‘How do you want to play this?’

Murray’s question was directed at Natalie. The entire team was gathered in the office once more, and as Natalie appraised the tired faces in front of her, she made her decision. ‘We’ll sit on it until morning. We’re sure they’re lying but we have to back them into a corner so they confess. If we press on now, we might make mistakes, and if we do that, Lee’s lawyer will probably find some loophole to get him off. We can’t afford for that to happen. It’s imperative we don’t screw this up. If Lee and Vitor are lying, then Adam probably has no alibi either. Once he left Inge’s house, we don’t know where he went. He might have killed Charlotte and we still can’t be certain he and Inge didn’t murder her together.’

Lucy commented, ‘He’d really have to want to be with Inge to have no other option than to kill Charlotte. It seems excessive. He could have just left her for Inge. It seems messy: beat the wife to a pulp, leave a bloody message, make up some story about having sexual relations with the babysitter at her house before her mum got back.’

Natalie felt the same way but investigating was about examining all options not discounting some because they didn’t feel right. ‘But it’s still possible. Inge insisted the plan was to wait until she was eighteen and then Adam would leave his wife and child for her. She made a full statement earlier to that end and I’m not under the impression it’s fabricated. Still, weirder things have happened, so we’ll keep an open mind. Once we can establish where Lee and Adam both actually were, we might be a little closer to working out who our perpetrator is.’

With general consensus, they cleared away for the evening, leaving Natalie alone. She wrestled with the idea that Adam and Lee were both involved in Charlotte’s murder. It was plausible. Yet it wasn’t. She’d interviewed many suspects over her time and there was something about the way Adam accepted he was a suspect, that his alibi was weak, yet repeatedly denied killing Charlotte that resonated with her. If he had murdered his wife, he’d have ensured he had an airtight alibi and certainly not raced off for an hour with the babysitter before arranging some half-arsed explanation with a bartender he barely knew and a friend who was also known to the police. He’d have ensured Inge vouched for him for a longer period of time or sorted out something more concrete. It was all too woolly.

She shuffled her paperwork into order. She couldn’t fully concentrate any longer. When she’d told the team they might make mistakes, she was also aware that she was exhausted; she wasn’t having the investigation crumble because of a bad call she’d made. Besides, she was needed back home.

---

Bethany’s bright-green Post-it note was stuck to the fridge door. She’d opted for an early night and gone to bed. Lucy was too wound up to head upstairs immediately. If she went directly to bed, she’d fidget and wake her partner. She peeled the note away, smiled at the cartoon potato with a smiley face Bethany had added to the message, then opened the door and grabbed the half-drunk bottle of Australian white wine that had been open a couple of days, and poured a glass. She took it and the note through to their small lounge and flopped onto the comfy, pale-blue settee. Bethany had cleaned the room and a faint aroma of almonds rose from the wooden table as she set down her glass. She tilted her head back and shut her eyes. Her thoughts turned to Charlotte and what she must have experienced. The baby monitor was beside the bed. One of the crime scene pictures showed it turned at an angle. To Lucy’s mind it looked as if Charlotte had pulled the monitor towards her to listen to the sounds coming from it. Had she heard the killer in her baby’s room? The thought was chilling.

She slugged the wine. It was unlikely to have the soporific effect she hoped for but it might help her relax. Her laptop, along with the list of websites Charlotte had visited, was on the small writing desk in the corner of the room. Lucy hoisted herself up and crossed over to it. She’d gone through many of the sites that morning, and if she continued now, she might even finish the list before she went to bed. The sticky note was still attached to the base of her forefinger. She removed it, stuck it on the desk then opened up her computer and started trawling through the web pages.

---

Leigh was on the settee, ensconced in a film, legs curled under her. She lifted her chin at her mother’s greeting.

‘Hey, what are you watching?’ Natalie slid next to her. Leigh unfurled her legs, resting them on Natalie’s lap. Natalie placed her hands on them and gave them a gentle squeeze.

‘17 Again,’ Josh mumbled from the big brown chair, where he was half watching and half playing a game on his phone, thumbs moving across the screen at a steady pace.

‘You didn’t make it to Grandad’s.’ Leigh’s words were directed at her mother.

