Robbie Carter sighed heavily. “One-thirty. This is getting boring now. Haven’t you two found anything fresh to ask me overnight?”
“We’re finding it anything but boring,” said Gardener. “We simply can’t get our heads around the timing of everything. You get home and find your wife dead. You don’t ring for an ambulance, you decide to go and get help.”
“That’s because I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
“Come again,” said Reilly.
“It’s true. You lot say I shouldn’t tackle a burglar on my premises. It would be against the law if I was to smash his face in.”
“You’re allowed to use reasonable force.”
“We both know that doesn’t work. He isn’t going stand and wait for you lot to turn up. Chances are he’s going to attack me and I would have to defend myself. Anything bad happens to him and he’ll sue me, and he’ll get away with it. Oh, no, mate, I’m not falling for that one.”
“But I still can’t understand why you set the alarm before you came to see us.”
“I’ve told you,” shouted Robbie, slamming his fists on the table. He stood up quickly and kicked the chair back. “I’ve told you I can’t bloody well remember setting the alarm.”
Even though Reilly was up, the policeman outside the room opened the door and rushed in.
Reilly held his hand up. “It’s okay, son, there’s no threat.”
The young constable’s expression said he didn’t believe Reilly but he left anyway.
The Irishman walked around the table, picked up the chair, told Robbie to sit. “Quite a temper you ha
ve, old son. Maybe it was a good job you didn’t find that burglar. We might have two murders to investigate.”
“I’d say I was provoked enough.”
“Is that what happened last night, Mr Carter?” asked Gardener. “You were provoked by something: you came home and you and your wife had a row. She provoked you, you hit her, things got out of hand – all went a bit too far...”
“Maybe it’s you two who have been watching too much TV. I’ve told you a dozen times I came home and found her like that. I panicked. I cannot remember setting the alarm before leaving the house, or whether or not I locked the back door. But I’d say it was a bit bloody pointless as the place had already been turned over.”
“At least you’re sticking to your story,” said Reilly.
“Must be true, then.”
“Let’s move on,” said Gardener. “Perhaps you’d like to tell me about your wife.”
Robbie Carter finished his coffee and Gardener noticed him stiffen a little at the mention of his other half. “What do you want to know?”
“How long have you known each other?”
“About three years.”
“Where did you meet?”
“I met her at a pub in Thirsk. Strange, really, I was actually there to meet someone else, and so was she, but neither of our dates turned up. She was ready to leave, so was I. We bumped into each other on the way out. I made a joke about being stood up. She laughed, said the same had happened to her. As neither of us had eaten I offered to buy her a meal and we stayed till they chucked us out.”
“Did she live in Thirsk?”
“No, Sowerby.”
“And you married, when?”
“About a year after we met.”
“Is that when you started living together, after you were married?”