“I’m having whoever’s out on patrol in your area head to Alsperyl.”
“Don’t do that. If I need backup, I can easily phone the Casvelyn station for it.”
“I don’t care what you can and cannot do. There’s Pete to consider, and if it comes down to it, there’s myself as well. I won’t rest easy unless I know you’ve got proper backup. Christ, this is bloody irregular.”
“As you’ve said.”
“Who’s with you at present?”
“Sergeant Havers.”
“Another woman? Where the hell is Lynley? What about that sergeant from the station? He looked like he had half a wit about him. For God’s sake, Bea?”
“Ray. This bloke’s round seventy years old. He’s got some sort of palsy. If we can’t take care of ourselves round him, we need to be carted off.”
“Nonetheless?”
“Good-bye, darling.” She rang off and shoved the mobile into her bag.
Shortly after she finished her phone calls?also telling Collins and McNulty at the Casvelyn station where she was?Ben Kerne arrived. He got out of his car and zipped his windcheater to the chin. He glanced at Jago Reeth’s Defender in some apparent confusion. He then saw Bea and Havers parked next to the lichenous stone wall that defined the churchyard and he walked over to them. As he approached, they got out of the car. Jago Reeth did likewise.
Bea saw that Jago Reeth’s eyes were fixed on Santo Kerne’s father. She saw that his expression had altered from the easy affability that he’d shown them in the Salthouse Inn. Now his features fairly blazed. She imagined it was the look seasoned warriors had once worn when they finally had the necks of their enemies beneath their boots and a sword pressing into their throats.
Jago Reeth said nothing to any of them. He merely jerked his head towards a kissing gate at the west end of the car park, next to the church’s notice board.
Bea spoke. “If we’re meant to attend you, Mr. Reeth, then I have a condition as well.”
He raised an eyebrow, the extent to which he apparently intended to communicate until they got to his preferred destination.
“Put your hands on the bonnet and spread your legs. And trust me, I’m not interested in checking to see what sort of cobblers you’ve got.”
Jago cooperated. Havers and Bea patted him down. His only weapon was a biro. Havers took this and tossed it over the wall into the churchyard. Jago’s expression said, Satisfied?
Bea said, “Carry on.”
He headed in the direction of the kissing gate. He did not wait there to see if they were accompanying him. He was, apparently, perfectly certain that they would follow.
Ben Kerne said to Bea, “What’s going on? Why’ve you asked me…? Who is that, Inspector?”
“You’ve not met Mr. Reeth before this?”
“That’s Jago Reeth? Santo spoke about him. The old surfer working for Madlyn’s dad. Santo quite liked him. I’d no idea. No. I’ve not met him.”
“I doubt he’s actually a surfer although he talks the talk. He doesn’t look familiar to you?”
“Should he?”
“As Jonathan Parsons, perhaps.”
Ben Kerne’s lip parted, but he said nothing. He watched Reeth trudging towards the kissing gate. “Where’s he going?” he asked.
“Where he’s willing to talk. To us and to you.” Bea put her hand on Kerne’s arm. “But you’ve no need to listen. You’ve no need to follow him. His condition to speak to us was to have you present and I realise this is half mad and the other half dangerous. But he’s got us?that’s the cops and not you?by the short and curlies and the only way we’re going to get a word from him is to play it his way for now.”
“On the phone, you didn’t say Parsons.”