Page 66 of Then She Vanished

‘The Angel in Cleevesford.’

‘When?’

‘I, err, I can’t remember. It was July, but I don’t know when. My wife had gone back up north to see family and I didn’t want to go with her. I had too much to do on the house. I went out and that’s when I met him. Colson.’

‘And what happened then?’

‘We chatted and got on.’ He paused. ‘My wife doesn’t know anything about this. I love her. I don’t want us to end, and if she finds out I cheated, we’d be over. I was lonely, that was all.’ He took a deep breath and continued. ‘We haven’t been close for a long time because of this damn house, but I know it’s my fault, too. I haven’t given her much attention and…’ He placed his head in his hands. ‘Please don’t tell my son or Moira. I made an error of judgement with Colson and I cheated. I’ve been such an idiot, risking everything I have for a stupid fling.’

‘A fling?’ From what Keeley had said, Gina thought it may have just been one night, but she clocked that Tristan said he met Colson back in July. That was two months ago.

‘Moira was away for two weeks. I met up with him nearly every night during that period. It started innocently; Colson liked a flutter and I love a game of cards. We had a laugh in the pub so I asked him if he wanted to meet up the next night for a beer and a game. Somehow it ended in him asking if he could come to mine, and I thought great. Get a takeaway, grab a box of beer and a pack of cards. We got talking. He told me that he was a bit lost and I told him that I was feeling a bit lonely, too. We were drunk. I’d raided the wine cellar by now, and I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up in bed with him. I’ve never?—’

‘Mr Moore, we’re not here to judge.’

‘He came over the next night and the night after that.’ He let out a long breath. ‘I felt awakened, rejuvenated, like a teenager again, if you get what I mean?’ He shook his head and closed his eyes for a second. ‘It might sound like a cliché, but I haven’t been intimate with my wife in over a year. I know it’s not an excuse, but I had this younger guy at my house and we were having a laugh and I found him attractive. I was flattered. Keeley popped by to get something one of the kids had left at ours. She thought I’d gone with Moira up north, which is why she’d let herself in. She saw Colson wearing my dressing gown and put two and two together.’ He swallowed. ‘Do you think he had something to do with Keeley’s attempted kidnap? If only I’d known what type of man I’d let into my home, into our home…’

‘That’s what we’re investigating at the moment.’ Gina pushed a little more. ‘What happened after that?’

‘After he left, I noticed that five hundred pounds had gone. He’d asked me to lend him some money only a few hours earlier. Two thousand pounds, to be exact. But I barely knew him, and I know it looks like we have money, but it’s all tied up in theproperty. Moira would notice if I suddenly took two thousand pounds out of our account. I said no and knew I had to end this silly thing that I’d started with him. Anyway, once he’d left and I noticed the money was missing, I called him to ask him to bring my money back and he said no. Just like that. I said I was calling the police and he said if I did, he’d tell Moira what we did. He said he’d taken a photo of us in bed when I was asleep, and said he’d post it to all my friends and colleagues. I never thought something like this would happen to me.’ He held back a sob.

Although Gina knew he’d cheated on his wife, she felt for Tristan Moore. The threat to expose his sexuality online by leaking intimate photos was horrible. She thought about the awful images of herself online, the one using her eyes. And then there was the one of her blindfolded in the shed. ‘We have Colson’s phone, and so far we haven’t found any images of you on it.’

‘Thank you. I don’t even know if he has any photos, but I’m not happy to call his bluff. There’s a side of me no one knows, but it doesn’t matter. I love my wife. Colson was a fling, nothing more. What’s five hundred pounds to keep a lid on it?’ He paused. ‘I only did it because Moira had an affair and it broke me. I thought you should know that; why I did what I did and why our marriage was in tatters. A part of me felt entitled, like I wanted to get back at her.’ He reached over and nervously scratched the back of his head. ‘I’m going to have to tell her. I don’t think I can keep this in anymore. I want to report Colson for the theft and the threats.’

Gina nodded slowly. ‘It’s very brave of you. I’ll get a colleague to take a full statement after we’ve finished here.’

He was braver than she was, Gina thought. She swallowed, but felt a little optimistic. They were going to be rearresting Colson on new charges and that meant they’d be keeping him in.

Gina’s thoughts moved back to the case in hand and John Doe. ‘Do you know this man?’ She placed the artist’s drawing of John Doe down in front of him.

He scrutinised the drawing. ‘I don’t think so. But there is something familiar about him.’ Gina felt her heartbeat pick up as he continued to speak. ‘Actually, I think he might have helped on one of my renovations, but I can’t remember which one. It was maybe two or three years ago? He could be in the building trade – possibly a roofer or a brickie – but I couldn’t swear to it. It will have been my wife who booked him and dealt with his company, but, like I said, it was a long time ago. We might need to dig out the paperwork to get a name or a company.’

‘Is your wife at home?’

He shook his head. ‘She’s at a trade fair in Scotland. I tried to call her earlier and she didn’t answer. She can’t always get a signal though.’

‘When is she due home?’

‘Tomorrow. She flies in first thing. She should be home around seven in the morning.’

‘Can we send an officer home with you to help you look through the paperwork? We really need to identify this man. We have reason to believe he has been working with another person, and that person was involved in the attempted kidnapping of your daughter-in-law.’ Gina now had it in mind that there could be two more accomplices since Colson was in custody at the time Ruth was taken. ‘Does Keeley work with you on the renovations at all? Could she have come into any kind of contact with this man’ – she placed her index finger on the drawing of John Doe – ‘even if she doesn’t remember him?’

He nodded his head. ‘She’s always around our place with the kids, so it’s definitely a possibility. She does sometimes chat to the contractors or makes them a cuppa. I’ll go back home and find that paperwork. There’s loads and I’m a very untidy recordkeeper, so if someone could help me we could find the invoice faster.’

‘Do you have any other vans than those parked on your drive?’

‘No.’

‘What outbuildings do you have?’ Gina thought of the girl in the photos. It was a long shot and she had no reason to believe Tristan Moore was behind anything, but she had to ask.

‘A small barn, a wine cellar that is actually underneath the games room in the garden, the games room itself and a tree house, which is a death trap so we don’t go near it.’

‘Thank you.’ She waited for Wyre to finish noting all that down. ‘If it’s okay, a police officer will go with you now while we speak with your daughter-in-law again.’

Several minutes later, Tristan Moore had left and Keeley was now sitting in his seat. The recorder was rolling. Gina waited for Wyre to have a sip of water.

‘Have you found the man who tried to take me?’

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