Page 29 of Gone in the Night
‘She was a bit shocked, but she was polite. Told me she forgave me, but was struggling with a lot of personal stuff at the moment and wasn’t looking for a relationship with anyone.’
‘How did you take this?’
‘I told her I respected that and left.’
‘No shouting or arguing, no feeling angry enough to want to harm her?’
He shook his head. ‘Check the neighbour’s doorbell camera. It was lit up and recording the whole incident. I thanked her for being kind and honest, turned around and left, wishing that I hadn’t screwed up the one good thing I ever had in my life with my drinking.’
Eddy looked genuinely sad, and against his better judgement, Cain felt a little sorry for him.
‘You haven’t seen Sharon since that night?’
‘No.’
‘You didn’t go to where she was camping and kill her?’
Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Eddy held up a hand.
‘I swear to God, I didn’t. I’m not being funny, mate. I’m broke, I have no car, I don’t have a phone that connects to the internet without paying a fortune. I wouldn’t have known where she was camping even if someone drove me up there and pointed her tent out to me, and I had no reason to kill her. Why would I do that?’
‘Because she reported you to the police and you ended up doing three years inside. Because you know she loves camping, you know where she camps.’
‘Mate, if I killed every person who reported me to the police over the years, you’d have a stack of bodies as high as Helvellyn. And the camping hobby started after me. It must have been something she started doing while I was inside.’
Lucy did interrupt this time. ‘I think you have everything you need. My client has admitted to speaking to the victim the dayhe was released. I suggest you check out the doorbell footage to confirm what he’s told you. I don’t think there is anything else for us here unless you have any evidence to suggest he was involved with the murder.’
Cain shook his head. ‘We will do that. Thank you for your time, both of you.’
Eddy looked at Lucy, then turned to Cain. ‘Is that it, you’re not keeping me?’
‘Not at the moment, the court will decide what to do about you breaching your conditions, but you’re free to go. Eddy, keep out of trouble and don’t leave town because I don’t want to have to come looking for you.’
‘I will, I mean I won’t get in trouble. I’m done with it; I want an easy life.’
Cain stood up. ‘My colleague will see you out.’
He left Stan with them and went to speak to Marc, who had offered to interview with him, but Cain had wanted to get a measure on Stan, and he’d certainly done that. In Cain’s opinion he was a thug, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Lucy, who Cain had worked with many times over the years, didn’t put a complaint in about his leering at her. But he thought Eddy was telling the truth.
TWENTY
Jack looked dreadful, and Morgan did a double take. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he had some terrible secret he was hiding that was burning him up from the inside, but she didn’t think he was a killer. Then again, she hadn’t thought he’d treat Amy the way he had, so she wasn’t a very good judge of his character at all. She didn’t even try and speak to him; he looked at Ben then her.
‘Can I talk to you on your own, Ben?’ Jack asked.
Amy shook her head. ‘Whatever you have to say, Jack, you say it in front of us all or you go to the station with Ben and tell him there. I didn’t invite you here for this, you’re in my home and I’m too tired to put up with you acting as if you can call the shots. You’re up shit creek without a paddle. Take it or leave it.’
Jack pursed his lips but nodded.
Ben sat opposite him; Amy and Morgan squeezed on the sofa together.
‘Should I tell you what I know or what’s been happening?’
‘Yes, please.’ Ben’s voice was calmer than Morgan’s would have been.
‘I started seeing Sharon about eight weeks ago, we went on a couple of dates. I met her when I arrested Eddy Lightburn for assaulting her a few years ago.’ Jack kept his focus on Ben.
‘Did you go out with her three years ago?’
