Free The Scent of Death--A Sukey Reyholds British police procedural by Betty Rowlands Page B

down a treat with chicken.’ He filled two glasses, handed one to her and sat down beside her. ‘How has your day been?’
    â€˜Tiring, interesting and frustrating,’ she said. ‘We began to think we were getting somewhere and then realized that someone who we think could be an important witness had left. He’s not going to be easy to trace by the looks of things.’
    â€˜That wouldn’t by any chance be the chap who calls himself Romeo and lives in an old Dormobile?’
    â€˜You know about him?’
    â€˜When I heard about the incident at Dallington Manor I went there early this morning to find out what was going on. A woman from the
West Country Express
mentioned she’d seen an old van parked in a lay-by and was going to have a word with the driver so I and several others went along with her. Romeo seemed perfectly willing to chat but couldn’t help because he’d only just got there. Is he your missing witness?’
    â€˜We think so. DI Rathbone has put a search call out so it will be on the news in the morning – possibly tonight. He couldn’t find anything on the computer about either Romeo or the van, so …’ She broke off and put her glass down. ‘I really shouldn’t be telling you this, Harry. I mean, there’s no reason to suppose he’s done anything wrong; we just want to know if he happened to see anything.’
    â€˜But if the chap fell into the water on Friday night he couldn’t have seen anything, unless …’ He thought for a moment and then said slowly, ‘Unless he was lying. Is that why your lot are so anxious to talk to him?’
    â€˜Look Harry, if he was lying he may have a perfectly innocent reason,’ said Sukey. ‘Don’t think Vicky and I haven’t been over all this till we’re blue in the face, so please let’s forget about it for now. I’m starving – the bar lunch was light years ago.’
    They ate their meal and then relaxed in the sitting room with the rest of the wine and watched the news. The programme was almost over when a newsflash announced that there had been an accident on a country road, when a motor caravan had left the road on a sharp bend, overturned, rolled over and landed on its roof in a ditch. Emergency services were at the scene but no further details were given. The police were appealing for witnesses.
    â€˜I have a nasty feeling that it’s Romeo’s van,’ said Sukey. ‘I wonder—’
    â€˜Whether it was a genuine accident or the van had been sabotaged,’ said Harry.
    â€˜I don’t want to think that,’ said Sukey. ‘It’s a very old van and I don’t suppose it gets proper maintenance. Or he could have had too many beers and lost control, but that seems unlikely; all he had after giving his performance was two cups of tea and some cakes. Just the same, we were surprised that he left in such a hurry.’
    Harry took her empty glass and pulled her to her feet. ‘You’re not to think about it any more tonight,’ he said firmly. ‘What you need now is sleep.’ He held her close, gently stroking her hair. ‘Do you want me to stay?’
    â€˜Please.’
    At seven o’clock next morning Sukey’s mobile phone rang. DI Rathbone was on the line. ‘Romeo’s pranged his van. He’s dead; they haven’t been able to get him out yet because the driver’s door is jammed and in any case we have to get the underside of the vehicle checked to see if there’s any mechanical reason why he lost control. DS Armstrong will pick you up in half an hour and I’ll see the two of you at the scene in an hour.’ He gave directions and ended the call.
    â€˜It is Romeo and he’s dead,’ said Sukey. ‘I have to go. Vicky is picking me up. No time for a shower; I’ll have a quick wash and get dressed.’
    â€˜I’ll fix some coffee and