He pulled a face as he reached down to rub his ankle and then sat back, his porn star tan displayed to full effect in a tight white T-shirt.
At least he’s got it on.
“I understand you do not want a lawyer present?”
“No, I’m fine without,” O’Dowd said. “Is this going to take much longer? I’ve already told DI Ward everything—and I’ve got a job waiting.”
“Sorry about that. Anyway . . . how long have you known Pauline Perry?” Elise opened the proceedings.
The gardener appeared to consider the question carefully. “A year? About that, anyway. I started doing work at Tall Trees when I moved to Ebbing.”
“You’re not a local, then?”
“No, I came to do seasonal work at the garden center and liked it, so I stayed.”
“How did you come to work for the Perrys?”
“Like I’ve already said, Pauline came into the center and we got chatting. About plants. And she asked if I’d help her with some new beds. . . .”
Caro flicked a “Seriously!” look at Elise.
“I see. And when did you start a sexual relationship with her?”
“This is ridiculous.” O’Dowd sat up straight in his chair. “I was working on her property, nothing else. They’re a load of gossips round here—women with nothing to do but bitch to one another. I told DI Ward. He understood.”
Elise tightened her grip on her pen. “Well, I don’t want to be rude, but I’ve seen what passes for the garden at the property. It doesn’t look like it’s been touched for months. Hardly an advert for your skills—”
“I only go occasionally.” He sulked. “They couldn’t really afford me—”
“You were there Friday night, though, weren’t you? Your vehicle was recorded arriving.”
“Who by?”
“There’s a camera at the entrance to the parking area just before the Perry property. And it’s positioned so that it catches vehicles slowing down and indicating to turn into Tall Trees.”
He frowned. He didn’t know. Elise smiled to herself.
“I’m a big walker,” he muttered. “Pauline lets me park round there when I fancy stretching my legs on the footpath.”
“Right. In the dark?”
He shrugged. “I go stargazing sometimes.”
“Do you? Well, we found a man’s T-shirt tucked down the back of Pauline Perry’s bed during our search of the caravan.”
O’Dowd’s head went down.
“It’s being examined in the lab for DNA. As are the sheets.”
There was a long pause but Elise was happy to wait.
“Look,” he said finally, lifting his eyes to hers. “It was only supposed to be a one-off. A pity shag. But she wouldn’t let it go.”
Poor Pauline, Elise found herself thinking, despite herself.
“No one needs to know, do they?” he pleaded. “I mean, she’s old enough to be my mother.”
“Grandmother,” Caro murmured.
“If it was so embarrassing, why did you sleep with her?” Elise said. “Was she paying you?”
“No!” The gardener’s voice went up an octave. “Well, she bought me a few presents.”
“Like what?”
“Clothes, mainly. Look, I suppose I felt sorry for her. Living in that awful caravan with her boring old fart of a husband. And she still looks good. She used to be a model, you know?”
“We do. What about Charlie? Did he know about the two of you?”
Bram shrugged. “It was nothing. We had sex occasionally. End of.”
“You weren’t planning to set up together? Pauline wasn’t going to dump Charlie and move you into the caravan?”
“No way! It wasn’t anything like that.”
“Not for you, but perhaps Pauline had other ideas?” Elise said. “Did Charlie catch you that night? He’d had a lot to drink and it could easily have turned nasty. It’s just I notice you’ve got marks on your upper arms and neck.”
The gardener’s hand went straight to his throat.
“Pauline gets a bit physical,” he muttered. “She’s broken a nail before now. Anyway, I didn’t see Charlie Friday night. Not at the caravan or on the road when I drove home.”
“What time was that?” She knew because his departure at twenty-one fifty-five had been recorded on the camera but she wanted to see if he’d lie.
“Ten, I think. The news headlines were playing on my car radio.”