‘When was the last time you saw them?’
‘Last Sunday,’ Gavin offered. ‘Monthly roast for all the family.’
‘Anything strange or out of the ordinary?’ she asked.
Gavin thought for a moment before shaking his head. ‘Helen was a little quiet, but she normally is around this time.’
‘Why’s that?’ Kim asked.
‘Didn’t the weirdos tell you?’ Zach asked.
Kim shook her head.
‘Mum struggles around March. It’s the twenty-year anniversary of the child she lost.’
Kim waited.
‘Cot death. A girl.’
Kim had wondered at the twelve-year gap between the twins and seventeen-year-old Rosalind.
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Kim said. ‘It must have been a difficult thing for the family to take.’
‘It happens,’ Zach said dismissively. ‘She had two more.’
Kim hid her surprise at his tone. Despite the benefit she was affording him due to his grief, she wasn’t really warming to Zachary Daynes.
‘We’ll need a family member to identify the—’
‘No,’ Zach cried and looked to Gavin, who squeezed his shoulder.
‘Is that something I can do, Inspector?’
Kim nodded and took a card from her pocket. She stood and handed it to him.
‘Give me a call later and we’ll arrange a time.’
He took the card and nodded.
She didn’t sit back down, and Bryant took the hint. He placed the sleeping dog on the sofa and stood.
‘Just to let you know that we’ll be giving a press conference this evening, but we won’t be revealing all the details. It’ll come out over time.’
Zach had already closed his eyes and returned to shut-down mode, but Gavin indicated his understanding. Kim appreciated his assistance.
‘Again, we’re sorry for your loss,’ she said when she reached the front door.
‘Thank you, Inspector.’
‘Our next visit is to Rachel, so I’d imagine she’ll be in touch once we’ve left.’
‘Good luck with that one, Inspector,’ he said before closing the door.
What the hell did he mean by that?
THIRTEEN
Stacey reached for a chocolate brownie from Penn’s Tupperware box. She’d reminded him to take it from his man-bag before he dashed off to attend the post-mortems. Somehow, she’d known she wouldn’t find them so appealing if they’d spent a few hours in the morgue. She hummed as she chewed, still buzzing from the trip they’d taken at the weekend.