Page 174 of The Last Love Song
‘Detective Sergeant Pearson here, Mr Bradley. Sorry to disturb you but can I come in? I need a word with Mr Daly.’
‘Sure.’
Con was standing behind him, stark naked.
‘We have a copper that wants a word with you. Go and preserve your decency and I’ll let him in.’
Todd ushered the policeman up the stairs and into the sitting room. Con emerged in a pair of jeans.
‘Sorry about the hour, gentlemen, but we have good news.’
Both men watched him silently.
‘This afternoon a woman was noted hanging around outside this house. One of our surveillance team watched her for a while and then questioned her. She became quite obnoxious and refused to show the officer the contents of her handbag. She was arrested and taken down to the station. In her handbag we found this.’
Pearson pulled out a piece of paper, the familiar newspaper lettering filling one side, and placed it on the table.
SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR THE LAST TIME.
‘The woman told us that Mr Daly and herself had at one time been lovers, and then Mr Daly had dumped her for his wife.’
‘What? Sorcha and I were together from the first moment I arrived in London,’ murmured Con.
‘Quite, sir. On further investigation, we discovered that the woman in question has been in and out of mental institutions for the past twenty-five years. She’s a manic depressive with a history of petty crime. She confessed to sending all those threatening letters to your Hampstead house.’
‘So you think this is your woman?’
‘Absolutely, Mr Daly. Her fingerprints match up to those on the letter she sent you last week, and on the ones we have on file from seventeen years ago.’
‘Do you think she would have tried something tomorrow?’
‘Who can tell? Anyway, the point is, she is now safely under lock and key and you can relax.’
‘Excellent news, isn’t it, Con?’ said Todd.
‘That it is,’ he said.
Pearson stood up. ‘Well, I’ll say goodbye and let you gentlemen sleep for what’s left of the night. And my best wishes for tomorrow.’
‘Thank you.’ Con stood up and shook his hand. ‘And thank you for all your hard work on my behalf. I’m sorry to waste police time.’
‘Not at all. It’s what we’re here for.’
Todd saw the policeman out. Con stood by the window and looked outside into the dark, wondering why he didn’t feel more relieved.
55
The Fishermen had been asked to arrive at the stadium by four o’clock. Backstage, the chaos was unbelievable.
‘Blimey, listen to that roar.’ Todd was peering through a crack in one of the flats backstage, watching a well-known band finish their set.
‘The sound of eighty thousand people,’ smiled Freddy. ‘You’ve performed to larger audiences in the past.’
‘Never with such a great atmosphere, though.’
‘Helped by the weather of course.’ Ian looked up at the crystal-blue sky. ‘Can you imagine if it had pissed down?’
‘With the atmosphere that’s out there today I think it could have snowed and it wouldn’t have mattered.’
