heart attack. Every now and then, as Uckfield had ran through his story in a matter of fact voice, Otton had opened and closed his mouth like a fish, but no sound had come from it.
Uckfield leaned back in his seat; he clasped his hands behind his head and went on in a conversational tone. 'On the following Tuesday you called Culven using your husband's mobile phone. We've checked the records. You arranged to meet him on the beach at Eastney. Once there you walked along it together and when Culven's back was turned you strangled him. What did you use? Couldn't have been easy, although Culven didn't look a strong man. Then to slow things down for us you cold-bloodedly bashed his face in.'
'No!' she shouted explosively.
Uckfield ignored her. He leaned back across the table and said softly, 'You have no alibi for Tuesday night, a car, your car was seen parked.'
'This is preposterous!' exploded Otton, 'What evidence do you have?'
Not enough, Horton knew. He kept his eyes on Melissa.
Uckfield ignored the lawyer. 'We know why you killed your husband, Melissa. Can't say I blame you in a way, a man with perversions like that.'
Her body stiffened and she clasped her hands tightly in her lap.
'I know it takes all sorts,' Uckfield continued, 'but not only was your husband a transvestite but he was also into pornography, the kind that would make your eyes water.' Uckfield sneered and almost laughed. 'What did he ask you to do, eh? Had you got fed up with his sexual demands? A jury wouldn't blame you. We'll show them the magazines, the filth that he liked looking at.'
Her eyes flickered to Otton and back to Horton. It was Horton she finally appealed to. 'What's he talking about, inspector?'
'We found magazines on your husband's boat,' he replied. 'They depicted sex scenes including bondage, and those involving both children and animals.'
'I don't believe you!' The colour drained from her face, her body swayed first forwards and then against Otton who put out his hands to hold her.
'A glass of water for my client,' Otton barked and Kate, at a nod, from Uckfield slid out of the room. 'My client needs a break, chief inspector. She's in no fit state to answer any further questions.'
Again Uckfield ignored him. 'Is that why you killed him, Melissa, because you found out about him?'
'No, Roger wasn't like that.' Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her face so pale that it was almost transparent.
Uckfield laughed. 'You expect us to believe that!'
She lifted her eyes and her face looked pinched with pain. 'Roger wasn't interested in sex…' She faltered and Horton was left filling in the blanks. He was beginning to see.
She swallowed hard. The door opened and Kate put the water in front of her. She was trembling so much that she had to lift the plastic cup with both hands.
Otton said, 'I think that's enough for now.' Uckfield slammed the table with his hand. 'It is not enough. Enough is when I get to the truth.'
With an effort she said, appealing to Horton, 'I am telling the truth.'
'I think not.' Uckfield sat back again. 'Why did you drug him?'
Horton didn't think she could go any paler but she did.
Slowly she said, 'I didn't know what the tablets would do.'
Horton thought Otton was going to have a seizure.
'Melissa, please,' Otton begged. She ignored him. 'I don't know how he got to the tower or why he was dressed the way he was.'
Horton spoke for the first time. 'Why didn't you simply divorce him?'
'You wouldn't understand,' she replied wearily.
Uckfield rose and said dangerously quietly. 'We understand that you, along with your lover, plotted and murdered your husband and then you murdered your lover.'
A flash of anger from her now, perhaps one final effort to convince them.
'That's not true. I have to make you understand. After the death of my father I was lonely and upset and Roger was kind. I thought he loved me but he didn't, he just loved my money and the status it brought him.' Her eyes looked back down the years. In them Horton saw an empty life.
'Roger wanted a wife with class and breeding,' she continued. 'He wanted to climb the social ladder; marriage to me gave him that. Sir Randall Simpson, my father, was very wealthy. But my friends soon got tired of Roger. I used to watch them cringe at his crude jokes and his constant bragging. I saw pity in their eyes. Poor Melissa, she's really got taken in and landed herself with a right one. So I stopped asking my friends round. Soon I didn't have any. I wasn't going to divorce Roger because that way he'd get his hands on my money, or rather my father's money. And if I had got divorced everyone would pity me and if there's one thing I can't stand it's being pitied. So Roger and I came to an arrangement. I would see he had enough money for all the things he wanted, like his boat, if he left me alone.'
Uckfield was staring at her in disbelief. He towered over the interview table. 'So you started an affair with Culven.'
She swivelled her eyes up to him. 'How many times do I have to tell you? There was no affair?' It was as if she had used up her last reserves of energy. She fell back in the chair, a dejected figure.
Otton, tight-lipped, said, 'Chief Inspector, my client is exhausted, as you can see. I insist on a break.'
Uckfield ignored him. 'I've applied for a warrant to search your house. We can wait for that or you can help speed things up by giving us permission now.'
'I've got to stay here? What will happen to Bellman? I've left him in the house.'
Horton said, 'We can take care of that. Is there anywhere you would like him to go? A friend or neighbour?' She was shaking her head before he had finished speaking.
'Bellman's never been away from me before.'
'Then we'll take him to kennels.'
'Poor Bellman.'
'Interview terminated, 16.05.' Uckfield switched off the tape and plucked his jacket from the back of the chair. Then leaning towards her again he said, 'We know you killed them both.' Outside Uckfield grinned at Horton. 'Good result, I think.'
'I'm not sure.'
'She did it all right. She admitted it in there. You heard her.'
'You're going to hold her?'
'You bet I am. I could charge on her on that confession alone.'
'Thurlow was suffocated.'
'She could have slipped on that boat and put a plastic bag over his head, while he was drugged.' 'But she couldn't have taken the boat out. She knows nothing about sailing.'
'Lover-boy Culven did.'
Yes, Horton thought, he did.
Uckfield said, 'You just get cracking and get me some evidence. A couple of witnesses would be nice.'
And where do you think I'm going to get them from? A hat? Horton fumed as he watched Uckfield stride away a happy man. Everything he had said made sense, so why did it feel so wrong?
'What happened?' asked Cantelli, when Horton returned to the CID office.
'Uckfield's holding her; he thinks she did it.'
'And you don't?'
'She drugged him, but as to the rest… There are too many unanswered questions for me.' He saw Cantelli glance towards the door. They had the office to themselves. By the look in Cantelli's eyes he could see that he had some bad news.
'Think you ought to see this, Andy.' He pushed the local newspaper across the desk.
The headline ran, 'Popular PR man killed in Devil's Tower' and alongside the photograph of the tower was a picture of Briarly House. It was the sub heading that horrified him most; 'Sex cop leads double murder investigation.'
Horton felt sick. Soon the national media would pick up on the story. This journalist had dredged up
