His fervent hopes began to disintegrate as soon as he turned into the quiet road where Mondo and He'd lived. Outside the house, three police cars straggled along the pavement. An ambulance sat in the drive. Not a good sign. If Mondo was alive, he'd be long gone, the ambulance hurtling blues and twos to the nearest hospital.
Alex abandoned his car behind the first police car and ran toward the house. A burly uniformed constable in a fluorescent yellow jacket stepped into his path at the end of the drive. "Can I help you, sir?" he said.
"It's my brother-in-law," Alex said, trying to push past him. The constable grabbed his arms, firmly preventing his passage. "Please, let me through. David Kerr?I'm married to his sister."
"I'm sorry, sir. Nobody can go in just now. This is a crime scene."
"What about He'd? His wife? Where's she? She called my wife."
"Mrs. Kerr is inside. She's perfectly safe, sir."
Alex let himself go limp. The constable loosened his grip. "Look, I don't really know what's gone on here, but I do know that He'd needs support. Can't you radio your boss, get me in?"
The constable looked doubtful. "Like I said, sir, this is a crime scene."
Frustration fizzed in Alex's head. "And this is how you treat the victims of crime? Keep them isolated from their families?"
The policeman put his radio to his mouth with a resigned air. He half turned away, making sure he still blocked access to the house, and muttered something into the radio. It crackled in response. After a brief, muffled exchange, he swung back to face Alex. "Can I see some ID, sir?" he asked.
Impatient, Alex pulled out his wallet and withdrew his driver's license. Thankful that he'd gone for one of the new ones with a photograph, he handed it over. The policeman looked it over and handed it back with a polite nod. "If you'd like to go up to the house, sir, one of my colleagues from CID will meet you at the door."
Alex brushed past him. His legs felt strange, as if his knees belonged to someone else who didn't know how to work them properly. As he reached the door, it swung open and a woman in her thirties swept tired, cynical eyes over him, as if committing his details to memory. "Mr. Gilbey?" she said, stepping back to allow him to enter the vestibule.
"That's right. What's happened? He'd phoned my wife, she seemed to think Mondo was dead?"
"Mondo?"
Alex sighed, impatient with his own obtuseness. "Nickname. We've been friends since school. David. David Kerr. His wife said he was dead."
The woman nodded. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that Mr. Kerr has been pronounced dead."
Christ, he thought. What a way to lay it out. "I don't understand. What happened?"
"It's too early to be sure," she said. "It appears he was stabbed. There are signs of a break-in at the back of the house. But you'll appreciate, we can't say much at this stage."
Alex rubbed his hands over his face. "This is terrible. Christ, poor Mondo. What a thing to happen." He shook his head, numb and bewildered. "It feels completely unreal. Jesus." He took a deep breath. He'd have time to deal with his reactions later. This wasn't why Lynn had asked him to come. "Where's He'd?"
The woman opened the inside door. "She's in the living room. If you'd like to come through?" She stood aside and watched as Alex passed her and made straight for the room that overlooked the front garden. He'd had always referred to it as the drawing room, and he felt a pang of guilt for the times he and Lynn had ridiculed her for that pretentiousness. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
He'd was sitting on the edge of one of the vast cream sofas, hunched into herself like an old woman. As he entered, she looked up, her eyes swollen pools of misery. Her long dark hair was tangled around her face, stray strands caught in the corner of her mouth. Her clothes were rumpled, a mocking parody of her normal Parisian chic. She held her hands out to him, beseeching. "Alex," she said, her voice cracked and strained.
He crossed to her side, sitting down and putting his arms around her. He couldn't remember ever holding He'd this close. Normally, their greetings consisted of a hand lightly placed on an arm, air kisses to either cheek. He was surprised by how muscular her body felt, and