Close to Death

‘So what did you talk about for over two hours? The weather?’

If Hawthorne had been enjoying the sight of Khan being put in his place, he was careful not to show it. ‘You said you saw Mr Browne,’ he said. ‘Can you tell us what happened?’

Strauss nodded. ‘Teri, can you get me a glass of mineral water?’

Teri got up and went over to the fridge without saying a word.

‘I got the call from him at about six o’clock yesterday evening,’ Strauss continued. ‘He asked me if I’d come over. He said he wanted my advice.’

‘It would be helpful if I could see your mobile,’ Khan said. ‘We’ll need to verify all the timings.’

‘Of course. But I’d have thought you could get that off Roderick’s.’

Khan looked embarrassed. ‘Mr Browne seems to have misplaced his phone. We’re still looking for it.’

‘Are you saying someone’s stolen it?’

‘No, sir. We just can’t find it.’

‘It seems to me that so far you haven’t helped solve anything at all.’

‘Mr Browne confessed to the murder of Giles Kenworthy.’ Khan did his best to hold his ground. ‘We have every reason to believe that he killed himself to escape justice.’

‘That’s impossible. I don’t believe it.’

‘He left behind a letter. He couldn’t have been clearer. Everything about the manner of his death suggests that he committed . . . that he decided on suicide. It would help us a great deal if you could tell me what happened when you saw him last night. What did you talk about? What was his state of mind?’

Adam Strauss calmed down a little, as if acknowledging the need to cooperate. His wife brought over a glass of fizzy water with a lemon slice and ice cubes. He didn’t thank her but emptied it in one gulp and set the glass down. She took her place next to him.

‘I went over to Woodlands at about half past eight, after we finished eating,’ he explained. ‘Roderick was on his own, of course. He’d dropped his wife off with her sister and at least it comforted him to know that she was being looked after. I got the feeling that he was nervous about being on his own. He’d had a bit to drink. There was an open bottle of Scotch on the table when I arrived.’

This accorded with what the police pathologist had found in his blood.

‘Did he offer you some?’ Dudley asked.

‘Yes. He might have. I don’t really remember. I didn’t drink any.’

‘Go on,’ Khan said.

‘We sat down and we talked. He told me that he’d had a dreadful time at the police station in Shepherd’s Bush, that he’d been treated like a common criminal and even threatened.’

‘Nobody threatened him,’ Khan said.

‘I can only tell you what he told me. He was quite sure that the police had made up their minds, that he was the one who had killed Giles Kenworthy. It was his weapon. He had a motive. He was going to be arrested and it would be the end of his practice, his marriage, his life. He might have to go to prison! If you knew Roderick, you’d know he wouldn’t have lasted a week there. The thought filled him with horror.

‘I tried to reassure him. I told him that everyone in the close was behind him and we knew that he hadn’t shot anyone. We’d all been interviewed – first by you and then by Mr Hawthorne. Any one of us could have done it or – and I still believe this is the most likely possibility – it could have been someone from outside. I said this to you the last time you were here. Kenworthy was a hedge fund manager. Hedge fund managers have enemies.’

‘How long were you with him?’ Hawthorne asked.

‘A couple of hours, give or take. I left about ten o’clock.’

‘Was there anything in Mr Browne’s manner that caused you alarm?’

‘Everything in his manner caused me alarm, but if you’re asking me if I thought he might kill himself, the answer’s obviously no. I told Roderick to go to bed and I assured him that everything would seem better in the morning. I thought I’d helped him. By the time I left, he seemed quieter and more relaxed.’ He glanced down into his empty glass. ‘Now you’re making me worry that I was wrong. I shouldn’t have left him on his own. I should have stayed longer or maybe invited him over here.’

‘You did everything you could,’ Teri assured him.

‘I don’t know. I really don’t.’

‘I don’t suppose anyone saw you leave?’ Dudley asked.

‘Why are you even asking my husband that question?’ Teri cut in. ‘Are you suggesting that he’s lying to you? You think that he killed his friend?’

‘I can assure you that such a thought never crossed my mind, Mrs Strauss,’ Dudley said.

Adam held up a conciliatory hand. ‘You don’t need to worry yourself, my dear. They have to ask these questions. It’s part of the game.’ He glanced at Dudley. ‘As it happens, there was someone. I heard the electric gate open and Andrew Pennington came in just as I was saying goodbye. I didn’t speak to him, but I saw him and I’m sure he saw me.’

‘Was he in a car or on foot?’

‘On foot.’