‘Darling, it was a murder case. It was very tricky to get away.’

Josh looked up briefly. ‘That boxer’s wife?’

‘Yes. You heard about it?’

‘One of my friend’s mates boxes at the bloke’s club. Says it’s shut for the moment.’ He returned his attention to his game. He was used to his mother’s occupation and rarely asked questions about it.

‘You have a good time at Grandad’s?’

‘It was okay. Pam made Yorkshire puddings,’ said Leigh, looking away from Zac Efron for a second. ‘They were this big!’ She opened her hands wide. ‘Honest. Weren’t they, Josh?’

‘Yeah. Huge. And fluffy.’

‘Is this a hint you want me to make some like them, or a criticism that mine are flat and like rubber to chew?’ She grinned.

Josh laughed. ‘No. I don’t think you’d manage to cook them like that. Cooking’s not your thing, is it? No offence.’

‘None taken. Where’s your dad?’

‘Went to his study. Said he had an urgent translation.’

‘You meet Pam’s son?’

‘He’s really nice, isn’t he, Josh?’ said Leigh, again turning away from the film. ‘He’s called Zander and he runs his own gaming software company. He and Josh were in geeky heaven talking about computer games.’

Josh scowled at his sister. ‘I’m not a geek. He was interesting. He knew how to level up on Fortnite Battle Royale.’

‘That so sounds geeky,’ said Leigh with a smirk.

Josh reached behind his back, pulled out a cushion and hurled it at his sister, who squealed at him. ‘Geek!’

‘That’ll do, Leigh. Don’t wind him up,’ Natalie said.

Josh gave an amiable shrug. ‘She can’t wind me up. I said she could watch this crummy film. I’m a kind brother so she has to be nice to me.’

‘Actually, you said you wouldn’t mind watching it too.’

‘Yeah, right.’

‘You did.’

‘As if.’

‘He did,’ said Leigh to her mother with a sly grin.

Natalie smiled. Being home with two normal teenagers was exactly what she needed after the day she’d had. ‘How long has it got left to run?’

‘Fifteen minutes,’ said Josh.

‘Okay. Get off to bed when it finishes. School tomorrow, remember?’

‘How can I forget,’ said Leigh, hunkering down, attention back on the screen.

David ambled in. He gave her a black look that neither child noticed. ‘Thought I heard you come in.’

‘I hear I missed a treat – gigantic, fluffy Yorkshire puddings.’ Natalie kept her tone light. She wasn’t going to argue in front of Josh and Leigh.

‘They were, weren’t they, Dad?’

‘They were huge,’ he replied, ignoring Natalie and ruffling Leigh’s hair. ‘You enjoyed them though, didn’t you? All three of them.’

‘I didn’t eat three,’ said Leigh, patting her flat stomach and directing her statement at her mother. ‘I ate two and a half. I couldn’t manage all of the third one.’

‘You fancy a cup of tea or anything?’ Natalie asked David. The question was a signal for them to leave the room and talk in private. They never drank tea at this time of night. A sullen nod was all the response she got. She stood up.

‘I’ll leave you two to your film.’ As she left the room she heard the thump of the cushion as it hit Josh.

David stood near the kettle, hands flat on the worktop behind him. ‘Well?’

‘Well, what?’

‘You got something you wanted to talk about? You asked me in here. Or do you want to point out what a busy day you’ve had?’

‘Oh, for crying out loud! What’s got into you? I’m heading a murder investigation. That’s pretty fucking important. A woman was brutally murdered and I’m sorry if I didn’t drop everything to come to Sunday lunch with you, but it wasn’t possible. It isn’t like you to be so petulant and argumentative. What’s going on?’

David finally met her eyes. ‘I needed you there.’

‘It was only lunch with your dad. Admittedly he was with his new girlfriend and her son, but it wasn’t a big deal.’

‘It was to me.’

‘Then I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.’

‘It was one huge fucking deal for me, Natalie. My father’s not just got a new woman in his life: her son is a pretentious prick and Dad couldn’t stop singing the bloke’s praises. I felt like shit. There I am, a washed-up nobody, and my own father was bigging up some tosspot of a bloke I don’t even know or like. I thought I was his son.’ David clenched the side of the worktop.

