‘Earlier this evening, when I was passing the block of flats, I heard you scream from inside. How long had you been in your sister’s flat before you found her?’ asked Erika.
‘I’d just literally arrived. Key in the lock, opened the door, switched on the lights and…’ She swallowed. Eyes wide. ‘I saw her lying there, and I screamed. I haven’t screamed like that for… I don’t know if ever.’
Erika nodded sympathetically.
‘I checked my watch when I heard you scream. It was just after eight fifteen.’
‘Yes. I left the house just after eight. I only live around the corner.’
‘Did you see any neighbours, or anyone on the street when you arrived?’
‘No.’
‘Had the front door been forced open?’
‘No. I used my key to open the door.’
‘Did Vicky share any fears with you about her safety in the lead-up to tonight?’
‘What? No… No.’ Tess shook her head insistently.
‘How well does she know her neighbours in the building?’
‘They’re all old. She’s closest to the girls who live opposite. The Bulgarian sisters. They’re not great friends or anything, but they’re the only ones who are close to her age, twenty-seven.’
‘That’s Maria and Sophia Ivanova?’
‘Yes. They both work long shifts at the hospital and Vicky’s at home a lot, so she’ll often take in parcels for them. Their mother sends them stuff from home, Bulgaria. That’s how she got to know them.’
‘What can you tell us about Charles Wakefield who lives next door?’ asked Erika.
She looked up at them. There was a pause, and in the silence, Erika wondered if Tess has heard the commotion outside when they arrested him.
‘He’s a strange man. Vicky told me a few times that she’s caught him listening outside her door.’
‘Did Vicky ever talk about him specifically doing anything that she felt was threatening?’ said Erika, taking care not to lead with her questioning. Tess looked down at her hands, thinking.
‘No…’ she said, finally. ‘No. She just said he was a bit odd. Creepy.’
‘What do you know about him?’
‘Not much. He lives alone…’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘You don’t think he did this to Vicky?’
‘At this stage everything is a question,’ said Erika. ‘Did Vicky have a boyfriend?’
The use of the past tense seemed to hit Tess, and it looked like she needed a moment to recover.
‘Yes. Shawn. Shawn Macavity. They’ve been on and off since they graduated from college six years ago. He lives in Forest Hill.’
Erika hesitated; she didn’t know how far she could probe so soon after seeing the brutality of the crime scene.
‘Tess. There was a knife missing, a large paring knife in the kitchen.’
‘She never used those knives,’ said Tess, instantly.
‘Did you know a knife was missing from the set?’
‘No. No. Why would I know that?’
The mention of a knife seemed to take her back to what she’d seen. Erika watched Tess as she pulled the grubby wine-coloured fleece closed, and seemed to shrink in the seat. Had she intended to leave the house today? On closer scrutiny, she was very well-spoken, the co-owner of what she insisted was an upmarket restaurant, and yet she was dressed so scruffily.
‘Was tonight a planned visit? Was Vicky expecting you?’
‘As I told you, she was due to work the lunchtime shift today. I left messages on her mobile, but she hadn’t got back to me. That’s why I came over tonight… I was…’
‘Was?’
‘Was ready to shout at her… It’s not the first time she’s been a no-show.’ Tess dissolved into tears.
‘What’s been the reason before for her no-show?’
‘Any number of things. She’s hungover, she has an audition, although that one happens less frequently these days. And then sometimes she just can’t be bothered. She knows I’ll never fire her.’
‘Why wouldn’t you fire her?’ asked Erika.
‘I’m all she has, had… I can’t believe I have to use the past tense now when I talk about her. My husband always tells me we should keep work and family separate. And now… Vicky.’ She broke down again. Erika made some notes.
‘You’re doing very well, we’re almost done,’ said Moss, reaching out to touch Tess’s hand, but she pulled it away.