Chapter 50
Fifty
It was Lucinda Butler who opened the door, and Kim felt a pang of sympathy for what the woman was about to learn.
‘Is your husband home, Mrs Butler?’ Kim asked.
‘He’s not well; he’s off today. He’s in bed. Can I…?’
‘Could you call him down, please? We really need to speak to him.’
‘Has something happened? Is it about Ashley?’ Lucinda asked, clasping her hands together.
‘Please, just call him down.’
Lucinda looked from her to Bryant before heading up the stairs. Kim took a seat while Bryant remained standing. After a few minutes, Joe Butler appeared with Lucinda trailing behind. His wife made no attempt to hide the concern on her face, while Joe was working hard to have no expression at all.
‘Inspector, what’s so urgent that you need to disturb a sick man?’
‘Please, sit down, Mr Butler,’ Kim said, thinking that he didn’t look sick at all.
He took a seat, and Lucinda placed herself beside him.
Kim considered asking the man if he’d prefer to talk to them alone, but given they were here for something more serious than his infidelity, it was better to have her present.
Joe reached for his wife’s hand, a gesture that irritated Kim after the recording she’d just heard.
‘Mr Butler, where were you yesterday lunchtime?’
‘Excuse me?’ he said, playing for time while trying to figure out an answer.
‘It wasn’t so long ago. Yesterday, one until three.’
‘I was at my desk, eating lunch.’
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Y-yes. I ate prawns. They made me feel ill. I left work early and came home. I went straight to bed,’ he said, patting his stomach.
Lucinda nodded in agreement. ‘That’s exactly what he did.’
He may very well have come home early, but it wasn’t because of some dodgy prawns.
‘Are you sure you’re not getting confused, Mr Butler?’ Kim asked, thinking this was the wrong hill he’d chosen to die on.
‘I’m positive.’
‘Only, we have photos that place you somewhere else entirely,’ she challenged him. Well, they would have those images once Penn had finished with Toby Judd’s camera.
‘Photos can be doctored, Inspector. AI can do fantastic things.’
‘We have proof you were at the pub.’
‘Pub?’ Lucinda asked, turning a questioning look his way.
‘Oh, I remember now. I had a quick meeting with some colleagues before I went back and ate at my desk.’
‘So, Nadine Cowley is a colleague of yours?’
‘Wh… who?’ he asked with a tremor to his voice.
‘The woman in the pink shirt you met in the pub yesterday.’
Lucinda pulled her hand from his but didn’t move away.
Kim was sorry for the fact that this was going to get a whole lot worse.
‘It’s not what you think, sweetheart,’ he said, trying to reclaim her hand.
Kim considered cutting him off, but she was curious to see the depth of the hole he was going to dig for himself, so she remained silent.
‘I didn’t want to worry you, so I haven’t said anything. She’s a friend of Abby’s. I made contact with her a few weeks ago. She agreed to keep me informed about the boys and Abby’s mental health.’
Oh, that was a good one. She had to hand it to him for his creativity. What he hadn’t thought about was the coincidence of a friend of Abby’s being a honey trapper from the company that Lucinda had likely hired to test his fidelity.
‘I knew what you’d think if I told you I was meeting a woman behind your back, but I swear that it’s all to do with the boys. She says that Abby is doing okay and the kids are fine. Come on, love – you know how worried I’ve been.’
Kim could see how desperate Lucinda was to believe him. Kim was about to destroy that.
‘We have audio, Mr Butler. Nadine Cowley was recording your conversation.’
And that was the moment the colour dropped from his face.
Kim turned her attention to Lucinda, who was fighting back tears.
‘You must have suspected, Mrs Butler, or you wouldn’t have contracted Images to carry out the honey trap.’
She nodded as the tears rolled over her cheeks. ‘I hoped he’d prove me wrong,’ she said, moving away and going to stand at the window.
‘I’ve listened to the audio, Mrs Butler, and without giving too much detail, I’m afraid to say that he didn’t.’
Lucinda nodded but didn’t turn.
‘We also heard your anger and threats when Nadine revealed who she was.’
After glancing at his wife’s back, Joe knew he had stepped into a hole that he’d dug for himself.
‘I didn’t want to lose my wife. Yes, I was angry – who wouldn’t be?’
‘And what did you do when you left the pub?’ Kim asked.
‘I took a minute in the car to calm down, and then I came home. I intended to tell Lucinda everything, and I’ve been trying to find the courage ever since.’
‘How long did it take you to calm down?’
‘A minute or two, why?’
‘Did you see Nadine leave the pub?’
He shook his head.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Inspector, what’s this about?’
‘The woman you met yesterday, the one you were raging at, was stabbed to death in that car park.’
Lucinda’s head whipped round.
‘No, no, no, it wasn’t… I swear… I would never… Luce, I wouldn’t…’
‘Joseph Butler, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murders of Ashley Reynolds and Nadine Cowley.’
‘Luce, call my lawyer. Call Mickey Fisher.’
Lucinda reached for her mobile phone, glared at him and dropped it on the sofa.
‘Call him your damn self.’