"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said, glancing at him and then away. "Why are you here asking me about Devon anyway? I barely knew him."
Janssen took up the questioning, Helen's stance indicated she was about to adopt an aggressive attitude towards them.
"We understood you and he to have a closer relationship than that."
"Is that right?"
"Is it not the case?"
"Like I said. We hang out sometimes."
"Do you know why anyone might wish to do him harm?" Janssen asked, watching closely for a reaction. Helen's expression remained unchanged, fixed in a scowl.
"No. Why would anyone want to hurt him? He's a good bloke is Devon. Has someone done him in?"
"Too early to say," Janssen said. "How would you describe him?"
"What do you mean? I just did, didn't I?"
"Confident… arrogant… depressed, maybe?"
Helen snorted back a laugh, putting the back of her hand against her mouth. "Depressed, Devon? You're kidding, right. No, not at all, not Devon."
If Helen was right, her emphatic denial could probably rule out suicide as the cause for him falling to his death.
"We don't have a local address for him. Do you have any idea where he was staying?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He had one of those apartments they've just converted on the other side of town. On the esplanade."
"The Beaconsfield?" Janssen asked.
Helen nodded. "Yeah. Nice place. It's not his. I mean, he rents it."
"But you hardly know him?" Cassie asked.
Helen met her eye with a dark look.
"Yeah. That's what I said. Do you have a hearing problem?"
Cassie ignored the sarcasm, her expression remaining neutral.
"If he's not local, where does he come from?" Janssen asked.
Helen shrugged. "Down London way, I think."
"London's a big place," he replied.
"Yes, I know," Helen said, raising her eyebrows and taking a deep breath while looking directly at him. He sensed they were reaching the limit of what they were going to get out of her. For now, anyway.
"What was his surname?" he asked. Helen shrugged, a gesture he found irritating. There was being unhelpful to the police and then there was bloody-minded obstinance. She must have read his expression, rolling her eyes away from him and answering quietly.
"Bailey. Devon Bailey."
"Thank you," he said flatly.
The door to the rear yard opened and a man walked in. He was startled by their presence, bringing himself upright as it dawned on him they weren't there for a social call. Janssen recognised the newcomer. It may have been the better part of twenty years since they'd seen one other, and they'd both aged, but Janssen knew the weasel-like features well enough despite some added girth and receding hair. By the expression on his face, he remembered Janssen just as clearly.
"I heard you were back," the newcomer said.
Janssen flicked him a welcoming nod. It was slight and made out of courtesy rather than being heartfelt.
"For a while now," he said. "How have you been, Jamie?"
"Alright, PC Tommy," Jamie Kemp replied.
Janssen didn't rise to the dig. He'd heard it before and chose to smile, one that was mirrored by Jamie.
"Is your brother around?" Janssen asked.
"Shaun?" Jamie said before answering the question. "Nah. He's still out. I spoke to him yesterday. He had a problem with the boat and had to put in along the coast. He was due back today, but… you can't help old boats, can you. What do you want him for anyway?"
"Any number of things, I should imagine. But for now, we're looking into the death of a man staying here in town."
"The jumper?" Jamie said.
"Jumper?"
"Yeah. The guy who threw himself off the cliff last night. That's what everyone's saying."
Janssen didn't wish to confirm or deny anything.
"What do you know about him?"
Jamie shrugged.
"They think it's Devon," Helen said. Jamie looked over to her, raising his eyebrows in response.
"Really?" Jamie said, looking between his sister-in-law and Janssen. The latter nodded. "Oh well. Can't say I'll miss him. I guess I'm one car length up in traffic this morning."
Janssen caught sight of Cassie's reaction to the comment in the corner of his eye. The callous nature of Jamie's attitude clearly surprised her. Not him. Janssen remembered Jamie Kemp only too well.
"Sounds like you don't care much for him," he said.
Jamie fixed him with a stare, casually chewing his lower lip, but said nothing.
"Of course, we don't know how he came to fall from the cliff top. Any suggestions?" Janssen asked.
"Always looking for the angle, aren't you, Tommy?" Jamie said. "Never mind reality… just look to make trouble for people."
"But you didn't like him, did you?"
"No. Can't say I did," Jamie said, looking at Helen who averted her eyes from his gaze. "His sort don't belong around here."
"What do you mean by that?" Cassie asked.
Jamie looked to her. "What do I mean by what?"
"His sort."
"You know… dodgy and that."
"How is he dodgy?" Janssen asked.
Jamie shot him a withering look.
"You're the policeman, not me. Unless you want to pay me to do your homework?"
"No. Just like back in school, I'd need the right answers."
Jamie's face split a broad grin but it didn't meet the eyes, they remained trained on Janssen, who held the gaze. Neither spoke and yet something still passed between them.
"If we’re unable to locate a next of kin,” he said, turning to Helen. “Would you be willing to help us identify the deceased?”
Helen Kemp met his eye, nodding without speaking a word.
“Thank you. We'll see ourselves out," he said, gesturing for Cassie to lead. He lingered where he stood for a moment. Jamie remained unmoved. Cassie headed back into the hall and Janssen broke the mutual stare, turning to follow. He saw Helen and Jamie exchange a brief look at one another as he passed before she turned her eyes back to the floor.
Chapter Seven
The sound of the latch clicking into place carried through to the kitchen and Helen Kemp glanced towards the front door, making sure the detectives had indeed left. She glared at Jamie. He didn't seem bothered by her attention, shrugging it off and moving to the fridge. He opened the door and casually eyed the contents before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in disgust and pushing it to.
"Don't you ever do any bloody shopping?"
"If you don't like it, you can sod off back to your own flat," she said, drawing a sneer from her brother-in-law. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Shaun asked me to stop by."
"Why?"
Jamie raised his eyebrows, fixing her with a knowing look.
"Oh, get stuffed, Jamie!" she said, turning her back on him. She would have stormed out if she had anywhere worth going to.