The Ex-Wife by Sally Rigby

Author:Sally Rigby [Rigby, Sally & Ashby, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

Mark Hargraves was waiting for them in the interview room; his face showed signs of shock, with grim lines covering his brow. Belinda swallowed and she and Ryan sat down opposite him.

‘Once again, we’re very sorry for your loss, Mr Hargraves. This interview will be recorded.’ She nodded at Ryan, who pressed the red button. ‘Interview between DI Day, DS Walton, and…’ She nodded at him. As if in a trance, he stared blankly at her before realising it was his cue.

‘Mark Hargraves.’

‘We’d like you to run through everything that happened this evening up to when you telephoned the police. Will you be up to doing this?’

‘Yes. Yes, of course. I want to find out what happened. I can’t believe she’s not here. She’s—’ He paused, ran his fingers through his hair and sat upright. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s okay, we understand this is going to be very hard for you. Please could you tell us what time you arrived home this evening.’

‘I was working late. I’d let Norah know to expect me after eight, but I think it was almost nine. I went to the front door, as usual, but the chain was on. We don’t use it as much now we have a security system, but I guess she put it on.’

‘So, what did you do when you found the chain on?’ Belinda asked, trying to move him along.

‘I went through the side gate and to the back door, which was open.’

‘Was there any sign of forced entry?’ Ryan asked.

‘I don’t think so. Nothing that stood out. I went into the kitchen and called Norah’s name. But there was no reply. Then I walked into the sitting room. At first I couldn’t work out why she’d be lying on the floor. Then I saw the blood. So much blood—’

He broke off, as if reliving the moment again. Then a jagged flash of pain rippled across his face and his entire body began to tremble. Belinda let out a soft sigh. The shock of stepping into a murder scene worked in different ways, and this wasn’t the first time she’d seen someone move from a mechanical delivery through to suddenly falling apart.

‘It’s okay. Do you know what time it was?’ she said in a softer voice. They’d already asked him that, but it was a good way to help take his mind away from the memories of what he’d found in the living room. Once upon a time Belinda had thought it cruel to interview someone so quickly after a crime, but they needed to get down the first recollections before the truth got obscured and twisted under the weight of too many thoughts and feelings.

Mark blinked, and, as she’d hoped, the despair left his eyes. ‘Um. Around nine o’clock.’

‘Good,’ Belinda said in an encouraging voice before asking a few more closed questions to help get him more relaxed. Once his breathing settled, she gave him an encouraging smile. ‘After you found the body, what did you do then?’

‘Sorry, it’s all a blur.

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