The Marriage by K.L. Slater (any book recommendations TXT) 📕

coolly. ‘And what reason would your son have for killing Coral McKinty in cold blood like that, Mr Billinghurst?’

‘He … he … I don’t know! But he’s been trouble all his life and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he hadn’t got something to do with it. You’ve seen the kind of man he’s turned into, killing his best friend and then marrying Jesse’s mother, who’s not far off twice his age. It’s appalling.’

Irma ignored his comments and relayed to him the evidence they had so far. The DNA proof that Robert was Ellis’s father, Tom’s testimony that Coral had told him about the lifts home Robert provided but also that the sex had been consensual. ‘And on top of all that, we expect to have your car in the pound for forensic examination before the day is out,’ Irma added. ‘What evidence will we find on that, I wonder?’ It was clear Billinghurst was responsible for Coral’s death but Irma had yet to find a solid motive.

Billinghurst’s face crumpled. ‘I swear, it was a complete accident,’ he whispered. ‘I never meant to hurt her. I wouldn’t do that, not purposely.’

‘Did it not occur to you to telephone for the police and an ambulance, Mr Billinghurst?’ Tyra asked coldly. ‘Did it not occur to you to stay with the victim, to offer some comfort to an obviously dying young woman?’

‘The road, it was so quiet … there was no one around at all.’ Robert covered his face with his hands for a moment. Then, ‘I panicked. I had to get away. It was such a strong compulsion, there was no fighting it.’

The two detectives said nothing for a few seconds. The horror of Billinghurst intentionally leaving Coral McKinty dying in the road hung like a toxic fug in the air. Irma considered him carefully. The epitome of a decent, responsible citizen to look at, and yet underneath the facade he was a cruel, callous individual who had even tried to pin the blame for a young woman’s death on his own son.

‘Let’s go back a few years,’ Irma said. ‘How many times did you have sex with Coral when you offered her a lift home?’

She saw him bridle slightly at her blunt question.

‘Twice,’ he said quietly. ‘That was all it was, a quick fumble each time. We’d park up on a dirt track I knew near her home. I had a nice big car then, plenty of room if you see what I mean.’

Irma battled to keep her nose from wrinkling with distaste.

‘She was eighteen years old and you were …’ Tyra checked her notes, ‘forty-two. Is that right?’

Billinghurst sniffed. ‘Yes.’

Irma enunciated her words carefully. ‘Twenty. Four. Years. That’s one hell of an age gap from an eighteen-year-old girl’s point of view, Mr Billinghurst. In fact, if Coral had been just three years younger, we’d be charging you with rape of a minor.’

‘That’s ridiculous,’ Billinghurst snorted. ‘That little slapper knew exactly what she was doing.’

‘That’s a very interesting response from a man who currently works with female students of a similar age to Coral McKinty back then.’

And also an interesting response from a man who found his son’s new wife’s age so distasteful, Irma thought privately.

‘Now look here. This is all getting out of hand.’ Billinghurst affected a let’s not overreact tone. ‘Coral McKinty was of a legal age to have sex, so please don’t try pinning exaggerated charges to me.’

‘But Coral was also one of your clients, wasn’t she?’ Tyra remarked. ‘As her counsellor I think you’d agree that’s totally unethical.’

Billinghurst’s face turned puce and he clamped his mouth shut.

‘Did you know Ellis McKinty was your son?’ Irma changed tack.

‘Yes, of course I did. She … Coral, told me when she found out. But she was sleeping with her boyfriend too, although she swore the baby was mine. I told her to get rid, that I wanted nothing to do with her or the brat and I thought that was the last of it. Then she began to blackmail me, to extort money.’

Irma glanced at Tyra. ‘I’m sorry, who blackmailed you?’

‘Coral McKinty! She approached me anonymously years ago, threatening to tell my wife and expose the lies to my employer.’

‘And you paid her?’

‘Of course I paid her! She only asked for two hundred pounds a month. Nothing really, so I played along. I let her think I didn’t know it was her who was benefitting from the money. It was a cheap solution to keep her off my back.’

‘How long did you pay her this money for?’ Tyra asked.

‘Five years. That’s all she asked for. Never could quite work that one out.’ Billinghurst’s brow furrowed. ‘Anyway, after five years I stopped the payments and I never heard another thing … until she came back for more a few months ago.’

‘Coral got in contact with you for more money?’ Irma clarified.

‘Yes … well, actually, she got Audrey Denton to do her dirty work. That hag has never liked me, she’s been waiting to take a chunk out of me since I married her best friend.’

‘What happened between you and Audrey?’ Irma said, steering him back on track.

‘She contacted me at college a couple of months ago, said Coral had told her I was the father of the boy and that they had proof of that even without me agreeing to a DNA test.’

‘Because your son and Ellis are brothers,’ Irma clarified.

‘Yes, that’s right.’ Billinghurst dropped his head briefly. ‘I agreed for Audrey to come to the house to talk about it. I was hoping to appeal to her better side, to tell her it would destroy Jill if this were all to get out and that she should remember it was also Jill’s money that she was demanding.’

‘Your money was in a joint account?’ Tyra asked.

‘Most of it. Always good to have a little salted by your wife doesn’t know about though, eh?’ It occurred to Irma that the ghastly grin on Billinghurst’s face seemed so disrespectful in the