“It is. Yeah. He got me on my mobile. In my car. I expect he knew that bit of it, that I was in my car, but he didn’t know where I was or where I was going and he had no idea I was going to be able to go to Falmouth at all. He just asked if I would look into a few details concerning her background. As it was, I could go to Falmouth. And as it wasn’t far out of the way from where I was heading?which was here, of course?I thought I could go there before?”
“Are you mad? It’s miles and miles out of the God damn way. What is it with you two?” Bea demanded. “Do you always go your own way in an investigation or am I the first of your colleagues to be so honoured?”
“With due respect, ma’am,” Lynley began.
“Do not call me ma’am.”
“With due respect, Inspector,” Lynley said, “I’m not part of the investigation. Not officially. I’m not even an”?he sought a term?“an official official.”
“Are you trying to be amusing, Superintendent Lynley?”
“Not at all. I’m merely trying to point out that once you informed me I’d be assisting you despite my own wishes in the matter?”
“You’re a bloody material witness. No one cares about your wishes. What did you expect? To go merrily on your way?”
“Which makes it even more irregular,” he said.
“He’s right,” Havers added, “if you don’t mind me saying.”
“Of course I mind. I bloody well mind. We’re not playing fast and loose with the chain of command. Despite your rank,” she said to Lynley, “I’m running this investigation, not you. You are not in the position to assign activities to anyone, including Sergeant Havers, and if you think you are?”
“He didn’t know,” Havers said. “I could have told him I was on my way here when he rang me, but I didn’t. I could have told him I was under orders?”
“What orders?” Lynley asked.
“?but I didn’t. You knew I’d be here eventually?”
“Whose orders?” Lynley asked.
“?so when he rang, it didn’t seem that irregular?”
“Whose orders?” Lynley asked.
“You know whose orders,” Havers told him.
“Has Hillier sent you down here?”
“What do you think? You could just walk out? No one would care? No one would worry? No one would want to intervene? Do you actually think you could disappear, that you mean so little to?”
“All right, all right!” Bea said. “Retire to your corners. My God. Enough.” She took a steadying breath. “This stops here. And now. All right? You”?to Havers?“are on loan to me. Not to him. I can see there were ulterior motives involved in the offer to send you to assist, but whatever those motives were you’re going to have to deal with them on your own time, not on mine. And you”?to Lynley?“will from this moment be straightforward with what you’re doing and what you know. Am I being clear?”
“You are,” Lynley said. Havers nodded, but Lynley could see that she was hot under the collar and wanting to say more. Not to Hannaford, but to him.
“Fine. Excellent. Now let’s take Daidre Trahair from the start and this time let’s not hold anything back. Am I also being clear on that?”
“You are.”
“Lovely. Regale me with details.”
Lynley knew there was nothing more for it. “There appears to be no Dairdre Trahair prior to her enrollment at her secondary comprehensive at thirteen years of age,” he said. “And although she says she was born at home in Falmouth, there’s also no record of her birth. Additionally, parts of her story about her job in Bristol don’t match up with the facts.”
“Which parts?”
“There’s a Daidre Trahair who’s a vet on staff, but the person she identified to me as her friend Paul?he’s supposedly the primate keeper?doesn’t exist.”
“You didn’t tell me that part,” Havers said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lynley sighed. “She just doesn’t seem…I can’t honestly see her as a murderer. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for her.”
“More difficult than what?” Hannaford asked.
“I don’t know. It seems…I admit there’s something going on with her. I just don’t think it has anything to do with the murder.”
“And are you supposing you’re in any condition to make that sort of judgement?” Hannaford said.