One, Gorland was a nasty piece of work, and two, he clearly had it in for Mike.
Jonathon avoided nasty people, especially those who were homophobic to boot.
AS SOON as they entered the quaint village police station, Mike groaned inwardly. Gorland was standing behind the main desk, talking with Graham. He scowled as they approached.
“You’d better be here to report a crime and not scrounging for information,” he said with his familiar sneer.
“What about helping police with their inquiries?” Jonathon asked with an innocent air that had Mike fighting to stifle a snort.
Gorland opened his mouth, clearly about to give them a piece of his mind, but then another uniformed officer came out of the rear office. “A call for you, sir,” he said quietly. “It’s the Met.”
Gorland scowled. “You’d better not be here when I get back.” He left them in a hurry.
Graham rolled his eyes. “Mate, your timing is way off. Quick, tell me what you want before he gets off the phone.”
“Can you see what you can find out about the death of Professor Harcourt’s wife and then his brother-in-law’s suicide?” Mike asked quickly.
Graham gaped at him. “You don’t suspect Professor Harcourt, surely.”
“No, we don’t,” Jonathon replied, “but we need to check it out.” He reeled off the bare details of Teresa’s plot and the similarities between the two.
Graham made some hasty notes on a nearby pad. “Gotcha. I still think it’s a wild goose chase, but you’re right, it needs investigating, if only to dismiss it. I’ll call into the pub tonight if I’ve heard anything.”
“Call in even if you haven’t,” Mike told him. “There’ll be a pint with your name on it, as usual.” He coughed. “Not that I’m bribing a police officer with the offer of a pint, you understand.”
Graham cackled. “Yeah, right. Like I’d do all this for a measly pint.” He grinned. “Three, at least.” He tapped his notepad. “I’ll get to work on it right away.” He cast a furtive glance in the direction of the office. “Well, as long as he leaves me alone for five minutes.” He shook his head. “I hate the way he talks to you two. It’s not like you haven’t helped us solve a couple of cases, right? Personally, I think you accomplish a lot, but he doesn’t see that.”
“He doesn’t like us,” Jonathon said simply. “And I think we all know why that is.”
“Yeah.” Graham’s face darkened. “Well, an attitude like that will not get him an invite to the wedding of the decade.”
Mike had to laugh. “I take it you want one.”
“Too right, mate!” Graham gave a grin, and his bad mood evaporated. “I can’t wait.” A noise from behind him had Graham twitching. “Okay, get out of here. I’ll see you later. And I’ll find out what else I can dig up on those other suspects too. Sod Gorland. I know which side my bread is buttered. I’ll stick with the guys who’ve helped me solve two cases.”
They left him to it and headed back to the 4x4. “Let’s see what Graham can find out.”
“He’s not a murderer,” Jonathon muttered as he fastened his seat belt.
“Professor Harcourt? I’m with you,” Mike agreed, “but you know we have to check it out, right?” He pulled out of the police station car park and took the lane that led to the manor house.
“What are we doing now?”
“We are going back to your place, where we will read some more of Teresa’s notes. Maybe there are even more people out there who need investigating.”
God, he hoped not. They had way too many suspects as it was.
Chapter Twenty-Four
JANET WAS clearing away the coffee cups when Jonathon’s phone buzzed into life. He waited until she’d withdrawn from the room before answering. Jonathon smiled when he saw Ruth’s name. “Possible baby news,” he told Mike as he connected the call. “Good evening.”
“I’m just calling to see if you two are around this weekend. We need to visit.”
Jonathon didn’t miss the note of urgency in her voice. “Is something wrong?”
“Not… wrong, exactly. I went to see my doctor yesterday, and it proved very informative.” Ruth paused. “Now, you’re not going to turn into a delicate little snowflake if I mention ovulation, are you?”
He laughed. “Definitely not.”
“Oh, thank God for that. Okay, the upshot is… we don’t need a doctor or a clinic. We do this ourselves. We work out when I’m at my most fertile, and then we do the deed. Well, not you and I, you understand. But it turns out this coming weekend is the best time. You do have a turkey baster in that enormous kitchen of yours?”
For a moment Jonathon was stunned into silence. “Turkey baster? You don’t mean….”
Across the room, Mike’s eyebrows shot up.
Ruth giggled. “Well, not an actual baster, but the principle is the same. And I’m joking. We don’t need yours. There’s one in the kit.”
“There’s a kit for this?”
She laughed. “I know! We were amazed too. But it explains everything. All we need from you is the… er… donation. Clare will do the rest. Then I spend a day doing absolutely nothing but lying down, to give it the best chance of catching, as it were.” Her voice softened. “You do realize it might take a few tries, don’t you?”
“I know.” That didn’t matter. The idea that they were going to do this thrilled him to the core.
“That’s why we thought no time like the present. So… is this weekend okay?”
“Of course. I’ll have your room ready. And Ruth? I told my father.”
There was a pause. “I bet that conversation went down like a lead balloon. You can tell us all about it when we see you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and give my love to Mike.”
Jonathon assured her he would, then disconnected the call. He gazed at his phone in silence, until Mike laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Jonathon looked up. “I didn’t even hear you move.”
“That’s because I’m part ninja.” Mike smirked. “Turkey baster? I can’t wait to hear this.” Then he glanced at his watch. “But you’ll have to tell me on the way to the pub. It’s time to open up.” He grabbed his jacket from the arm of the couch and held out a hand to Jonathon. “That’s if you’re coming with me?”
Jonathon smiled as he took Mike’s hand and got to his feet. “Graham is going to stop by, isn’t he? You might be too busy to talk to him.”
“Good point.”
As they headed out to Mike’s car, Jonathon relayed Ruth’s news. Amusing though it had been, their conversation had lit a fire in him.
We’re really going to do this.
MIKE SCANNED the bar, his chest tight. The pub was reasonably busy, but his mind wasn’t on task. For the third night running, there was no sign of Paul Drake, and it pained him that they might have irrevocably broken a good friendship. In the far corner, Jonathon sat with Graham, their heads together as they talked, Jonathon scribbling notes.