Gina swigged the hot coffee, needing caffeine more than ever. ‘I know this is hard and that you were close to the family but we need to catch the person who did this to Jade. Can you just tell me as you remember, what happened from when you arrived at the Ashmores’ house to when you came back home?’
From what Noah Ashmore had said, Mrs Ashmore hadn’t come home with him but Gina wanted to make sure. Jacob flicked the pages in his notebook, ready to jot down what was said.
The girl nodded as her dad passed her a tissue. She rubbed it over her reddening eyes as she began to relay the events of the evening between sobs. ‘They told me to get there about seven, which I did. When I arrived, Mrs Ashmore was just finishing getting ready in the bedroom and Noah was in the living room, watching something on the TV. Lilly was curled up in one of the armchairs, holding her favourite storybooks. I joined her and continued reading until way after they’d gone out. They shouted bye as they left and told me they’d be back late, maybe after midnight. I put Lilly to bed at about eight thirty and read to her some more.’
‘After that?’ She was coming to the bit Gina wanted to know more about.
Tiffany shrugged. ‘I plugged my earphones in and listened to a bit of music while I played on Facebook.’ The girl stopped talking and stared into space.
‘Tiffany?’
She flinched as she brought her attention back to what Gina was asking. ‘That was it. Noah came home and said that Mrs Ashmore was still out. He gave me twenty pounds and I left. That was it.’
Gina made a note of her own. Whenever Tiffany spoke of the family, she referred to Noah by his first name but his wife as Mrs Ashmore, never Jade.That was it– there was more to this evening than Tiffany was telling them. ‘How did he seem?’
‘Do you think he killed Mrs Ashmore?’
‘We’re not saying that, Tiffany. We’re just trying to establish what happened.’ A warm smile spread across Gina’s face as she hoped to put Tiffany at ease.
‘Right. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.’ The girl paused.
‘The lovely police lady just needs you to tell her anything you can think of, sweetheart,’ her dad said as he placed a loving hand on his daughter’s shoulder.
Lovely police lady. It wasn’t the most accurate description of her role or title but she’d let it slip as she’d just delivered such bad news.
‘When he came home, Noah, he seemed fine. He looked like he’d had a couple of drinks and stank of wine. He wasn’t drunk, just slightly merry, I’d say. He waffled on for a few minutes as he took off his coat and sat in the living room. Mostly, he talked about how they’d had a little fallout, but then he said that all would be good, that she’d be home in a bit and things would be back to normal. He asked if I could come and help out with Lilly the next day if Mrs Ashmore wasn’t up to it. He thought she might have a mega hangover. I said yes, took the money from him and then I left. That really is all I know, officer.’ The girl pulled the hood of her onesie over her head and began biting her nails.
‘What time did Mr Ashmore arrive home?’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘I can’t really remember. It was after twelve, maybe about ten past, quarter past.’
Gina placed her card on the table. ‘If you think of anything else, please call me immediately.’
‘Thanks, officers. She’ll call if she remembers anything else.’
From the corner of her eye, Gina watched as Tiffany lifted her feet off the tiled floor and hugged her legs. That girl wasn’t telling the whole story.
‘Wait, there is something. It’s about Mrs Ashmore.’ The girl dropped her crumpled tissue on the table.
Gina and Jacob resumed their positions, waiting to hear what she had to say.
Tiffany’s father put his head in his hands. ‘Sweetheart, what is it now?’
‘Dad, it’s okay. Something did happen earlier tonight. At one point I got a bit spooked. I heard a creaking sound in the garden and nearly shit myself.’
‘Language, Tiffany.’
‘Sorry, Dad. I was scared. I thought there was an intruder in the garden.’
Gina could see that the girl was trying to work out whatever she’d seen for herself. ‘What did you see?’
‘Someone in the summerhouse.’
‘Who?’
‘Jade. She came out of the summerhouse looking a bit of a mess to be fair. I hid behind the curtain with the kitchen light off, hoping that she hadn’t seen me. She glanced around the garden and left out the back gate. I just closed the curtains and waited.’
‘What time was this?’
