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others followed with Bassano still clearly upset at the request to see his grandson.
    ‘Look, how many times?’ Bassano pleaded. ‘It was an accident! Julia had brought me tea. I thought she had gone. I lowered the boat. It dropped, like you saw. It’s a fault with the lift, it must be – it’s never happened before. It just dropped. I don’t know why she was even under the boat!’
    Broderick threw Sullivan a look as if to say that he’d be interested in discovering the reason for that also.
    ‘Why can’t you just leave us in peace? Bassano continued. ‘We’ve had enough grief this past twenty four hours.’
    Julio appeared at his grandfather’s side. Sullivan looked at the clearly traumatized boy and smiled gently.
    ‘Right. Julio. We are police officers. There’s no need to be afraid. We just need to ask you a few questions. Is that OK?’
    The child looked at Bassano for approval.
    ‘Look, leave the lad alone,’ the grandfather said. ‘Can’t you see he’s upset enough as it is?’
    ‘I’m sorry, Mr Bassano, but we really do need to get to the bottom of this. Do you like boats, Julio?’ Sullivan asked gently.
    The child looked at his grandfather, then nodded his head.
    Sullivan continued ‘They’re great, aren’t they?’
    Another nod.
    ‘Is that boat your favourite?’ Sullivan pointed to the boat.
    Another nod.
    ‘Does your grandfather let you get inside the boat sometimes, Julio?’
    ‘Now, that’s quite enough,’ Bassano barked. ‘This is getting ridiculous!’
    Calbot placed a reassuring hand on Bassano’s shoulder. The grandfather’s reaction had alerted Sullivan to another possibility. She continued her probing under Broderick’s silent stare.
    ‘Have you ever tried to drive a boat on your own, Julio?’
    Reluctantly, the boy nodded his head.
    ‘Is that what you were doing yesterday?’
    ‘What the hell are you saying?’ Bassano cried. ‘You’ve no right to interrogate him like this! He’s just a boy!’
    Chief Inspector Broderick touched Sullivan on the arm and indicated that she should wait. He moved swiftly to the hydraulic’s controls. On the floor where they had fallen lay a large bag of sweets. Holding them up for all to see he asked as best he could... ‘Dese are ‘oors ah vey Oolio?’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Bassano replied.
    Broderick looked to his translator for help. Sullivan nodded to him and turned once more to boy.
    ‘Those are your sweets, aren’t they Julio?’
    The boy looked again to his grandfather but could take no more. Tears began to fall down his cheeks once more. Bassano swept the lad into his arms and then turned on the accusers in desperation.
    ‘Okay, okay! Listen. It wasn’t his fault. Please. He came down here on his own. He’s done it before – to play on the boat. We tried telling him time and time again to keep away. Julia told me she was going to find him. She must have been trying to catch him when it happened. Maybe that was why she was under the boat, I don’t know. Next thing, I heard a cry and came running down. The boat had dropped and Julio was stood by the controls screaming like a wild thing. He must have set the hydraulics off... somehow...I don’t understand... he didn’t know... Please don’t blame him, I beg you! It’s all my fault, not his. Mine!’
    Broderick looked at the ruined man and spoke as clearly as he could. ‘Yes. It is.’
    *
    The marked police car drew up and Calbot showed a WPC into the building as Broderick and Sullivan stood by the old Mercedes.
    ‘Sir? I’m sorry, but can I be blunt?’ Sullivan asked.
    Broderick looked at her, but said nothing.
    She continued. “I’m sorry that nobody bothered to tell you I was arriving, sir. It’s obvious that it’s irritated you and I understand that. But I’d like you to know that this job is very important to me. It’s not quite the brief I’d been expecting, but I’m glad about that. I’m not really one for just standing around and