Page 19 of The Truth Will Out (DI Sam Cobbs #18)

“You know, there were always a lot of meetings to attend in the evenings. I asked him time and time again what they were about and why they needed to be held out of hours.”

“And what was his response?” Sam asked, finally sensing they were getting somewhere.

“He told me he was doing these people a favour. They seemed to be always too busy to see him during the day.”

“And you believed him?”

“Did I heck. Like I’ve already said, the shutters came down years ago. He was the type who rarely, if ever, opened up. I don’t think I ever saw the real him. At one point, I thought he was cheating on me because of his mood swings.”

“How long were you together?”

“Fifteen years, give or take a few months. Most of them, especially the latter ones, were spent in misery.”

“Sorry to hear that. I don’t suppose your husband mentioned Pendle House, did he?”

Katy Weller paused to think and then shook her head. “No, I don’t think he ever mentioned that name. Hang on, I do remember something, but I don’t think it was because Stephen ever brought the subject up. Was it some kind of school? ”

“Yes, it was shut down years ago, mainly because of an abuse scandal. We found a document that revealed Stephen was the planning officer who signed off the redevelopment of the site.”

She clicked her fingers together. “Yes, that’s right. I pass by the luxury flats that were erected in its place when I visit my mum in the care home. It’s over on that side of town.”

“Did he ever mention anything about that development?”

“No, nothing. He never discussed his work; he always told me that it would bore me rigid. I never pushed him on it because I assumed he was right.”

“Do you know if he’d had any kind of trouble come his way in the last few months?”

“I’m so sorry, I really wouldn’t know. He was the same every day, walking around as if he had troubles galore.

I gave up asking in the end, only because he always gave me the same answer: that he was fine and there was nothing wrong.

He usually stopped short of telling me to keep my nose out, although sometimes he threw that into the mix, too.

It was awful, dealing with his attitude day in and day out.

It wasn’t a marriage; there was no intimacy, and we never spent any quality time together. ”

“What about holidays? Didn’t you go away?”

“I did. With my friends. We never went anywhere as a couple.”

“Did he go away?”

“Yes, he’d frequently go on short business trips.

Again, he always kept me in the dark about what they were for.

I got sick of asking, and that’s when the hatred towards him crept into our relationship.

I used to go out with friends and sit there, listening to them all praise their husbands for doing something nice for them.

You know the type of thing, surprising them with a bunch of flowers or a weekend away somewhere.

I had nothing like that in my life at all.

In the end, it wore me down, and all I could think about was escaping my vile existence. ”

“Was he ever violent towards you?”

“No. He had no feelings towards me whatsoever; at least, that’s the impression I got by the end of our relationship.

That’s when I put my foot down and told him I wanted a divorce.

He refused to leave the house and told me if I wanted to move out, he would cover my expenses until the house was sold. ”

“So, you chose that option and ended up here?”

“Yes. I know it’s not the best of places, but at least I feel safe here.”

“More than you did at home? But you told us he wasn’t violent towards you.”

She let out a large sigh. “I know. The thought was always there, and I struggled to shift it. He was a hard man to read at the best of times, even more so when the red mist descended. Before I chose to end the marriage, the angry days were becoming more and more regular. I had to call it a day, if only for my own mental health. I was existing there, not living. If that makes sense?”

“It does. Do you have a job?”

“No. He didn’t want me to work, and I was happy to go along with that, most of the time. Maybe it was the boredom that triggered me seeking the divorce. My friend has given me the option to start up in business with her. I’m mulling the offer over at the moment.”

“What type of business?”

“A new beauty treatment that is coming over from America.”

“Has she asked you to put any money into the business?” Sam asked, her mind wandering off in a different direction.

“Yes, but I’ve told her I won’t be able to do that for several months, until I receive the money from the house sale.

She’s willing to wait, which I’m thrilled about.

” She fell quiet and looked down at her hands clenched in her lap.

After a second or two, she glanced up and asked, “Does this mean I can move back into the house now?”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t see why not. SOCO will have to examine the property for evidence over the next day or two.”

“They will? Why?”

“Because your husband was murdered and we need to uncover the reason behind his death. There might be a clue in the house somewhere. Do you know if there was a safe there?”

