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The jiggling and fidgeting has stopped. Leo Ballard sits absolutely still. ‘What do you mean?’
‘One witness says that they saw you and Emily kissing that night, when everyone else was in bed.’
‘Who told you that?’
‘Just answer the question, please. Did you and Emily have an assignation that night?’
‘Assignation. You do like these long words, DCI Nelson.’
Nelson can think of several words to describe Ballard, none of them long.
‘Just answer the question.’
‘No,’ says Ballard. ‘I went to bed and slept like the dead.’
The word seems to hang in the dusty air. Nelson lets it hover before saying, ‘Did you ever meet Emily’s sister, Sophie?’
To his surprise, Ballard laughs. ‘So, you’ve been talking to Ruth Galloway. She’s a fascinating woman, isn’t she?’
‘Answer the question, Professor Ballard.’
‘I met her once, I think. Bright girl. Like Emily.’
‘Did you kill Emily, Professor Ballard?’
‘Now then, DCI Nelson.’ Ballard sounds like a kindly teacher remonstrating with a pupil. ‘You know I didn’t.’
To make completely sure of missing Jo, Nelson drops in on Cambridge CID on his way home. He finds DI Dave Clough in his office, finishing what looks like a three-course McDonald’s.
‘What happened to the healthy eating?’
‘I think there was a tomato in there somewhere.’
‘How’s things?’ says Nelson, sitting in the visitors’ chair and helping himself to a French fry.
‘Not too bad,’ says Clough. ‘Are you watching the Euros tonight? England v Scotland?’
Nelson had almost forgotten that the European Football Championship is on, which shows how distracted he’s been. The competition has been delayed for a year because of Covid and is still, confusingly, called Euro 2020.
‘Probably,’ he says. ‘Just me and Bruno.’
‘One man and his dog,’ says Clough. He doesn’t ask about Ruth and Nelson is grateful for this. He’d like to go round to Ruth’s later but, in the light of their last conversation, doesn’t want to push things. Also, she’d never agree to watching the football.
‘I’ve just been to see Leo Ballard,’ says Nelson. ‘You know, the professor involved in the Emily Pickering case.’
‘Oh yes. The last person to see her alive. Do you like him for it?’
‘I don’t like him at all. He’s a creepy bastard. But is he a murderer? I’m not sure.’
‘What are you doing interviewing suspects? Haven’t you got a DS for that?’
‘I had an appraisal with Jo.’
Clough laughs. ‘Still winding Super Jo up, I see.’ He sounds slightly disapproving. Clough always got on well with Jo but, then, he never reported to her directly.
‘She keeps talking to me about retirement.’
Now Clough looks shocked. ‘You can’t retire, boss. I can’t imagine the force without you.’
