‘After the party David would… would shoot him dead.’ He met Clare’s eye. ‘I could see Gaby watching me when he said it. Looking to see how I was going to react. Then she said David was an excellent shot; Russell would have known nothing about it. And no one would suspect David because he was already dead.’ He shook his head. ‘I didn’t know what to say. Sitting there, in this lovely cottage garden, watching the birds pecking at the grass – idyllic, you know? And I’m listening to this horrible story. It was utterly surreal.’ He glanced at his solicitor again. ‘My own wife. I thought she’d gone mad. Lost all sense of reason.’ His eyes were swimming now. ‘Anyway, Gaby, she said it was done now, that Russell hadn’t suffered and we should just enjoy having David there.’ He sipped from the water again then went on. ‘I’ve no idea how I got through the rest of the day. It was a nightmare.’

‘Did David stay the night at the cottage?’

He nodded. ‘Yes. I went to bed early but I couldn’t sleep. Then Gaby came to bed and she started all over again, saying it was for the best and that Russell was at peace. And I tried, you know? I really tried to make her see sense. Make her see it wasn’t right. But she was way past reasoning with. I couldn’t get through to her. Then her mood flipped and she said it was done now and I’d better just get over it.’ He shook his head again. ‘She’s pretty ruthless, Gaby. You have to be to get on in TV.’ He paused for a moment. ‘For the first time in my life, I was afraid of my own wife.’

Clare glanced at Chris. ‘Where are they now – Gaby and David?’

Luke spread his hands. ‘I honestly don’t know. They’d gone when I wakened up this morning. The hire car too. Gaby – she said David came into the country on a friend’s boat. I think he planned to leave again the same way so maybe she took him to a harbour somewhere. I really don’t know.’

Clare nodded. ‘Okay, Luke. Please go on.’

‘I called a taxi,’ he said. ‘I didn’t want to be there when Gaby, or both of them, got back. I wanted to be away – time to think. So I waited in the trees across from the cottage until I heard the car. I wanted to be sure it wasn’t Gaby.’

‘Where did you go?’ Chris asked.

‘I came here. To St Andrews. I asked the taxi driver to find a cafe that was open. I needed time to order my thoughts.’

‘And then?’

He looked at Clare. ‘Then I called you.’ He sat back in his chair, as if unburdened by his tale. ‘And I still don’t know what to do.’

Chapter 37