Page 28 of The Final Vow

Poe put his head in his hands, rubbed his face. Bradshaw had yet to encounter a social situation she couldn’t make awkward. ‘This is Tilly, sir. I think she’s an AI robot from the future.’

‘Is “life goes on” not the right thing to say to the recently bereaved, Poe?’ Bradshaw asked. ‘I checked on a funeral website.’

‘Maybe not to theveryrecently bereaved, Tilly,’ Poe said. ‘I’m sorry for your loss is more customary.’

Bradshaw opened her omnipresent laptop. ‘I shall make a note of that in my “How to be more tactful” file.’ She opened a document and typed something so fast her fingers blurred. ‘I doubt Mr Arreghini will be the last vilomah we talk to.’

‘Vilomah?’ Archie asked before Poe could stop him.

‘It’s the term used for parents who have lost a child, Mr Arreghini. It comes from Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world. A literal translation would be “Against the natural order”. Sanskrit also gave the world “widow”, which means empty.’

‘Vilomah,’ Archie said slowly, like he was tasting the word. He nodded. ‘I like it. Because you’re right, Miss Bradshaw. Aparent losing a childisagainst the natural order.’ He topped up his whisky with the last drops of the Macallan M. He picked up his glass, swirled its contents. ‘It’s ironic,’ he said, pointing at the blood splattered against the inside of the circus marquee. ‘They call whisky the water of life. The next time I take a dram will be at my daughter’s wake.’

He swigged it back. Slammed it on to the table.

Poe took his cue. He pointed towards Matthew the personal protection officer. ‘You’re a man with enemies,’ he said. ‘Tell me about them.’

Chapter 21

‘Shipping and warehousing are competitive businesses, Sergeant Poe,’ Archie said. ‘And they are, particularly for fledgling companies,cutthroatbusinesses. You cannot be successful without making enemies. It’s why I hire people like Matthew.’

Personal protection officers couldn’t find gainful employment in Cumbria. The only celebrities were chefs – Cumbria was plagued with them – and Melvyn Bragg. That meant Matthew either had legitimate employment in London, orillegitimateemployment in Cumbria. If it was the former, there was no reason why Matthew should know him. But if he had been into some shady stuff . . . well, then he’d know who Poe was.Allthe criminals in Cumbria knew who Poe was. Also, Matthew was tall. Suspiciously tall.Sniper-tall. Poe made a mental note to investigate him the moment he left the marquee.

‘Tilly will want a list of names,’ Poe said.

‘Are any of the other victims in the shipping industry?’

‘Not as far as I can tell.’

‘Yet you’re asking me about my enemies. Why is that?’

Poe tapped the manilla folder. ‘You’re a well-connected man, Archie. You know why I’m asking.’

‘You’re talking about the files the authorities keep on me.’

‘I am.’

Archie stared wistfully at the empty Macallan. ‘While I admit nothing, you understand, a person who built up a similar-sized shipping business might have had to cut corners along the way.’

‘And what corners might those have been?’ Poe asked.

‘Maybe he bribed officials to look the other way. Or added something to the cargo that wasn’t on the docket. Perhaps hethreatened a problematic union leader. Spilled the occasional drop of blood. That such a person would attract the attention of the authorities is as inevitable as disappointment.’

‘Did this . . . similar person ever order a murder?’

Archie shook his head. ‘Never.’

‘A beating that maybe went on a bit too long, resulted in life-changing injuries?’

‘No.’

‘A business deal that saw someone lose everything they’d worked long and hard for?’

This time he wasn’t so quick to dismiss it. ‘There is always collateral damage.’

‘Funny you should say that,’ Poe said. ‘My boss used that exact phrase when it came to one of the prevailing theories. That someone is using randomly selected targets to hide the motivation for thetruetarget.’

‘You think my Jools is the C inThe ABC Murders?’