A brisk nod. ‘Brian says you want to speak to me. I can’t imagine why. I don’t know anything about what happened. I never met the woman and I didn’t want to.’
‘Your husband mentioned that.’
She seemed to swell. ‘Did he, indeed? Well, I hope he told you what she wanted him to do. Fund her lifestyle indefinitely. As if she was entitled to enjoy the benefits of his hard work. She wasn’t even with him when he set up the company. She contributed nothing. Why should she take a share?’
‘I thought the money was for your husband’s daughter,’ Derwent said. ‘Isn’t that where it was going?’
Belinda Emery delivered herself of a world-class eye roll. ‘Oh, apparently that’s where it went. But it’s not as if Brian ever asked to see receipts. “Chloe needs this. Chloe needs that. Chloe wants to try horse-riding. Chloe needs a holiday.” Money was what she wanted and Chloe was the way she got it.’
‘Chloe does have some learning disabilities—’ I started to say.
‘Do you know how many educational experts she had to consult before she found one who’d say that?’ Belinda demanded. ‘There was nothing wrong with that girl when she was a child and there’s still nothing wrong with her now that she’s an adult. She’s not the brightest – that I will admit – but her main problem was her mother. That woman kept her isolated. She made her dependent. She wouldn’t let her make her own way in the world, because of course if Chloe was able to live on her own and get a job – lead a normal life – poor little Kate would have to start working for a living.’
‘I’ve interviewed Chloe,’ I said, ‘and I didn’t find it all that easy to talk to her. And I have to say, I didn’t think she was faking anything.’
‘Oh, she’s learned to play the part well enough. But if you catch her off guard, you get a very different Chloe.’
‘Would you say you know her quite well?’
‘I’ve seen a lot of her,’ she said evenly. ‘Over the years. It used to be some weekends and the occasional holiday, but now she’s not in school any more she can come and stay regularly. Especially when it suits Kate.’
‘I suppose it’s nice for her to spend time with her father and stepbrothers.’
Belinda shook her head pityingly. ‘That’s not what it’s about. It’s about Kate keeping my husband under her thumb. Intruding into our lives. That’s what she does. She’s never let go of him – not really. Why didn’t she change her name when they divorced? She’s not Mrs Emery any more, but of course she clung on to it for dear life, along with her direct access to poor Brian’s bank balance.’
‘It must be hard for you.’ I put as much sympathy as I could fake into my voice.
‘Well, it has been. It’s been a challenge all the way.’ She caught sight of herself in the mirror over the mantelpiece and paused to fluff her hair, pouting at her reflection. She reminded me of a giant doll, her eyelashes standing out in spikes, her lips glossed to a high shine. ‘I’m not the sort of person to walk away from a challenge, fortunately. And I would never let Brian down. I made it my business to get to know Chloe really well, so I could encourage her to lead a normal life.’
‘How did Chloe feel about that?’ Derwent asked.
‘She was grateful.’
‘Was she?’ He folded his arms. ‘I hear she ran away Sunday morning, early doors. What was that about?’
‘Some sort of teenage drama.’
‘Do you know that or are you just guessing?’
Belinda sighed. ‘You have to understand, Chloe needed to grow up. She didn’t like me telling her that. She’s lived in a bubble her whole life and I’m the only one who’s tried to burst it.’
‘What did you say to her?’ I asked.
‘Nothing.’ Belinda blinked at me, all affronted innocence. ‘I only said what I would say to any girl her age, which was that she has a responsibility to conduct herself in a modest way. She needs to understand that men will make assumptions about her if she dresses in revealing clothes. It’s like leaving your handbag in your car – it’s your own fault if it gets stolen. You can’t expect people not to take advantage.’
I almost choked from sheer rage. Derwent shot me a warning look then turned back to Belinda.
‘You’re talking as if something happened. Did someone attack Chloe?’
‘No. Absolutely not. She was here the entire time. She didn’t go out. It was general advice for her. The weather was warm last week when she arrived and she was wandering around in very short shorts and a T-shirt and no bra. Completely unsuitable, as I pointed out to her. I would never have dressed that way when I was her age. And frankly, I think it’s irresponsible of Kate to let her go about the place dressed like that. I tried to explain to her that she wouldn’t get any sympathy from anyone if something terrible happened to her, and she took offence.’
I was surprised my voice sounded calm when I spoke. ‘It’s quite an offensive thing to say.’
‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Everyone knows it’s true even if you’re not supposed to say it. There’s a distinct lack of common sense about it. You cannot allow girls to engage in risky or sluttish behaviour in the name of equality. It’s asking for trouble.’
What a good thing you have sons, I thought. Their picture was on the mantelpiece in a silver frame: handsome, fleshy faces, tanned from holidays, one smiling, one not.
‘Do Nathan and Nolan get on with Chloe?’
Instant, absolute ice. ‘Why would you ask that? What did Chloe say?’
‘Nothing. We’re trying to get a full picture of what happened over the last few days, that’s all,’ I said.
‘Well, you can leave my children out of your picture. They had very little to do with Chloe. As you can imagine, they didn’t have much in common with her. They are both highly intelligent boys. Nolan is extremely creative and Nathan has a gift for mathematics. They didn’t want to spend a lot of time with Chloe since she couldn’t engage with their interests.’
‘I’d like to speak with them,’ Derwent said.
‘Certainly not.’ She was quivering with outrage. ‘I have done my level best to save them from being exposed to the complications of Brian’s private life. There was no reason for them to meet Kate and they never did.’
‘They might be able to shed some light on Chloe’s state of mind.’
‘They are teenage boys. They don’t even know their own state of mind.’ She shook her head. ‘I will not allow you to disrupt their lives because of this. I don’t give a hoot about why Chloe left here on Sunday morning, except that I thought it was rude of her to go without so much as a thank you. If I never saw her again, I wouldn’t particularly care. She’s not my family and I’m not going to pretend I care about her just because you’re probably judging me for being a wicked stepmother.’ There were tears standing in her eyes. So she was capable of emotion after all. It was a shame that emotion was pure self-pity.