As he leaned back, the chair creaked a little. Deep in thought, he rubbed the index finger and thumb of his left hand together. ‘She was just Kerry’s friend, going back to her schooldays. Fran, Holly and Lilly would come over and they’d all drink wine and chat away in the kitchen for hours. Most of the time, I left them to it. Conversation was far too deep for me.’ He let out a slight laugh. ‘They’d talk about how we’re ruining the planet with flying, meat and plastic. They all went vegan at one point; Holly lasted the longest at three weeks. That’s the sort of thing they would talk about. Me, I’m simpler. I don’t worry about anything. What will be, will be.’
‘Apart from Francesca coming over to visit your wife, are you saying you didn’t really know her?’
He slowly nodded. ‘That’s right. I don’t know anything about her family, her job, or anything. I just know she’s Frannie, Kerry’s friend.’
‘How about Holly? How well did you know her?’ Now he was rubbing both of his fingers and thumbs together. He looked almost like he was meditating except for the annoying movement of his digits. Gina looked away, not allowing herself to focus on his habit.
‘I didn’t really know Holly. Again, she was just Kerry’s friend. She visited the house, they went out together. It’s really getting on. I should be at work.’
‘I thought you sent work a message.’ Gina glanced over at Jacob’s notes. He too had spotted that Edward Powell seemed a little nervous.
‘I did, but I have to meet an external client in about an hour and a half and her office is in Warwick.’
‘We’ll try not to keep you too long.’
‘I heard that Holly was pregnant too. Kerry spoke to her mother.’
Gina nodded. ‘That’s true.’
‘Such a shame for her and her baby.’
‘It is. It’s a terrible thing that happened. Her mother is devastated. Do you know who Holly was seeing?’
He shook his head and wiped a finger across the bottom of his nose. ‘I heard Kerry talking to Lilly on the phone about this. They didn’t know who she was seeing either.’
Gina cleared her dry throat. Most people offered them a drink. Today she’d have jumped at the chance to say yes, but the offer hadn’t been there. ‘What is it you do?’
‘I handle acquisitions for Reed Corporation. Normally Kerry and I work on them together but with all that’s been happening, she’s taking a short bereavement break.’ He reached over to the corner of the room, grabbed a pair of shoes and began lacing them up.
‘What are those?’
‘These?’ He held up the scrunched material. ‘Shoe covers. When I go into some of the premises just after the new carpets have been laid, I pop these on my feet.’
‘Where were you yesterday evening?’
‘Why do you want to know?’ He sat rigidly in the chair and linked both hands together firmly on the table. His fidgeting had finally stopped.
‘We’re asking everyone who knew Francesca. It’s just a routine question.’
His stare moved from Gina to Jacob and then back again. ‘I was at the park, if you must know.’
‘Which park?’
‘Cleevesford Park. The one with the lake and kids play area. I walked around and then sat on a bench. We’ve been bickering, Kerry and I. Just over stupid things. She wants me to be here with her all the time but I need some space, just a bit of time on my own so I escaped to the park. I mean, we work together too.’
‘You’ve only been married a couple of weeks.’ Gina wondered why he wanted to get away from his wife so badly but she also understood how it felt to be stifled within a relationship. Her years with Terry had shown her exactly what it was like to feel controlled and in front of her sat a man who relied on his wife for everything, including his job. She wondered if she had him right. Was Kerry the one in control or was he? Their stories didn’t match up.
‘I know and I know it sounds weird. Since what happened to Holly, Kerry has been drinking a lot. When she gets drunk she accuses me of using her for the house, the job, her family’s wealth. I mean, it’s obvious this house isn’t all our doing. But, I’m not like that and she can’t get it into her head that I love her. The house and the money – it’s just a bonus. I’d choose to be with Kerry if she lived in a bedsit and had nothing. Anyway, last night, I’d had enough. She was lounging around, wallowing and started taking a few snipes at me. I needed to get away for a while so I went to the park.’
Gina tried to stop herself from yawning. It had worked this time, but she might not be as lucky if she needed to yawn again. She hadn’t slept all night while wrapped in Briggs’s arms, even though he’d slept soundly. ‘Did you see anyone while you were there?’
‘There were people out with kids on scooters and bikes, dog walkers, joggers. I didn’t speak to any of them, if that’s what you’re asking, but there’s a good chance someone saw me. Wait – as it was getting later, a man threw a stick for his dog, it was a Red Setter. The stick landed by my feet so I picked it up and threw it onto the grass. I then stroked the dog and I might have mumbled some pleasantry. Maybe he’d remember me. Then it got dark so I just sat back and smoked while I watched the rippling water under the moon’s light. Like I said, I’m simple like that. I enjoy the simpler things in life. I like smoking. Kerry hates me smoking so I enjoyed being there while I puffed away.’
‘Is there anything else you can tell us?’
He shook his head. ‘I left the park late that evening, probably around midnight and then I came home. Kerry wasn’t here so I went to bed and that’s it. Look, I really do have to go to work.’
‘Just one more question. On the night after your wedding ceremony in Crete, did you notice anyone talking to Holly? Lilly reported hearing Holly talking to someone either in person or on the phone in the early hours of the following morning, telling this person thatshe can’t keep this to herself.’
