The House Sitter by Debbie Howells

Author:Debbie Howells [Howells, Debbie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2022-10-27T17:00:00+00:00

16

Ana

After the funeral, when the solicitor’s letter arrives, I wonder how long it will take for the police to come here. Given Oliver’s wife will know the contents of his will, she will also know the solicitor was in contact with me. And knowing the suspicious circumstances of Oliver’s death, I’m certain that at some point the police will want to talk to me.

They arrive a few days after the funeral, and I’m unsurprised when I open the door to find two uniformed police officers standing there.

‘Ms Fontaine?’

‘Yes?’

‘I’m DS Laura Stanley, Kent Police. This is my colleague, Constable Ramirez. We’d like to talk to you in relation to Oliver McKenna. May we come in?’

DS Stanley has fair hair, immaculately pinned back. As her eyes rest on me, an uneasy feeling comes over me. That the police have taken so long to come here only confirms how well Oliver had covered his tracks.

Silent, I stand back and open the door wider. As they come in, there’s something about DS Stanley that gives me the impression that she wouldn’t miss the smallest detail. ‘Come through.’ Closing the door behind them, I lead them into my sitting room. ‘Have a seat.’

‘Thank you.’ DS Stanley sits on my sofa, her uniform somehow incongruous with the plush green fabric, as Constable Ramirez sits next to her.

She gets straight to the point. ‘I understand you knew Oliver McKenna?’

I nod. ‘I did.’

‘How long had you known him?’

‘We met about a year ago.’ A memory of the AA meeting flashes into my head.

‘Do you mind if I ask you what the nature of your relationship was?’ Her blue eyes are frank.

Taken aback by her directness, I hesitate, but only for a moment. They may as well know. ‘We were lovers.’

She passes me a small photograph. ‘Is this you?’

Taking it, as I look at it, I remember giving it to Oliver. It was an old photo taken before my hair was blonde. I’d written on the back: Proud of you x

Turning it over, the words are as I remember. Wondering if it was in Oliver’s wallet, I pass it back to DS Stanley. ‘It is. He wanted a photo and it was the only one I had on me at the time. He’d just left his last AA meeting.’

‘So the message presumably was related to his new-found sobriety.’ DS Stanley glances at her colleague. ‘Could you give us your mobile number, Ms Fontaine?’

‘Of course.’ I recite my number, wondering if they’re going to check it against Oliver’s phone.

Having made a note, DS Stanley looks up again. ‘We understand from Mr McKenna’s solicitor that he’s left you a considerable sum of money.’

I’d known from the moment I received the letter from Mark Osborne Associates that the money was going to draw attention to me. ‘I had no idea he’d left it to me,’ I say hastily. ‘The first I knew was when I received a letter from his solicitor.’

‘How well did you know Mr McKenna?’

‘Like I said, we were lovers. We were close, enough for him to confide in me.

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