Page 41 of Five for Silver

“There’s every reason. If we walk out ofhere now, every news channel will replay footage of us leavingfifteen minutes after stepping inside. It won’t look good.”

“Lucy has gone home.”

“What?” James sprung to his feet, beforewincing, and slapping his hand to his lower back. “What do you meanshe’s gone?”

“I mean, I gave the poor woman her stuffback and let her go. You may be a seasoned detective and used toconfronting men like Vincent, but she isn’t. That man murdered hersister, and you showed him a picture of Harriet without warningher—”

“To jog his memory. That’s why we’re here,”James said. He’d placed the photograph face down on the table afterVincent had left, but picked it up, and looked down at Harriet. Hishand shook, and Chad realized it wasn’t a photograph he held, but aposter with a black and white printed picture of Harriet.

He’d only caught a glimpse of it when Jameshad pressed it against the glass, but now he could see it, foldedover, Harriet’s picture on one side, and a description of her onthe other. Stains and tears marred the page, and the thick creaseline where James had folded it teased breaking in two.

James slipped it back into his breast pocketwithout a word.

“Beautiful.” Chad whispered.

“She was,” James nodded. “So beautiful. Lucywas jealous of that. The attention Harriet got.”

“Attention from you?”

James gave him a hard look, then walked out.Lynn held her breath as he passed, before letting it out in a slowsigh.

“Charming, that one.” Lynn muttered.

Chad got to his feet, tucked all threechairs beneath the table, then left. Lynn locked the door behindhim.

“How long have you worked here?” Chadasked.

“Ten years.”

“And has Vincent ever mentioned Harriet toyou in that time?”

Lynn shook her head. “Not once.”

Romeo’s voice kept floating through hishead.

Vincent Whitehall didn’t kill HarrietHastings.

“Do you think you could so something forme?”

“Depends on what it is?”

“Can you compile me a list of all Vincent’svisitors, all his contacts, phone and address.”

Lynn looked away. “I could try.”

“Try?”

“The system has just been updated from paperto electronic, it’s all a bit of a mess. It … it might take sometime.”

“Time is something I don’t have.”

Lynn nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” Chad said before joggingoutside to catch up with James. Chad caught up with him, frowningat the over-the-top smile he received.

“At least make it seem positive,” Jameshissed.

Chad climbed into the passenger siderefusing to smile and bob his head like a puppet. They drove insilence back to the station, but James kept the fake smileplastered on his face, just in case a journalist sneaked a pictureof their car.

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