Cross of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

long session with Tweed. She hesitated for a second, used her hand to straighten a pleat in her blue skirt.
    'He expressed complete disbelief. I don't think he'd taken it in by the time the conversation ended.'
    Buchanan smoothed his brown, neatly cut hair, stroking the back of his neck. Warden recognized the gesture: frustration. Buchanan suddenly looked over his shoulder at Newman.
    'Have you anything to add to the latter part of Miss Grey's statement? After all, you were there at the crucial time. I have a further question when you've explained your own version of events.'
    'I have nothing to add to Paula's very lucid description of what took place. And your other question?'
    'The timing seems wrong. I was at Ipswich police HQ when your call came through. I was passing the duty sergeant's desk and he'd also gone down with flu. So I took your call...'
    'Funny, I didn't recognize your voice,' Newman inter jected, playing for time.
    'Probably because I used my official voice. I recognized yours. The call was timed at exactly 8.20 p.m. From Miss Grey's account you must still have been on the marshes. So how did you know the right number to phone?'
    'Driving out to find Paula we passed a call box. I stopped the car, went back, checked the number in the phone directory.'
    'Why? At that stage?'
    Buchanan's tone was whiplash. Newman smiled, lit a cigarette, blew smoke rings.
    'I refer you to Paula's statement. You're a detective. You should have worked that out for yourself. When she called for help she mentioned hearing Karin scream. I feared the worst, thought we might need the police.'
    'I see.' He turned suddenly to Paula. 'Were you carrying a weapon?'
    'No.' she lied promptly.
    'What about you, Newman - and the others?'
    Buchanan had twisted round in his chair again. His gaze swept over Marler, rested on Newman.
    'We were all armed. I don't have to explain why, do I?'
    'What weapon were you equipped with?'
    Buchanan was addressing Marler who had been sitting like a statue. He was smoking a king-size cigarette. Marler flicked ash from the cigarette into a glass bowl, looked at Buchanan with amusement.
    Tor the record.' he drawled, 'as if it mattered, I had my favourite weapon. An Armalite.'
    The cup and saucer on Buchanan's knee jiggled. Warden, intrigued, leaned forward. It was the first time he had ever seen his chief rattled. Buchanan recovered quickly, nodded in response before he replied.
    'A strange weapon to be hawking round the countryside.'
    'You think so?' Marler's tone was still bantering. 'I would have thought it logical when we'd heard the men hunting Paula were carrying rifles. I'm quite a fairish shot, you know.'
    Buchanan put down his cup and saucer on a table. Standing up, he addressed Paula, his tone neutral.
    'We'll have your statement typed out and then maybe you would be good enough to drop in at the Yard to sign it.'
    'Have it brought here,' Tweed said quietly. 'Something urgent cropped up yesterday. Paula will be occupied for some time to come.'
    'As you wish.' Buchanan walked to the door Warden had opened. He turned round before leaving. 'I would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. And yours especially, Tweed...'
    He said nothing more until he had climbed behind the wheel of his Volvo parked further along the Crescent. He was fixing his seat belt when Warden asked his question.
    'What do you think, Chief?'
    'Paula Grey was lying.'
    'Really, I didn't get that impression.'
    'She was lying by omission. Her statement bore all the hallmarks of having been carefully rehearsed. Probably with Tweed. There's a lot they haven't told us. You noticed Newman said very little? Just said he agreed with Paula's version. Not like him to keep so quiet.'
    'That Marler is a saucy sod.'
    'Oh, that was a clever tactic. A way of terminating the interview.'
    'And you let him get away with it? Not like you.'
    'I realized we'd get no more out of them at this stage. We'll leave them alone for a while, let them think we