Anna was surprised how willingly Tina allowed her to take a buccal swab from her mouth. As Anna placed the small saliva stick into a plastic evidence bag, Tina poured herself a cup of coffee. Anna then took out her notebook. She would have preferred a less public place, as the cubicle had no door, and the noise of the salon dryers and music was very intrusive.
‘So . . . don’t keep me in suspense,’ Tina said, sitting opposite Anna.
‘Well, let me first tell you that we have not as yet discovered the whereabouts of Alan, and we are obviously treating this as a murder because of the evidence discovered in your flat.’
‘I don’t understand.’ Tina leaned forward.
‘The blood pooling has not yet been verified as Alan’s.’
‘What?’
‘We are looking into the possibility that it could be someone else’s. To prove it is Alan’s blood we need his DNA and so far we have been unable to obtain any.’
‘I don’t believe this. Are you telling me that it wasn’t Alan?’
‘No, I am saying we have no positive proof that it was him.’
Tina closed her eyes.
‘There is a possibility that Alan might have been with someone else and—’
‘Another woman, you mean?’
Anna continued to be as diplomatic as possible without revealing that Alan was not the biological son of his parents. She showed Tina the photograph of the surfers, asking if she recognised anyone, and without hesitation Tina identified Alan, but did not know anyone else.
‘How often did Alan go to Cornwall? He was a very keen surfer, wasn’t he?’
Tina sipped her coffee. She obviously recalled the last time he had been away because she had told Anna about it previously.
‘Did he go on a regular basis?’
‘I suppose so. Well, not in the winter, but often if I had a hair competition he would go off then.’
‘Did you ever accompany him?’
‘No. I can’t swim.’
‘Did you know of any hotel Alan would have stayed in?’
‘No, I think he said he stayed with friends.’
‘Would it be possible that he also owned or rented a home there?’
‘In Cornwall?’
‘Yes.’
Tina was nonplussed, saying she doubted it and he had never mentioned it to her.
‘But he did go frequently?’
‘Yes, I suppose so, but I don’t call a few times a year frequent, and like I said it was usually when I was away for competitions.’
‘How long would you be away for these competitions?’
Tina said that it would depend. The big ones she’d spend a few days at as they sometimes ran on for that length of time, so she would travel to the venue and book into a hotel.
‘So that would be what – five days?’
‘Yeah, or maybe less, but I never wanted to stay that long. Liverpool and Birmingham were not that great, but the Blackpool one I’d take Donna with me and we’d have a week out.’
‘Could you give me these dates?’
Tina sighed and said it would take a while, but she had a calendar somewhere. She then asked why Anna was so interested in Cornwall and in her hairdressing competitions.
‘We are trying to discover how many times Alan was in Cornwall so we can trace his friends there.’
‘You think he had a place there, do you?’
‘Yes, it is possible, but we are not exactly sure of the location. We found his surfboards and wetsuit at his father’s home.’
‘Yeah, we didn’t have any room and he was obsessive about his boards, wouldn’t let them stay in the garage at the flats. He sometimes had a couple more at his workplace. Oh, by the way, can I have my car back?’
‘Yes, you can. Tina, you said a “couple more” at the garage where he worked but we only found one there. Do you think he had more?’
‘No idea. When can I move back into the flat?’ She was beginning to sound very impatient.
‘I’ll ask the forensic team if they have finished.’
‘It’s a real inconvenience, this. I’ve got to stay at Donna’s and all my clothes and stuff are still in the flat. Am I allowed to go and get a few more things to wear? I only took a small overnight bag with me to stay at Donna’s.’
‘Yes, I’ll see they allow you to do that. There is something else, Tina, but first I have to ask you this. Did you, after Alan went missing, ever entertain anyone else?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We found items in the bed.’
‘What?’
‘We believe the bedding we took from your flat had been changed due to the fact there was no blood on it.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘It’s probable that the bedlinen was changed after the violence that took place, and I am asking you if you brought anyone to the bedroom and had sex with them.’
‘You must be fucking joking! Of course I didn’t have someone in bed with me.’
‘We found a hair and semen stains, Tina. The hair could be yours, or someone else’s.’
Tina was adamant that she had slept alone, that she had never brought anyone back to the flat. Suddenly she pulled some hairs from her head.
‘Here, take it, take it and test it! Christ, I feel sick – it makes me feel sick.’
If Tina was guilty of murder she was an exceptional actress, yet Anna was sure she had to know a lot more than she was admitting.
‘When we found Alan’s surfboards and wetsuit . . .’
Tina got up and helped herself to another coffee.
‘We found other items that I need to discuss with you. Did you ever consider that Alan was homosexual?’
Tina turned, surprised. ‘What? WHAT?’
‘The items were of a very explicit sexual nature. There were DVDs all containing gay sex, and various magazines which had . . . contact ads – you know, and—’
‘You are trying to say you think Alan was
‘As I said, we have found pornographic literature and DVDs. We have also heard from a couple of witnesses that Alan mixed with a number of homosexual men whilst in Cornwall.’
Tina blinked and shook her head.
‘You’ve got it wrong. There is no way! I would know, believe you me. Being in hairdressing, I’m surrounded by gays and especially at the competitions. Alan was not like one of them, so whoever you are talking to are off their heads.’
‘So you and Alan had a heterosexual relationship?’
‘You mean did we have sex?’
‘Yes.’
‘Listen, I’ve been around – I’m not making myself out to be a slapper, but I’ve had a few guys in my time – and I am telling you, Alan was straight. We had a good sex-life, even more so when I had got my hands on him. He was very shy and reserved to start with, but like I said I’ve had my experiences and there was no way I’d stand for a platonic relationship, no way at all.’
‘But you mentioned that you thought he might have another woman. Why was that?’
Tina shrugged and fell silent. Anna persisted.
‘You said that he might have gone missing and left you for another woman. Why did you think that?’
