Gloria kept swinging her foot, a rhythm of restless irritation. ‘Two o’clock, around about then.’
She glanced at the quartet of officers who had accompanied Rachel. ‘What’s them lot doing?’
‘This is a warrant to search your property.’ Rachel showed her the paper. ‘Is anyone else at home?’
‘Connor’s in bed.’
‘If you could wake him and you’ll both have to wait down here with me.’
Gloria gave a bitter snort then called up the stairs. ‘Connor? Connor, get up. The police are here, they want to check the house. What for?’ She turned to Rachel. ‘You have to give a reason.’
Rachel nodded at the warrant, ‘A search for firearms and proscribed drugs.’
‘Drugs?’ she said. ‘He doesn’t touch drugs.’ No mention of weapons.
Connor came downstairs. When he saw them all in the living room he threw back his head and raised his arms, then let them drop heavily in a gesture of despair.
‘Anyone else in the house?’ Rachel checked.
Gloria gave a shake of her head. Rachel gestured for the team to go upstairs and begin looking.
‘Your husband attended a meeting at the George Inn on Sunday the sixth of May?’
‘Don’t know,’ Gloria said.
‘Free country, innit?’ Connor said.
‘Do you know if your husband had any dealings with Noel and Neil Perry?’
‘He’s been locked up since 2007.’
‘Since he came out,’ Rachel said.
‘He never,’ said Connor, ‘they’re nutters, them.’
‘Connor, shut it,’ his mother said. ‘He never told me anything,’ she said to Rachel. ‘I wouldn’t want to know anyway.’
‘Did your husband, to your knowledge, bring any weapons into the house?’
‘You want to ask me any questions like that, you’d best caution me and get a brief.’
‘He hasn’t done nothing,’ Connor said defensively, ‘it’s harassment, innit?’
‘Connor,’ Gloria warned.
Connor kicked at the kitchen table. ‘It’s all shit.’
‘Shut the fuck up,’ Gloria bawled, ‘you are doing my head in. It’s bad enough having this lot crawling all over the place without your bloody chuntering.’
Connor glowered at his mother.
The minutes ticked by and finally the police came downstairs empty-handed.
‘Would you like to wait upstairs while they search down here?’ Rachel said.
‘In the kitchen,’ Gloria said. ‘I want to see what they’re doing. They leave it like a pigsty if you don’t watch.’
The trio moved into the kitchen while the searchers began systematically checking the living room. Gloria Tandy’s phone went and she began a conversation with someone about a christening, going through the living room to wait by the front door as she did so.
Connor moved over and got a can of Coke from the fridge. He popped it open and drank, watching Rachel the whole time. Finally he said, ‘If I tell you something, you won’t say who told you?’