‘No, I meant, did they pick their numbers for personal reasons?’
Fred chuckled to himself. ‘Funny story there. Carla initially picked twelve, her birth date, but Patrick, her husband, shouted her down.’
‘Why?’
‘He said most people pick their birth dates, so numbers under thirty-one are more frequently chosen. Therefore, if you did win the lottery you were more likely to have to share your winnings. He said we’d want to win with different numbers, so we would be less likely to have to share. Patrick picked fifty-eight and Carla changed hers from twelve to forty-nine because she likes to keep her husband happy.’ Fred smiled fondly. ‘That was typical Patrick. Not only expecting to win, despite the crazy odds, but also gunning for the biggest win possible. You have to admire him. And he was right of course. A clean win.’ Suddenly Fred’s face darkened. ‘Except for the Greenwoods, trying this shady stuff.’
‘You maintain that the syndicate was still active at the time of the win?’
‘Yes, I do. We chipped in to the kitty that very evening.’
‘You did?’
‘Yes. I threw in a tenner, took Carla’s fiver as change. There was no suggestion that we didn’t want to play anymore. Why would there be? It’s a bit of fun.’
‘And your wife saw you put that money in the kitty, did she?’ asked Ms Walsh. ‘She saw you recommit to the syndicate.’
‘Yes, she did. She was sitting right next to me.’
‘Interesting,’ murmured Ms Walsh. She couldn’t resist. She flashed a look at Gillian and Mick to be sure they had spotted the inconsistency.
‘How so?’ asked Fred.
‘Well, your wife says that she was away from the table at the time of the discussion on whether or not to recommit. She says she definitely didn’t pull out of the syndicate but perhaps you did.’
Gillian watched as colour, vitality and hope drained from Fred Heathcote’s face. She looked to the floor, fully expecting to see a puddle underneath his chair.
‘She said that, did she?’ Fred’s voice choked in his throat.
Mr Elliott jumped in. ‘I really don’t think we should be discussing other witnesses’ statements.’ Heathcote glared at Elliott; they had gone to school together. Endured masters and bullies but Fred knew his friend was vaguely infatuated with his wife and would not be able to stop himself siding with her. Fred’s godfather was a lawyer – he should have gone with him.
Fred paused. He appeared to be weighing up something important. ‘I’d like to change my statement please.’
‘You would?’ Ms Walsh looked delighted. The Pearsons’ lawyers all steadfastly held their faces in studied expressions of neutrality, waiting to see what would come next.
‘Yes, I’d had a fair bit to drink. To be honest, and I don’t know if I do recall everything as clearly as all that. I think I did put the money in the kitty at the beginning of the night but towards the end of the night perhaps there was talk about pulling out of the lottery.’
‘Perhaps?’
‘Almost definitely. Sorry if I’m a bit vague. I didn’t want to admit to how much I’d had to drink, you can understand, didn’t want to appear like some sort of alki.’ He laughed, self-consciously. But then he stopped laughing altogether and in a strong, confident voice that did not catch in his throat, he declared, ‘I recall it clearly now. Jennifer agreed with the Pearsons, she said the lottery was common. She said Jake Greenwood was common. She was quite particular about that and I wanted to support her. So, yes, we all pulled out. Jennifer is not owed a penny and nor am I, regrettably. I’m afraid I can’t bring myself to support her story or the Pearsons. It’s not fair on Lexi and Jake.’
‘Do we even need to interview Jake Greenwood?’ Gillian asked her boss, Mick. ‘I mean I think it’s quite obvious what’s happening here. It’s open-and-shut. I believe the Greenwoods. These so-called friends of theirs are a bunch of sharks. There are more holes in their stories than there are in my kitchen colander.’
Mick weighed up the situation. The money was already in the Greenwoods’ account. Some of it spent. The lottery company did not have a legal responsibility to do any more than pay out to the ticket holder, providing there was a reasonable proof that the ticket holder had bought the ticket. That was not in doubt. The lottery company were involving themselves in an effort to de-escalate this situation. No one wanted a scandal.