“You learn something new every day, guv,” said Blessing.
Gus was on familiar ground when they reached the village of Downton. It lay six miles southeast of the city of Salisbury on the Hampshire border. Gus and Tess had enjoyed living on the doorstep of the New Forest. They had picnicked there and gone for long walks surrounded by trees and wildlife.
Stephanie Reeves and her partner lived in a three-bedroomed property close to the River Avon in Waterside.
“Not very imaginative of the planners, was it, guv?” said Blessing as Gus pulled up outside the house.
“They’re not known for their imagination, Blessing,” said Gus. “I haven’t briefed you on how I plan to handle this meeting because I haven’t got a set plan. I’ll ask a few general questions, and we’ll see where that leads us.”
“Got it, guv,” said Blessing. “The practice I had on the way here will stand me in good stead. I’ll sit and listen until you tell me to do otherwise.”
“That’s my girl,” said Gus. He rapped the solid wooden door with the leopard’s head door knocker. What a refreshing change from a UPVC and glass door and a battery-driven bell chime.
A tall, attractive young woman with long dark hair opened the door.
Blessing noticed the loose-fitting smock top and comfortable shoes; she guessed that Stephanie Reeves was around five months pregnant.
“Stephanie Reeves?” asked Gus.
“You must be the people from Wiltshire Police. Please, come in.”
Stephanie led them through the hallway to a large farmhouse-style kitchen at the rear.
“I’ve been baking,” she explained. “I hope you don’t mind the smell of fresh bread and cakes? Would you like a coffee? I was just about to make one.”
“Mr Freeman takes his coffee, black without,” said Blessing. “I prefer mine white with one sugar. Thank you, you’re very kind. When’s the baby due?”
Gus did a double-take. He’d been enjoying the smell of fresh bread and dreaming of Kassie Trotter’s buns.
“Just in time for Christmas,” said Stephanie. “Sit yourselves down anywhere you wish. What was it you wanted to know?”
“We should introduce ourselves first,” said Gus. “DC Umeh works with me as part of a Crime Review Team. My name is Freeman, and I help the team review cases that were never solved in the weeks after they occurred. Your mother’s murder took place seven years ago, and her killer remains at large. We spoke with your father yesterday to check things he told the police in the original investigation and see whether he remembered anything new. He did expand our knowledge on various elements of the case. We’re hoping you can also give us a fresh perspective.”
“I’ll try,” said Stephanie. She placed a tray of drinks on the wooden table and took a seat beside Blessing. “Yours is at the front, Mr Freeman. DC Umeh and I have similar tastes.”
“How long have you lived in this delightful property?” asked Gus.
“Five years,” said Stephanie. “Danny and I moved in together in 2013.”
“Danny?” asked Gus.
“Danny Ellis,” said Stephanie. “He’s a stonemason. Danny works at Salisbury Cathedral. He accepts private commissions too, but getting the contract for conservation work on the Cathedral was like getting the Forth Bridge painting contract for him. As soon as you get to the other end, it’s time to start again. There will be a job for our child if my scan was right, and it’s a boy. He can take over from where his father left off.”
“Danny’s a skilled craftsman,” said Gus. “Where did you meet?”
“You’ve spoken to my father,” said Stephanie. “There’s no point denying I went through hell after Mum died. I drank to forget. That didn’t work out the way I hoped. Danny was often in the pubs I drank in; he was seeing another girl at the time. Someone I was at school with, and they both tried to help me stop punishing myself. I stayed with Dad for as long as I could stand it. Then Danny called to say he wasn’t with Becky anymore. Would I like to go for a meal? I moved out of Oakley Road a couple of months later. We lived in Danny’s flat in the city centre for eighteen months. Then we agreed to get a foot on the housing ladder. As soon as we set eyes on this house, we knew it was a family home and would be perfect.”
“Does Theo know you’re expecting?” asked Gus.
“Yes, I called to tell him the news. Dad knows where we live,” said Stephanie, “and that we’re happy. He always had different ideas about what I should do with my life. We’ll let him see his grandson when the time comes, but he doesn’t leave the house much since Mum died. He sits in that big house surrounded by memories.”
“Theo didn’t mention you were pregnant,” said Gus. “He admitted it disappointed him you didn’t go on to university and follow a professional career. But he also said Danny seemed a decent sort. Has your father not been to this house at all in the past five years?”
Stephanie shook her head.
“We invited him over several times in the first year, but he could never make it. In the end, we stopped asking.”
“You work at the local primary school in the village, don’t you?” asked Blessing.
“Yes, it’s just across the road. I love it. The children are wonderful at that age. I can’t wait to have one of my own. It’s such a shame they have to grow up, isn’t it?”
“How’s Martyn these days?” asked Gus.
“I wouldn’t know,” said Stephanie. “I haven’t seen or spoken to him since Dad
