---

It was almost two thirty when Robyn and Matt got back, and she heaved a sigh of relief that Shearer and his team weren’t in the office.

‘Finally got hold of Andy Ford,’ said David. ‘He confirmed Roger Jenkinson was with him in Leeds on Thursday morning. Only one discrepancy – he didn’t arrive at eight thirty. It was just after nine.’

‘Which gives Roger Jenkinson just sufficient time to murder Tessa and travel to Leeds.’

‘It’d be tight.’

‘But possible. Best keep an open mind about this man. I’m not ruling him out yet.’

Anna had spoken to the receptionist at Brocton Golf Club, who confirmed there was no record of the golf course being booked on Saturday morning, the day Anthony Hawkins had died, but remembered taking a call from someone asking if it was available. The line had been so bad she couldn’t tell if it was a male or female voice and they were cut off before she could make a booking. They didn’t ring back.’

‘Could you trace the call?’ Robyn asked.

Anna shook her head. ‘It was from a withheld number.’

‘So, we believe this mysterious person rang up to ensure nobody was playing on the golf course on Saturday morning, enticed Anthony there with the intention of murdering him, and might have scared him to death. It sounds a little far-fetched but it’s all we have at the moment, and given Anthony Hawkins had come into a vast amount of money – a similar amount to Tessa Hall – we have reasonable grounds to treat his death as suspicious.’

The call from the front desk interrupted the meeting. Mitz took it, his eyebrows rising at the news.

‘Guv, one of Tessa Hall’s friends, Juliet Fallows, is in reception and insists on speaking to you – alone.’

Robyn put aside her pen and marched towards the door, a fresh spring in her step. Maybe Juliet was about to throw even more light onto this case. ‘Keep at it, folks. We’re making progress.’

---

Juliet was standing by the window, arms wrapped around her body even though it was warm inside the room. She spun around and spoke as soon as Robyn entered.

‘Steph told me she’d spoken to you about Gerry, my ex-husband – well, soon-to-be ex-husband. She’s got a right bee in her bonnet about it and wants to press charges. I can’t dissuade her. Please, can you? Can you tell her how much pain it will put her through to go ahead with it, and how we’ll have to face up to Gerry in court? Explain how dreadful it will all be – dissuade her. Please.’

Robyn beckoned Juliet over to the table. ‘Come and sit down, Juliet.’

Juliet’s head shook rapidly. ‘Please, just talk to her. She likes you. She’ll listen to you. I can’t let her go through with it.’

‘Steph said her father hit her too. It’s a serious allegation, and if Gerry was abusing you both, it ought to be reported. You shouldn’t hide from it. He may well go on to attack others in his life.’

Juliet hung her head. ‘It was only the once,’ she said. ‘Gerry hit her the once. That was the day I found the strength to leave him. I’d been planning to run away with the kids for ages. Somehow, I could never get the courage up. I was too weak and part of me believed I deserved the treatment he gave me. He’d be so apologetic after each time – so sincere – I actually believed he’d change. Or he’d try and reason why he’d hurt me and that I’d deserved it. He only ever went for me. It wasn’t even frequently, only now and again, and when nothing would happen for a few months, I’d begin to think we’d come through it. Then, for no reason, he’d fly off the handle.

‘He’d never hit either of the children before. I don’t even think they knew about what was happening. Until they got older, they didn’t understand it was Gerry who’d broken my wrist, or blackened my eye.

‘That night was different. I caught him swinging for Steph. I went for him and he turned on me instead. I can still see Steph’s expression as she watched her own father punch and kick me. She tried to make him stop. I yelled for her to get out of the room. If I’d lost consciousness, I had no idea what he’d do to her. She ran off. When he’d finished, he stormed off to the pub. I told the kids to collect what they needed, cleaned myself up, packed a bag, called a taxi and we went to a hostel. I got support there. I pulled myself together and we moved away to stay with a cousin for a while before coming here, to the countryside, far away from Gerry.

‘We’ve moved on and I’d like to keep it that way. I don’t want to see Gerry ever again.’ Her eyes shone damply. ‘You understand, don’t you?’

Robyn covered Juliet’s hand with her own. ‘I understand. I can send an officer specially trained in this field to talk to her. That would be better than me saying anything. This isn’t my area of expertise, and I want you both to have the best advice possible.’

Juliet spoke sharply. ‘No. No. That’s not what I want. You have to stop Steph going ahead with this. I never want to see him again.’

Robyn attempted to see it from Juliet’s point of view but she was mystified. ‘You won’t have to face him or talk to him, if that’s what’s bothering you.’

‘You don’t get it. I don’t want this to happen. I have a plan and we’ll be rid of him forever. I just need to wait for my decree absolute to come through and then it’ll be over.’

‘Being officially divorced won’t change what he did to you, or how Steph feels. Gerry will still have rights and access to his children. You’ll have to let him see them. You can’t get rid of him. What if Terence decides he wants to see his father?’

Juliet let out a soft groan. ‘No. This isn’t going the way I planned it. We’re going to get away for good and start a life abroad, somewhere where he can’t ever find us. I want them to forget about him altogether. I had it all worked out. This will mess it all up. Steph can’t start proceedings against him.’

Robyn wasn’t sure what she meant. She had a home, a job, and she’d already started a new life in Hamstall Ridware. Why would she want to go abroad? Then it struck her. There’d only be one way Juliet could take her children away, and why she wanted Gerry out of her life before he found out about it. Like Tessa and Anthony, Juliet also had money hidden away.

Robyn watched the frantic woman pace the room before speaking calmly. ‘Juliet, tell me about the money.’