into the core of it. She tried to hold herself together. ‘Have there been developments?’
‘We just wanted to go over a few things,’ Detective Crawford replied vaguely.
‘Like this poster,’ Detective Powell said, opening a folder to reveal one of the posters, all crumpled up.
Melissa gripped on to the edges of the table. How had they got it? She thought of the poster she’d kept. It had been at the bottom of her bag, hadn’t it? Unless there were more around the forest. She took some swift deep breaths to calm herself.
‘A nurse found this by your husband’s bed,’ Detective Powell said.
Shit, Melissa thought. It must have slipped from her back pocket when she’d tried to hide it a few days ago.
‘You don’t look surprised, Melissa,’ Detective Powell said, tilting her head as she regarded Melissa. ‘It’s almost like you’ve seen one before?’
Melissa put her head in her hands. She just couldn’t keep up the pretence any more.
She took a deep breath then told them all about the posters – just the posters. Not her suspicions about the kids or the knife.
‘Any idea who put them up?’ asked Detective Crawford.
She thought about it. Should she mention her suspicions about Maddy? She didn’t want to get her in trouble and, anyway, it might not even be Maddy who put them up. ‘Maybe someone with a political grudge against Patrick?’ she suggested. It was halfway true, if indeed it had been Maddy who put up the posters.
‘I thought you said nobody held any grudges against your husband?’ Detective Powell asked, those suspicious eyes of hers right in Melissa’s.
‘It’s just a suggestion,’ Melissa said, shrugging.
‘It seems to me you don’t really know your husband very well, Mrs Byatt.’
‘I’m beginning to wonder the same,’ Melissa admitted.
‘I presume you’re referring to his infidelities?’ Detective Powell asked.
Melissa didn’t say anything.
‘Did you have any suspicions before that Patrick was ever unfaithful?’ the detective asked.
‘No.’ Melissa hesitated. ‘Well, there was something before we married, years ago, but I know of nothing since.’
Detective Crawford looked down at his notepad, flicking back a few pages. ‘With Andrea Cooper, I believe?’
Melissa nodded. ‘Yes. Who told you that?’
‘We can’t divulge our sources,’ Detective Powell said. ‘It seems there’s more to your marriage than meets the eye. And yet you gave the impression it was perfect.’
‘No marriage is perfect!’ Melissa said. She took a breath to calm down. ‘But I never suspected any affairs. All these rumours are coming as just as much of a shock to me as well.’
‘And what about the rumours about you, Mrs Byatt?’ Detective Crawford asked. ‘Have you ever been unfaithful to your husband?’
‘Never,’ Melissa said firmly.
‘How would you describe your relationship with Ryan Day?’ Detective Powell asked.
‘I told you already, we’re old friends.’
‘Friends,’ Detective Crawford said, drumming his fingers on the table as he mulled over something. ‘I want you to think very carefully about this, Melissa. Are you sure it never went beyond a friendship between you and Ryan?’
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ Melissa said. ‘There was a kiss once when we were teenagers, but nothing since. What’s this all about?’
‘We’ve had a new witness come forward,’ Detective Crawford said. ‘I’m afraid they tell a very different story.’
‘What kind of story? What do you mean?’ Melissa said, trying but failing to keep the panic from her voice.
‘They tell us that you’ve been having an affair with Ryan Day for a number of years,’ Detective Powell said, a satisfied smirk on her mouth.
Melissa leaned over the table towards them. ‘No, no, that’s not true!’
‘And interestingly, Ryan Day has quite a rap sheet for a friendly little forest ranger,’ she added, looking down at her notes.
‘Rap sheet?’ Melissa asked. She searched her mind. Ryan had got into trouble when they were kids. Vandalism. The odd fight with Forest Grove boys when they dared to venture into his neck of the woods. That was it, though . . . as far as she knew, anyway. ‘Ryan wouldn’t hurt Patrick, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
They both gave her sceptical looks.
Melissa pushed away from the table. ‘This is ridiculous.’
‘Is it really?’ Detective Crawford said. ‘You can’t blame us for asking these questions.’ He looked down at the poster. ‘I mean, you’re not quite the perfect family we first thought you were, are you? And it seems others feel the same,’ he added, tapping the I know printed on the poster.
‘No, we’re bloody not, and it’s tearing me apart, as I thought we were perfect once too!’ Melissa stood up, clutching her bag to her