of the house.

Quarter of an hour later, he returned and approached the patrol car. He opened the back passenger door. ‘Mr and Mrs Middleton?’

Ted got out and took in the man’s wide and pockmarked features. There was a wisp of a dark moustache clinging to the top of his lip that seemed to be covering a cleft palate scar.

‘I’m Detective Inspector Renton. Are you keeping warm enough in there?’ He clumped his hands together, which were clad in leather gloves.

‘We’re fine.’ Ted folded his arms against the cold.

Juliette closed her door and joined them on the pavement. ‘Our son is with a neighbour, so we’d like to get back to him as soon as we can.’

‘Of course.’ Renton blew out a cloud of breath.

Ted got a whiff of curry. ‘We’ve already given a statement to one officer.’

Renton sniffed. ‘So you knew the deceased well?’

They both nodded.

‘I’ll need you to be more specific. Old friends?’

‘Yes,’ Ted replied first.

Renton shifted his dark eyes to Juliette. ‘Very close friends?’

‘I’ve known Evie since high school.’ Juliette shivered and pulled her collar closer to her neck.

‘Have they had physical fights like this before?’

‘No,’ she retorted categorically.

‘At least, not that we know of.’ Ted noticed Juliette glance at him.

Renton darted his pupils between them and settled on Ted. ‘And her husband. You knew him well?’

‘Yes. They were at our house this evening. For dinner,’ Ted added.