Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(45)

‘On a casual basis, I suppose so.’

‘How did you meet?’

‘We met online.’

‘Where online?’

‘An adult-friend-finder service called Naughties. It’s a site for finding sexual partners. It’s an honest way of hooking up with a stranger for sex.’

He looked across at Carter. Carter sat opposite him and smiled politely but still said nothing.

‘Would you say your relationship with Olivia was just sexual?’ asked Willis.

‘Yes.’

‘You never went to dinner? You didn’t spend time with one another? You didn’t ring her for a chat – ask her how her day was?’

‘We may have had dinner. We liked the friendship we had. It was enough.’

‘Is that unusual for someone meeting on this type of site, to have dinner, to form a relationship? To become friends outside the bedroom? Isn’t it dangerous to become attached? I thought the whole idea was that you meet, have sex and then walk away without forming a bond.’

‘No, not necessarily. It’s a starting point sometimes.’

‘So you formed a bond with Olivia?’ Willis asked.

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘I want you to think clearly, Mr Ellerman,’ she continued. ‘We have phone records of Olivia’s dating back five years. Your messages appear on them in the last two years . . .’ She opened the file on the table and took out the page so that Ellerman could see the heading: Messages sent and received between Olivia Grantham and JJ Ellerman.

‘There are many times that it appears you met one another. You talked to one another for nearly an hour sometimes. And you know what strikes me, Mr Ellerman? There seems to be a proper relationship between you.’

‘Nonsense. It was just phone sex.’

‘In one text message she mentions her investment. What does she mean by that?’

‘No idea.’

‘Could it have something to do with your Spanish company – Hacienda Renovations?’ asked Carter, speaking for the first time.

Ellerman looked from one detective to the other. He watched Carter turn the page in the file and pull out the printout from Companies House.

‘Am I under investigation? I was told this was an informal interview. I want a lawyer here if you persist in cross-examining me.’

‘We only want to build up a better idea of her life, Mr Ellerman. I’m sure you will want to find out what happened to Olivia,’ Willis said. ‘After all, she was a friend at least, wasn’t she?’

‘I told you, she was just someone I met for sex.’

‘Did you tell her about your Spanish renovations company?’ asked Carter.

‘I might have done.’

Ellerman shifted in his seat. He was sweating. A bead had begun to trickle down his temple.

‘Did she invest in any of your businesses?’

‘I can’t remember. I don’t think so. What does that matter, anyway?’

‘Everything matters, Mr Ellerman. Everything helps us to build a picture of her life.’

‘Did Olivia know you were married?’ asked Willis.

‘Yes, of course. I don’t lie about things like that. Look, I have absolutely had enough. I demand to be allowed to leave now. You’ve had quite enough from me and I feel very threatened by your line of questioning.’

‘I understand,’ said Carter. He looked up at Ellerman and smiled politely.

‘We’re really hoping that we don’t have to ask you to come in again, so we are being as thorough as we can be this time.’ He turned to Willis: ‘Detective Willis, is there anything else you’d like to ask Mr Ellerman before we thank him for his cooperation and send him on his way?’

‘There is one more question.’ She scanned down her notes. ‘Did Olivia mention that she was seeing someone else or had just begun a new friendship?’

‘No.’

‘Have you any idea who she might have been meeting on Sunday evening?’

‘No. I’ve said – I don’t have any idea. Can I go?’

Ellerman got up. Willis was scanning through the phone records again; she stopped halfway down the second page.

‘Sit down, please. Do you have another mobile number that you use?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Not even a back-up one that you keep for emergencies?’

Ellerman shook his head, annoyed. ‘I said – no.’ He sat back down heavily in his chair. ‘I’ve told you all I want to say.’ He stared straight ahead, his arms folded across his chest.

‘Okay. Thank you for your cooperation,’ Willis said, closing the file. ‘I have to ask you not to leave the country and to be available for us to talk to you again if necessary. Is this the best number to get you on?’ Willis read the number from the sheet pinned to the file.

‘Yes. I don’t want my wife bothered.’

‘I am sure you don’t,’ said Carter.

‘It’s not like that – it’s just that she has been depressed. I want some reassurance from you that she won’t be bothered.’

‘No guarantee – as Detective Willis said, Mr Ellerman, please keep yourself available and make sure that we can locate you easily enough and then that shouldn’t be a problem.’