Sarcasm had no effect on Bryant. He located his pipe and calmly attached the stem to the bowl, patting down his pockets for tobacco. ‘Remote control,’ he said through clenched false teeth. ‘Take it apart.’
‘Where is the puppet now?’ asked Longbright.
‘It’s still with Giles,’ said Banbury. ‘He and I are going to pull it to bits first thing in the morning. Robert Kramer’s already warned us that it’s valuable and we’re not allowed to cut it open, but I chucked him a bit of legal and he shut up sharpish. Makes you wonder if he cares more about a bloody toy than his own flesh and blood.’
‘Okay, let’s see what we’ve got.’ May indicated that Longbright should hand out copies of the witness statements. ‘Everybody take a few and we’ll start going through them. We’re going to be here most of the night.’
‘Whoa, I’m not spending the night in this building,’ said Meera. ‘There’s something wrong with it. Bad karma.’ There had been a number of complaints about strange late-night noises in the Victorian property since the staff had discovered that it had once provided a home for the society of black magic practitioners.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,’ Bimsley said with a laugh. He was more than prepared to, as well—if only she wanted him.
‘Yeah, right, that’s reassuring.’ Meera shot him a sour look and slumped back in her chair to study the pages. ‘It looks like a third of my witnesses left the room to use the bathroom at some point during the forty minutes. This guy, Marcus Sigler, went outside for a ciggie twice.’
‘So did some of mine,’ said Longbright. ‘I don’t think these are going to be detailed enough for us, Dan.’
‘All right, I’ll fix it, but until then we’ll draw up a chart,’ said Banbury, turning over a whiteboard. ‘Time line along this side, guests at the top. Mark every absence to the minute, see where they cross over, get them to verify each other’s movements.’
‘It doesn’t sound very scientific,’ said Meera.
‘Well, I’m sorry I can’t nip over to an American forensics lab and split everything into nucleotides and mitochondrial DNA, Meera, but we’re just a small experimental unit in North London operating on a budget that wouldn’t keep a string quartet going.’
‘I’m going on the balcony for a ponder and a puff,’ said Bryant, ‘unless I’m allowed to enjoy my pipe in here, seeing as it’s raining and I’m a fragile senior with a dreadful chest.’
‘No!’ said everybody in the room.
‘That’s a pity, because I was going to share my thoughts with you.’
‘I’m not sure we’re ready to hear your theories on ambulatory puppets,’ May warned.
‘No, this is about premeditation.’ Bryant hovered in the doorway, shamelessly playing his audience, waiting to be called back. ‘Yes?’ He raised his eyebrows and listened for a response.
‘Oh, all right, then,’ May said finally. ‘Tell us.’
Bryant darted back in and lit up. ‘It’s all right, I’m on the herbal stuff. Old Malahyde’s Tincture of Rose-Mulch.’ It smelled suspiciously like grass. ‘Well, the crime is bizarrely polarized, isn’t it? On the one hand we have factors that point to an act of violence occurring in a flash of temper—the shaking, the throwing—but on the other, everything seems planned—the locked room, the lack of prints suggesting gloves or at least a cloth to wipe up with, the waiting for the perfect opportunity. The party, by the way, provided the perfect cover, because the Kramers’ house is alarmed, so it was the easiest way to gain admittance when the baby was sure to be there. And the window was opened. If it was simply an act of murderous temper, why not hurl the baby to the floor? Why not dash its brains out on the head of the cot? Why go to the window, avoid stepping on the rug, open it and throw the baby out? It really is the most contradictory set of circumstances. And the theatricality of the whole thing smacks of actorly behaviour—you know, a grand dramatic gesture.’
‘What do you think it tells us about the killer?’
‘I think the intention to do harm had been harboured for a while, but something happened at the party to flush it into the open. We need to look at the evening’s events far more carefully. Janice, can you organise that?’
‘All right, ladies and gentlemen,’ said Longbright wearily. ‘Let’s go back to the beginning and see how much more we can wring out of the statements. I suggest we form pairs and keep switching until they’re all covered.’