Free Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes Page B

us find out who was responsible for this crime, I would ask them to come forward and contact us as soon as they can.”
    Lou paused. Then, “Thank you for your attention. Are there any questions?” While she waited for them to decide which was their most pressing question, she took her seat next to Andy. They’d agreed to take it in turns answering, and the media officer was in charge now.
    â€œYes—lady in the pink top.”
    Hers wasn’t the first hand to go up, but Lou knew that this particular journalist had been promised the first question because of a recent favorable article she’d written regarding the Force’s response to antisocial behavior.
    â€œAlison Hargreaves, Eden Evening Standard . DCI Smith, can you tell us anything about the death of Mrs. Barbara Fletcher-Norman? Are the two deaths connected?”
    Lou felt her cheeks flush.
    â€œThank you,” she said, “we are not connecting the two incidents at this time. Next question.”
    There was a sudden buzz as all the other journalists started wondering who the hell Mrs. Barbara Fletcher-Norman was.
    â€œDo you have any suspects at this stage?” This was from the local BBC Radio reporter.
    Andy answered. “At this key early stage of the investigation, we are keeping an open mind about who the perpetrator of the crime was.”
    â€œRoger Phillips, Daily Mail . Any idea of a motive at this stage?”
    Good question, thought Lou, and Andy was going to deal with this one too.
    â€œAgain, we are keeping an open mind. We cannot rule out the possibility that the victim woke in the night to find a burglary in progress.”
    â€œWere there signs of a break-in?” Roger Phillips again.
    â€œNext question,” Lou put in. She was only being fair—there were several other people with their hands up and she didn’t want the inquiry to be pushed in one direction, especially not at this early stage.
    â€œWhat about forensics? Have you got any fingerprints, stuff like that?” This one was from Lucy Arbuthnot, from the local ITV news network.
    â€œSeveral sets of fingerprints have been identified at Polly’s home address. We are in the process of eliminating them as we speak. If anyone visited Polly in the days before her death, we would be grateful if they would come forward so we can eliminate them from our investigations.” Lou was ready for something made of chocolate. It felt like the longest day of her life, and she was only a tiny bit of the way through it.
    â€œThis is a question for Ms. Smith. Can I ask about your personal qualifications to lead a murder inquiry?” It was Roger Phillips, revenge for her failing to answer the break-in question.
    Both Andy and Ellie, the media officer, looked like they were going to try and fight in her corner, but she silenced them with a look.
    â€œThank you for that question,” she said with a wide smile that made it look as if she meant it. “I have been a police officer for fifteen years, the last eight of them spent working on major crime investigations. Although this is the first time I have led a murder inquiry, I have worked on several murder investigations, both with Eden Police and the Metropolitan Police. I am proud to be running this case with a highly professional, highly trained team behind me and I am confident that we will bring Polly Leuchars’s killer to justice very soon.”
    Ellie stepped in, despite more hands being raised. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time. I have the press packs here . . .”
    Andy and Lou posed behind the desk for a couple of photographs and did a couple of TV and radio interviews outside the front of the main building, saying the same things over and over again for the benefit of viewers and listeners on the BBC, Sky News, Five Live, Eden County FM, and ITV local news. They would be lucky if they would get one or two lines out on air, so better make