Narissa looked beyond her, to the moptop trees. She said slowly, “Yes. And that being the case—because it is the case—having Zawadi in the film—”
“—articulating those facts—”
“—would make Zawadi part of the solution, instead of having her seen as some angry Black woman with a thorn in her arse,” Narissa finished.
“It also brings the work of Orchid House into the picture,” Deborah noted.
“Which saves its reputation while it saves Zawadi’s reputation.”
“Which is good for everyone, if you ask me,” Deborah said.
“Especially for young girls,” Narissa replied.
EMPRESS STATE BUILDING
WEST BROMPTON
SOUTH-WEST LONDON
Lynley took with him not only the improved CCTV photos—which he’d shown Phinney earlier—but also all of the texts that the DCS and Teo Bontempi had shared. It was quite a number. When she was part of the team, the texts were revealing, but brief. After Phinney had managed her transfer, they were lengthy on his part, brief or nonexistent on hers.
Lynley could tell the DCS wasn’t happy to see him but attempting to hide this reaction. He rose from his desk, saying, “One of the team or me?” and when Lynley indicated it was Phinney he wanted a word with, the DCS took him not to the Orbit, but to a nearby conference room, where Lynley said to him, “You’ll know we have everything from DS Bontempi’s mobile. Not just the texts.”
“I reckoned that would be the case. Technology moves with lightning speed.”
“From reading her texts, it seems she was as taken with you as you were with her.”
“At first, yes.”
“Did something other than the forced transfer change things?”
“The pressure didn’t help.” Phinney gestured to the conference table. It was large, capable of seating more than a dozen people. They sat opposite each other. It was a deliberate egalitarian choice on Lynley’s part, signalling to Phinney that they were playing on the same team. For now.
“What sort of pressure?” Lynley asked.
“For sex. We never had . . . ordinary relations. She wouldn’t allow it. Actually, she wouldn’t allow anything having to do with . . . with that part of her body at all. But I persisted. I thought what every mad fool thinks: I can wear her down. Each time, a little further we’ll go until paradise is reached. I expect you know what I mean.”
“But nothing changed.”
“I thought she was trying to maintain control, that until I left my wife, she was going to deny me. It never once occurred to me that there might be another reason, that there was something about her body she wanted to hide from me. Why would I think that? We were mad for each other. Or at least I was mad for her and she said she felt the same for me. But at this point, who the hell knows.”
“So you never had intercourse.”
“We didn’t. Just . . . what she did to me.”
Lynley nodded. He looked through the texts he’d had off Teo’s mobile and found the one he wanted. He showed it to Phinney. Darling to be inside you once more once more.
Phinney read it but said nothing.
“Given the situation, I expect you didn’t send this message. But it came from your phone. You wife believed you were lovers, didn’t she. Not merely emotional lovers but physical lovers as well. What I don’t understand is the why of it. Not why you were involved with Teo Bontempi, but why your wife would have sent her this text?”
Phinney said, “I don’t know.”
Lynley brought out the improved CCTV pictures and laid them out. “She was there, Mark. Two days before Teo was attacked. I believe you recognised her at once when I showed you these yesterday.”
“She wouldn’t have hurt Teo. She didn’t hurt Teo.”
“Why would she have gone to see her in the first place, then? Teo didn’t answer the texts your wife sent, so she had no actual confirmation that you and Teo were involved, had she?”
“She’d told me she knew who it was. I never confirmed anything.”
“Perhaps Teo did the confirming when your wife called on her.”
“Pete wouldn’t have gone to get confirmation. She would have gone to ask Teo to think about Lilybet and what it would mean if I left them. Not that I ever would have done, Teo or not.”
“But she didn’t know that,” Lynley said. “Your wife, I mean.”
“I’ve told her often enough. But there are reasons she wouldn’t believe me.” And when Lynley said nothing to this, merely waited to hear a further explanation, “We share the same home, Thomas. We share the caring for Lilybet. We share meals and we share conversation and we share a bed. And that’s all we share.”