which my mind runs wild with possibilities. By the time I’m led back to the interview room, I know exactly what I’m going to say. When I go in, Andrew Nelson, my solicitor, is waiting for me.
‘Do you really think the police believe I’m a suspect?’ I speak quickly. ‘Or where are they going with this? If they don’t have evidence, they can’t keep me here, can they?’
‘If they have reasonable grounds, they can hold you for up to twenty-four hours – but it could be longer. I will query them.’ Hearing footsteps outside, he nods towards the door. ‘That’s them. Let’s see what they have to say.’
‘Please …’ I mutter desperately. ‘Do anything. Just get me out of here.’
But as the door opens, he looks at me awkwardly. DI Lacey and PC Page walk in. Without any preamble, they start the tape.
‘Can I say something?’ They have to realise that I’m the one person who can help them. I take a deep breath. ‘I’m the last person who should be considered a suspect. I don’t know why you think I’m connected to his disappearance, but I can assure you, I’m not. I know Matt better than anyone. If you were to tell me exactly what you think’s happened to him, I might be able to help you.’
‘Ms Reid, that’s exactly why we have brought you here.’ DI Lacey glances at PC Page. ‘To help us with our enquiries.’
‘Yes, but I still don’t know why you’ve arrested me,’ I say agitatedly.
But he ignores me. ‘Ms Reid, can you tell us what happened the following morning? By which time twenty-four hours would have passed since you’d last seen Mr Roche – that’s correct, isn’t it?’
‘Yes. When I woke up, I tried him several times. Then I had another delivery to make – to Brighton, again. I drove to my client’s house, then on the way home, I kept trying Matt, but there was no reply. After that, I called his office, where I left a message with the receptionist.’ I try to think back. ‘That was when I first spoke to you.’ I look at PC Page. ‘I kept calling his mobile all morning, then my friend – Cath – turned up at lunchtime.’ So much has happened, I’d forgotten Cath turning up that day. ‘We’d arranged to have lunch – before Matt disappeared.’
‘This would be Cath Bowers?’
I nod, then frown. ‘If anyone can tell you how happy Matt and I were, it’s Cath. She commented on it, only recently.’
‘This is the same Cath who you told us Matt tried it on with?’ PC Page looks disbelievingly at me. She glances at the DI. ‘I’ll talk to her.’
‘I believe her when she said nothing happened between them. She told him where to go. It was a one-off that he never repeated – at least, that’s what she told me.’ I look at the DI. ‘She knew how happy I was. She didn’t want to ruin it.’
‘Ms Reid,’ the DI pauses. ‘After the conversation with PC Page, what did you do for the rest of the afternoon?’
‘I went for a walk.’ I remember the damp, the swirling wind when I reached the top of the hills; coming home as dusk was falling. ‘Then when I got back, there was a bouquet of flowers on the doorstep.’
‘Go on.’
‘I took them inside. It was a big bouquet. I assumed it was from Matt. I didn’t unwrap them straight away. At some point they fell over.’ As I relive the moment, nausea rises in my throat. ‘You know those bags of water bouquets are delivered in?’ I watch him frown slightly. ‘They’re hidden beneath the paper wrapping, tied around the stems – to keep the flowers fresh. Only …’ I hesitate. ‘It wasn’t water in the bag. It was blood.’
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Do you have any idea who might have sent the flowers, Ms Reid?’ Across the table, DI Lacey is a formidable presence.
‘No.’ I shake my head.
‘Then there’s the card. The quotation, if that’s what it is. Kill one man and you are a murderer. Does that mean anything to you?’
Again, I shake my head. ‘No.’
‘According to our records, after you called PC Page, she came over and collected a sample of the blood. We sent it away and the results have come back. It was human blood – type B positive. Not one of the more common types, but it turns out it’s the same type as Mr Roche. He used to give blood.’
Shocked, my