MURDER IN PEMBROKESHIRE an absolutely gripping crime mystery full of twists (Tyrone Swift Detective , GRETTA MULROONEY [books to read now .txt] 📗

was why she’d left the studio in a hurry. He’d been a supply teacher for a while when he was studying for his PhD, before we moved here. He did a fortnight at a school in Holybridge, where Gwyn was a pupil. Gwyn said that she’d been molested by a boy in the playground one day. Guy was on duty and she told him what had happened. She said he made light of it, told her it was just a bit of horseplay and to forget about it. She never did forget, but she never told anyone. She said that after that, she lost all confidence. It blighted her school life. Guy left the school just days after it happened, and she never saw him again. She hardly knew him and didn’t remember his name. Of course, when she walked into the studio, she recognised him. I’d chatted to Caris about our plans for adoption and she’d told Gwyn. Gwyn said that if she told the authorities about Guy’s behaviour towards her, we’d never be allowed to adopt. I begged them both not to say anything. I thought I’d go mad. I offered them jewellery to keep quiet. I gave them expensive pieces regularly, much more to Gwyn than Caris. I could tell that Caris wasn’t comfortable about it and a month or so ago, she told me that she wouldn’t take anything else from me. In fact, she gave me back a couple of pieces, but I insisted that she keep an emerald. I appreciated her silence. I must have given Gwyn stuff worth thousands. Guy leaves the accounts to me, but I’ve been terrified that he’ll notice.

Swift pocketed the phone and sat silently. Gwyn pulled her knees up to her chin and circled her shins with her arms.

She sighed. ‘I was so ashamed, I never told anyone, not even Caris, until that day I saw Guy at Tir Melys. We drove back here, and I broke down. It happened during the lunch break at school. That boy pushed me down beside the equipment store and did horrible things to me. I was crying when I told Guy Brinkworth. Do you know what he said? “I’m sure he was just messing about. No need to make a fuss. You’ll only cause a lot of trouble and you’ll never live it down. You’ll just get a terrible reputation.” He couldn’t be bothered. I had nightmares. Still have them sometimes.’ She put her head down on her knees.

‘You must have had a terrible shock when you saw Guy again.’

Her voice was muffled. ‘He’s disgusting. He shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere near a child. He thinks about himself and no one else.’

‘I agree with you. Why did you go back to Tir Melys? Why attend Jasmine’s concert, where you knew you’d see Guy?’

She shot back, ‘Why shouldn’t I? I wasn’t going to let him limit what I did. I enjoyed looking at him. I had power over him, I was making money out of him and he didn’t realise. That gave me a lot of satisfaction. He was making retribution for what he’d done.’

‘You’re not squeaky clean yourself, though. You’ve been pressurising Elinor and using your abuse to abuse her. Caris regretted getting involved in it.’

Gwyn said, ‘Did she tell you that?’

‘More or less. When did you realise that Caris had told Afan about it?’

Her eyes widened. ‘I didn’t. Oh God, why did she go and do that?’

He believed that she was telling the truth. He had to take a risk and hoped it would pay off. ‘Because she was troubled, and they were good friends. He was already helping her and Morgan with their life in Cardiff, so she turned to him. Caris had an awful lot going on and the situation with Elinor got too much for her.’

‘Why didn’t she tell me?’

He saw that she was trying to absorb the information. ‘Because you were part of the problem. You’d have tried to persuade her not to talk to Afan about it, wouldn’t you?’

‘I suppose that’s why she’d been so elusive recently. She was avoiding me.’

‘Have you been selling the jewellery on to fund the shop?’

‘And my dad’s care bills.’

‘I wondered if that was the case. You’ve been hemmed in by money worries. Unlike the Merchants, you haven’t got a large asset to sell.’

She responded to his understanding tone. ‘I’d have gone under by now if it hadn’t been for the jewellery.’

He debated how much more he should divulge but decided to carry on. Unless he was completely mistaken, Gwyn wasn’t blameless, but she wasn’t a murderer. ‘In the recording, Elinor goes on to say that Afan spoke to her about what Caris had told him. He was shocked at your and Caris’s behaviour and said it had to stop. He told Elinor it was an impossible situation, and it would be best if she and Guy were honest with their social worker. Elinor said she told you about that conversation on the Wednesday before Afan died and that you were furious. You were going to tackle him about it.’

Gwyn hugged her knees closer. ‘No, that’s not true! She didn’t! Elinor didn’t tell me that Afan knew all about it, not until . . .’ She pressed her lips shut.

If DI Weber was still leading this investigation, she’d crucify him for what he was about to do. But she was in a hospital bed, and she had made him her informal deputy. He pulled his chair a little closer to Gwyn. He kept his voice understanding and quiet. ‘Listen carefully now. You see where this is going, don’t you? You see what Elinor is trying to do?’

Her shock was making her slow-witted. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Elinor’s pointing a finger in your direction. She’s desperate to adopt a child. She’ll stop at nothing. I don’t think you murdered