‘Dead.’
Ryker had noticed various happy pictures of the family as he’d walked through the house. Mother, father and daughter. ‘I’m sorry,’ Ryker said, feeling somewhat lame for his bland response.
‘It’s fine. It was years ago. Cancer.’
‘Why did you move here? To Spain, I mean.’
‘For my father’s work. He’s a–’
‘Property developer.’
‘Yes.’
‘And that’s how he knows Patrick Walker. And how the two of you came to know each other.’
Eva said nothing, but Ryker could see a sliver of vulnerability in her eyes. Walker was obviously not a happy subject for her.
‘Why do you want to speak to me?’ Eva said, more cagey than before. ‘I told you, I already gave my statement.’
‘Tell me what you know about Kim Walker.’
‘I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask that. I barely knew her.’
‘Okay. Then how long have you known Patrick Walker?’
Eva paused for a few seconds as though trying to figure out the correct answer. Or perhaps whether or not to tell the truth. ‘Eight years. A bit more maybe. But I was a girl then, I didn’t really know him. Just that he was a colleague of my father’s. They’ve worked on projects together for years now.’
‘And he hadn’t met Kim Walker at that point, when he started working with your father?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘So how did Patrick meet Kim?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t know? She turned up one day by his side and you never asked or heard why?’
‘I told you, I was a girl. I can’t really remember the first time I met her. Perhaps you should be asking Patrick these questions, not me.’
‘Did Kim know about the affair?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Eva said after a moment of silence. She was now looking anywhere but at Ryker. ‘I certainly never told her. And I don’t think Patrick did. What we were doing, it wasn’t serious. I didn't ever expect him to leave her, and he never said he wanted to. It was just fun.’
Ryker huffed at Eva’s heartless statement. She really was a piece of work. ‘So when did you start sleeping with him?’
Eva gave Ryker a cold glare. Gone now was any nicety. ‘Maybe you should read my statement.’
‘Come on, it’s not a hard question. And I’m not trying to trick you.’
She sighed. ‘Fine. It was recent. About six months ago.’
‘And how long have you wanted to sleep with him?’ Ryker asked with a wry smile.
‘Why the hell are you asking me these questions?’
‘I’m just interested. I mean how exactly does a twenty-three-year-old girl end up in bed with a married man in his forties?’
‘I’m sure you can use your imagination. Even someone like you must have had sex before.’
Someone like you. Ryker didn’t seek to clarify what she meant by that even though the choice of words intrigued him. ‘But who was the seducer. You or him?’
‘If all you’re interested in is petty gossip then I think it’s about time you left.’
‘And so do I,’ came an angry male voice from behind Ryker.
Ryker turned to see a pint-sized man standing behind him. He was a good eight or nine inches shorter than Ryker. Scrawny too. But he had a confident and arrogant look on his well-tanned face, together with piercing dark eyes. He was late forties, maybe early fifties, and dressed smartly in blue pressed trousers and a cotton shirt with a thick-knotted tie.
‘Andrei Kozlov, I’m guessing,’ Ryker said, not in the least bit surprised or put off by Kozlov’s entrance. In fact, the second Eva had left him alone to go and shower he’d wondered how long it would be before company turned up. He’d been in two minds as to whether it would be her lawyer or Daddy that she called about the unexpected visitor. Clearly the latter was still her main comfort blanket.
‘Yes,’ Kozlov said. ‘And you are?’
‘James Ryker.’
‘What are you doing in my house?’ His voice was raspy – too much smoking or too much shouting. Maybe both.
‘He says he’s with the police,’ Eva said, getting to her feet and looking her confident self again.
‘With the police?’ Kozlov questioned. ‘So are you a policeman or are you not?’
‘Not,’ Ryker said. ‘Just helping with their enquiries. Into the murder of Kim Walker.’
‘He was asking me about Patrick and Kim,’ Eva said.
‘She doesn’t know anything,’ Kozlov said with distaste. ‘And if you want to talk to anyone in my family again you do it with my lawyer present. I already made that point clear to your colleague.’
‘Certainly,’ Ryker said. ‘You can call your lawyer now if you like?’
‘No, I would not like that. Who exactly are you?’
‘I already said. I’m James Ryker.’
‘Yes, I know that, but who do you work for?’
‘The British Home Office.’
‘You can be sure that you haven’t heard the last about this intrusion. Now get out of my house.’
Ryker shrugged. He couldn’t care less about Kozlov’s little power trip. He moved toward Kozlov in the doorway. Kozlov, looking slightly less confident with the figure of Ryker bearing down on him, moved to one side. Ryker stepped past and walked down the hall, sensing that both Kozlov and Eva had followed him out of the room. Ryker stopped and turned.
‘One more thing.’ He looked over at Eva, who was standing behind her father. ‘You never did tell me what you and Patrick were arguing about this morning. Why he grabbed you like that. Quite a temper on that man. I was sure he was going to hit you.’
‘Go!’ Kozlov said, his face creasing with anger.
Eva smiled, the same wicked smile she’d given Ryker earlier in the day. Then she stuck out her tongue. Ryker couldn’t help but smirk at the deliberately childish gesture. Kozlov spun round to look at his daughter but she’d already resumed her passive look.
Yes, she was a trouble-maker, no doubt about it. Ryker didn’t trust her. But he was certainly intrigued.
Ryker began moving again, into the kitchen.
‘Where are you going?’ Kozlov shouted, rushing up behind Ryker. ‘I told you to leave.’
Ryker stopped and turned to face down Kozlov. ‘Heading out the same way I came in.’
Kozlov didn’t blink as he stared at Ryker. ‘There’s an old saying my grandmother told me many years ago; when you can’t be sure of the ground beneath your feet, the best course is to turn back. And my advice to you, Mr Ryker, is to turn back now. Before it’s too late for you.’
Ryker held his tongue at the thinly-veiled threat. Or perhaps it was merely a friendly warning. Either way, it took Ryker back to the conversation with Green at the restaurant. It seemed everyone in Andalusia was concerned for Ryker’s wellbeing.
‘Thank you for the hospitality,’ Ryker said looking at Eva. ‘And Andrei?’ Ryker stomped his shoe on the shiny marble tile underfoot. ‘The ground I’m standing on is as solid as can be. But thank you for the advice. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.’
‘Be careful what you wish for, Mr Ryker.’