Page 69 of Her Deadly Promise

He leaned up against the front door. ‘I…’ He shook his head and started again. ‘I was losing you. I missed the closeness. We haven’t had sex for nearly a year. Every time I come near you; you look at me like I’m disgusting.’

‘Don’t give me that shit and don’t blame me. Every day of our marriage I’ve done everything I can to please you, everything. You’ve been distancing from me, and this is an excuse. Blame the wife for lack of sex. That’s a good one. Original – not.’

‘I know I’m asking a lot and you can hate me all you like, but I need you on my side right now. Look at me.’ He held her chin and lifted it until her gaze met his.

She didn’t recognise him any more. On Tuesday, he’d called up that evening when Poppy couldn’t sleep, and he’d read their little girl a story over the phone. He was working, that was all. Working as he couldn’t sleep. Working as he had a tight deadline. Working – always working. He hadn’t been doing any work, he’d been paying their hard-earned money over to Billie for sex. She stared at him, his resolve crumbling in front of her. He’d never looked so small, pathetic and weak. She imagined him seeing that hair clip at Nadia’s and sniping it like some sad kleptomaniac, unable to keep his hands off the shiny prize. Yes, he was drunk, and he thought it was a good idea at the time, but she could have worn it in front of Nadia. Was he capable of really bad things? His petty theft was the least of her problems. ‘I don’t know you. I don’t know you at all.’

They both looked out of the window as a car drove past and he exhaled. ‘I thought that was them. Can we get out of here? I need some space to think. The police can’t come back and see us like this.’

‘I’m not coming.’ Candice headed back to the living room. ‘If the police come back, then so be it. I haven’t done anything.’ Maybe she couldn’t keep everything to herself any longer. Maybe it was time to tell them that Gavin had stolen the hair clip from Nadia and Ed and that he’d also been paying Billie for sex. The situation had passed the point of no return. The very thought of the truth coming out made her wince as if she’d sucked on a lemon. Everyone would know that she was an inadequate wife, that she couldn’t satisfy her husband or keep him happy. The humiliation would kill her. She could move, maybe go and stop with her grandmother in her Spanish villa for a while until things died down. Leaving the country would be the best option. Poppy could go to school there.

‘I need you.’ He spun her around. ‘Please.’

‘Let go of me.’

He began clenching his teeth and staring at her. ‘Get in the car.’ His grip tightened and she pulled back, knocking an ornament off the window ledge. As he dragged her, all the coats came off the coat rack and she got tangled in trainer laces. Outside, she grabbed the door knocker so hard it pulled away and all she heard was metal jangling on the drive as it fell. Gavin kicked the tangled trainer against the wall.

‘No.’

Before she could get his hands off her, he dragged her across the pavement. He threw her into the passenger seat. As he went to walk around to the driver’s side, she opened the door and ran. Within seconds he was on her, pulling her back. She yelled but it was no good. The neighbours were at work. That didn’t stop their dog from barking at the commotion. ‘I’m sorry, really sorry.’

What was he sorry for, making her get into a car? Manhandling her? What he did with Billie? For the lies? ‘No, please. I can’t go in there.’ He popped the boot.

‘Just get in.’

‘No.’

He pushed her in fighting and yelling. His strength won. Her handbag had tangled around her neck and the button had popped on her shirt. She thudded face first into the bloodied plastic sheet in the boot of the car and all she could see was the manic look of horror on Gavin’s face. For the first time in their marriage, she knew at this moment in time, he was capable of killing her. She listened as he turned the radio up so loud, she felt it booming underneath. Then a newsflash came on.

Nadia was alive and it was only a matter of time before Nadia spoke.

FIFTY-FOUR

Serena leaned over the table, her lank hair falling over her face. ‘How could she do this? I laid my heart on a plate. I told her everything as I needed a shoulder, someone to talk to and she goes and reports me to the police. I did not kill my sister.’

Gina was trying to take everything in. Anderson’s claims that Nadia was abusing him. The photos of Nadia’s abuse that Anderson said she did to herself. The finger impressions on Nadia’s back that proved that statement to be false. And now, Serena.

‘Serena, you failed to tell us that you live in Redditch now, that you had opportunity, and you don’t have an alibi for the time that Billie was murdered, or when Nadia was taken. You admit you were angry at both Billie and Nadia.’

She started to sob, and huge teardrops began to plop onto the wooden desk. Jacob passed her a box of tissues and she tugged at one. ‘I would never kill my sister. I was angry, yes. How would you feel if the person you loved was sleeping with someone else and then triple that shock when you find out it’s your sister?’ Gina could well imagine how awful her ordeal of seeing Billie having sex with Nathan must have been. She only had to imagine Briggs and Rosemary together and it made her want to curl up in a ball and never leave the house again. Every time she saw him or heard his voice, it stung. As it stood, they still hadn’t found the murder weapon and it had now been established that the knife with Anderson’s blood on it, was not the knife used to kill Billie or stab Nadia. And, it did have his blood on it. He was telling the truth about his own stabbing. Anderson was clear of murder.

‘Being cheated on hurts. Catching your partner and your sister in the act, I can’t imagine the pain, the anger. Serena, did you go to Billie’s that afternoon and drive a knife through her heart? Did you kill her?’

‘No. If I’d have done that, I’d have requested a solicitor. I wouldn’t be here talking like this. I would never have hurt my sister. I might have hated her for what she did but kill her, no.’

‘Nadia knew. The others knew. You felt humiliated as you were the last to find out. What did you do with Nadia?’

‘I did not hurt Nadia. Why the hell would I?’

‘You said yourself, the pain of them all laughing at you was too much. That’s why you went to see her. That’s why you sent Mrs Brent the messages to meet you. Was she going to be next?’

Serena shook her head, smirked and blew her nose. ‘That cow has a lot to answer for. I only wanted to talk to her. I thought she’d help but no, she felt the need to exaggerate everything and blame me.’

‘Exaggerate? Please tell me how she exaggerated what you said.’

She shrugged as she dropped a pulled clump of hair to the floor. ‘She could tell I was upset and that I felt guilty for the hate I had in me, and she made out that I murdered my sister. I said nothing to give her that impression.’

‘Do you have Billie’s tablet?’

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