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14
Shortly after a sumptuous meal, Flynn broadcast the appearance of Daniel Coughlin, who had tutored Tina mathematics in school.
"It's an honour to meet you, Mr Noone and you, DCI Burton," Coughlin said. "I'll be happy to help you however I can, even though I cannot visualise what I am able to tell you that would be of any assistance. It has been such a long time since I last saw Tina, and I have no idea who could have murdered her."
"But you knew Tina? You schooled her?" I asked. "We're basically fascinated in what you witnessed. Anything you tell us now could hypothetically be advantageous later."
"I'm glad to hear it," said Coughlin. "I shall undoubtedly tell you anything I can."
"What were your first feelings of Tina?" I asked.
"We knew about her before we met her," replied the teacher. "She had done her GCSE in maths at primary school and got a B at an intermediary level. She took the higher-level GCSE a couple of months later and got an A!"
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IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 15
I ripped through the other papers in my usual speedy manner, slowing down only once and then not for long. "Not much of substance in the papers today, Sandra," I said. "The Mail On Sunday has an article that might prove interesting, but in all the other newspapers, nothing. So, we seem to be on our own for the moment."Having cast an eye over all the papers, I left them in an unkempt pile, needing Sandra's help, a task we almost completed when Flynn knocked on the door."Lunch is ready," he said. "We can eat when you have finished."A few minutes later, we united with the family in the dining room, where Flynn introduced us to Tina's sister Maggie and her husband, James. Once again, we conveyed our commiserations, and once again, family members acknowledged us for our attention to Tina's death."We'll talk after lunch," I said, and we sat down to eat.We had nearly finished a New York-style cheesecake for dessert when Flynn got up to answer the doo
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 16
"Bloody hell!!" I shouted in a burst of anger. "The bastards!""I'm very sorry," said Maggie Plume, visibly shaken by my outburst.I looked at her."I am not angry with you.""That's what it looked like," she replied."I'm angry at what has happened to your family." I answered. "It's a bloody disgrace."My voice trailed off, leaving a quietness which no one risked breaking.Finally, calming myself, I turned to James Plume."Have you sold your house yet, Dr Plume?""No, we haven't," he replied."Can you take it off the market for a while?" I asked."I suppose we can. But Why? How? I'm sorry," James Plume said, "but I don't understand. How did you know we were trying to sell our house and how did you know I'm a doctor? And what do any of these things have to do with Tina?""I make it my business to know things," I said. "If I were you, I would take my home off the market, if only to keep unwelcome visi
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 43
The post arrived just as Sandra had finished making some ham and pickle sandwiches and handing me an envelope, with flowery handwriting. "Georgina Lyall will call on us at four o'clock this afternoon." "Is she one of the two good-looking blondes Hector recommended you had better get in touch with?" Sandra asked. "Certainly, she is. Unfortunately, I am not aware of anything else about her, or her association with this case, but I am sure we will find out rapidly enough." As expected, my forecast showed to be correct. Georgina Lyall appeared shortly before four and introduced herself with an astonishing declaration. "I would have come earlier had I known you were involved in the case, Mr Noone," she said. "I am so grateful for your letter." "Please sit down," I said, "and tell us, from the start, how you came to be involved in Tina's case." "It was through my job," she replied. "I'm a fashion stylist, and I teach at Homerton Coll
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 17
"What was all that about?" Sandra asked when we had established ourselves in our hotel room."What was all what about?" I replied"I'm not sure I understood your discussion with Maggie and James, " I said. "How did you know they were advertising their home? And why are the Metropolitan police trying to keep her quiet?""According to the media," I said, "Tina's colleagues called in the police at MI6, who became anxious after not noticing her at work for some time. But there have been contradictory accounts," I resumed. "And according to one, it was Maggie who called the police. Usually, a sole disputing account would not entice much of my consideration. Nevertheless, somebody printed that reporting the Haliheved Chronicle. Why? Some other features of that report were very peculiar. It gave the actual name of the street where Maggie and James live, it gave the name of the hospital where they both work, it stated that their home was for sale, and it even quoted the
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 18
"Wake up, Sandra!" I said, shaking her by the shoulder. "Wake up, darling!""What is it?" She asked sleepily."You've overslept again. We must catch a train and get back to London," I said. "I've got you breakfast for you, but you must get moving."She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and started to regain her bearings. I gestured toward the table upon which a tray of breakfast awaited her. A second tray, empty, showed her that I had already eaten."I'm sorry," Sandra said. "I have so much trouble getting to sleep recently. And then, when I do finally drop off, I am woken up by the most horrible dreams.""Dreams about what we're looking into?" I asked."Yes," She said."Dreaming of Tina Davis in the bag?""Why, yes? How did you guess?""With her arms and legs contorted behind her?""That's the strangest part. I know it can't be, and yet in my mind, I keep trying to see it that way.""That's the power of the lie, Sa
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 19
"Have you any theories ?," Sandra asked me, "which would clear up the rumours you have been relating, with their secretive conferences and unexpected relocations?""I have established seven," he replied, "some more credible than others.""Which of them are most likely?""The first question in my mind," I answered, "is whether the media is reporting the truth. If not, we must work with theories regarding the intelligence service, the police, and the press. But if the media are correct, we are getting sights into the life of Tina Davis. Let's assume the rumours of these two mystifying couples are true. It's pure conjecture, of course. But where does it take us? Suppose she were immersed in undertakings of which she knew MI6 would have a problem with. How would she contact her colleagues? She'd been working for GCHQ, the eavesdropping service, for a decade, decoding bugged exchanges, unless the media has that wrong, so she would know better than to suppose her phon
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 20
Hector Nelson appeared in the doorway, and I greeted him warmly as Cross departed. Nelson seemed subdued as he shook hands with Sandra and me in turn."Please sit down, Hector," I said, motioning toward an armchair, "and tell us what's going on.""I'm sorry," Nelson replied, "but I no longer need of your help.""No longer needed?" I said, amazed. "Have you solved the crime?""No, nothing like that," Nelson said, laughing sadly. "I've been taken off the case.""When did this happen?" I asked"Saturday afternoon. I was just finishing tidying up my desk, when I got called in to see my supervisor and told me we had plenty of officers on the case, and other cases more important ones to solve, and I've been reassigned to a new case-load starting today. So I put the ad in the paper as soon as got told, but they didn't run it until Sunday, and you said twenty-four hours, and that's why it said Monday in the ad.""Don't worry," I said when he
IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD 21
"What facets of the Tina Davis case were you allotted to examine?" I asked."I looked into some captivating details," Nelson replied, "such as where she purchased her suits.""Where she acquired her suits?" I exclaimed."Yes, and how she paid for them.""Tell us all about it," I demanded."In the cupboard of her flat we found six boxes of fashionable clothing, all for men. There were shirts, jackets, trousers and shoes, all from big-name stylists. None of the items had ever been worn, or even opened. All the buttons on the shirts were still done up, all the packaging intact. The assortment, though small, was worth in the area of twenty to twenty-five thousand pounds. I had the privilege of tracking the acquisitions, finding out where each item came from and how much it cost, how she paid for it all and when. Mesmerising details, but I couldn’t see how any of this had any bearing on the case.""You can't?" I asked."No.&rdq
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