Page 81 of Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate)
Which I’d have laid money on (a) being a lie and (b) meaning nothing flattering to yours truly.
“And then everyone started talking about plumbers in general, and that was when Daddy mentioned the plumber he’d had round recently, and how he’d charged a fortune just to replace a washer. But he wasn’t the only one. Everybody was chipping in with stories of dreadfully extortionate tradesmen.”
Phil leaned forward. “Going back to when they were talking about Tom, who first brought up the subject?”
“I don’t know.” She stared us out. “I don’t remember, all right? Look, I’ve told the police all this already.”
Interesting.
“What was the tone of the conversation?” Phil went on.
Vi made a face. “Do I really have to go through it all again?”
Yep, I thought. Definitely twenty-nine going on fifteen.
Phil did his granite-statue impersonation. “Did anyone there seem particularly hostile towards Tom?”
“Oh no. Actually, Lance was defending you.” She turned to me with an earnest look, apparently not noticing she’d just contradicted herself.
“Against what?” Phil had noticed, all right.
“Oh, Uncle Arlo’s a total sceptic. He didn’t mean anything by it,” she added hastily.
“By what?”
“All the things he said about people who pretended to be in contact with the dead to prey on their relatives. Which is silly, because you haven’t tried to prey on us at all, have you?”
I shook my head. It seemed to be called for.
She hesitated. “Can you speak to them? The dead? I mean, I’m not sure I want to hear what Amelia would have to say anyway, but, well, can you?”
I made a face I hope conveyed my meaning sufficiently.
Phil wasn’t taking chances. “No. He can’t.”
Was that a sigh of relief on Vi’s part?
“So anyone present could have got ideas from that conversation?”
“Yes, but . . . You’re not saying one of them tried to kill Tom? That’s ridiculous. You might as well accuse me.”
Phil’s stare stayed stony, and Vi paled a bit.
“Can you tell me how many of them might have had access to your home that day?”
“Just what are you suggesting?”
Come on, love. You’re not that dumb. Even I could work out what he was suggesting here: that someone had sneaked in, tampered with the plumbing, and then waited to see who she was gonna call.
And if DI Sharp hadn’t come up with the same idea, he really ought to think about changing his name.
“Could someone have got in without you or your father knowing? Was there someone in the house all day?”
“Not all day. I took Daddy out for some fresh air. Just a drive in the country.”
Huh. So no witnesses, I was betting.
“We were only gone an hour or so,” she added defensively.
