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‘He said they were making him work long hours, which led to a series of illnesses.’
‘So, the grounds for dismissal was too much absence?’
‘Yes, and he lost his appeal.’
‘How was it in the beginning? I take it you must have hit it off quite well when you rekindled your relationship, considering you got married after what – a year?’
‘Yes. We used to laugh and joke all the time. We were inseparable, as if we’d never been apart. Maybe naively, I assumed because of that, it was the real thing. It honestly seemed perfect.’
‘And the proposal?’
‘We were out for a walk and he said, “Why wait to start the rest of our lives together when we’re so certain?”’ Holly felt a lump in her throat. She wished Oliver would hurry with the tea, as her mouth felt dry.
‘And how did he make money once he came to Eversley? Did he remain at the pub?’
‘No. He moved in with me. He got on great with the staff and customers – he can be a real chatterbox. He helped my groundsman out and sometimes in the shop.’
‘Okay, this could be tricky if he was working the business. On what basis did he work?’
‘Basis?’
‘How did he get paid?’
‘I gave him a payslip and a salary. All above board.’
Jill smiled. ‘Super, that’s great.’
She turned over a fresh page in her pad. ‘Now to the breakdown of the relationship. When did things go wrong?’
‘Quite soon after the wedding. He’d set up a hot tub business. He was working long hours. I helped where I could.’ Holly took a deep breath; she felt an idiot saying it. ‘And I took money out of my savings so that he could buy stock.’
‘Can you remember exactly what items?’
‘Hot tubs, mainly, to show at exhibitions.’
‘And the value?’
‘Fifty thousand initially – then a further twenty-five.’
Jill shook her head and Holly watched her write75Kon her pad and underline it three times.
Holly spoke rapidly. ‘Setting up a business is always a bit expensive. I studied his plans, they all seemed in order.’
‘Are you a shareholder in his company?’
‘No.’
‘And where are these hot tubs?’
‘He hired a lorry on a long-term contract. He picked them up in the lorry from the supplier and then toured the country with them, selling at home exhibitions and country shows. He didn’t bring them back home. He’s since told me that he sold all his stock and has no money left.’
‘So, you didn’t see the lorry or the hot tubs?’
Holly shifted in her seat and felt hot. ‘Well no. But he sent me photos of them. He was definitely at the shows. Indeed that’s where he met his new girlfriend.’
‘You say things started to go bad when he began the business? How exactly?’
‘He became bad-tempered and short with me. He wasn’t as affectionate as he used to be and began criticising me, putting me down, rolling his eyes whenever I spoke, tutting, that sort of thing.’
