Chapter 46
Teri
Finally, Teri sits in the interview room, ready to tell her story. She’ll make sure Kate stays in prison until the day she dies, and then get out of this dump of a town and back to her nice life in London.
She’s sad that Max died, of course. She loved him very much. They would have made a wonderful couple. But it’s no use crying over spilt milk. All she wants now is to get this part over and done with and go home.
DI Evans walks in. He’s a tall, stocky man with a crooked nose. She likes his type. Strong. Masculine. She notes that he’s not wearing a wedding ring. She gives him a sweet smile. Maybe she could fit in a little fling before she leaves town.
‘Thank you for seeing me, Detective,’ she says, as though she wasn’t asked to be here. ‘Where would you like me to start?’
DI Evans doesn’t reply. He slides two clear evidence bags across the table. Teri stares at them.
Inside one is a pair of rubber gloves, the dishwashing kind, and in the other is a small piece of paper that says, I think I love you too.
Teri frowns. ‘What are these?’
‘Do you recognise these items?’
Teri stares at the note and swallows. ‘I don’t know what these are.’
DI Evans points to the gloves. ‘These are generic dishwashing gloves. They were found under the sink at Mr Price’s home.’
‘I see.’
‘Do you recognise them?’
She makes a face. ‘Maybe. As you said, they’re the generic kind.’
‘They’ve got your DNA inside.’
‘Well, I did the washing up while I was there. I used gloves.’
‘They’ve also got traces of blood belonging to Mr Price, on the inside of the cuff.’
Teri blinks a few times. ‘I thought you wanted to ask me questions about Kate?’
‘And I’ll get to that. But firstly, I want to ask you about these gloves. Why would they have traces of Mr Price’s blood on them?’
Teri’s face twitches. ‘I have no idea. They were brand new when I used them. I saw Kate open the packet.’
‘We also found your hair in his mouth. How do you explain that?’
‘My hair?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s not possible.’
‘Were you lovers?’
‘Yes! You know that. He was leaving her for me. She must have found out and killed him.’
‘So how do you explain your hair in his mouth?’
‘I don’t! It’s not mine! I haven’t seen him since he left London. I hadn’t seen him for weeks, and then I thought he was in Zurich.’
‘We also found a broken fingernail belonging to you trapped in his polo shirt.’
‘A broken fingernail?’
‘Yes.’
‘Mine?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s not possible. I just told you. I haven’t seen Max. I’ve had nothing to do with him for weeks. She did it. She put him in that freezer.’
‘What about this note, here?’ He taps the bag. ‘Is it yours?’
Teri looks visibly shaken. She swallows. ‘Yes. I mean, he gave it to me.’
‘We found it in the shorts he was wearing.’
She shakes her head. ‘That makes no sense. He gave it to me. I still have it. It’s in my house.’
‘So you don’t know how it ended up in his pocket?’
‘No.’
‘We found the key to the padlock that opens the freezer on a shelf in the garage, hidden behind a toolbox. Your prints were on it.’
‘My prints?’ Teri tries to think. ‘It was on the floor. I picked it up. I gave it back to her.’
‘Who?’
‘Kate.’
‘Mrs Price says she had no idea the freezer was locked. She says she’s never seen the key.’
‘She’s lying!’
‘Do you recognise this?’ He slides another evidence bag towards her. It contains a flattened, slightly crumpled receipt.
‘What is it?’
‘A receipt from Castle Home and Hardware.’
‘I’ve never seen it before.’
‘It’s a receipt for a hasp and staple, a padlock and a hand drill. Paid in cash.’
‘It’s not mine.’
‘It was found in your house. Your prints are on it.’
‘My prints? No.’ Teri shakes her head. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘Your prints were also found all over the freezer.’
‘Because I was curious about it. I knew she was hiding something in there. I went down in the middle of the night, and also when she was at work, to try and open it. But I never managed to. I didn’t know what was in it – although I had my suspicions.’
‘Your DNA was found under his fingernails. Do you still maintain you had no dealings with Max Price for weeks before he disappeared?’
Teri swallows. ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying. There’s no way my DNA could be under his fingernails.’
‘His phone was in your bedroom.’
Teri half stands and slams the table. ‘No! You’re making it all up! Is she paying you? Is that it?’
But then she remembers Holly going upstairs the last time she came to see her.
She was up there for a long time. She’d wanted to use Teri’s laptop.
Teri didn’t have a problem with it. She liked Holly.
But she’d seen her coming out of her bedroom, so asked her about it.
Holly had said something about wanting to stay with Teri to get away from crazy Kate.
Teri was pleased about that. She imagined Kate’s face when she told her.
She wants to live with me. She even did her makeup.
That was the day Teri told her she was convinced that Max was dead in the freezer and she was going to call the police.
She told Holly all about her theory. She remembers Holly looking at her strangely, like this wasn’t exactly a surprise.
DI Evans is still speaking, still asking questions, but Teri isn’t listening.
She feels dizzy. Blood is roaring in her ears.
She used Kate’s hairbrush because she didn’t have one of her own.
She remembers with a start the time she broke her nail while searching Kate’s wardrobe.
And she did use the dishwashing gloves. They were brand new.
She doesn’t remember Kate ever putting them on.
And then she remembers that odd receipt, stuck between the notes Kate gave her.
Teri had crumpled it up and thrown it on the floor.
Teri’s chest is so tight she can barely speak. ‘I think I’d like a lawyer now.’