Culverhouse had considered the call to be important enough for him to make the visit to Keira Quinn’s ex-husband himself, taking Wendy along with him. Wendy wasn’t sure what information he’d been passed, but knowing that Culverhouse was usually skeptical about random callers she assumed it must have been something of note.
They pulled up outside number 42 Parkview Road, part of an estate built at the foot of Mildenheath Common.
‘Nice view,’ Wendy said, gesturing towards the Common.
‘Yeah, well you’d need it living round here, wouldn’t you,’ Culverhouse replied. The Parkview Road area wasn’t the worst area of Mildenheath by any stretch of the imagination, but she had to admit that it wasn’t exactly Meadow Hill Lane.
The man who answered the door was smartly dressed in a blue striped shirt tucked into dark trousers, the sun glistening off his belt buckle as he stepped aside to let them in.
‘Thank you for your time, Mr Quinn,’ Culverhouse said as he sat down on the sofa in the living room.
‘Andy,’ the man said before Culverhouse could continue.
‘You spoke to my colleague on the phone earlier and said you had reason to believe the body found off Albert Road might have been that of your ex-wife.’
‘Yeah, that’s right,’ Andy Quinn replied. ‘The description sounded just like her. The top — she’s had it for years. And when I heard about the heart-shaped ring on her right hand, I just stopped dead in my tracks. I think... I think that might be a ring I gave her years ago.’
‘Would she still be wearing it?’ Culverhouse asked, an eyebrow raised.
‘Oh yeah, definitely. She’s a sentimental sort of person,’ Quinn replied, perching on the arm of a chair and wringing his hands. ‘She’s not the sort of person to let go very easily. I should know. Our relationship was well past its sell-by date.’
‘Did she have any other distinguishing features?’ Culverhouse asked, glancing around the room, trying to take in as much as he could.
‘Not that I can think of,’ Quinn said after a few seconds’ silence. ‘No tattoos or anything like that.’
‘Birthmarks?’
‘No. I don’t think so.’
‘Do you have any pictures of your wife?’ Wendy asked.
‘I don’t, no. We got divorced and I didn’t really see any sense in keeping photos of her about the house. Sorry.’
Culverhouse nodded. He could certainly sympathise with him there, although he did feel it was perhaps a little pointless having come out to Andy Quinn’s house when they could now only rely on him identifying the body. ‘How long have you been divorced?’
‘Officially, about three years,’ Quinn replied. ‘We must’ve broken up a hundred times before that, though. Just one of those relationships which was doomed from the start. Poison, y’know. Better off without each other.’
‘Any kids?’ Culverhouse asked.
‘No, thank God. It was messy enough as it was, without that.’
Before Culverhouse could respond, his mobile phone started to ring. He excused himself and went into the hallway to answer it.
Wendy glanced around the room and noticed a distinct lack of photos of any sort. ‘Do you live here alone?’ she asked.
Quinn paused for a moment longer than Wendy would’ve liked. ‘No, my partner stays here most nights. She’s away for work a lot, but she bases herself here.’
‘Partner?’ she asked.
‘Yes, Erin. We’ve been together a year or so.’
‘And did you still see Keira at all?’
‘No, not really. She kind of... Well, she went off the rails a bit after we broke up. We don’t exactly move in the same circles any more.’
Wendy was going to ask him to elaborate, but was interrupted by Culverhouse coming back into the room.
‘That was Frank,’ he said. ‘They’ve been to your ex-wife’s address and can’t get any answer, so I’m afraid we’ll need you to come and identify the body.’
Wendy watched Quinn closely, looking for any sign of emotion in his eyes, but she saw none.
The mortuary technician, Robyn Heslop, smiled in that neutral yet reassuring way that only people well acquainted with grieving families can manage. Andy Quinn stood silently in the doorway, as if about to take a step into a lion’s den.
‘You only need to tell us if this is your ex-wife, Keira, Andy,’ Wendy said, having elected to take the lead in this sensitive situation rather than leave it to Culverhouse.
‘You should be prepared for her to look a bit different,’ Robyn Heslop added, her hand hovering over the corner of the sheeting that covered the body. ‘She has some injuries to her face.’
Andy Quinn made a small choking noise, almost as if he was holding back a sob, and nodded. Robyn Heslop pulled back the sheeting.
Having already seen images of Keira Quinn’s body, and not being overly keen to see it in the flesh, Wendy instead opted to keep her eyes fixed on Keira’s ex-husband. His furrowed brow relaxed slightly as the recognition flashed across his face.
‘Yes,’ he whispered. ‘That’s her. That’s Keira.’