Page 52 of Fortune's Ashes
I gave a wan smile. There were only so many times I could say the same thing. ‘Ma’am, I am just peachy.’
Barnes sighed, but at least she said nothing more.
* * *
I submittedto the DNA swab, then I was directed to an interview room where Jon Barber was waiting. He stood up as I entered but I waved him back to his seat. ‘I’ve been told what’s happened,’ he said. ‘I’m very sorry.’
I appreciated his concern. ‘Thank you.’
He pushed a hand through his hair. His grey suit was rumpled and there were shadows under his eyes; he looked as if he’d had less sleep in recent days than I had. However, he still projected the same calm aura. He’d not been scared away by my Cassandra revelation, or by the shocking events of the last twenty-four hours. Although he looked younger than me, I had no doubts about his capabilities.
‘Here.’ He reached into his briefcase and took out a small black phone. ‘It’s pretty basic and there’s no internet function, but at least I’ll be able to call you if I need to.’ He gave me a meaningful look. ‘The way things are moving, I need to be able to contact you.’
I was the prime suspect in a murder investigation and he didn’t want me to skip town on his watch. I chose not to take offence at the implication and accepted the phone. ‘Thanks.’
Barber nodded. ‘There’s something else,’ he said. He picked at an invisible speck of lint on his arm and I suddenly realised that he was still nervous of me and what I could do.
‘Go on,’ I said warily.
‘I looked into the incident you mentioned, the one on Baker Street.’
I stiffened. ‘That has no relevance to anything else that’s going on.’
Barber held up his hands. ‘Hear me out. I’ve spoken to a few different people and it turns out that the attacker was known to the victim.’
I could have guessed that. I shrugged. ‘Okay.’
‘The victim used to work with him at the same tour guide company but she had a hand in getting him fired when he started embezzling funds. He held a grudge. His computer has been impounded and it’s clear that he’s been stalking her for a long time in a bid to get his revenge.’ Barber leaned forward. ‘As time went on, his hatred towards her grew and he determined to hurt her.’
Jesus. If nothing else, he was now in jail where he belonged.
Barber continued. ‘He’s been interviewed at length and he’s not held anything back. He didn’t just want to kill her, he wanted her to suffer too. He’d planned to wait until her tour group arrived – he thought you were part of that group and that’s why he approached when he did. He was going to attack everyone in the group before he attacked her. He wanted her to watch while he destroyed her livelihood.’ He paused. ‘But she survived and she’s recovering in hospital. He didn’t kill anyone becauseyouintervened. You weren’t the impetus for his attack – you stopped it from being far worse.’
I wanted to believe him. ‘You don’t know that for sure.’
‘But I do. He didn’t just have the knife and the concealed blade in his boot, he was carrying a gun in his bag. He didn’t have time to get it out because of you. Your vision saved a bunch of people.’
I stared at him, then licked my lips. My mouth felt as dry as sandpaper. ‘You’re sure?’
Barber smiled. ‘I am.’
Inevitably my mind turned to the vision I’d had before I’d driven here. Was there a way to stop it from happening after all? ‘Two of my three colleagues are in intensive care after an accident last night. I received no visions, no prophecies,nothing.’
Barber met my eyes. ‘Maybe that’s because there’s nothing you could have done to stop it from happening.’ He paused for a long moment. ‘It’s worth thinking about.’
I leaned back in my chair. Perhaps it was.
Something inside me had eased slightly by the time that Barnes and Katling came into the interview room. I smiled at them both, even DI Katling who was as grim faced as ever. ‘I’ll answer all your questions with as much detail and honesty as I can,’ I said, pre-empting any dark warnings from either of them.
‘As you should,’ Katling snapped.
Barnes merely smiled. ‘Where were you last night between the hours of six and nine?’
Liza must have left Supe Squad at six, and Lukas’s phone had rung with news of the fire just after nine. ‘I was with my boyfriend, Lukas Horvath,’ I told him. ‘At our flat.’
If Barnes was surprised at my confirmation that our relationship was back on, she didn’t show it. ‘We will require a statement from Lord Horvath.’
‘I’m sure that won’t be a problem,’ I replied.
