Free Fatal Connection by Malcolm Rose Page A

twenty-seventh of April.’
    ‘What sort of art and crafts are on display?’
    ‘Jewellery’s very popular. Especially gold.’ He fingered a gold pin on the lapel of his formal jacket. ‘Painting, wood-turning, children’s toys, home-made food, clothing and bag making. That’s not an exclusive list, but it covers the majority of my exhibitors.’
    ‘Was a man called Richard Featherstone there?’
    ‘Well, I wouldn’t know the names of the visitors, of course, but there wasn’t a stall-holder of that name.’
    ‘I’m putting up a picture of Richard Featherstone. Does that help?’
    ‘Now that’s different. I do recognize him, yes. Absolutely. He came to the fair and asked to see me. That’s definitely the gentleman concerned. Hetold me he was a craftsman but didn’t have anything to display. Instead, he asked me to put out a few business cards advertising … what he did.’
    ‘Furniture-making?’
    ‘Yes, that’s it. I don’t have any of his cards left to verify that, but he certainly made furniture.’
    ‘Was he on his own?’
    ‘It was just the two of us when he talked to me.’
    ‘I’m putting three more photos on-screen. Were any of these people with him?’
    ‘Well, now you mention it …’
    Troy sat bolt upright. ‘What?’
    ‘Yes,’ Horatio Vines said. ‘I saw him with her. The middle photo.’
    ‘Alyssa Bending.’
    ‘Her name doesn’t mean anything to me, but the picture has stirred a memory. After he spoke to me, I’m fairly sure I saw him strolling around the other stalls with that lady.’
    Troy glanced at Lexi before replying, ‘How did they seem? Like an established couple – or two people who’d just met?’
    ‘Now that I’m not sure. But, if I recall, they seemed … close.’
    ‘Thanks. That’s very helpful.’
    ‘Can I ask the nature of your enquiry?’
    Troy smiled faintly. ‘It’d be best if you didn’t.’ He ended the call and faced his partner. ‘If he’s right,’ Troy said, ‘we’ve just turned a corner.’
    ‘If you mean it’s a new twist, yeah, I agree.’ She shook her head and then smiled mischievously. ‘Doesn’t sound like a fishing expedition to me.’
    ‘No. But if Richard and Alyssa were having an affair, it explains what they did with their phones. And why.’
    ‘Does it?’
    ‘They would’ve called each other or texted, arranging their get-togethers. There’d be a record of it on their mobiles. I guess they both decided to hide it from their families when they got sick, not wanting to stir up even more hurt. They took their secret to the grave. Richard wiped his and Alyssa …’
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘Imagine you’re sick,’ Troy said. ‘The only thing you can do is lie on a bed or struggle to the bathroom now and again. You want to get rid of your phone to save your family from knowing what you’ve been up to. What do you do?’
    ‘Okay. I’m onto it,’ Lexi replied.
    ‘Onto what?’
    ‘The water authority.’
    Troy nodded. ‘You agree, then. She’d have flushed it down the toilet.’
    ‘If they find it in the sewer, I’ll ask Terabyte to see if he can get any data out of it.’
    Wincing, Troy said, ‘As long as you don’t give it to me, I don’t mind.’
    ‘His sense of smell is less than yours. And he’ll know how to clean it up without ruining it.’
    ‘If it’s not already ruined.’
    ‘Right. We’ve placed two of our victims up near Loose End and Tight End before they became ill. Probably together. Keaton Hathaway’s got a connection to the same area through the hair stuck on his last diary. Perhaps he went up there as well. But what about Miley?’
    Troy shrugged. ‘Her father said she’d been swimming. That’s not much to go on. Hang on …’
    ‘What?’
    ‘He saw her washing her swimming costume, but that’s not all. He said she cleaned mud off her trainers.’
    Lexi jumped up. ‘Let’s go. And hope she wasn’t too thorough. I want some of that mud.’
     
    Back in the laboratory, Lexi extracted a