“No, he had a small office. You should find all you need in there. I told him not to litter the house with his stuff. Of course, that might have all changed with me moving out of the house.”

“We’ll see. Is there anything else you’d like to add before we leave?”

She sniffled and shook her head. “Sorry, I’m not sure why I’m getting upset. It’s not like I loved him.”

“It’s probably the shock setting in. Is there anyone we can call to come and sit with you?”

“No. I’ll be fine. I’ll pop to the shops; that’ll keep my mind occupied. One more question, if I may?”

“Of course. What’s that?”

“Did he suffer? I know that probably sounds a stupid question.”

“No, it’s an obvious one that we get most of the time. Given the extent of his injuries, I have to be honest with you and say it’s hard to tell.”

“I’m shocked to hear that. I know he wasn’t the most caring of characters, but I wouldn’t wish that sort of ending on him.”

Sam and Bob rose from their seats.

She handed Katy one of her cards. “Give me a call if you think of anything else we should know. We’ll see ourselves out.” She didn’t bother giving the woman her condolences, not after the conversation they’d just held.

“I will. I hope you find the person who killed him. Wait, I’ve just had a thought…”

Sam paused in the doorway. “What’s that?”

“You don’t think whoever killed him will come after me, do you?”

“No, I don’t think so. Although it might be better to up your security at your flat, just for your peace of mind. I can see you have a chain on the door; it would make sense to use that before you open the door to strangers.”

“Oh yes. I’ve never felt the need to use it before. I’ll do that, thank you. What about the house?”

“I’ll send your details over to SOCO now. A member of the team will be in touch with you soon.”

“Okay. I’ll wait to hear from them. Thank you. ”

Sam smiled and exited the flat with Bob.

“Are you all right?” he asked once they were ten feet away from the flat.

“What makes you ask?”

“You seemed a bit antsy towards her back there.”

“Did I? I didn’t mean to be. It’s the way the conversation turned.

At one point, I thought she might have been behind his murder.

Until I reminded myself that this is the third murder we’re dealing with during the investigation.

Had he been the first victim we had discovered, she would definitely be high up on the suspect list.”

“Wow, really? I didn’t get that about her at all. Mind you, after the way he’d treated her over the years, who could blame her for wanting to bump him off? Some men need a good pasting and a lecture now and again about how to treat women properly.”

Sam smiled. “You’re a good man, Bob. Abigail is lucky to have you.”

“You might want to tell her that; I think she has a tendency to forget now and again.”

“I’ll call her later.”

He stopped on the stairs and hooked her arm. “No. You can’t do that.”

Sam doubled over with laughter. “As if I would. She’d likely crucify the pair of us.”

“Phew, I thought you were being bloody serious then. A boss should never interfere in someone’s marriage.”

“For your information, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Sam winked and tapped the side of her nose. “Your secrets are safe with me, big man, never fear.”

They continued on their journey.

“Why do I always feel uneasy when you say, ‘never fear’?”

Back in the car, Sam rang and organised the team.

She also placed a call to the SOCO team to arrange picking up the key to Weller’s house from his wife.

She told them he had an office but couldn’t tell them if there was a safe in the house or not.

Then she and Bob drove to the council offices in Workington and followed the signs for the Planning Department.

Sam showed her warrant card and introduced herself and Bob to the receptionist.

“We’d like to speak with whoever is in charge today.”

“Ah, that would be Mrs Kilner. Our usual boss, Mr Weller, isn’t here right now.”

“Mrs Kilner will do, thanks.”

The receptionist picked up her phone and turned her back on them to make the call. She hung up and said, “She won’t be long. If you’d like to take a seat. Can I get you a drink?”

“We’ll pass on that, thanks all the same.”

Sam and Bob stepped back. Instead of sitting in the waiting area, they studied what was on the noticeboard. It highlighted several new developments in the area, which Sam recognised as being beneficial to the community.

“This one is close to where you live, isn’t it?”

“Yep. Don’t get me started on that. The local residents are up in arms about it.”

“Why?”

Bob didn’t get a chance to answer because a woman in a dark-grey suit appeared.

“Hello, I’m Mrs Kilner. I’ve been told you’d like a word with me.”