Love You Dead

121 Monday 16 March

An hour later, back in his office in a far happier mood, Roy Grace did not imagine today would get any better. But it was about to.

As he sat in furious concentration, hammering out his statement of facts to present to the Crown Prosecution Service for their consent to charge Jodie with the murder of Rowley Burnett Carmichael, his phone rang.

‘Roy Grace,’ he answered.

It was the London Interpol detective he had spoken to before, Tom Haynes.

‘Sir,’ he said, sounding more good-humoured than the last time they’d spoken, when the man had been rather stiff and formal. ‘I have some information regarding your suspect Dr Edward Crisp that I think you will like.’

‘Tell me?’

‘Lyon police have him back in custody.’

‘They do?’

‘He was arrested early this morning.’

‘This is brilliant news — how — what happened?’

‘Apparently we have a French farmer to thank. His wife got up at her usual early hour to milk their cows, and saw a grubby-looking man stealing clothes off their washing line. Her husband detained him with his shotgun. I don’t have all the details at this stage, but I understand he was filthy, exhausted, frozen and possibly relieved. He didn’t put up any resistance.’

The image of arrogant Crisp spending the past week covered in excrement from his escape through the prison sewer system, and grubbing his way furtively around the French countryside, appealed to Grace. ‘Excellent news, Tom. I’ll notify the Extradition Service right away. Perhaps the French prison service can keep a closer watch on him than the last time.’

‘They’re pretty embarrassed by what happened, sir. I don’t think he’ll have a second chance.’

‘Please thank everyone involved.’

‘I think it was sheer luck that they got him.’ He was silent for a moment, then he said, ‘I guess we all need luck.’

‘The harder I try, the luckier I get?’ Grace said.

‘Thomas Jefferson,’ the detective replied. ‘It actually goes something like, “I find the harder I work, the luckier I get.”’

‘That’s it!’

‘There’s another, from Franklin D. Roosevelt, sir: “I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.”’

Grace smiled. ‘You’re well up on your American quotes, Tom.’

‘I am American.’