Page 8 of Her Deadly Promise

‘From our bedroom, I saw a man enter through the back gate. It was dark so I couldn’t see what he looked like, but he went up to Billie and grabbed her. They were in a clinch of sorts before going into the house. I’m not sure if it was a passionate clinch or a little argumentative. It was hard to tell.’

‘Could it have been her boyfriend?’

‘No, this man wasn’t as tall, and he was stockier. Either that or he had a thick coat on, maybe one of those puffer coats.’

‘Can you describe him?’ Wyre jotted down what the woman was saying.

Mrs Pearlman shook her head. ‘I’m afraid I can’t. It was too dark. All I saw were outlines under the moonlight.’ Wyre raised her eyebrows, pleased with the information they were getting.

Gina enjoyed the slight breeze that caught the back of her hair. ‘When was this?’

‘Last night. I couldn’t sleep. Sometimes, I sit on the upstairs window ledge and look out until I get tired again.’

‘And what time was that?’

‘Around eleven thirty. It had to have been then as I was back in bed by midnight, and I wasn’t up for too long.’

‘That’s really helpful, thank you. Did you hear anything?’

‘No, the window was closed, and I kept my earplugs in.’

Gina waved at the investigators working the scene.

‘How long will they be here for?’ Mrs Pearlman asked.

‘Hopefully not too long.’

‘I’ll offer them a drink in a bit. It’s so hot and they must be parched.’ The dog began to yap from indoors. ‘There’s someone at the door. It must be Kayden’s grandparents.’ The woman hurried back through the door.

‘We need to find the boyfriend and this other man urgently.’ Gina wondered if jealousy was a motive with a new boyfriend and another man in the mix. She needed to interview both but first, she had to find out who they were.

Wyre made a note and closed her pad.

‘We need to speak to Billie’s parents, see if they can help us with a name. We also need to speak to the neighbour. What was her name again?’

Wyre flicked back a couple of pages. ‘Meera.’

Gina felt as though she was trudging through treacle as she and Wyre went back to the house. It was all becoming too real now that Billie’s parents had arrived and there weren’t many things worse than seeing the distraught look on a parent’s face after losing a child. Their heartache and the fact that they’d have to share such devastating news with Kayden made her think of her own granddaughter. It would break Gina if she was in the same position. She couldn’t bear to imagine life without Hannah.

‘You coming, guv?’

She didn’t want to go back in. She didn’t want to move any closer to where the sadness was centred. Swallowing, she forced back the choking tears that wanted so badly to escape. She would ride through this funny stage she was going through, and she would do the only thing she could do to help. She had to find the evil person who killed the young mother who had her whole life ahead of her.

SIX

As Gina ended her call with Briggs, she glanced at Wyre. ‘I’ve updated him on the case. He’s preparing a press release.’ They’d been back at the station only half an hour and Billie Reeves’s father had already taken his wife and grandchild home, before coming back to speak with them.

‘O’Connor has settled him in the family room.’

‘Great. Let’s get this done. Maybe Mr Reeves can shed some light on who one of these men are.’

As they walked along the corridor, passing the interview rooms, Gina couldn’t stop thinking about Billie’s mother’s face as the woman wrapped Kayden in her arms. Confused by his grandmother’s state, Kayden asked if he was going to their house for tea. Gina wondered if he knew what had happened to his mother now. She could only imagine how they were going to get through the next few days, and she hoped that the family liaison officer could offer them some comfort. She cleared her throat and gently opened the door. ‘Mr Reeves.’

He went to stand. ‘It’s George.’

‘It’s okay, please stay seated, George.’ Gina sat in the comfy chair opposite and Wyre sat beside her. Her colleague gave a sympathetic smile. The man’s paunch reached over his knees and his loose shirt had unbuttoned by his belly. The lemon-coloured walls seemed too cheery for what they had to discuss.

‘I can’t believe that someone did this to her. Billie was so gentle, and everyone loved her. And Kayden… he didn’t deserve this.’ The man turned to face away, trying to hold his emotions back.

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