Gina knew that to be exactly what Marcus Burton had said. So far, so good. She allowed the room to become silent as she and Jacob looked at Cherie, knowing that her unease was growing by the second. A fleeting thought passed through her. ‘Okay, tell me about the evening, from their arrival.’
Cherie exhaled. ‘After settling in and a bit of small talk, we had dinner and caught up on what we were all doing. I could sense that something wasn’t right with Marcus, he was upset that they’d fallen out. After dinner, we went out into the garden to smoke, Marcus was quite drunk at that point. We talked for a bit and that was it.’
‘And after that?’
‘Nothing. They went home and we went to bed.’
‘Did Penny confide in you at all? Do you know what she and Marcus may have been arguing about?’
Cherie stared right across the table and shook her head. ‘They never said. I’m sorry I can’t be of any more use. I know they argued a lot and she often left him for a couple of days, that’s why none of us were worried.’ The woman stared again.
‘Alexander Swinton. You knew him from school too, didn’t you?’
She shrugged. ‘I knew of him. I didn’t know him that well, not well enough to call him a friend. I mean, he wasn’t even an acquaintance.’
‘Then why were you following him? We have a witness that puts you at the derelict house on Beckett Street late on Monday the twenty-sixth October.’
The woman opened and closed her mouth. Her gaze flitted across to Jacob then at the table. ‘I wasn’t there. That wasn’t me. I was at home with my husband. Ask him.’
‘And he’ll be able to confirm that?’
She nodded. ‘Am I under arrest?’
Gina wished she was. There was no way she could make an arrest at this moment in time without investigating further. The CPS would kick it straight out. She had a witness that heard Alexander speaking to a woman and he thought he heard him call the woman Chez or Shaz; that wasn’t enough. If her alibi checked out, that would leave them with nothing. ‘No, Mrs Brown, you’re not under arrest. It is an offence to pervert the course of justice, which means if you are lying and we find out, you could be charged. It’s a serious charge.’
‘I want to go. I didn’t do anything. I don’t know where Penny is and I don’t know anything about Alex’s murder. I’m not perverting anything.’
‘What aren’t you telling us, Mrs Brown?’
‘I want to leave.’ Her fingers began to tremble.
‘Mrs Brown, one of your school friend’s has been murdered and another friend is missing. We’re concerned for you too.’
‘Don’t be.’ She stood and placed her hands on the table. ‘I’m fine. I don’t know what all this is about. I’m upset that my friend is missing and, as I said, I didn’t really know Alex. My condolences go to his friends and family. Now I just want to go home to be with my husband and children.’
‘Is there something worrying you?’
‘No, no…’
‘You’re shaking.’ Just a little nudge. Cherie Brown was on the verge of saying something.
‘Yes, I’m scared. I’m scared that the person who killed Alex is still out there. We’re all scared. The whole community is scared.’ She grabbed her bag from the floor.
Gina passed her a card. ‘If there’s anything else you can think of or you need to speak to me about, please call anytime.’
The woman snatched the card from her fingers. ‘I want to go. I have to get out of here.’ She began to gasp and back up against the wall. ‘I can’t breathe.’ She slid down the wall and cowered in the corner, violently trembling until she began to hyperventilate and sob.
Gina hurried around to her and kneeled beside her. ‘Jacob, can you open the door?’ Jacob hurried to the door and pushed it open. ‘It’s okay, Mrs Brown, you’re safe.’
The woman gripped her chest and began to steady her breathing. Gina knew a panic attack when she saw one and what had happened to Mrs Brown couldn’t be put on. ‘I’ll show you out. Interview terminated at fifteen minutes past thirteen hundred hours.’ Jacob pressed the button to stop the recorder. Something was literally scaring the life out of Cherie. ‘Jacob, call a first aider.’
Cherie gasped again. ‘I’m okay. I’ll be fine,’ she paused, ‘but I am scared. I just don’t know who I’m scared of? I’m scared of what happened to Alex, since I read about it. I just can’t stop thinking about it. It’s like it stays with me, day and night.’
‘Cherie, it’s important that you answer me. Is there anything else you’re not telling us? A man has been murdered.’
‘I don’t know anything. Do you think I’d be like this if I knew what was going on and who was behind it all?’ As the woman threw Gina’s card into her bag, Gina spotted the miniature bottle of vodka. ‘Call my husband, he can confirm my whereabouts on the Monday you were asking about.’
Gina offered her a hand and helped her up. ‘We will, thank you.’ As Gina heard the woman hurrying down the corridor, she stared at Jacob. ‘What the hell just happened? We need to look into Cherie Brown immediately. Everything about her behaviour is all wrong and what is it with this case? Nothing is making sense.’ Gina slammed her palm onto the wall.
