“Of course, come in,” said Theo Reeves, standing back from the door and pointing to the first door off the hallway. “Please, go through to the lounge.”
The furniture and decor looked in good order. Gus wondered how much this room had changed in the past seven years, if at all. Gus spotted two photographs on the mantlepiece above the faux fireplace. One was of Theo and Marion, which looked to have been taken soon after they married. Perhaps it was a honeymoon photograph. The other showed an attractive young woman with long dark hair taken more recently, who Gus assumed was Stephanie Reeves.
There was no sign of Martyn Street.
“Your colleague informed me that this meeting concerned Marion’s murder,” said Theo Reeves. He sat forward in a chair near the fireplace. Gus and Lydia sat at opposite ends of a four-seater sofa against the interior wall.
“That’s correct,” said Lydia. “I’d like to introduce my boss, Mr Freeman. He’s a consultant with Wiltshire Police. Our Crime Review Team has handled a series of unsolved cases this year with considerable success. The detectives on the original investigation didn't bring your wife’s killer to justice, despite their best efforts. We intend to take a fresh look at the evidence and enable our colleagues at London Road, Devizes, to bring the guilty party before the courts.”
“I see,” said Theo Reeves. “I cannot see how you could do that since none of the evidence has changed. How would you find fresh evidence after so many years?”
“We intend to interview some of the same people DI Wightman and DS Price spoke to back in 2011,” said Gus. “However, as that didn’t produce a positive result, it’s clear to me they didn’t identify the right people to speak to and possibly asked the wrong questions of those they did.”
Theo Reeves didn’t look convinced. Gus knew how he felt. Gus was feeling his way, trying to gauge the man sat opposite him. It could take time to learn whether he had something to hide.
“How did you and Marion meet?” asked Gus.
“The same way most couples met thirty years ago, Mr Freeman,” replied Theo. “There was no online dating in our day. I was in Salisbury for a concert at the City Hall, and afterwards, we visited a nearby pub for a last drink before going home.”
“You went to the concert with someone?” asked Lydia.
“A group of friends and colleagues who enjoyed comedy, drama and music,” said Theo. “I can’t remember exactly how many of us were there that night, but it was anything between six and sixteen. We didn’t always sit together, but for several years it became a habit to discuss what we’d seen over a pint in the Haunch of Venison.”
“The oldest pub in Salisbury,” said Gus.
“You know it?” asked Theo.
“I was a copper on the beat before I became a detective,” said Gus. “I spent almost forty years in the city.”
“Then you know they served a good pint in the old days,” said Theo. “I haven’t been in there in years. No doubt it’s gentrified and attracts a different crowd. They’re far more reliant on food these days, aren’t they?”
“Everywhere has changed, Mr Reeves,” said Gus. “Was Marion Street with one of your group that night?”
“Not at all,” said Theo. “The bar was always crowded on a Saturday night. I fought my way to the bar to buy a drink and spotted Marion standing alone at the far end. It was hard to miss her. Marion was by far the prettiest girl in the place that night. She was out of my league, so I was fully prepared to fight my way back through the crowds with my drink to rejoin my friends. While I waited for the barmaid to pull my pint, I looked up and realised Marion was staring at me.”
“Had you ever seen Marion before?” asked Lydia.
“I may have done,” said Theo. “Salisbury had forty thousand residents in those days. When you’re single, as I was, you often bumped into the same groups of people doing the rounds of the pubs, restaurants, and shops in the centre, day or night. They were faces you recognised without ever knowing who they were. You know what I mean, I’m sure.”
“What happened next?” asked Gus.
“When I got my pint, I told the people I came in with I had seen someone on the other side of the room that I wanted to see. They expected me back any minute. I took my courage in both hands and made my way over. I discovered Marion’s name. She told me she was lonely and hurting after walking out on her husband. I told her I was a good listener. That was the start of it. We married ten months later.”
“You weren’t out of her league after all,” said Gus.
“I suppose not,” said Theo.
“Was Marion still married to Graham Street when you met?” asked Gus.
“They had separated,” said Theo. “Street didn’t want to prolong the agony any more than Marion did. So, the divorce went through quickly enough. When you are as wealthy as that, it’s easier to get things moving. Money talked back in 1990. It talks even louder today.”
“Why did Marion walk out on her husband?” asked Lydia.
“Marion never spoke about the marriage,” said Theo. “From that first Saturday night, she insisted we didn’t dwell on the past. Marion wanted to concentrate on her future; however it turned out. I wasn’t keen to learn the details of their married life anyway, so I was happy to fall in with her wishes.”
“When did you learn Marion and Graham Street had a child?” asked Gus.
“Marion brought Martyn with her in a pushchair on our first proper date the following weekend. We met near the Cathedral and just walked and talked in the sunshine.”
“Did you both work in Salisbury?”
