‘Yes.’ She laughed bitterly. ‘You could say that. My husband is dead. Although we have been separated for some years now.’
‘Do you know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Theodore?’
She snorted. ‘Too many to name. Teddy’s recent vote pissed off a lot of people. I was getting it in the neck too. The last time we spoke, I told him to stop being an idiot and to vote for our people. I hung up on him.’ Her voice wobbled.
For the first time since I walked in, there was real raw emotion in her eyes, so I gently redirected her. ‘Tell me about the vote.’
She told me about the proposed bill and how Teddy had voted against the interests of the people he had a duty to represent. ‘Teddy and I own a very profitable wind farm,’ she explained. ‘It was one of the few areas of business excluded by the bill. We can continue with business as usual. But it’s his other firm that will really profit from the bill. It’s an aerometric firm called Zephyr Metrics. Teddy was obviously doing some succession planning, knowing his term was ending soon. He got into bed with two other air elementals, Richard Ashworth and Crispin Pembroke. Crispin has family money, and Richard’s the grafter. He’s the one driving the project and pushing for the licensing. If it gets licensed, then their company will be the only one to have jumped through all of the hoops and they’ll be ready to take huge government contracts. Licensing would explode their businessand their profit, while everyone else is left scrambling to catch up.’
‘Are there any elementals I need to know about who were particularly loud in their fury?’
She shook her head. ‘None that I can think of. There was a general air of betrayal, and a small group was looking at trying to get him removed from his Symposium position immediately.’
‘Who?’
‘I don’t know. As you can imagine, being his wife – even if only on paper these days – means people don’t speak freely around me about such things.’ She rubbed tired eyes. ‘Teddy was the love of my life once, until he showed his true colours.’
‘And what were they?’
‘His true colours? They were power-hungry, lecherous, with a side of misogyny. He was always king of the backhanded compliment, liked to make others small to make himself feel big, but the affair was the final straw. Truly, I’m grateful for it now. It exposed him for the man he was. And I left. Took Frankie and went to live back down south, where my family is. Frankie will be raised by me and my family now, not by him.’ She closed her eyes. ‘That’s not to say Teddy didn’t have his good points. He did. He could be very magnanimous, generous to a fault, and he was good at seeming interested in what you said. Always quick with a smile. It was only later that I learnt about the punch that could follow it. Not physical,’ she added hastily. ‘Emotional. He never hit me, but he knew how to lay me low.’
‘Not all domestic abuse is physically violent,’ I said gently.
‘No,’ she said, ‘I know. I’m glad I found the courage to get away when I did. I’m sorry Frankie won’t have his dad growing up, but I can’t say I’m sorry Teddy’s gone. Teddy and I fought a lot. I didn’t want him around Frankie, didn’t want Teddy to mould Frankie into a mini version of himself. Teddy believed in power. In those who had it and those who didn’t. He wanted to have it,and I truly don’t think he cared who he hurt on the way to get it. I want Frankie to aim for happiness, not power.’
If that was right, then I’d find more people with issues with Teddy, more people he’d trodden on to get ahead. ‘Besides upset voters, is there anyone else who’d want to hurt Teddy?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I’m sorry. I’m sure he had enemies, but our lives diverged when Frankie was one, just before he took office. I haven’t kept up with his shenanigans. Didn’t want to.’
‘You were separated for a while. Was he seeing anyone?’
‘If he was, he didn’t tell me. We didn’t share that level of honesty any longer.’
‘Are you seeing anyone?’ I asked lightly.
She hesitated. ‘Yes, actually. The CEO of my company. Tyler Carter.’
‘Did Teddy know about the relationship?’
‘No. No one does. We’ve kept things … discreet.’
I nodded, but I knew that as subtle as we all tried to be, there were always tells. Hints we dropped without realising. Someone in the company knew about them. I’d bet my last pay cheque on it.
‘I’m going to need to speak with Mr Carter.’
She winced. ‘I suppose you will. All right. I’ll facilitate it. He travelled up with me – moral support – but he went to meet some potential investors while I came here. We’re looking to expand,’ she explained. ‘Everyone wantsgoodenergy now, sustainable energy, and we can offer that. And unlike our Common competitors, we can guarantee every day will be windy.’
‘It definitely gives you a competitive edge.’
‘That it does.’ This time when she smiled, I could see the razor edge to it. Ada Marlow was far from soft.
And because she wasn’t, I asked, ‘Who stands to inherit? No doubt Teddy was paid well as a Symposium member.’
‘I honestly don’t know. I cut him out of my will, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did the same to me. Though I do hope he included Frankie. You’ll have to ask his lawyer.’
‘And who is that?’
‘GV Law, if he’s using the same people he used to. He might have changed.’ She shrugged.
