‘Will do.’
Harper was still in his dressing gown when he let them in, his hair damp from the shower.
‘Your car, Mr Harper, we’ve run some further tests. We’ve found traces of blood in the boot.’
He blanched at the news and looked from one to another. ‘Blood? Oh, God. Are you sure?’
Janine nodded. ‘We’ve matched it – it’s Rosa’s.’
‘Oh, God.’ He paused. ‘That’s horrible.’
‘I don’t like it either,’ she said coldly.
Harper looked wary. With one hand he clasped the collar of his robe.
‘Your car is stolen by your bouncer, it’s used to transport the dead body of a dancer from your club… just exactly what is it you are not telling us?’
‘Nothing.’ His outrage was plausible.
‘You haven’t got a clue?’ Richard asked him.
‘No, honestly, I…’
‘Not an inkling?’
‘No.’
‘I don’t buy it,’ Janine said sharply.
He met her gaze, the eyelid on his lazy eye flickering for a moment. He gave a little snort.
‘Rosa was here illegally,’ she pressed on.
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘No?’
‘No. I’d never have taken her on.’
‘Really? I got the impression that you weren’t all that bothered about record keeping, documents and the like.’
‘That’s different – something like this, we could get closed down, couldn’t we?’
‘When did you last see Rosa?’
‘We’ve been over all this,’ he exploded. ‘Why can’t you people just accept that I don’t know anything about it. I’m sorry she’s dead but I’ve no idea who killed her. I’d no idea she was illegal. End of story.’
‘You didn’t answer my question, Mr Harper,’ Janine said flatly, ‘when did you last see her?’
He pivoted away and back, sighing. He pinched the bridge of his thin nose as if garnering patience. ‘Sunday, at work.’ He dropped his hand and made eye contact with her, trying to stare her out. She looked away first, deliberately – not prepared to play his little game. ‘We’ll need to talk to you again,’ she said, ‘I’m sure.’
As he showed them out he spoke to Richard. ‘I was thinking, the car insurance, will I have to explain all this?’
Richard gave a harsh laugh. Janine glared at him. Was the man for real? Neither of them dignified his query with an answer.
Outside, Richard said, ‘Bring him in to get him talking?’
‘On what grounds? We’ve verified the taxi, the casino, the report of the stolen car.’ She sighed. The fact that Stone had taken Harper’s car still niggled her – it seemed so reckless. Why take that one rather than a stranger’s? Fouling his own backyard.
‘What if Harper was mixed up in it and Rosa was killed before his car got nicked?’ Richard suggested.
