Buried Secrets: The Freeman Files Series: Book 11 by Ted Tayler (that summer book TXT) 📕

him back into my life. He was working on a building site then and could afford to run an old car. We were okay for a while, and then he got fired for persistent timekeeping problems. I got the blame, and that was the first time Kyle hit me.”

“Did you end it after that,” said Lydia.

“I tried,” said Maddy, “but he apologised and bought me flowers. My parents were getting fed up with me making excuses for him. They saw the bruises when he’d lashed out again. My father and my brother wanted Kyle out of my life for good. My brother got arrested for assault after Kyle spent the night in the hospital. The police never listened to Darren’s reasons for attacking Kyle. They had seen no proof I’d been in an abusive relationship. I lived at home, and although my brother accused Kyle of being responsible for my injuries, Kyle denied everything. I was too scared to report him myself. He knew that. My third job ended soon after Darren’s case went to court, and then I was out of work, sat at home all day. I couldn’t have a social life. Kyle knew better than to come near my home because of my family, but I knew I couldn’t escape him as long as I remained in the village. That’s why I came here.”

“We need Kyle’s full name and address, Maddy,” said Gus.

“Kyle wouldn’t have killed Alan,” she replied.

“What makes you so certain?” asked Lydia.

“Kyle was a bully,” said Maddy. “But he would never be smart enough to find me.”

“Either you’re naïve,” said Gus, “or you did something to help you stay in hiding. What was it?”

“It will have to come out now,” said Maddy. “I was never Maddy Mills in Yorkshire. I changed my name by deed poll once I reached Chippenham. Kyle was my boyfriend, and Darren really is my brother’s name. If Kyle wanted me back after that length of time and devised an elaborate plan to kill Alan, surely Chris was in danger once I started seeing him? We’ve been happily married for seven years. Don’t you think Kyle would have acted before now?”

“We still need to eliminate him from our enquiries,” said Gus. “It would have been better if you had mentioned this to DI Banks and his colleagues ten years ago. Did it never occur to you that Kyle could have been the one person who might have wanted Alan dead?”

“I’ve tried to put that part of my life behind me,” said Maddy. “The only contact I have with my family is those Christmas cards. I use my former name and post them from Swindon, or Bristol when I’m doing my Christmas shopping. They don’t have my address. All they need to know is that I’m alive and well.”

“You referred to Alan’s parents as Bob and Elizabeth,” said Gus. “Have you kept in contact since their son’s murder?”

Madeleine Telfer shook her head.

“After the funeral, I found it difficult to carry on visiting them. I needed time to grieve alone. It affected his parents so much, especially Alan’s mother, that I didn’t think I would ever get over things if I spent too much time around them. I attempted to visit on the first anniversary of his death and spoke to Bob. He looked as if he’d aged ten years in twelve months. Elizabeth was still in bed. She refused to get up, even though Bob told her I was there. I think she blamed me for Alan’s death.”

“Why would she think that?” asked Lydia.

“I don’t know. You would have to ask,” said Maddy.

“When did you stop work?” asked Gus.

“A couple of months before I had Oliver. He’s six, and Emily is four and a half. I plan to go back part-time when the children are older.”

“Were you still at Bumper’s Farm?” asked Lydia.

“Yes, I worked at the same firm throughout,” said Maddy. “I started there in ’93 and left on maternity leave in 2012.”

“When did you meet Chris Telfer?” asked Gus.

“I didn’t rely on Wayne and Anna this time,” said Maddy. “I was in the deli aisle in Morrison’s one Saturday morning, and he stopped to chat.”

“Were you still living in Biddestone?” asked Lydia.

“No, I moved here, to this housing estate, six months after Alan died.”

“Too many memories?” asked Gus.

“Exactly,” sighed Maddy.

“When the police found Alan’s cash, were you shocked by the amount?” asked Gus.

“It was one shock after another,” said Maddy. “I knew something was wrong when he didn’t get home by eight. When the police were outside the house after I returned from searching for him, I feared the worst. Even then, I thought it would be a heart attack, or a hit-and-run, never a murder. The next four or five days are still a blur. When the police returned to search the house, I just couldn’t understand what they hoped to find. That DI Banks you mentioned, he showed me one of Alan’s trainer boxes and asked if I knew what was inside. I said a pair of white trainers, size ten, with a red flash. He opened the box, and I nearly died. I’d never seen that much cash.”

“What did DI Banks ask you?” asked Gus.

“He asked me why my partner withdrew that much money and closed his current and savings accounts on Tuesday afternoon. I said I did not know. Alan hadn’t said a word to me. Banks asked me the same questions as the uniformed officers had on Wednesday night. Did we argue? Were we in financial difficulties? I said no then, and I said the same thing to Banks. The other detective asked whether someone might have been blackmailing Alan. How much did I know of his past?”

“A fair question,” said Gus. “You met at a party and moved in together after four months.