Already Dead(69)

‘No, it means nothing to me,’ said Edge, when Villiers described the stranger seen by Charlie Dean and Sheena Sullivan. ‘I mean, that could be absolutely anybody.’

‘What sort of car do you drive yourself, sir?’ asked Villiers.

‘A Mercedes saloon. It’s not brand new, by the way. And it’s definitely not four-wheel drive. In this weather, I sometimes wish it was.’

‘I’m sorry to have to ask you these things.’

‘I expect it,’ said Edge. ‘I’ve dealt with police officers before.’

Cooper was pleased to see that Villiers was looking round the house, taking in details.

‘Do you have family, sir?’ she asked.

‘I’m not married, but my parents live here with me. They’re quite elderly.’

Cooper tilted his head on one side as he looked at the man. Glen Turner had lived in his parents’ house, but Edge had brought his parents to live with him. There was a distinct difference.

‘Could we speak to them? Just routine. I’m sure you understand.’

‘Well, if you must.’

Ralph Edge’s parents were actually quite excited about the idea of talking to the police. They were a pair of tiny, bird-like people. Not all that elderly perhaps, but frail looking. Mr Edge senior in particular looked as though a strong wind blowing off Carsington Pasture would carry him away. Glancing from the old couple to their son and back again, Cooper found himself thinking of the cuckoo, which left its egg in the nest of a bird from another species, and a chick hatched which vastly outgrew its surrogate parents.

But the Edges had never even met Glen Turner. From what Villiers had told him in the car, that hardly came as a surprise at this stage in the inquiry. Turner was the proverbial man who kept himself to himself.

Cooper turned back to Ralph again.

‘You work at Prospectus Assurance,’ he said. ‘What is your job?’

Edge had been polite until now, but he looked Cooper up and down with a faint hint of contempt.

‘A fraud analyst,’ he said tersely. ‘Your colleagues know all about me.’

‘I doubt it,’ said Cooper.

‘What is that supposed to mean?’

Villiers almost physically interposed herself between them.

‘That will be all for now. Thank you, sir,’ she said. ‘We’ll be in touch if we need anything else from you.’

‘Why are you at home?’ asked Cooper. ‘It’s Friday afternoon. Shouldn’t you still be at work?’

Edge stared at him with undisguised animosity. ‘I don’t know what it has to do with you,’ he said. ‘But we’re allowed to work flexitime at Prospectus. It means we can look after our families better. As long as the hours are put in and the job gets done, I can take Friday afternoon off, if I want to.’

Villiers put her hand on Cooper’s arm, and he let her steer him towards the door.

‘Just one more thing, sir,’ said Cooper. ‘What do you know about A.J. Morton and Sons?’

Edge opened his mouth as if he was about to answer, then hesitated and frowned.

‘A.J…?’

‘Morton. They’re based near here. A quarry supplies company.’

Ralph Edge shook his head vigorously. ‘Never heard of them. What do they have to do with anything?’

‘Nothing, sir, I’m sure,’ said Villiers hastily. ‘Thank you for your time.’

When they were outside, Villiers looked at him oddly. ‘Ben,’ she said. ‘Focus.’

‘That’s what I’m doing.’

‘A.J. Morton and Sons? I don’t know who they are, but it‘s nothing to do with Mr Edge.’

‘So he said.’

Cooper felt sure Edge had been lying, but he didn’t know why. But then, who knew why people told lies? There could be all kinds of reasons. Sometimes they just wanted to present themselves in a better light, and that was all. Some individuals felt a desperate need to be seen as braver, cleverer or more successful than they really were. And the further they strayed from the truth, the more they had to carry on lying. So dishonesty became a part of their daily camouflage, a central theme in the narrative of their lives. Cooper had met people who hardly seemed to be aware that they were lying. For them, deception took less effort than telling the truth.

‘I think I’d better take you back to your car,’ said Villiers.

‘Just drop me in the Market Place.’

She drove back down into the centre of Wirksworth. Cooper expected her to be angry with him, or demand to know why he’d asked those questions. But she drove in silence for a while.

‘So, Ralph Edge and Glen Turner,’ said Villiers finally. ‘Two loners together there?’