Page 71 of Murder in the Family

JJ NORTON – off

The night Luke died you were at a dinner in Cambridge, right?

RUPERT HOWARD

Correct. What our Oxford counterparts would call a ‘gaudy’.

(rather condescendingly)

That’s a reunion dinner. For my year.

JJ NORTON – off

I do know what a gaudy is. One of your fellow alumni says you went out to make a call during the dinner.

RUPERT HOWARD

I don’t really recall.

JJ NORTON – off

This person also told us that you said there was an ‘emergency’ re DP that needed ‘sorting out’.

RUPERT HOWARD

(frowning)

I have no recollection of that.

JJ NORTON – off

That’s an odd form of words for him to use if it didn’t happen. He says you always referred to home as ‘DP’.

RUPERT HOWARD

(dismissive)

Look, Caroline was absolutely hopeless about the house. Things were always going wrong or needing to be fixed. Washing machines, plumbing, that sort of stuff. And the garden was in a complete state—

JJ NORTON – off

And she calledyouwhen things like that went wrong? Even though by all accounts you weren’t that close?

RUPERT HOWARD

(his eyes narrowing)

On occasion.

JJ NORTON – off

You’re a dab hand at plumbing, are you? Spot of decorating? DIY?

Rupert gives a withering look in his direction but says nothing.

JJ NORTON – off

In any case, we know you didn’t call her that particular evening. There were no calls from your mobile to hers that night. And none to the house either. We checked.

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