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“I can’t remember. Look, where the hell are you going with all this? It’s not helping find the killer, is it?” asked Cuthbertson.
“We have to build a picture of what Janine was like,” said Gardener. “You’ve already told us she wasn’t herself of late. We need to know why. Was it family problems? Boyfriend trouble? Had someone threatened her? Did she have money problems? Any debt? Do you know anything about her social life?”
“I’m her employer. The kind of questions you’re asking me should be directed at her mother. She knows her better than I do.”
“In that case,” said Reilly, “let’s talk about you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. Tell us something about yourself?”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“I wish I had a pound for every time I’d heard that, don’t you, boss? I’ll tell you what, we’ll make this easy for you. We’ll ask questions, you answer. How long have you had your business?”
“Thirty years. I haven’t been in the arcade for thirty years because it wasn’t there then. I started off in a little village, Burley in Wharfedale back in the Eighties. That’s where I live, you see.”
“Business was good then?”
“Not to start with. But I’ve always been interested in theatre and stage, and I had a lucky break thirty years ago. I won twenty-five thousand pounds on the football pools. It was a lot of money back then. So, I decided to pack in work and open the shop.”
“I see,” said Gardener. “So, because you’d won all that money, it didn’t really matter whether or not the business got off to a slow start, you had enough capital to see you through.”
“That’s about the size of it. Look, can I get a drink or something?”
Gardener left the table. Outside the interview room door, he asked for two coffees – fresh ones, not the crap from the machine, and a bottle of water. He came back to the table and sat down. “Okay, so you had the shop at Burley. When did you decide to move to Leeds?”
“Ten years ago. Business was expanding and I was beginning to attract lucrative custom from London. A lot of my business is mail order.”
“I’m pleased you mentioned that. We would like to see records, everything you’ve sold, both over the counter and mail order for at least the last five years.”
“That isn’t a problem. Anyway, I moved into Leeds, on Briggate. Five years ago, I decided to take one of the arcade shops because it was considered a more prime position. And I took Janine on.”
A uniformed officer returned with the drinks. He left them on the table and walked out. “What about your customers? How well do you know them?”
“I know a few, repeat business from people who are touring.”
“What about new customers? Have you had any in the shop recently that you haven’t seen before?”
“Quite a few.”
“Any strange ones?” asked Reilly. “An eccentric? Someone who stands out a little more than usual?”
“Can’t say that I’ve noticed. Most of the people who come in are pleasant. You get the odd few that think they’re above everyone else, people who think that just because they’re in a local production, they’re film stars.”
“Anyone come to mind?”
“Not off the top of my head, no.” He sipped his coffee.
“I’d like a list of all your clients, Mr Cuthbertson. Names and addresses.”
“I don’t know if I have the addresses of all of them.”
“We’ll settle for everyone that you do have,” replied Gardener. “Now, let’s come back to something you said earlier. You’d always been interested in theatre and stage. Films as well?”
“Yes, films as well.”
“What’s your favourite?” asked Gardener.
