Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Four
As Gareth Hunter pulled into his driveway he spotted the grey police Volkswagen Passat parked to the left of the front door.
Evie had sounded nervous when she’d called to say two detectives had arrived at Clyffe House.
She wasn’t sure why they were there. She told him she’d made coffee and asked them to wait until he arrived home.
Like Evie, at first he’d felt confused. They’d already been interviewed.
But then he realised after Luke’s release – news Arcadia had been buzzing with since lunchtime – they would probably want to see everyone again.
Not that there was anything to add to the information both he and Evie had already given, but still …
Letting himself in through the front door, he left his keys on the hall table and made his way towards the living room.
This was his favourite part of the house.
Folding doors led out to beautifully kept lawns and borders while the room itself was a fusion of beiges and apricots.
He had to admit Evie might be a difficult bitch to live with but she had taste.
Giving her a free hand to redecorate the whole house after his mother’s move to a care home had completely transformed the place.
Many people, he knew, envied him having what they perceived as a perfect home, and a glamorous wife.
However, today as he entered the room his eyes took in a different Evie; not the usual stylish hostess but one who looked pale and uneasy.
‘Gentlemen.’ He nodded to Phillips and Cousins who were sitting opposite his wife drinking coffee.
‘Mr Hunter, sorry to bother you again,’ Phillips said apologetically, setting his cup in its saucer and placing it back on the low table in front of him.
‘No trouble, Inspector. How can we help?’
There was a ghost of a smile and then Phillips’ pale eyes slid across to where Evie sat. ‘Actually, it’s your wife we came to see.’
‘Me?’ She looked anxiously at Phillips. ‘Why? I’ve already told you everything I know.’
‘Evie calm down, there’s nothing to worry about.’ Gareth patted her hand as he settled beside her.
‘We found this,’ Phillips’ said, his hand slipping into his jacket pocket and bringing out a small plastic bag. ‘Does it belong to you?’
Gareth watched Evie’s face as Phillips opened the bag and tipped the item into his open palm, revealing an emerald and diamond bracelet.
‘Yes it does,’ he answered for her. ‘I bought it last year. A birthday present, wasn’t it, darling?’
‘Yes.’ Evie’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Where on earth did you find it, Inspector?’
‘I had no idea you’d lost it,’ Gareth interrupted, frowning. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’
‘I …’ Evie shrugged uncomfortably. ‘Well, I thought I’d mislaid it somewhere in the house. I decided not to mention anything until I’d searched properly.’ She placed a hand on his knee. ‘I didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily. Where did you say you’d found it, Inspector?’
‘So you think you lost it in the house, Mrs Hunter?’ Phillips said as he placed the bracelet carefully on the coffee table in front of them both.
‘I … well, I supposed I must have.’ She hesitated for a moment, her hand placed at the base of her throat as she chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.
‘Can you remember when you last wore it?’
‘No, sorry.’ Evie drew in a breath. ‘Although, wait a minute, I do remember leaving it on the dressing table a while ago.’ She turned to Gareth. ‘It was the day Jordan was here with that Polish waitress, Marika, you know, the poor girl who was murdered a few days ago.’
‘She was here?’ Phillips looked surprised. ‘I had no idea your son was having a relationship with her.’
‘Oh, he wasn’t.’ Evie gave a silly laugh. ‘I think you could describe it best as … well … a sort of friendship. Not that it lasted very long. He’s back with Chantelle now, as you know.’
‘So are you saying she might have taken the bracelet while she was here?’ Phillips asked as he scratched his chin thoughtfully.
‘Well, I don’t know.’ Evie shrugged and turned to look at Gareth. ‘I suppose it’s a possibility.’
‘Inspector, can we cut to the chase?’ Gareth’s gaze flipped between Phillips and Cousins. ‘This bracelet is connected to the murder in some way, isn’t it? That’s the reason you’re both here.’
Phillips nodded.
‘Well that must be it then.’ Evie looked at each of the men in turn. ‘Marika stole the bracelet on the day she came here. She was wearing it, wasn’t she?’
Ignoring her question Phillips pinned her with a curious stare.
‘Well if, as my husband says, it’s connected to the murder, what other explanation is there?
Yes, it’s my bracelet, yes it went missing.
I think we’ve added our piece to the puzzle.
