Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(79)

‘Did you receive it in the post?’ Carter asked, keeping his voice soft, taking his time, watching Ellerman all the time.

‘No. Someone showed it to me. I don’t understand what business it is of yours? This is a purely private matter.’

Carter tapped his forefinger on the letter. ‘It’s not private when two of the women on this list have been murdered.’

‘May I?’ Petron picked up the letter and looked it over. ‘I need a copy of this. This should have been shown to me first. I want to register my complaint.’

‘Registered,’ said Carter.

‘Where did you get this?’ asked Petron.

‘We are not prepared to disclose that information at this time. Does it matter where we got it?’

‘Yes, because you are confronting me with a document that I can’t defend against or advise my client about.’

Carter turned back to Ellerman ‘Two women are dead, Mr Ellerman. Olivia Grantham and Gillian Forth. Now would you like to comment on that?’

‘It’s a terrible tragedy.’

‘And so surprising that they both were in a relationship with you.’

‘I was not in a relationship with either woman.’

‘But you did know them both. You had had sexual relations with them both?’

‘Yes.’

‘When I first asked you about Gillian Forth, you denied knowing her. Why was that?’

‘I wasn’t sure who you meant at first.’

‘Why did you feel it necessary to lie about it?’

Ellerman stared coldly at Carter and sat back in his chair, tight-lipped, then said, ‘I didn’t lie – I just told you.’

‘And when you realized you were mistaken – you still didn’t contact me to say that you did actually know Gillian?’

‘I thought I was being adversely judged by my choice of lifestyle.’

‘Your choice of lifestyle is what? What does that mean?’

‘I am referring to my relationship status.’

‘Your relationship status with these women listed in the three pages of this letter, you mean?’

‘I am not having a relationship with any of these women. This letter was written by a malicious individual who I would certainly sue for slander if I knew who she was.’

‘Do you have any idea?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘One of the women on this list, you think?’

‘Yes, I would think so. It stands to reason.’ Ellerman looked curiously at Carter, as if it had set him thinking.

‘Do you recognize all the names on this list?’ Carter asked, watching Ellerman, who was scanning the list of names as if looking to see who might be missing.

Petron answered first: ‘I think my client needs time to look through this list thoroughly. He can’t be expected to make a snap decision.’

‘Sure. Okay. He can do that. For now, let’s go back to Gillian Forth, the woman you said you didn’t know, but then changed your mind. The woman you say you weren’t in a relationship with.’ Carter tapped his finger on the third page of the letter. ‘It says here that you were seeing her for eighteen months and you met on a dating site called Love Uniform Dating. Is that correct?’

‘It could be. I can’t remember exactly. I haven’t seen her in a while. I told you.’

‘When was the last time you saw her?’

‘I think it was about six months ago, last summer. I called in when I was working in the area.’

‘So, you haven’t seen her in six months? You’re sure about that?’

‘To the best of my knowledge. I might be slightly out. It’s been a while anyway.’

‘Did you keep in touch in any way? Did you phone or email her?’

‘No.’

‘So when I look at Gillian’s phone records, I won’t find any recent activity between the two of you?’

‘We phone each other sometimes. We text “hello”. We exchange the odd message, that’s all.’

‘What kind of messages were sent between you?’

He shrugged. ‘The usual.’

‘And that is?’

‘Sometimes just a hello, how are you? Other times a bit more racy.’

‘Racy? What kind of thing would you say in your message?’

‘I don’t know, for God’s sake! Things like: “I’m feeling horny, would love to be shagging you right now.” That kind of thing. The type of sex messaging that everyone sends these days.’

‘Do they? I don’t. Do you, DC Willis?’

‘No, sir,’ she answered.

‘Okay, well, I’m sorry your lives are so dull.’ Ellerman kept his eyes on Willis as he answered, sitting back in his chair and smiling sarcastically. ‘But other people besides Met officers then.’

‘Would you send sexually explicit messages to women you had never had sex with?’

‘Probably not.’

‘Yes or no?’

‘I would if I anticipated having sex with them but I wouldn’t just message a stranger with something explicit.’

‘So you knew Gillian Forth in a sexual way, an intimate way.’

‘I told you I did.’