Page 61 of Murder in the Family

(to Alan)

You think the police missed it – the shoes? Seems a pretty big thing to overlook. Under the circumstances.

ALAN CANNING

Clearly someone should have noted the state of her footwear when they went to inform her at the party.

But one thing we know they definitelydiddo was test the dress for blood, as well as the coat she took to the party. I’ve checked with Peter Lascelles and he confirmed there was nothing on either of them.

And I personally can’t see anyone carrying out that sort of attack and not getting body matter all over them.

JJ NORTON

And all the more so because the initial blow to the back of the head wasn’t fatal. Dead people don’t bleed, but unconscious ones most certainly do. Those facial blows would have bled profusely.

MITCHELL CLARKE

OK, so where does all this leave us? Do we think this mystery man of hers exists or not?

LAILA FURNESS

If you ask me, yes. Amelie had no reason to make up a story like that about her own mother. But as to how we identify him, that’s a different matter.

JJ NORTON

Seems to me we’ve reached the point where this enquiry can go in several different directions.

CAMERA FOLLOWS as he gets up, goes to the whiteboard, and starts to write.

Number one:Caroline’s possible lover, who may or may not have been the owner of a red MGB and a gym bag.

Number two:Luke’s background. I still think there’s more to him than meets the eye. Maybe there’s a person – or incident – in his past that came back to haunt him. Which could well explain that call from King’s Cross, too.

MITCHELL CLARKE

If itwassomething from the past it would have to be something pretty big. An attack like that – that’s a crime of rage.

LAILA FURNESS

I agree.

JJ NORTON

And then there’snumber three: Rupert. He’s always claimed he was out of town that night, but I think that bears a closer look.

MITCHELL CLARKE

But where’s the motive? He and Luke were mates – he was the one who introduced Luke to Caroline in the first place—

LAILA FURNESS

(dryly)

Quite.

MITCHELL CLARKE

You think that might have been enough?