Now, if you don’t mind,’ she said, getting to her feet, ‘we have friends coming to dinner this evening and I am rather busy.’
‘Actually, I’ve not quite finished, Mrs Hunter.
Mike?’ Phillips turned to look at Cousins who slid his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a series of photographs.
‘You see,’ Phillips continued, as he took the photos from Cousins, ‘as part of our investigation we asked people who attended the barbeque to let us have any photos they had taken on the evening. We checked back through and these came to light.’
He lined up three coloured prints on the surface of the table. ‘These shots show you at the barbeque where, as you can see, you were definitely wearing the bracelet. Now, Mrs Hunter,’ he leaned forward, ‘can I ask you again, where exactly did you lose it?’
Gareth closed his eyes. As soon as she’d begun to spin her story he’d known Evie was lying. As far as he could remember, when she was here, Marika had spent her whole time with them out on the patio. What the hell had she done?
‘Where did you find the bracelet, Inspector?’ he asked, feeling a lead weight in his chest, knowing his world and everything in it was about to come crashing down.
‘At the moment I’m not at liberty to divulge any information, Mr Hunter, only to say its location implicates your wife in the murder of Marika Stefanski.’
Evie stepped backwards reaching blindly for the couch, eventually seating herself next to Gareth. She stared at both of the policemen, shaking her head back and forth in denial. ‘Murder? No it wasn’t like that. I didn’t mean it to happen.’
‘Evie, no!’ Gareth’s hand shot out, his hand landing on her shoulder. ‘You mustn’t say another word. Not without a solicitor present.’
‘But I want to … I need to explain,’ she said forcefully, looking at all of them in turn, her eyes bright, colour rising in her cheeks.
‘They have to know. They have to understand exactly what I was faced with.’ She stabbed an angry finger at Phillips.
‘A little tramp and a gold-digger. She came here with Jordan that day, and I knew at once what she had planned. She thought she’d bag herself a wealthy boyfriend …
and maybe even more. You know, I was so relieved when he dumped her and went back to Chantelle.
But then she phoned. Said he couldn’t leave her, because she was having his baby.
’ She raised her eyes to the two policemen.
‘Was she pregnant?’ Phillips shook his head.
‘I thought as much,’ she said quietly. ‘I offered her money, you know, for a termination. But she refused to go through with it. She kept saying she and Jordan were meant to be together and if I stood in the way she would go ahead and have the baby and make sure everyone knew who the father was. I couldn’t have her ruining my son’s life.
So I decided to wait until the evening of the barbeque to confront her.
I spotted her going down to the small beach but before I could follow I saw Luke heading that way.
I had no idea why he’d gone to see her but he didn’t stay long.
I waited for a few moments before I went down.
I needed to convince her Jordan didn’t want anyone long term and if he did she’d be the last person on earth.
She laughed at me, you know. Laughed in my face.
Told me no one would get in her way, least of all a sad drunk.
She kept saying Jordan belonged to her. In the end I lost my temper.
I went to grab her. I wanted to give her a shake; to call her bluff about the pregnancy, tell her to do her worst. That it was all over for her, Jordan didn’t want her any more and she’d better get used to it.
She thought it was a game, dodging out of the way with that awful laugh of hers as I tried to catch her.
I did eventually manage to grab her but she shook me off and climbed onto the rocks.
She kept laughing, mocking me. Then I noticed a piece of wood half buried in the sand.
I grabbed it and went after her. I managed to trap her, hitting her everywhere I could reach.
She screamed and then wriggled out of the way and swore at me, calling me obscene names.
I became so angry I lashed out at her head.
I just wanted to stop the vile things she was saying.
I had no idea there were nails in the wood until afterwards.
’ She paused for a moment, leaning forward to cup her head in her hands.
‘But I don’t feel sorry for what I did. I couldn’t let her steal my beautiful son.
She was trash,’ she shook her head, ‘absolute trash. I had to stop her.’
‘And where is that piece of wood now?’ Phillips asked quietly.
‘I took it with me and hid it until they lit the bonfire then I retrieved it and threw it into the flames.’
‘One thing that puzzles me,’ Phillips said as he slipped the bracelet back into its plastic pouch, ‘is how you were prepared to let an innocent man … a member of your husband’s family … take the blame for something you had done.’