‘Yes.’
‘And Señora Morelli, does she have a job?’
‘No.’
Detective Vila raised an eyebrow.
‘She’s retired.’
‘Retired? At’ – he checked his notes – ‘thirty-six? This is a very nice life!’
Matteo shrugged. He didn’t need to discuss Abby’s financial circumstances with this man.
‘And how is it, living with Abby?’
‘It’s fine.’
‘She good company?’
‘The best.’
‘Does she have any history of violence?’
Matteo bit down his irritation. ‘Of course not.’
Detective Vila glanced down at his notes again. ‘Except for this accusation from Abby’s mother, Susanna Spencer. That Abby harmed her sister as a child.’
‘You’ve got it the wrong way around,’ said Matteo, ignoring the niggling disquiet in his gut. ‘It was Susanna who harmed Ellie.’
Detective Vila watched him for a moment, then nodded.
‘How well would you say you know your wife?’
‘Extremely well.’
‘Enough to predict her behaviour?’
‘None of us can predict what other people will do.’
‘Like shoot someone?’
‘You don’t know it was her.’
Detective Vila smiled. ‘No, we don’t. You’re right. But let’s assume for now it was. Your wife and her sister had a very lucky escape. The man who was killed – he is a nasty piece of work. We have wanted to nail him for some time. We believe he had kidnapped a woman before. Robbed her and then murdered her. So it could be self-defence. It’s very possible. The thing is, we need to know more about that. About who your wife is.’ The detective paused. ‘So you say you know her pretty well?’
‘I’ve just confirmed that.’
‘How long have you been married?’
Matteo made himself stay calm. ‘Three months.’
Detective Vila gave a look of surprise. ‘Four months? So, you are newly-weds!’
‘But we’ve known each other for a year.’
‘A year? Still not very long, is it?’
‘It’s long enough.’
