‘Mrs Yates. Our priority is Lindy’s safety. She is also your friend and her life is in imminent danger. This is serious. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
Pia began to shake and tears started spilling from her eyes.
‘Tell us how it started, from the beginning.’
She uncomfortably scratched her stomach area and pulled the sweater down towards her knees. ‘It was February. I’d had a fallout with my husband so I popped round to speak to Justine, but she was out. Their son was also out and Craig asked me if I wanted to come in and wait for Justine.’ She went to speak but closed her mouth.
‘How long have you known Craig?’
She looked down. ‘Since I was fifteen. We dated when we were about seventeen, but only for a term. We never mentioned that we knew each other to our spouses. We didn’t think it mattered and we definitely didn’t want to ruin our dinner party nights with petty jealousies. I thought we had no feelings left… It just happened. One thing led to another and we kissed. That was all. We didn’t see each other for two months after that kiss.’
Gina couldn’t help but think how easy it was to pick up from where you left off with a person from your past. ‘Is that when the relationship started?’
‘We started texting. We have these phones. He bought me one, just like, err, I don’t know, a pay-as-you-go. We sent jokes and shared memories – that kind of thing. Then he asked me if I would meet up with him. We went for a walk, in Warwick – far enough away from Cleevesford.’ She looked to the side and paused.
Gina didn’t need the full detail of how they got together. ‘Then it got more serious?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, about June. My husband was always busy working and we’re not…’ She scratched her head. ‘We haven’t been close in our relationship for a year or two but I still love him. It was stupid, irresponsible and I regret it.’ She paused. ‘Craig would tell Justine that he was working away. He’d book an apartment and we’d make dinner and watch films, pretending we were a couple.’
‘Is that what the apartment in Nightingale House was for?’
‘It started off that way but Craig told me he wanted me to move in so I said we were over. My husband and I have been having counselling sessions for our relationship, he doesn’t know about the affair, and things have slowly been getting better. I thought I owed it to my marriage to give it my all.’
‘What happened when you ended it?’
Pia whispered in her solicitor’s ear with her hand covering her mouth. Gina watched as she frowned, then the solicitor nodded. ‘Okay.’ She swallowed. ‘It was about a month ago, on a Thursday. My husband works a little later on Thursdays as we send a lot of orders out on Fridays so he has a lot to sort. I went to Nightingale House to tell Craig it was over.’ She wiped her wet eyes.
Gina nudged a box of tissues across the table.
‘I don’t want Simeon to find out.’
‘Simeon is your husband?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does your husband know Justine, Craig, Danny and Lindy?’
‘Kind of. Justine and Lindy are my friends but Craig and my husband have joined us at the pub before… Craig and Simeon don’t hang out together outside of our friendship group and Craig and Justine have come over to ours for dinner in the past.’
‘Tell me what happened when you told Craig your affair was over,’ Gina said.
‘His reaction floored me. He shouted, telling me that he had done all this – the apartment – for me. He tried to convince me that we needed to leave our spouses that night and live there together and I flipped. I told him I didn’t want to live with him, that it was all a mistake and I didn’t want to hurt Justine or lose my husband.’ She let out a sob. ‘Simeon would be so hurt if he ever found out, which is why he can’t ever know. Please don’t tell him.’ She hiccupped a little and blew her nose.
‘You said that Craig’s reaction floored you.’ She wondered if Pia was referring to the shouting.
‘He grabbed me and threw me to the floor. He’s never acted violently before. I saw the rage in his wide-eyed stare and, for a second, I thought he was going to hurt me. I went to pull my phone out from my pocket – the pay-as-you-go – and Craig snatched it from me and trod on it. I have never felt so scared in all my life. All I could think was, I’m here in this flat. No one but Craig knows where I am and we communicate on phones that aren’t contract phones. He could just kill me and make me vanish.’
‘I’m sorry to have to ask you this, but what happened.’ Gina felt her body tensing. She understood Pia’s fear all too well but she needed to know what type of man they were dealing with when it came to Craig.
‘He leaned over and said I was crap in bed anyway. He called me a selfish whore…’ She grabbed another tissue and sniffed. ‘He grabbed my arm and flung me along the hallway towards the door. There were bruises on my shoulder. I grabbed my coat and bag before leaving and he slammed the door. I don’t know how I managed to put my coat on given the state I was in but I did. I put my sunglasses on to hide my puffy eyes and ran out the building as fast as I could… I don’t want anything done about what happened. I don’t want my husband to know but I do knowone thing.’ She paused. ‘Craig is capable of hurting people and he has a short fuse.’
Gina noticed that Pia was grappling with the idea that Craig could have committed such horrible crimes. ‘We need to find him, Pia.’
She creased her brows. ‘He said something else that night. He said we could make it work but she had to go. My mind has tried to erase that. She had to go – he had to be referring to Justine. I don’t understand what that has to do with Lindy, though. I guess he could have been fed up that Lindy had asked Justine to help her brother with his alcohol issues.’
Gina sat next to Jacob in almost silence, giving Pia a little time and space to keep talking. The solicitor’s necklace still scraped and bounced off the table as she made notes.
Pia continued. ‘I should have said something earlier, about what Craig did to me at the apartment, but I’ve been so caught up in protecting my marriage. I didn’t think, and I feel like such a shitty friend right now. I still don’t want Justine or my husband to know but you have to help Justine. Her husband isn’t a nice person.’ She stared at Gina, her brow creased. ‘Craig is a dangerous, unpredictable man who can turn in a second and I’m so scared for her. He also wasn’t keen on Lindy because she asked Justine to talk to Kain. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hurt Lindy.’
