studies me closely. ‘You say you tried some of them? You and your friend?’
I shrug. ‘Once or twice. They didn’t have much effect, to be honest.’
He frowns. ‘Unlike Kimberley’s death. That must have had quite an impact on both of you – especially your friend, losing her sister like that.’
‘Yes.’ I’m rigid, trying not to show my irritation, because it was what everyone had said. Poor Emily. No-one thought about me. Nor did they care what happened to me, after.
DI Lacey looks thoughtful. ‘Is the grandmother still alive?’
PC Page shakes her head. ‘I don’t imagine so. Ms Reid told us she moved there after the old woman who’d lived there for years died. We’re trying to get hold of records of ownership of the house, but for some reason, there’s been a hold up.’ She pauses. ‘Odd isn’t it.’ She looks straight at me. ‘Like you said – why would someone send a letter like that after all this time?’
‘Really odd.’ I stare at the table. ‘That family went through so much when Kimberley died. After all this time, it’s hard to imagine why someone would want to stir it up.’
The DI frowns. ‘This line, about how the truth has been hidden, but that you were the person who knows what really went on … Do you have any idea what they’re getting at?’
I look up at him. ‘Other than the grandmother shouldn’t have felt responsible, not really.’
His frown deepens. ‘Wasn’t she responsible, though? If she stored potentially harmful substances somewhere teenagers could easily access them?’
I look at them both. ‘She kept them in a locked part of the garden, behind a stone wall. It wasn’t that easy to get into. You had to want to.’ Realising it sounds as though I’m defending her, I add, ‘But maybe you’re right.’
When neither of them speaks, I stand up. ‘Will that be all? I have another meeting I really can’t miss.’ I hold my breath, waiting for them to tell me that’s all for now, that if there’s anything else they’d be in touch.
But he holds my gaze a little too long, speaks a little too lightly. ‘Ms Rose. Sit down, please. We’ve only just started. I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere.’
Chapter Thirty
For a moment, I’m silent. Then I shake my head. ‘I’m sorry. I really do have to go. I’m already behind with meetings. I can come back another time. I haven’t been arrested.’
‘If you’re determined to leave, you’ll give us no choice.’ PC Page is very calm, leaving me in no doubt she means it.
‘On what grounds? You don’t have anything, other than an anonymous letter clearly written by some kind of crackpot.’
‘I think you’ll find suspicion of perverting the course of justice would fit quite well.’ The DI breaks off, his eyes not leaving me, as he adds, ‘Would you kindly sit down?’
Uneasy, I do as he asks, my mind racing again as I try to think who might have sent the letter; wondering what’s coming next.
DI Lacey shuffles through the papers in front of him until he finds what he’s looking for. ‘At the post-mortem, there were traces of a number of things in Kimberley’s blood, most notably salvia, rose, calendula, none of which are dangerous, but there were also hemlock and digitalis. She suffered respiratory collapse caused by the hemlock, but even without that, the levels of digitalis would have affected her heart, eventually causing cardiac arrest. That’s some cocktail to take by accident.’
I shake my head. ‘Maybe one of the jars had been mislabelled.’
‘Maybe someone mislabelled it deliberately?’ DI Lacey’s voice is misleadingly light. ‘Maybe it wasn’t an accident. Maybe it was done intentionally.’
I stare at him, a look of horror on my face. ‘Why?’
Ignoring me, he goes on. ‘Tell me about the sisters. How did Kimberley and Emily get on? Were they close?’
‘Not particularly, but they didn’t dislike each other, either. As I said, Emily and I used to hang out together. And Kimberley had a boyfriend …’ I break off, silently cursing. Another mistake. No doubt DI Lacey will be straight onto it.
He is. ‘Did that cause any problems between them? Jealousy, for example?’
I hesitate. ‘Things were different, obviously, compared to before he was on the scene.’
‘In what way?’
‘Kimberley was quite obsessed with him. He came to see her most days, but like I said, Emily and I had each other. It wasn’t a problem.’
‘Are you and Emily still in touch?’
I shake my head. ‘After I changed schools, we drifted apart – like so