“Theo suggested he said it might be best for Martyn to move out,” said Gus. “To throw him out sounds a touch heartless.”
“As I said, Mr Freeman, it’s a shame they have to grow up.”
“I thought you and Martyn were close,” said Gus. “Theo was proud of the way you stuck up for Martyn when he got bullied.”
“I was younger than Martyn by five years,” said Stephanie. “He was slower than the other kids, and they never let him forget it. My parents did everything they could to help Martyn. They didn’t need to spend as much time with me because I was bright for my age, or so the teachers kept telling them. I listened to Mum and Dad discussing Martyn at home, and nothing they did seemed to help. I decided if I helped as well, it might be the extra push he needed. When that happened, I was about five. Five years later, I wished I hadn’t bothered.”
Gus looked at Blessing. She had been in the office when he ran through the chief things they had learned from Theo Reeves yesterday. They should tread carefully in the next few minutes. He hoped Blessing stuck to her word and kept quiet.
“Martyn was fifteen,” said Gus, “and, physically, no longer a child.”
“Mum was very protective,” said Stephanie. “Although I was still only ten, I sensed her attitude towards Martyn was changing. She was less tolerant of his moods. Dad saw little of that because he worked long hours.”
“Can you tell us how the relationship between Marion and Martyn changed?” asked Gus.
“Mum would take him to his room and lecture him for ages. I’d creep up the stairs to his bedroom door and try to hear what they said. I didn’t understand much of it, not then. I noticed when he greeted me after he got home from school, he got aroused. Martyn always wanted to cuddle me when we were younger, and I was happy he was in a good mood. It meant what we were doing must be working. Perhaps he wasn’t a retard like the boys in the street said, but then things changed. I was uncomfortable around Martyn because of the way he rubbed up against me. That’s why Mum lectured him. She kept telling Martyn it was wrong, and he mustn’t have those thoughts.”
“Did it change his behaviour?” asked Gus.
“He couldn’t understand why I didn’t want a cuddle. Martyn thought he’d done something to upset me. Then I had my first period, and I got the lectures from Mum. It was a similar message. Don’t let anyone touch you. It’s wrong. It was my turn not to understand.”
“Marion wanted to protect both of you,” said Gus. “The number of teenage pregnancies has increased since Marion was a teenager. Of course, she had concerns. What was it like when you had your first boyfriend?”
“A nightmare,” said Stephanie. “I hadn’t even kissed him, and Mum panicked I would get pregnant. That relationship didn’t last long. She frightened him away.”
“Did you ever talk with your Mum about her childhood?” asked Gus.
“Only in general terms,” said Stephanie. “She was born in Ringwood, across the border in Hampshire, went to school there until she was fourteen. Then her parents split up, and her mother moved to Salisbury. My Mum rarely went to school once she got here. She played truant and went into the city centre. She started smoking and drinking before she was fifteen. Then, she met Martyn’s Dad.”
“Graham Street,” said Gus. “A wealthy business person who was a good deal older than Marion. What did she tell you about him?”
“Nothing much,” said Stephanie. “She said he ruined her, ruined her life. If she hadn’t met my Dad when she did, Mum didn’t think she would have lived to see thirty. Graham Street sounded a horrible man.”
“So, Marion met Graham Street in 1982,” said Gus. “They were married until 1990 when your mother finally plucked up the courage to walk out. Theo and Marion met soon after and married in the following year. You arrived in 1993. I wonder when they got married?. Was it just before she had Martyn in 1988, or much earlier?”
“I don’t know,” said Stephanie. “Mum never spoke about that period of her life.”
“Was there anyone from that time she was still in touch with?” asked Blessing. “Any girlfriends she made when she arrived in Salisbury?”
“Only Serena,” said Stephanie. “Serena Campbell. She was Mum’s best friend for years.”
“Remind me again what you were doing on the Sunday afternoon before your Mum died,” said Gus.
“I spent the afternoon studying in my room,” said Stephanie. “Mum drove over to the garden centre.”
“Theo told us she bought bedding plants but added he thought Marion visited the café for coffee and cake.”
“That would have been with Serena,” said Stephanie. “That’s where they used to meet.”
“Was it a regular thing?” asked Gus. “Theo wasn’t aware of it.”
“No, I got the impression Mum never wanted Dad to find out about Serena. I don’t know why. She’s posh. A couple of years older than Mum, but very attractive.”
“Where can we find her?” asked Gus.
“At the café,” said Stephanie. “She works there several afternoons each week.”
“I’ve got several more questions,” said Gus. “I’m afraid they might be less easy to talk about but bear with me. Can we talk about the days leading up to your mother’s murder?”
“You’re going to ask about the money, aren’t you?” asked Stephanie. “I was at school on Friday when Mum withdrew that cash. She said nothing that morning about needing to pop into town while she was at work. Because the builders were at the house every day, Mum had started work later and only took thirty minutes for lunch. She hardly had time to eat the packed lunch she took every day and
