the middle of a storm?’ asked May. But his partner was already stumping off into the rain, his coat flapping about him like a trapped bat.
Heather’s leather sofa was as cold and slippery as a frog-pond. The two women sat beside each other listening to Mr May’s questions. It was nearly midnight. Heather worried a nail and glanced out of the window, as if expecting to witness the whole thing again.
‘I’d like to get some accurate times on this,’ said May. ‘Miss Owen, you came over to visit Mrs Allen at what time this evening?’
‘It must have been around seven p.m. I don’t call on people between seven-thirty and eight because of Coronation Street.’
‘I watch the soaps too, I’m ashamed to say,’ Heather admitted.
‘We decided to have a drink, but there was nothing in the house, so I volunteered to go to the off-licence.’
‘You did this as soon as you arrived, or a little later?’
‘Later. I should think it was around seven-twenty.’ Kallie was intrigued. She’d seen detectives barking at witnesses on TV, and was almost disappointed to be treated with such casual civility.
‘You didn’t know that Mr Copeland was working over the road?’
‘I think he might have been working there yesterday,’ replied Heather. ‘I’m only vaguely aware of it because there’s always something going on over at the Bondinis.’
‘That’s right, I’d seen him too,’ agreed Kallie.
‘I’m sorry—the Bondinis?’
‘The brothers who own the builders’ merchants,’ Heather explained. ‘I looked out of the window and made some comment about him working in the rain.’
‘And there was someone with him,’ added Kallie.
‘Did you recognize them?’ asked May.
‘It was hard to see clearly,’ said Heather. ‘It was definitely a man, though. They sort of looked like they were arguing.’
‘How could you tell that?’
‘I don’t know—maybe they were just talking, but it was something to do with the way they were standing.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘I went out to the shop,’ said Kallie.
‘Did you pass Mr Copeland?’
‘No, I walked on the other side of the road. His side was partially flooded. The drains were blocked.’
‘And you didn’t look back at him?’
‘I don’t remember doing so. It took me another couple of minutes to reach the main road.’
‘Where did you have to go?’
‘Just to the supermarket on the corner. There was a bit of a queue, so I waited there, paid and came back.’
‘How much time would you say elapsed between when you set out and when you returned?’
Kallie thought about choosing the wine and the vodka. ‘Maybe ten minutes. But as soon as I came around the corner I knew something was different.’
‘How?’
‘Because where Elliot had been digging, there was now a mound of earth and rubble. I thought he must have quickly filled in the hole, but it seemed unlikely, because why would he have dug it out? I remember thinking it was more likely that he was removing the earth to ready for pouring concrete or something, so that the machine shop could extend their property. As I drew alongside, I went a bit nearer. There was mud everywhere and I didn’t want to ruin my shoes. That was when I saw the tip of his hand sticking up.’
‘I’m sorry, it must have been an awful experience for you.’
‘Not really,’ Kallie admitted. ‘In a funny sort of way it didn’t seem real.’
May found such honesty surprising. ‘Mrs Allen, you say you saw it happen.’
‘I looked back out of the window, but I wasn’t watching the whole time. It was raining very hard. There wasn’t much to see. Then I noticed that the bed of the truck was tipped up, and that the earth had slid out. I couldn’t tell what had happened to Elliot.’
‘But you didn’t go out there to check?’
‘I didn’t have any shoes on. Besides, why would I? I suppose I just assumed he had finished and was in the truck, or had gone home out of the rain. I don’t know, I didn’t think anything.’ She kept her face turned toward the window, hardly daring to move. If she caught their eye, they would know she was lying. She had seen it all—the slide of earth cascading down over him, the concrete blocks knocking him to his knees and then on to his face. She should have run but could make no move. The sight of the fast-filling hole was appalling, fascinating.
She had heard Kallie push open the front door, concerned and calling for help. How could she ever tell them the truth?
‘And Miss Owen, you came back to the house,’