‘And until then, that’s what he thought?’
She shrugged. ‘He had wanted a son,’ she said. ‘Made no bones about it. And just as he was getting used to having a daughter for an heir, I went and disappointed him again.’
‘By going into medicine?’ Poe said. ‘By becoming a doctor and training as a pathologist? By becoming a leader in your field?’
‘He’s from a different era, Poe. You can’t judge him by modern standards. I tried for years and it only drove us further apart.’
‘But he was coming round to having a successful daughter?’
‘Slowly. He’s a proud man and I can be … wilful. But, yes, we’d worked things out. He’d attended some of my lectures, which was nice. We would have dinner in Newcastle sometimes. Take in a show at the Theatre Royal. He loved that the Royal Shakespeare Company’s northern home was up here. We went to seeThe Taming of the Shrewlast year and had tickets to seeMeasure for Measurein March.’
Poe wrote down Shakespeare then crossed it out. He didn’t thinkthe Bard was involved. ‘Did he say why he wanted to meet you?’ he said.
‘No, but that’s not unusual. He’s old-fashioned and doesn’t like using his mobile.’
‘OK. What happened next?’
‘It’s all in the statement I made.’
‘I haven’t seen it yet.’
‘I drove to my father’s. The roads had already had a bit of traffic on them by then, so the snow was mostly slush.’
Poe wanted to ask if she had stopped for petrol, or nipped into a shop to buy her dad a bottle of whisky – anything that might explain the missing thirty minutes. The moment he did though, Tai-young Lee would throw him out for disclosing evidence and leading Doyle to a possible explanation. He could ask about facts, he couldn’t suggest things.
‘What then?’ he asked.
‘I parked in front of the house, then used my key to open the door.’
‘In front of the house? Does that mean in a driveway or was it on-street parking?’
Doyle smiled sadly. ‘On the drive, Poe.’
‘And you walked from your car to the front door?’
‘I did.’
‘You didn’t look through a window first?’
‘Why would I have done that?’
‘Fair point. Did you knock or ring the bell?’
‘I have a key.’
‘Was the door locked?’
‘It was.’
‘What did you do after you entered?’
‘I hung up my coat and went to join my father in his study.’
‘How did you know he’d be in there?’
‘He’s always in his study. It’s where his books and paintings are.’
‘Go on.’