Natalie didn’t want a full-blown row. David was taking this whole girlfriend thing badly. She chose to reason with him. ‘It’s probably awkward for him. He’s seeking Pam’s approval and probably thinks he’ll get it if he butters up Pam’s son.’

‘You reckon?’

‘Seems logical to me.’

David wiped a hand across his face. A muscle in his cheek twitched. ‘I didn’t handle it too well. In fact, I made a right fucking tit of myself. Zander was rabbiting on about his software company, how great it was doing, what the sodding turnover was, with this massive ear-splitting grin on his fat face, and all the while Dad was nodding and beaming like the prodigal son had just walked in. I wanted to punch the guy’s lights out. He was so… arrogant.’

Having not been there, Natalie couldn’t judge what had really happened. She suspected David had been slightly jealous. His career had gone from good to bad as opposed to Zander’s, which seemed to be on the ascent, and worse still, Josh had liked the man. She felt a little guilty at having let David down. He’d have felt better if she’d been there.

‘Look, I really am sorry I couldn’t come and support you, but you must see I couldn’t drop everything.’

‘Yeah, I know. I was just racked off about it. I felt I had no one on my side. Even the kids liked Zander and couldn’t see what an insufferable show-off he is.’

With David’s eyes downcast and his face a picture of misery, Natalie gave in. He needed her to make the right move and say the right thing to pander to his dented ego. She approached him and slipped her arms around his waist. ‘He was probably nervous as hell and just spouting off shit like some folk do in those situations. It’s a normal defence mechanism. He was most likely worried about you too. He only had his mum there. You had two boisterous kids and your dad. It was lunch at your father’s house so he was on your turf. He maybe even felt defensive.’

David brightened a little. His shoulders relaxed. She’d given him the reassurance he needed. He kissed her lightly on the lips. As he did so, the door flew open and Leigh marched in.

‘Oh, yuck.’

‘What do you mean, “oh, yuck”?’ Natalie asked.

‘That. Kissing. It’s not normal for people your age. I’m going to bed. Night, Mum. Night, Dad.’

She paused, hand on the door handle. ‘Mum, can we go shopping in Manchester next weekend? Please say yes. You promised we could go yesterday and then we couldn’t. The shops around here are rubbish. You can’t get any trendy clothes.’ Leigh pulled a face. Natalie was used to her children’s demands. As much as she’d liked to have agreed, the investigation took precedence, and if it was ongoing, there’d be no choice.

David intervened. ‘Your mum and I were just discussing the subject before you came in. I’ll take you to Manchester if she can’t get time off. Now off you scoot. It’s past your bedtime. I’ll make sure I have a pile of Yorkshire puddings ready for you for breakfast,’ said David.

‘You are so not funny, Dad,’ she replied drily, then in a show of affection, she rushed back and planted a kiss on his cheek.

They watched as she breezed out.

‘Sorry. I forgot to tell her earlier. Other things on my mind.’ He took her hand and she squeezed it. It had been a difficult day for both of them.

‘I think I’ll go up too. I might take a quick shower. Sorry you had a lousy time. You mustn’t take it to heart. Zander will calm down once he gets to know us, or, more likely, he’ll not be around much in our lives. It’s Pam your father’s seeing, not her son. I bet Zander is as concerned about his mother dating again as you are about your dad.’

‘You’re probably right. It’s hard to get my head around it at the moment, that’s all. Dad’s never had anyone in his life since Mum passed away and suddenly there’s Pam, and in no time at all, he seems to be head over heels for her.’

‘Then we should be happy for him, shouldn’t we?’

‘I’ll try but I don’t know if I can.’

‘You need time to get used to the situation. This time next year, it’ll feel normal, and Pam’s really nice, David.’

He returned the squeeze and dropped her hand slowly. ‘Yeah, she’s okay. Go on up. I might do some more work before I turn in.’

