Faith - Lesley Pearse [124]
‘He could have been a policeman,’ Stuart said. ‘You know, PC Growler! The very nature of a cop’s job makes it a lot easier for them to have affairs than other men. And keep it hushed up.’
‘How could you track him down?’ Laura asked.
‘I could try going back to see Gloria, the barmaid in Cellardyke,’ Stuart said. ‘I think she knew more about Jackie than she was prepared to tell me. A second visit and a few drinks might make her open up.’
‘I really liked Gloria,’ Laura said, smiling as she remembered the many chats they’d had in the past. ‘And she did know Jackie very well – they used to drop in on each other all the time.’
‘She liked you too,’ Stuart said. ‘And just for the record, she’s another firmly on your side.’
Laura beamed. Discovering that two people she cared about were on her side was like striking gold.
‘Is there anyone that might want to stitch you up, Laura?’ David asked.
‘A cast of millions,’ she said ruefully. ‘But it isn’t feasible that any of them could have done it. How could they be sure I’d turn up at the right moment?’
‘On the face of it I agree that it’s not likely,’ Stuart said. ‘But the more I’ve puzzled over it, the more I’m sure whoever did do it knew both of you well enough to gauge your reactions accurately. I’m certain there was an incident at Brodie Farm earlier that morning, and I think it’s very probable that the person involved overheard Jackie call you. Maybe they knew that whatever game they had would be up if the pair of you put your heads together. But they must have had a real grievance against you too, or why would they wait to kill Jackie until you were due to arrive?’
‘To muddy the waters?’ Laura suggested.
‘Possibly, but most murders are done on the spur of the moment out of panic or extreme anger. Most of us would calm down and change our minds if we had to wait. But if you had a grudge against the person who was due to arrive, you could nurse your wrath, knowing it would be killing two birds with one stone. So let’s think who could be mad enough with Jackie to kill her, and hate you enough to want to see you punished for it.’
‘Jackie’s husband, Roger, could fit those criteria,’ David pointed out. ‘I’m not convinced from what you’ve told me about him that his separation from Jackie was as amicable as he claimed. And he had a lot to gain if Jackie died. You also said he flew off the handle about Laura.’
‘But Goldsmith said he was questioned by the police, and that he was proved to be in London at the time,’ Stuart said. ‘Besides, the forensic report stated that the position of the stab wound indicated it was either made by a woman or a man less than five feet nine. Roger is well over six feet tall.’
‘That might be correct if the attacker just struck out wildly, but not if they aimed for her heart with the intention of killing. And people do fake alibis,’ David said sagely. ‘You know him pretty well, Stuart – does he have the kind of friends who would lie for him?’
‘I don’t know about friends,’ Stuart replied. ‘His alibi was that he was seen on his building site on both the day of the murder and the following one. A great many men come and go on a building site in the course of a day; anyone would be hard pressed to remember exactly who was there and who wasn’t. But anyone thinking his job was on the line might say he saw him there.’
‘Then maybe we should find the man who gave him the alibi and question him?’ David suggested.
‘That could prove difficult. Builders come and go, as I said, and even if we could track him down, I doubt he’d tell us anything different,’ Stuart sighed.
‘Roger would cheerfully see me hang just for a parking fine.’ Laura frowned. ‘He’s always disliked me. But I can’t really believe he’d kill Jackie. Things were good between them. Jackie would have told me if there was anything wrong.’
‘Would she?’ Stuart questioned. ‘I’m not so sure about that, Laura, not if it had anything to do with you, like helping you get your shop.’
‘Maybe, but she would have told Belle. There’s no