The Hangman’s Hold. Michael Wood

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      ‘I know, Chris. I blame myself too.’

      ‘Why?’

      ‘I’ve been so wrapped up in myself. Your mum is my best friend. She’s always been there for me and I should have been a better friend in return.’

      ‘You’ve been a great friend. You helped her when she first came to Sheffield.’

      ‘That was twenty years ago,’ Matilda scoffed. ‘It’s time I moved on. I need to start embracing life more, going out, enjoying myself. I think me and your mother deserve a holiday.’

      ‘Really?’

      ‘Yes.’ Matilda found herself smiling. ‘We should go somewhere warm with a beach, plenty of bars, maybe sing karaoke and chat up some blokes.’

      Chris smiled but looked embarrassed.

      ‘Chris, you shouldn’t worry about your mum. You’re just starting out in life, you need to find out who you are, travel, meet new people, move away maybe. Your mum is going to be fine. I’ll see to that.’

      ‘You promise?’

      ‘Girl Guide’s honour,’ Matilda said, raising her right hand and giving the three-fingered salute.

      ‘You were a Girl Guide?’ He sniggered.

      ‘Well, not for long, I swore at the Patrol Leader – on more than one occasion. Come on, I’ll take you through to reception. If the ACC sees you here we’ll both be in trouble.’

      DC Scott Andrews had been called in early. With Sian Mills on leave to decorate her house following the aftermath of her home being flooded, Matilda wanted someone alongside DS Aaron Connolly who Adele knew and liked. This would be a formal and recorded interview, but it needed to be as unobtrusive and sensitive as possible.

      Matilda met Scott in the hallway in reception. He walked towards her carrying a tray of drinks.

      ‘I’ve snatched a few chocolate bars from Sian’s drawer too. I thought it might make things seem a bit more relaxed.’

      Dressed in a dark grey suit with white shirt and grey tie, Scott looked his usual smart and dapper self. His hair had been recently trimmed. He was the embodiment of style. Today, however, his smooth complexion was one of worry. Adele was a regular figure in the station: everyone knew her, liked her, and respected her. Nobody wanted to see her interrogated.

      ‘Are you OK to do this?’ Matilda asked, noting his furrowed brow.

      ‘Of course. Who’s that?’ He lowered his voice and nodded at Chris Kean who was frantically chewing his nails.

      ‘That’s Adele’s son.’

      ‘Blimey, she doesn’t look old enough to have a son that age.’

      ‘Open with that line and you’ll have a friend for life.’ She opened the door for Scott and followed him through towards the interview suites.

      ‘Aaron!’ Matilda called to DS Connolly, who was talking to DC Easter. He made his excuses and joined Matilda outside interview room one. ‘Just the facts, Aaron. Don’t be too personal. We know Adele, she’s not a suspect,’ Matilda warned.

      ‘Yes, boss.’

      Matilda watched as Scott and Aaron entered the room. She hoped to give Adele a reassuring smile, but she didn’t look up from the table. The door closed, and Matilda was left in the corridor. She went into the observation room. She may not be able to conduct the interview, but there was no way she was going to allow it to be unsupervised.

      ‘Friday, 10th of March 2017. Interview with Adele Kean. Those present are myself, Detective Constable Scott Andrews—’

      ‘Detective Sergeant Aaron Connolly.’

      Scott nodded at Adele when she didn’t speak.

      ‘Oh, sorry, Doctor Adele Kean,’ her voice was broken and soft.

      ‘Dr Kean, you are not under arrest and you haven’t been cautioned. This is a formal interview, as we believe you to be the last person to see Brian Appleby alive. Do you understand?’

      Adele nodded.

      ‘You’re going to have to reply for the benefit of the recording,’ Scott said, leaning forward, his voice gentle and low.

      ‘I’m sorry. This is all new to me. Yes. I understand.’

      ‘Adele, can you tell me how you came to meet Brian Appleby?’ Aaron said, sitting back in his chair.

      Adele closed her eyes and shook her head. She wasn’t embarrassed about using a website to find a man, everyone did it these days, she just hoped she wasn’t asked why she wanted to find a soulmate in the first place. That, she was embarrassed about.

      ‘It was a dating website aimed at people of mature years.’

      ‘Who made contact first?’

      ‘He did.’

      ‘How long after the first message did you arrange to meet?’

      ‘Just over a week, I think.’

      ‘And who chose the date and time to meet?’

      ‘I did.’

      ‘Did he arrive on his own?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Was there anyone watching or following you? Did you see anyone acting suspiciously?’

      Adele frowned. ‘No. Well, I don’t think so. I didn’t take much notice of anyone else.’

      ‘Where did you go when you’d met?’

      ‘Lloyd’s Bar. We had a couple of drinks then on to Zizzi’s for a meal.’

      ‘Was there anyone in Lloyd’s Bar who you thought might be watching you or Brian?’

      ‘No. I was just out having a drink, I wasn’t looking for anyone watching us. I mean, you don’t, do you? I’m not a paranoid person.’

      ‘It’s OK, Adele, try and relax,’ Scott jumped in.

      Adele took a deep breath. She had a sip of her tea, but it tasted foul. ‘We had a lovely evening together. We had a meal, a good chat, swapped stories, and then went our separate ways. That was all.’

      ‘What did he tell you about his past?’

      Adele shook her head. What he had said had obviously been a lie. She couldn’t believe she had been duped. ‘He told me he’d been living in America for eight years. He said he was an English teacher.’

      ‘He didn’t mention having been in prison?’

      She flinched at the word. ‘Of course he didn’t,’ she raised her СКАЧАТЬ