‘Yeah, why the attitude?’
‘You’re here to see me again, which annoys me no end. You’ve checked my alibi, so you must be wondering whether I’m involved, which makes me not want to talk to you very much.’
Oh, if she was annoyed because they were talking to her in connection with the death of one person, she was about to go postal.
Gemma’s attitude eroded any wish to be respectful on Kim’s part. Her attitude towards Ashley’s murder and her praying mantis intentions towards Daniel so soon after were sickening to say the least.
‘Do you know anyone named Nadine Cowley?’ Kim asked.
Gemma shook her head.
‘You sure? Do you maybe want to give it some thought?’
‘Inspector, I’ve never heard that name before, but if she’s dead and she was another homewrecker, I couldn’t give less of a shit.’
Kim frowned. ‘Why would you say that?’
‘Because you know how I feel about women who take other women’s men. If she did that, then I’m glad she’s dead. Whoever she is.’
Gemma’s response was not sitting well. It was hard to believe that she felt murder was a justifiable punishment for infidelity. Worrying.
‘Where were you yesterday afternoon between two and four?’
‘Here, working,’ she snapped.
Kim frowned. ‘Not according to those opening hours on the door behind you. Half day closing. Do you wanna try that again?’
Gemma coloured. ‘I went out. Just for a walk. Needed to clear my head.’
‘Where?’ Kim challenged.
‘C-Clent,’ she answered, as though she wasn’t sure herself. Was it purely coincidental that Clent was only a mile from where Nadine had been killed?
‘That wasn’t entirely convincing,’ Kim said. ‘Anyone see you up there?’
Gemma shook her head.
‘What time?—?’
‘Inspector, I’ve got work to do,’ she interrupted, barging past Kim to open the door. ‘Either arrest me or fuck off.’
The woman’s coldness was really beginning to rattle her, but she still wanted to offer a last kindness before she left.
‘Gemma, you look good. The effort was worth it. But he’s not going to be interested. Save yourself the humiliation and leave the guy alone.’
The woman said nothing as she went into the spa and closed and locked the door behind her.
Kim headed back to the car, still mulling over the homewrecker link between the two women. If Stacey found even the most tenuous of links between Gemma and Nadine, she’d be hauling the foot beautician down to the station before you could say ingrown toenail.
Right now, she was in limbo, awaiting updates from Stacey and Penn.
She braced herself for the backlash from her colleague. He was not going to like where she wanted to go next.
Forty-Five
‘Guv, you gotta help me out here,’ Bryant said as they headed towards their second destination of the day.
‘Tell me what exactly you don’t understand,’ she said patiently, having predicted this response.
