Page 66 of The Mercy Chair

‘But now you’re demonstrating it. I have something to give you, Sergeant Poe, something I maybe should have given the police in 2012.’

‘But I can have it?’

‘You can.’

‘Why me?’

‘I’ve been waiting for you.’

‘Me?’

‘Someonelikeyou.’

‘What is it you want to give me?’

‘Not yet.’

‘OK,’ Poe said. ‘Whatever it is, why didn’t you give it to the police in 2012?’

‘Because, taken superficially, it’s damning evidence against my friend.’

‘Then why risk giving it to me?’

‘I left you the note as a test, Sergeant Poe. If you were interested enough for it to lead you to Eve, I figured you might be worth my time. None of the police officers I spoke to back then were. They thought Bethany butchered her family and they weren’t considering other ideas.’

‘Have you spoken to Eve?’

‘Not since she came back to Cumbria.’

‘Why not?’

Alice shrugged. ‘She partly blames me for what happened. She thinks Bethany killed her entire family and, because I was her friend, I must have known what she was planning.’

She paused to sip her green tea. Bradshaw, who hadn’t yet spoken, had finished hers fifteen minutes ago. Poe drained his cold coffee.

‘How do I know you’re not spinning me a yarn?’ Poe said. ‘You claimed back in 2012 that Bethany was your friend, but we have only your word for that. There’s no one left to confirm it; they’re either dead or in the wind.’

She eyed him over the rim of her mug. ‘You could always go back to Underbarrow and ask Eve,’ she said. ‘But you’re missing the point.’

‘Then whatisthe point?’

‘That if you took everything at face value then you’d be of no use to me. The very fact you’re doubting me makes you the right person.’

‘For what?’

‘Did you know Bethany wasn’t allowed any possessions, Sergeant Poe?’ Alice said, switching lanes without indicating.

‘From what I gather, none of the Bowman kids were allowed possessions. Eve said they didn’t even have mobile phones. She gave us some photographs of Bethany and they were those old Polaroids. The ones that whirred out of the bottom of the camera. You had to waft them about until they were dry.’

‘That’s true.’

‘Well then, was it not just a case of unconventional parenting? Three children have an extremely religious upbringing – two of them accept it, one of them doesn’t. I’m from the generation that played outside, Alice – if I were a parent, and I appreciate I’m not so my view isn’t born from experience, I wouldn’t want my kids to have mobile phones and Ataris and—’

‘Ataris? You really are a buffoon, Poe,’ Bradshaw said.

‘Eh?’

‘Tilly thinks you’re a dinosaur, Sergeant Poe,’ Alice said, smiling for the first time.

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