‘You saw and experienced that?’ Lucy asked, surprise on her face.
‘On a couple of occasions, yes. Others in the group would try to defuse the situation, calm her down. They knew her but this was always after booze. Normally she wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Butter wouldn’t melt …’
‘Did she encourage you to start trouble?’
Rodgers looked at them both, knowing they were aware of his past. ‘On occasion but I’ve more control now. Older and wiser you could say.’
‘Was your relationship post her breakup with Jennings platonic?’ Fred’s question stopped him in his tracks and his expression changed immediately. He pushed away the mug and swung back on the chair like a defiant child.
‘What sort of question’s that? What the hell’s it got to do with you or anyone else?’
The pause was palpable as Fred returned to his seat, looking across at Rodgers and then at Lucy. ‘Shall I tell him, or shall I leave it to you?’ He did not wait for the reply. ‘You see, Mr Rodgers. Let’s imagine a scenario now. Let’s imagine that Carla doesn’t come home but her body is found. It doesn’t matter if there are suspicious circumstances surrounding her death or not as it will be treated as a suspected murder or suicide from the off. That will mean the coroner will be involved, an autopsy, DNA. You know what DNA is? It’s that magic stuff that unravels mysteries that were once unfathomable. From that we will discover many things about Carla’s life, her personal life and with that, Mr Rodgers, the personal lives of others. So, ponder on that for a moment and when you’ve had a think, reconsider my question. And, Mr Rodgers, if the worst happens and we find a body and in or on that body is your DNA, then two plus two might make four. Answering questions now might save you an awful lot of trouble should things take a turn for the worst.’
Rodgers’s attitude changed immediately as if someone had hit a switch. He swung back towards the table and grasped the mug as if it were a security blanket.
‘When she split, she contacted me to go out. She asked if I’d invite her out with the friends we had. I agreed. On the first night out, she propositioned me. She suggested a one-night stand but made it clear that she was not looking for a relationship, or the responsibility a relationship brings were her words, whatever they mean. If I got the nod then happy days.’
‘Did she give the nod to any others?’
‘Not too sure. I would like to think not but knowing her state after the split it’s more than likely. Maybe it was her way of getting back at Smith. I’m no psychologist.’
‘Right! Go on.’
‘As I always say, women can’t live by bread alone.’ He looked directly at Lucy as if hoping for some support of his theory but received nothing in return. ‘Her motto was Life is for living – just live it! If you’ve been to her flat, you’ll have seen it written on one of the walls. So, for the purpose of DNA, the answer is yes on occasion and I’ve been to the flat and she’s been to mine.’
‘And the last time you had sex?’
Rodgers’s answer came back immediately at full volley.
‘The day before she went missing.’
‘The day before? Please explain, but before you do, I’m going to caution you. This does not mean you’re under arrest it means you’ll be under oath and as we advised at the beginning this is recorded for your security as well as ours.’
Lucy cautioned him before she repeated the question. ‘Talk us through your meeting with Carla on the day before she went missing.’ She added the day and date.
‘The date and the time’s correct, yes. It came out of the blue, the message, that is. She’d been out for a meal with Debbie. It was simple and straightforward. She asked me to meet her at hers and bring a bottle.’
‘What time did you receive it and what time did you arrive?’
He took out his phone. ‘Received it at ten fifteen. She wanted me to be there after eleven fifteen. I wasn’t late, let’s put it that way.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘So, in answer to your personal question we had sex then. It was the last time.’
‘Did you stay the night?’
‘No, that wasn’t part of the invitation, never was. I left about two. I remember seeing the clock on the Atkinson when I walked home and it was two thirty.’
‘Were you then in a relationship, Mr Rodgers?’
Fred and Lucy could see the immediate reticence flash across his face. The signals were subtle but clear enough. It was accompanied by a shuffling of his feet. He nodded.
‘Does the nod of the head suggest that you were and you still are?’
‘Yes, Debbie Sutch, but we don’t live together or anything like that. It’s just a relationship. We do our own stuff and neither of us communicates about that.’
‘Right. Did you then know they were meeting that evening for a meal and that they were also meeting again for lunch the following day?’
‘Lunch? No, I knew about the Italian meal but lunch, no.’
It was clear that the thought brought a degree of concern. ‘Are you sure?’
‘It was Ms Sutch who initially raised concerns of her going missing. Surely you were aware of that?’
‘No, I bloody well wasn’t.’
‘When did you last meet Debbie?’
‘Last week. We were supposed to go out over the weekend but she was too upset about Carla. She didn’t want company. I’m supposed to be seeing her tonight.’
‘Is she aware that you and Carla are still intimate?’ Lucy asked as she raised her eyes to meet his.
Rodgers laughed lightly and shook his head. ‘What do you think?’
‘Mr Rodgers?’
‘No, at least I don’t think so.’
Chapter 13
Skeeter was the first back at her desk and she googled the goddess
