“The builders were here working on Saturday morning,” said Theo. “Martyn went into town before lunch and didn’t return until five or six in the evening. Then he watched TV in his room until late. Stephanie didn’t get out of bed until noon, but that was typical behaviour for our teenage daughter. I remember her wanting to know if the builders had left yet. She didn’t like going into the bathroom for a shower while they were inside the house. The lock was temperamental. A new bathroom was on the list of jobs they still had to tackle. They had completed our en-suite in the master bedroom. I told Stephanie they were tidying up outside and that she could shower in peace. Marion and I were here throughout the morning. We didn’t venture out to the shops until after lunch. Stephanie cycled to a friend’s house for the afternoon. After Martyn arrived home, we had a meal together, and then Marion and I watched television here in the lounge. Stephanie sat with us, but she was on her phone most of the time. Any conversation was at a premium.”
“How did Martyn get into town?” asked Lydia.
“Martyn walked everywhere,” said Theo. “Time wasn’t important to Martyn. It took him twenty minutes to walk into town. He bought fish and chips at the same place every Saturday, then spent a couple of hours in the Greyhound Inn. After an hour in the park, two if he nodded off, he’d walk back home for his evening meal. Most Saturday nights after he reached eighteen, Martyn walked into town to drink with people he knew from work. That Saturday, he stayed home.”
“What about Sunday,” asked Gus. “Did anything out of the ordinary happen?”
“All of us spent a quiet morning at home before eating Sunday lunch together,” said Theo. “Martyn went into town again but was home earlier. Stephanie studied in her room during the afternoon. Marion drove over to Wilton House Garden Centre and returned around four o’clock. I watched football on TV.”
“Was Marion buying things for the garden?” asked Lydia. “Your front garden looks to be full of mature plants and shrubs.”
“She bought bedding plants,” said Theo, “and Marion visited the café for coffee and cake.”
“Marion told you that when she got home?” asked Lydia.
“She must have,” said Theo. “It’s hard to remember minor details after so long.”
“Marion didn’t mention having met anyone while she was out,” said Gus. “Perhaps that was when the cash left her handbag.”
“Are you suggesting someone was blackmailing Marion?” asked Theo. “That’s outrageous. What possible reason could there be for that line of enquiry?”
“The builders weren’t expecting the money,” said Gus. “Marion didn’t withdraw that much cash for no reason, and it wasn’t among her possessions after the discovery of her body the following morning. Either she handed it to someone on Sunday afternoon, or the killer took it. We need to find out whether Marion shared coffee and cake with another person on Sunday afternoon.”
“Was there nothing unusual that happened after four o’clock on Sunday?” asked Lydia.
“Nothing at all,” said Theo, who was disturbed by the blackmail suggestion. “We were at home throughout the evening. There were no visitors or phone calls. Everyone was in bed by eleven.”
“So, we now come to the day of the murder itself,” said Gus. He continued to watch Theo Reeves, looking for signs of stress. Was he hiding something, or was he finally coming to terms with the actual reason behind his wife’s death? The vital evidence that would lead to solving this case could emerge in the next few minutes.
“I left for work at my usual time of eight-fifteen,” said Theo, “I drove the short distance along The Avenue into the centre and parked just off West Street. I took a two-minute walk to the company offices, stopping at a newsagent for a paper and a lunchtime snack en route. My morning was a succession of meetings. A dozen colleagues confirmed I didn’t leave the premises until the police called me at around twelve-fifteen.”
“Did you make or receive any phone calls after leaving home and before the police called you?” asked Lydia.
“I received two business calls from clients,” said Theo. “I can’t recall making any outgoing calls on my work phone. I didn’t use my mobile that morning.”
“You saw Marion before you left the house?” asked Gus.
“Of course,” said Theo, “we ate breakfast together. As I told the police seven years ago, Marion was fine. We hadn’t argued over the weekend, and we didn’t have words that morning. It was as normal a start to the day as one could wish. The builders were reversing their van into the corner of the driveway as I left the house. That was where they parked each day, to avoid hampering anyone visiting the house, or one of us getting in or out.”
“You expected Marion to chat to the builders,” said Lydia. “To check everything was all set to continue with their work while the house was empty during the day.”
“That’s right,” said Theo. “Marion would check what was on their schedule for the day and then make her way into Salisbury for work. She would see Stephanie off to school, and then maybe fifteen minutes later, she made a move.”
“Stephanie cycled to school, didn’t she?” asked Lydia.
“She did,” said Theo. “Marion would check Stephanie donned her helmet before leaving. You can imagine how popular one of those would be for an attractive eighteen-year-old girl. We just wanted her to stay safe. Marion told me Stephanie generally left about ten minutes after me, at twenty-five past eight.”
“Did Martyn walk to work at Wilton House every day, Mr Reeves?” asked Gus. “In all winds and weather? Did he never ask for a lift from you or Marion? Or a fellow worker on the estate, perhaps?”
“I told you
