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‘There was no reason for them to take the dogs in,’ Farnham says. ‘We don’t treat people like criminals until we have reason to do so. The site and garden were checked on the day and there was no evidence to suggest Abi had been inside, no access points to the property. Mr Johnson was at home, as witnessed by yourself, and the Lovegoods had already left. As it is, it’s still difficult to see how Abi could’ve accessed the house. Mr Johnson’s data still places him at home until much later, when you called for him…’ She passes her hand across her chin before glancing first at Matt, then at me. ‘Do either of you remember seeing the Lovegoods when you left for work that first time? Is it possible they could have been in the house?’
‘Yes,’ I say.
‘I’m pretty sure they left around eight.’ Farnham looks at her notes, passes her hand once, twice, three times across her chin. ‘They would have been gone by the time Abi left the house between five past and quarter past eight…’
‘Thing is,’ Matt says, glancing at me, back at Farnham. ‘It could have been earlier. That Abi left. I didn’t say this on the day and I should have done. But I went back to the house that morning to pick up my jacket.’
Farnham stares at him as if he’s lost his mind.
‘I should’ve said and I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was relevant and everything was going so fast and Abi was still there in the hall when I went back and she was there when I left the house.’ He breathes in deeply, exhales. His eyes are wet and my heart constricts at what this is costing him. ‘But it was me who left the door open. Not Ava. Me.’ He gasps, his hand flying to his mouth. ‘Oh God, now I’m thinking it’s possible that seeing me, seeing the door open, was what made her run out. She would’ve wanted to follow me. I never thought about that. Oh God, she ran out after me.’ He pushes his face into his hands and sobs.
I rest my hand on his back. If there is anyone who knows how he feels, it is me.
Impassive, Farnham writes everything down. ‘So, this will have been before eight?’
Matt pulls his hands away from his face and nods. ‘A little before, yes.’
‘And were the Lovegoods home at that time?’
‘No, they’d gone.’
‘Not necessarily,’ I say.
Matt looks at me; his brow furrows.
Farnham transfers her attention to me.
‘I was thinking about this earlier,’ I say. ‘But I dismissed it after Bella called. The thing is, the Lovegoods could still have been at home. Matt thought they’d gone because there was no car on the drive, but it could have been in the garage. They keep it in there. And if Matt’s appearance prompted Abi to follow him, she would have followed him immediately, so it’s possible she left our house before the Lovegoods left theirs.’
‘So, we have a new timeline.’ Farnham scribbles more notes, bites her lip, taps the end of her pen against her teeth. A long moment passes. She leans back, reads it out at arm’s length. ‘You both left at seven forty-five.’ She glances at me. ‘Ava, you return just after ten to eight, patch up your daughter’s knees and head upstairs at around five to, around the same time Matt returns for his jacket. But you don’t hear him because you go into the loo – either the door slams or you flush the chain or whatever. When you come out of the loo, Abi isn’t making any noise so you assume she’s all settled – does that sound right?’
I nod.
She looks briefly at Matt before continuing. ‘You ride away, Abi follows you but you’ve gone. She then sees either your friend Neil or a member of the Lovegood family, but whoever she sees, she’s got the sloth toy with her. By the time you come downstairs, Ava, at quarter past, Abi is gone.’
Neither of us says a word.
‘Did you ask Neil where the old tool bag was?’ she asks Matt eventually.
He shakes his head. ‘I didn’t think of it till later. But it was definitely in the work site that day. And I’ve never seen it since. And as we’ve said, so many things don’t add up.’
I feel like I need a shower. I need to clean my damn teeth. Regret and betrayal have made a sour mix in my mouth. I wonder if Matt can taste it too.
‘For me it’s about the toy,’ I add pointlessly. ‘Mr Sloth and Jasmine. It’s possible Abi could have explained who Mr Sloth was to the Lovegoods, but she didn’t know them at all; I don’t think she’d have chatted to them like that. But she knew Neil was working in their house, and there’s only us and Neil and Bella who call the toy Mr Sloth.’ I make myself shut up, push my foot flat to the floor to stop my leg from jackhammering.
By contrast, Farnham stays quite still, one hand across her mouth. After what seems like an age, she swipes her hand away and leans forward.
‘All we can do is bring them in for questioning,’ she says, with the air that she was going to say more but has decided against it.
Matt glances at me. I return his gaze and realise I can’t find the hate I have for him. I know it’s there, but all I can see is my companion in this immense loss, someone who believes me absolutely, someone who has admitted fully to his fault in all this. Without him, I am utterly alone. My husband, who has let me down so badly, but who is here now.
‘I’m sorry,’ he says.
I take his hand and squeeze it. ‘I know.’
He wipes his eyes, turns towards the detective and nods.
‘If there’s any way of keeping us out of it,’ he says, ‘that would be better. But if you need to name us, then I’ll take full responsibility.’
