The Hangman’s Hold. Michael Wood

make things seem a bit more relaxed.’

      Dressed in a dark grey suit with white shirt and grey tie, Scott looked his usual smart and dapper self. His hair had been recently trimmed. He was the embodiment of style. Today, however, his smooth complexion was one of worry. Adele was a regular figure in the station: everyone knew her, liked her, and respected her. Nobody wanted to see her interrogated.

      ‘Are you OK to do this?’ Matilda asked, noting his furrowed brow.

      ‘Of course. Who’s that?’ He lowered his voice and nodded at Chris Kean who was frantically chewing his nails.

      ‘That’s Adele’s son.’

      ‘Blimey, she doesn’t look old enough to have a son that age.’

      ‘Open with that line and you’ll have a friend for life.’ She opened the door for Scott and followed him through towards the interview suites.

      ‘Aaron!’ Matilda called to DS Connolly, who was talking to DC Easter. He made his excuses and joined Matilda outside interview room one. ‘Just the facts, Aaron. Don’t be too personal. We know Adele, she’s not a suspect,’ Matilda warned.

      ‘Yes, boss.’

      Matilda watched as Scott and Aaron entered the room. She hoped to give Adele a reassuring smile, but she didn’t look up from the table. The door closed, and Matilda was left in the corridor. She went into the observation room. She may not be able to conduct the interview, but there was no way she was going to allow it to be unsupervised.

      ‘Friday, 10th of March 2017. Interview with Adele Kean. Those present are myself, Detective Constable Scott Andrews—’

      ‘Detective Sergeant Aaron Connolly.’

      Scott nodded at Adele when she didn’t speak.

      ‘Oh, sorry, Doctor Adele Kean,’ her voice was broken and soft.

      ‘Dr Kean, you are not under arrest and you haven’t been cautioned. This is a formal interview, as we believe you to be the last person to see Brian Appleby alive. Do you understand?’

      Adele nodded.

      ‘You’re going to have to reply for the benefit of the recording,’ Scott said, leaning forward, his voice gentle and low.

      ‘I’m sorry. This is all new to me. Yes. I understand.’

      ‘Adele, can you tell me how you came to meet Brian Appleby?’ Aaron said, sitting back in his chair.

      Adele closed her eyes and shook her head. She wasn’t embarrassed about using a website to find a man, everyone did it these days, she just hoped she wasn’t asked why she wanted to find a soulmate in the first place. That, she was embarrassed about.

      ‘It was a dating website aimed at people of mature years.’

      ‘Who made contact first?’

      ‘He did.’

      ‘How long after the first message did you arrange to meet?’

      ‘Just over a week, I think.’

      ‘And who chose the date and time to meet?’

      ‘I did.’

      ‘Did he arrive on his own?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Was there anyone watching or following you? Did you see anyone acting suspiciously?’

      Adele frowned. ‘No. Well, I don’t think so. I didn’t take much notice of anyone else.’

      ‘Where did you go when you’d met?’

      ‘Lloyd’s Bar. We had a couple of drinks then on to Zizzi’s for a meal.’

      ‘Was there anyone in Lloyd’s Bar who you thought might be watching you or Brian?’

      ‘No. I was just out having a drink, I wasn’t looking for anyone watching us. I mean, you don’t, do you? I’m not a paranoid person.’

      ‘It’s OK, Adele, try and relax,’ Scott jumped in.

      Adele took a deep breath. She had a sip of her tea, but it tasted foul. ‘We had a lovely evening together. We had a meal, a good chat, swapped stories, and then went our separate ways. That was all.’

      ‘What did he tell you about his past?’

      Adele shook her head. What he had said had obviously been a lie. She couldn’t believe she had been duped. ‘He told me he’d been living in America for eight years. He said he was an English teacher.’

      ‘He didn’t mention having been in prison?’

      She flinched at the word. ‘Of course he didn’t,’ she raised her voice. ‘If I knew that I would have walked out of the restaurant.’

      ‘What else did he tell you about himself?’ Aaron asked.

      ‘He said he was divorced. His wife had cheated on him with another woman. He’d moved to America to put some distance between them. I felt sorry for him. Can you believe that? I actually felt sorry for him.’

      ‘Adele, you didn’t know,’ Scott said, taking on the role of a friend. ‘There’s no way you could have known.’

      ‘Are you going to tell me what he’d done?’ she asked. Matilda had only told her the basics in the car on the way to the station: that he had been killed and was known to the police. When pressed further, Matilda claimed she didn’t know all the facts herself.

      ‘Do you really want to know?’

      ‘No.’ She half-smiled.

      ‘How did Brian seem last night?’ Aaron asked, remaining focused and formal.

      Adele thought for a while. ‘Nervous to begin with, but then so was I. We both soon relaxed. He was chatty, he smiled, he laughed. He came across like any other normal member of the public.’

      ‘How did the date end?’

      Adele baulked at the word date. It was like she was reviled for having a date with a criminal. ‘He walked me to the taxi rank opposite John Lewis. We kissed and said we’d arrange to go out again. I went home.’

      ‘Did Brian say how he was getting home?’

      ‘He was driving.’

      ‘Did he drink alcohol during your date?’ Scott asked.

      ‘No. He had juice.’

      ‘Did you see which direction he headed in after he’d left you at the taxi rank?’

      ‘No. As my taxi pulled away I turned to look through the rear window and he was still stood on the pavement. He waved. I waved back. That was it.’

      ‘Adele,’ Scott adjusted himself in his seat, ‘when you arrived home, did Brian contact you anymore that night?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Did anything out of the ordinary happen?’

      ‘You mean apart from being burgled?’

      The detectives remained silent, giving Adele a chance to relax and calm down a little before continuing.

      ‘Did you recognize the person burgling your home?’

      ‘No. It all happened so quickly. He was dressed in dark clothing.’

      ‘You’re sure it was a man?’

      ‘He was tall, a great big barrel. Yes, he was a man.’

      ‘Did he say anything?’

      ‘No. He looked at me and ran towards me. I just froze. The next thing I know there’s this gloved fist in my face and I’m on the floor.’

      ‘Did you lose consciousness?’

      ‘No. I was just