“Is there somewhere private we can use to speak with her?”

“You can use the back room. Just don’t be too long. I’d like to get some work out of her today.”

Evelyn finished with her client as they approached, and she turned bright eyes in their direction. She was very blond, with breasts so large in comparison to her slight frame that they had to be the result of the world’s worst boob job.

“Hello, Evelyn,” said Carrie, making the introductions. “We’re hoping to talk to you for a few minutes about Laura O’Donnell. In the back room, if it’s not too much trouble.”

Evelyn’s bright smile dropped away fast. “Oh, of course. It’s so sad, what happened. Anything I can do to help.”

The back room was basically a kitchenette with a little eating area off to the side. There were hairdressing supplies stacked around the walls, dirty dishes in the sink, and the counters looked like they could have done with a wipe down.

“Let’s take a seat, will we?” Carrie said.

“Sure.”

Carrie sat at the little dining table, and Evelyn joined her. Niall leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Evelyn looked up at him from under her long eyelashes.

“Oh, you look so intimidating like that,” she said to Niall. “Are you going to play good cop, bad cop? Is that a real thing?”

Niall gave her one of his crooked smiles, and she looked delighted with herself.

“Look, Evelyn,” Carrie began, “I know you’re working, so I’ll just ask a few quick questions, and then we’ll get out of your hair, all right?”

“Sure.”

“I’ve read the statement you gave my colleagues about the night Laura died. You said that Robert shouted at her. He threatened her.”

“Oh my God, yes,” Evelyn said. She put her hands over her mouth and widened her eyes in exaggerated shock. “I mean, Laura had been telling me for ages about what had been going on. That he hurt her, you know, hit her even. We were such good friends, so close, I think I was the only one she trusted with her secrets. But I never thought for a second that he would kill her.” She spoke directly to Niall, focusing all her energy in his direction.

“Right,” Carrie said.

“It was such a shock when he shouted at her like that, right in the middle of the pub. I was just, like, completely . . .” She shook her head, letting her voice trail off as if it were all too much.

“He shouted at her,” Carrie prompted.

“Yeah. They were arguing, and then he just pushed her to the floor and shouted, ‘No one will ever love you like I love you. And you’ll never love another man. I’ll see you dead and buried before I’ll let that happen.’ And he ran out. Laura was so upset. I tried my best to comfort her.” Doe eyes flicked again in Niall’s direction.

“Those were his exact words?” Carrie asked.