where Kimmo Thorne's aunt and grandmother lived in one of the many nondescript blocks of flats that had been thrown up south of the river after the Second World War. The building's only distinction turned out to be its proximity to the Globe Theatre. But as Barbara sardonically pointed out to Nkata as they alighted into the cramped street, it wasn't as if anyone who lived in the vicinity could actually afford a ticket.
When they presented themselves at the Thorne establishment, they found Gran and Aunt Sal sitting dully before three framed photographs that had been placed on a coffee table in front of their sofa. They'd identified the body, Aunt Sal explained. "I di'n't want Mum to go, but she wasn't having any of that from me. It's done her in proper, seeing our Kimmo laid out like that. He was a good boy. I hope they hang who did this to him."
Gran said nothing. She looked shell-shocked. In her hand she clutched a white handkerchief that was embroidered round the edges with lavender bunnies. She gazed on one of the pictures of her grandson-in it he appeared curiously attired as if for a fancy dress party, wearing an odd combination of lipstick, a Mohawk, green tights, and a Robin Hood tunic with Doc Marten boots-and she pressed the handkerchief beneath her eyes when tears welled up in them during the course of their interview.
The police, Barbara told Kimmo Thorne's gran and aunt, were doing everything they could to find the young man's killer. It would help enormously if Miss and Mrs. Thorne would tell them everything they could about the last day of Kimmo's life.
After she said all this, Barbara realised that she'd automatically assumed the role that had once been hers, the very role that now belonged to Nkata. She gave a tiny grimace of chagrin and looked in his direction. He lifted a hand, telegraphing "It's okay" in a gesture that was unnervingly like one Lynley might have made in the same circumstances. She dug out her notebook.
Aunt Sal took the request seriously. She started with Kimmo's rising in the morning. He dressed in his usual-
"Leggings, boots, an outsize sweater, that nice Brazilian scarf knotted round his waist...the one his mum and dad sent over at Christmas, do you remember it, Mum?"
- and put on his makeup. He had his breakfast of cornflakes and tea, and he went to school.
Barbara exchanged a glance with Nkata. Considering the description of the boy, along with the pictures on the coffee table and their proximity to the Globe, the next question rose naturally. Nkata asked it. Was Kimmo taking courses at the theatre? Acting classes or the like?
Oh, their Kimmo was made for drama and make no mistake about that, Aunt Sal replied. But no, he wasn't doing a course at the Globe or anywhere else. As things turned out, this was his regular getup when he left the flat. Or when he stayed in the flat, if it came down to that.
Setting aside the issue of his clothing, Barbara said, "He wore makeup regularly, then?" When the two women nodded, she did a mental cross off on one of their working theories: that the killer might have bought cosmetics somewhere and smeared them across the most recent victim's face. Yet it was hardly likely that Kimmo was attempting to attend school thus arrayed. Certainly, his aunt and gran would have heard from the head teacher if that had been the case. Still, she asked them if Kimmo had returned home from school-or wherever he'd been, she added mentally-at the usual time on the day of his death.
They said he'd been back by six o'clock as usual, and they'd had dinner together as usual as well. Gran did a fry-up, which Kimmo didn't much like because he was watching his figure, and afterwards Aunt Sal did the washing up while Kimmo applied the tea towel to the cutlery and crockery.
"He was the same as always," Aunt Sal said. "Chatting, telling stories, making me laugh till my insides hurt. He had a real way with words. Wasn't a thing in life he couldn't make a drama of and act it out. And sing and dance...the boy could do them like magic."
"'Do them'?" Nkata asked.
"Judy Garland. Liza. Barbra. Dietrich. Even Carol Channing when he put on the wig." He'd been working hard lately at Sarah Brightman, Aunt Sal said, only the high notes were a trial for him and