Cold Revenge (Willis/Carter #6)(56)

‘I was never under any kind of obligation to Douglas, I had nothing to tell the police in 2001 and I don’t now.’

‘There were a fair few of you who went through that bungalow on Hawthorn Farm, must have been pretty wild,’ Carter said, turning back into the room. ‘When did you last have contact with Millie?’

‘Okay, I want to be honest here, I sometimes used to hear from Millie and, when she was short of money, I’d give her the odd hundred. I felt sorry for her. She went downhill fast.’

‘After Douglas was arrested, you mean?’

‘Yes, I know she went back home for a while but it didn’t work out. Her dad chucked her out. One thing leads to another, doesn’t it?’

‘What about the rest of you? Where did you go after Douglas was arrested?’ Carter was asking the questions whilst Willis studied Stephen’s reactions, reading his face for clues.

‘For a while Gavin and I hung out, I stayed with him at his place and then I got my own.’

‘What were you doing then?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Job-wise?’

‘Oh, I don’t remember, anything I could, I expect. We’d spent six months killing animals and burning them. I didn’t have a whole load of useful work experience. I think I skipped off to Tenerife with a mate and started selling timeshare. I found I was good at it. I made my first million and then I tried lots of businesses. Some have been good, some not. I’ve done okay.’

‘That mate, was that Cathy Dwyer?’ Willis asked, though she already knew the answer.

‘Yes, it was, as a matter of fact.’

Carter set the files he had in his hand down on the table. On the top of it was a photo of Perry from fifteen years previously, a dishevelled, stoned-looking twenty-three-year-old. His cheeks were hollow. He had a smugness about him, even then.

‘Do you remember those days?’ Carter half-smiled, as he turned the photo round to show Perry.

Perry grimaced. ‘Very little, that was the point, wasn’t it? Do everything to oblivion?’ He looked as if the previous night’s drink had just caught up with him. He seemed about to be sick and had begun to sweat profusely.

‘When was the last time you had any contact with any of the disciples?’ asked Willis.

Perry briefly winced at the reference to his past again and then grew annoyed.

‘I have seen a few of them occasionally over the years. We weren’t forbidden from contacting one another. We weren’t charged with anything relating to Heather Phillips or anyone else. We did nothing wrong.’

‘Who have you been in contact with?’ Willis accompanied her question with a patient smile. This was supposed to be a friendly visit.

‘In the last fifteen years?’ He thought about it. Willis was noting down his mannerisms. He was thinking a little too theatrically, his eyes sliding up to his right, an indication of some invention going on. ‘I’ve seen Gavin no more than a couple of times. Cathy and I have worked together sometimes, in the past.’

‘Doing what?’ asked Carter.

‘We have a couple of companies we jointly run.’

‘Like Global Escape Travel?’

‘That’s correct.’ He looked a little taken aback that they had investigated his business. ‘That is one of them.’

‘What are the others?’ asked Willis as she poised her pen over her pad.

‘I’d rather not say.’

‘Why not?’ Carter smiled. ‘You must be proud of your achievements, I’m sure? Nice house, good area, you have done okay for yourself.’

‘Because this has nothing to do with what is going on at the moment, my business affairs are my own.’

‘So, will you be meeting up with Douglas when he gets out?’ asked Carter. ‘Are you looking forward to seeing him again?’

‘I don’t think so. But, if he’s served his sentence, it seems fair to let him live his life any way he wants. Everyone gets a second chance. But I’m not going to be rekindling any relationship in a hurry.’

‘He’s a good cook, apparently, have you been to The Slammer restaurant at the prison?’ asked Carter. ‘It’s supposed to be very good.’

‘Let me think . . . I’d probably remember that, wouldn’t I?’ He looked pissed off.

Willis was watching him as he sipped water.

Carter continued, ‘At the Heather Phillips murder trial, and in the police interviews leading up to that trial, you exercised your right to remain silent. You didn’t take the stand against Douglas.’

‘I had nothing to say. I still don’t. At the end of the day, we know he was capable of a lot of bad things and he’s served his time.’

‘That didn’t bring closure for her family,’ said Carter. Perry shrugged and looked away, agitated. ‘Did Douglas threaten you?’ asked Carter.

‘No. Mr Phillips was a pig of a man; everyone knew he beat Heather. There were so many other people that were more likely to have hurt her than Douglas.’

‘Were you scared of Douglas?’ asked Carter. ‘Are you scared of him even now?’

‘No.’ Perry shook his head and then shrugged. ‘Maybe, he had a menace about him. Listen, I was a complete idiot to end up there. I have no idea how it happened. I look back at myself in those days and I feel sorry for myself.’