“Martyn likes you,” said Luke.
“I know,” said Serena, “but we couldn’t risk him saying something at home. Martyn didn’t understand the meaning of keeping something secret.”
“Did Marion tell you she had withdrawn six thousand pounds in cash on Friday?” asked Gus.
“She told me on Sunday afternoon. I asked her how and when the blackmailer had contacted her. I warned Marion that unless she got every available copy and the negatives, the blackmailer would keep coming back for more. Marion told me nobody had contacted her yet, but she had no money left from the divorce settlement, anyway. She hoped to persuade them to take the six thousand and walk away.”
“Did Marion show you the photos?” asked Gus.
“Heavens, no,” said Serena.
“Did she describe them in any way?” asked Luke.
“I told you earlier, Dave was into extreme sex games, and the longer the group stayed together, the more the boundaries shifted. Graham was into role-playing and BDSM. We both hated what we had to submit to, but we went along with it and pretended to enjoy it to please our husbands. I can imagine how distressing it must have been for Marion to see those photos turn up after over twenty years.”
“Have you ever received any blackmail demands, Ms Campbell?” asked Gus.
“No, thank goodness. Marion didn’t tell me who she thought was behind it, but my guess is someone she met at a party she later took as a lover. Perhaps they wanted the liaison to continue, but Marion ended the affair and stuck to her guns and stayed loyal to Theo.”
“Did you hear from Marion after she left here on Sunday afternoon?” asked Gus.
“Only a text on Monday morning,” said Serena. “The blackmailer must have waited until Theo, and the children left the house and contacted Marion on her mobile.”
“Marion kept the same number regardless of the handset she bought,” said Gus. “So it could well have been from someone she met twenty years ago.”
“What did the text message you received say,” asked Gus.
“The caller must have been waiting close to her home,” said Serena. “They called while the builders were reversing their van onto the drive. They mentioned that, and they’d seen Stephanie cycle to school. They told Marion to drive to the Churchfields Industrial Estate. She was to park on Stephenson Road and wait until they arrived.”
“They could have done a circuit of the estate first checking for a police presence,” said Luke. “Was there any sign whether the blackmailer was a man or a woman?”
“None,” said Serena. “Whoever they were, they must have killed Marion.”
“Why, though?” asked Gus.
“They could have argued over the money,” said Serena. “When Marion told them the six grand was all she had, they could have flipped,” said Serena. “Surely, that’s the logical explanation? Or the ex-lover wanted to pick up where they left off, and Marion refused. That could have triggered a violent assault if the person was obsessed with Marion.”
“Did Marion ever mention someone from her past who threatened her when she ended their relationship?”
“Marion didn’t tell me the names of the men she saw,” said Serena. “I might have recognised their faces if I’d seen them together. I could have been with them myself at a party. We didn’t make a habit of exchanging names, addresses, and telephone numbers, so I couldn’t help you identify them.”
“Who do you know that owns a pick-up truck?” asked Gus.
“You’ll find a dozen outside in the car park this afternoon, Mr Freeman,” said Serena. “In a rural area like this, it’s all 4x4s, Land Rovers, and pick-up trucks. Why do you ask?”
“Eyewitnesses said Marion talked to the driver of a pick-up truck in Wilton on Friday afternoon. She was on the pavement outside the bank where she’d just withdrawn the six thousand pounds.”
“You think they were stalking Marion, checking she did as they asked?” asked Serena.
“The blackmailer didn’t demand money at any point, Ms Campbell,” said Gus. “Even the last text message Marion received only gave her instructions about the meeting place. There was never any mention of a sum of money.”
“So, how relevant is that truck driver, guv?” asked Luke.
“We can’t discount the driver yet, Luke,” said Gus. “The eyewitnesses thought Marion knew the man. Perhaps it was Ralph Tucker, our mischievous tree surgeon. Arthur Jackson told us he would have been doing odd jobs around the local area.”
“Ralph drives a monster truck,” said Serena. “Well, he would, wouldn’t he? It suits his personality. Arthur told me Ralph tormented Martyn when he started work here. A crowd of Ralph’s cronies got Martyn drunk and made fun of him. Ralph’s a nasty individual, but he’s too young to have been to any of the parties. He might earn a comfortable living, but he wasn’t in the same league as the pixilated faces in those photos.”
Another potential lead quashed, thought Gus. What was it with this case? One by one, any possible suspects vanished before their eyes.
“When did the bullying stop?” asked Luke. “Was it before you started work here?”
“Oh, gosh, yes,” said Serena. “Arthur put a stop to that nonsense. I was watching what was going on earlier when Martyn jumped out of his chair. Something you said struck a nerve. That’s typical of his behaviour. Calm as you like for weeks, and then the slightest thing can make him explode. I could tell you were wary of what he might do. He’s such a big man. That was Arthur’s doing. Martyn was never a seven-stone weakling, but when Ralph and his friends picked on an eighteen-year-old Martyn, Arthur lent a hand. He got Martyn involved in weight training by persuading the lad he needed to improve to
