Impression (DI Gardener 4)

“We’re finding out,” said Reilly.

“He threatened to blackmail me if I didn’t lie in court. I was in the taxi because he wanted to see Chloe. I have no idea how he managed to find out about her, but he did. He came to the house once when Gareth was out, and he said he wanted to see her. He’d bought a present for her. If I didn’t agree to what he wanted, he said he would tell Gareth.

“We had a massive argument. I’m surprised the whole village didn’t hear. Anyway, he said he would come back for us a couple of days later, and he would take us out for a couple of hours. We could have something to eat, he would give her a present, and then he would bring us back home. He said he didn’t want any more than that. He simply wanted to see her, see what she was like. He promised he wouldn’t bother us again after that.”

“And you believed him?”

“What choice did I have? Anyway, he took us for a drive. Chloe loved it. At that time we didn’t have a car. We ended up in Horsforth at a small café. He did what he said he would. Treated us to a meal. Gave her a present. It was when he was about to take us home that it had come in a bit foggy. He pulled out of the road, and this bike came from nowhere. We didn’t actually hit him, just forced him into another direction.”

“Did you stop?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I wasn’t driving, was I?”

“Did your daughter witness anything?”

“No, she was almost asleep. I wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I didn’t want Gareth asking too many questions. If we could get back before he came home from work, I could probably smooth it all over. Though God knows why, he doesn’t deserve all this, does he?”

“He doesn’t deserve a wife like you, you mean?”

Sally Summerby scowled at the comment, but made no reply.

“Talking of your husband,” said Reilly. “How is he?”

“He’s fine. Why do you ask?”

“How would you say your marriage was?”

“My marriage? It’s fine.”

“No problems?”

“Every marriage goes through problems.”

“You said earlier that money wasn’t good where he works. Do you have financial problems?”

“We manage.”

“And what does Gareth do... on the farm?”

“He looks after the animals, mainly. The farm has its own slaughterhouse. Gareth is a big believer in doing things humanely, otherwise he wouldn’t work there. The animals are bred and slaughtered properly. He even walks them to the place of slaughter, about a mile away from the farm. The meat is better because of how well they’re looked after.”

“Does he slaughter them?”

“Sometimes.”

“Don’t think I could do that,” said Reilly. “Surely it takes a certain kind of person.”

“What’s his temperament like?” Gardener asked. “It’s my guess you’d have to be a bit emotionless to do something like that.”

“On the contrary. You have to be someone who loves animals and cares about their welfare to be able to do it properly, without suffering. So, yes, it does take a certain kind of person.”

“It’s just that we keep coming back to the comment he made to Goodman on the night Chloe went missing: ‘God works in mysterious ways’.”

“I’ve already told you about that.”