As Natalie crossed to the stairs, the door to David’s office swung open with a slight creak. The latch on it was broken and it wouldn’t remain closed. It was a problem David’s father had promised he’d address. Natalie hoped he hadn’t forgotten. Eric was quite the handyman. As she drew the door to, her eyes shifted to the illuminated computer screen. David had come out at the sound of her voice and abandoned the translation he was working on, except it wasn’t a translation. The screen sparkled and twinkled and the familiar image of a brightly lit city at night made her close in on it. It wasn’t a translation document she was looking at. It was Jackpot City David had been visiting – a gambling website. He was up to his old tricks. She stole out of the room, closing the door behind her, unsure what to say to him. To tackle him on the subject would probably result in a massive argument and maybe even worse. She reasoned he might only have visited the site, not placed a bet. He knew the trouble, heartache and mountain of debt it had caused last time. He wouldn’t be so stupid. She had to trust him yet she couldn’t leave it. It wasn’t in her nature to sit back and believe everything was rosy. That wasn’t how it was in the real world.

She changed for bed and waited until the children had settled in their rooms. Leigh would be asleep soon after her head hit the pillow. Josh might be a little longer.

When the noises had ceased, she headed back downstairs. David was still in his study. She tapped and opened the door quickly, coming into the room before he got a chance to speak. A document with corrections in red was up on the screen. He removed his glasses and turned to face her. ‘What’s up?’

‘The door swung open earlier and I saw inside. You had a gambling site up on the computer. I want to know if you’ve started laying bets again. Don’t piss me about. It’s a simple yes or no.’

He rubbed a hand across his chin, a sign of nervousness. ‘Shit. No. No, I’m not. I admit the site was up. I was looking at it.’

‘Why? Why would you look at it if you didn’t intend playing on it?’ She folded her arms and stared at him.

‘I felt fucking awful after we got back from Dad’s. Bloody Zander and his successful company. And what am I? I’ll never have his wealth or potential. I wondered what it would be like if I won big. If I could win a great hand at poker or something similar, I’d at least feel worthy.’ The creases by his eyes deepened as he screwed his face in concentration. All the while, Natalie looked for any tell that he was lying. He continued, ‘I don’t think you fully understand how shitty I feel some days. It’s like I’m wasting time. My kids can’t say they’re proud of their dad cos I don’t do anything impressive – not like you. I had a few minutes of pure fantasy. That’s all. I pulled up a few gambling websites and dreamt of winning a ton of money. It was no more than that.’

‘For fuck’s sake, David. I thought you’d put all this behind you. You were addicted. An addict doesn’t merely go onto a site, look at the bright colours, fantasise and then get off it again.’

His face hardened. ‘Are you saying you don’t believe me?’

‘I find it difficult to understand how someone who struggled as much as you did to break this habit would be able to stare at a gaming website and not feel tempted to place a bet.’

‘Incredible! You actually don’t believe me, do you? How am I supposed to place a bet, Natalie? You control the household expenses. All our income goes into our joint bank account. You pay the fucking mortgage and bills out of it. Not me. You don’t trust me to do it any more. Check the account. See if any money’s missing. Go on if you don’t believe me.’ His voice rose and two flecks of red appeared in his cheeks.

‘Too true I’ll look at it.’ Natalie wasn’t going to merely back down, even if he was telling the truth. Not until she was certain he was.

‘Go the fuck ahead. There’s not a single penny missing from it.’

‘Good. I’m glad to hear it.’

His eyes narrowed into slits. ‘So, if the money is still in the account, I can’t have been gambling, can I? How am I supposed to place a bet if I have no money? Answer me that. Now, I’ve had it up to the eyeballs today with crap from everyone. I’d have expected more support and some understanding from you, not cross-examining me like I’m one of your suspects. I’m going to bed.’ David stood up, turned off the computer and pushed past her. ‘And I don’t expect to be interrogated again.’

He stomped up the stairs. Natalie headed into the kitchen for a glass of water. While she was there, she opened the banking app on her mobile. There’d been no activity on their account since the last transaction she’d made. She ought to believe him but still she couldn’t completely understand his logic. And there was the way he’d defended himself. He wasn’t usually so aggressive in his manner. She drained her glass. She’d have to trust him and hope the tiny nagging voice in her head was wrong. David wouldn’t be so dumb as to put at risk everything he had. Not after the last time. Would he?