Page 122 of Heart of The Night

I frowned, puzzled by the direction of his questioning. Was he implying Oliver was Francesca’s ex? ‘No.’ I swallowed, a cold shiver rippling down my back. ‘Why?’

Shelby held my gaze, unblinking. ‘Apparently, Oliver’s been Francesca’s boyfriend for the past seven years.’

Her words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath from my lungs.

‘What?’ I wheezed. ‘You mean they’re still together?’

Nathan and Shelby exchanged a glance before Shelby said, ‘According to Oliver, they ended their relationship two weeks ago, but we haven’t had confirmation from Francesca yet.’

Their stares bore into me as I grappled with this new information. If their claims held any truth, William had been involved with Francesca while she was still in a relationship with Oliver.

Suddenly, Oliver’s motive became crystal clear: he was a spurned lover seeking revenge.

‘There’s no way William knew about their relationship. He would never have got involved with her if he knew,’ I blurted out. Almost immediately, a troubling thought surfaced: given William’s ties to both of them, it was conceivable that he might have known at some point. But… No, it didn’t add up. William would never have slept with a woman who was in a relationship with somebody else. Francesca must have deceived him; she must have told him they had broken up, and since William hadn’t met Oliver in a long time, he wouldn’t have known that she was lying. Nothing else could explain this.

‘Anything on your mind, Miss Darby?’ Nathan’s deep voice broke through my contemplation, laced with a hint of suspicion. He must have caught the brief hardness that overtook my features.

I shook my head quickly, easing the stiffness from my posture. ‘No, it’s nothing. I’m just taken aback. I’m sure William believed she was single.’

Nathan looked at Shelby, their thoughtful expressions telling me they were considering their next steps.

‘Any more questions on your end?’ he asked her, his eyes briefly flicking back to his laptop screen.

Shelby took a moment, her eyes darting between Nathan and myself. ‘I reckon we’ve covered what’s necessary for now. However, we want to be thorough. Is there anything else you think we should know, Miss Darby?’

After my negative response, Shelby seemed satisfied. She pressed a button on the voice recorder. ‘Thanks for your cooperation,’ she said, her tone indicating that they had got what they needed from me – at least for now.

‘Is Oliver still in custody?’ I asked, my voice laced with anxiety.

‘Yes.’

‘Will you press charges? Surely this must qualify as grievous bodily harm. He attacked Will with a knife.’

Nathan shook his head. ‘We can’t speak to that so early in the investigation.’

‘But just, hypothetically, if you were to charge Oliver with GBH, would he be granted bail?’ My voice was edged with desperation as I searched for any assurance that Oliver would remain behind bars.

Nathan paused, stroking his thick, black beard. ‘Hypothetically, it would depend on whether it’s GBH with intent. Should we determine there was intent, bail would be highly unlikely.’

‘That’s all for now, Miss Darby,’ Shelby said, offering me a small smile. ‘We appreciate your time. You’ve been a great help – thank you.’

Getting up, I gave John a grateful look.

‘Could you get Mrs Night to come over?’ Shelby asked me then. ‘We’ve got a few questions for her and Mr Night as well.’

‘Of course.’

After a final handshake with the detectives, I returned to where the others were waiting. Daphné was nestled against Jason, both of them eyeing me with a blend of curiosity and concern.

‘Daphné,’ I called softly. ‘They’d like to speak with you and John next.’

She stood up slowly, her expression sombre, and made her way to join her husband.

Taking the seat Daphné had just left, I sank back, the reality of the situation settling heavily on my shoulders. Relief that I wasn’t to blame for what had happened to William did little to ease my distress; it couldn’t undo the fact that he lay unconscious, his future hanging by a thread.

‘What did they want to know?’ Jason asked, his hand clasping mine, his palm slightly clammy.

I turned to him, my eyebrows curving slightly. ‘They wanted the full run-down of the evening first. After that, they moved on to how I know William, and they ended up telling me who attacked him.’

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