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they'd heard already on the evening news. Outside, it was dark and he was only up to the 'G's. He drew the curtains.
    What would Steph have wanted next? It was weird, but he almost heard her say in her calm voice, 'Tidy my things, Pete.' She would hate to leave disorder. Against all logic he went upstairs and emptied the basket where she put her clothes for washing. Picked her nightdress off the pillow and for a moment held it against his face and got a faint smell of her and said, 'Oh, Steph.' Brought the clothes down and loaded the machine. Went back upstairs and stripped the bed. Tightened the lid on a pot of foundation cream she'd left on her dressing table.
    He said in a whisper, 'Is that better?' and then shook his head at his own stupidity.
    He heard a car draw up outside and someone coming to the door, so he went downstairs and opened it.
    A camera flashed.
    The press.
    He said to the woman on his doorstep, 'Shove off, will you. Leave me alone. There's no comment. There won't be any comment.' And slammed the door.
    The phone rang.
    He snatched it up, ready to give them a blasting.
    'Curtis McGarvie here.'
    'Oh.'
    'First, I want to tell you how sorry I am.'
    'Thanks.'
    'And any number of people asked me to pass on their sympathy and support. Everyone is gutted. You can be sure we won't rest until we've caught this jerk. Do you mind if I talk about it?'
    'Feel free.'
    'The bullets are with forensics. They'll check them against their database and tell us the class of weapon. I've asked them to give it top priority. Some kind of handgun was used, obviously, and I'm assuming it was a revolver.'
    'Why?'
    'There'd have been cartridges lying around if a self-loading pistol was used.'
    'Not if the killer was careful.'
    'Picked up the cartridges, you mean?' McGarvie was silent, absorbing the point. 'Well, there weren't any, I promise you.'
    'The striker pin marks the cartridge differently with each gun,' Diamond said with the confidence of the weapons training he did in his time with the Met. 'Important to ballistics. A professional would know that. He might well decide not to leave them there to be found. I think we should keep an open mind about the weapon.'
    'I intend to,' McGarvie said, stressing the first word. 'Otherwise not much came up in the search. Do you know if your wife normally carried a bag of some kind?'
    A bag? He meant a handbag. Of course she carried a handbag. 'Black leather, quite large, with a shoulder strap and zip. Didn't you find it?'
    'Nothing so far. Maybe you could look around the house and see if it's gone for certain.'
    'I'll do it now.'
    'No rush.'
    'I said I'll do it now.'
    'Okay. And I'd like to come to your place tomorrow and talk to you.'
    'I'll come to the nick.'
    'No, I'd prefer to visit your home, if you don't mind. That way, I'll get a better sense of your wife.'
    He would have done the same. 'All right.'
    'Is nine too early? If you can find a recent photo, we'll need to appeal for witnesses. Have you been bothered by the press at all?'
    'Told them to bugger off.'
    'If it happens again, tell them we're calling a press conference for midday tomorrow. Should get them off your back.'
    'Thanks. Do you want me there?'
    'No need at this stage. Is anyone with you? Friends or family?'
    'I'm alone.'
    'Would you like—?'
    'It's my choice.'
    He searched for that handbag without any confidence that it would turn up. Steph always took it with her if she went out. Just as he expected, it wasn't in the house -which raised a question. If the killer had picked it up, what was his reason?
    Would a hitman walk off with his victim's handbag after firing the fatal shot? Unlikely.
    It raised the possibility that the hitman theory was wrong, and that Steph had been shot by a thief.
    He stood in the living room with head bowed, hands pressed to his face, pondering that one. Had she been killed for a few pounds and some credit cards? That would be even more cruel.
    He called the nick and left a message for