Violent Exposure by Katherine Howell

out what’s happened, and find Connor.’
    ‘Okay,’William whispered through his tears.
    ‘First, could you confirm that this is Suzanne and Connor in this photo, please?’
    They looked at the picture Ella held out, the one she’d taken from the living room of the house.
    ‘That’s them,’ Lydia said.
    ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Mr Sheppard, is there a particular reason you feel that Connor may have hurt Suzanne?’
    ‘Just little things.’ He wiped his eyes.‘Suzanne told me I was being silly.’
    ‘What kind of little things?’
    ‘A couple of times I saw bruises on her arms,’ he managed to get out. ‘She said she was always bumping herself at the nursery, moving big pots around. But I don’t know. I thought . . . I thought they almost looked like somebody with big hands had held her too tight.’
    ‘Did you see them too, Mrs Sheppard?’
    ‘They just looked likebruises to me,’ she wept. ‘I thought Connor was lovely. I thought William was being overprotective. I thought it was just because she was Daddy’s little girl and nobody could ever be good enough.’
    William pulled her close.
    Ella waited a moment. ‘Anything else?’
    ‘Sometimes he spoke harshly to her,’ William said, wet eyes far away. ‘I thought, if he does that in front of us, what does he do inprivate?’
    It wasn’t much to go on but it helped build a picture. ‘When did they get married?’
    ‘Four years ago.’ William blew his nose. ‘They went on a holiday to the States and did it then.’
    ‘How well do you know Connor’s family?’
    ‘He doesn’t have any. His parents are dead and he was an only child.’
    ‘Did he ever speak of other relatives?’
    ‘Suzie . . .’ Tears filled William’s eyes again.‘She told me he has none. No cousins or anything.’
    ‘May we ask, do you have any other children?’
    ‘Suzie was our only one.’
    Ella nodded. ‘When did you last speak to Suzanne or Connor?’
    ‘We haven’t seen or spoken to him since lunch on – what day was that?’ Lydia said.
    ‘Monday,’ William said. ‘But I talked to Suzie on the phone two days ago. She sounded well. Happy.’
    ‘Were they having moneyproblems? Trouble with anyone they knew?’
    Lydia shook her head. ‘The nursery’s going well. There was never any hint that something was wrong. They ran it together. They loved it.’
    Ella scrawled a star in her notebook. Times were tough and any business was bound to be suffering. Money could be the root of this evil too.
    ‘Do you know Stewart Bridges?’ she asked.
    They shook their heads. ‘Who’she?’
    ‘We believe he’s a friend,’ Ella said. ‘Have you met any of their friends?’
    Lydia said, ‘We’ve met Lucy and Daniel, and Susie talked about Katie and Peta with an A and Scott.’
    Ella scribbled the names. ‘She never mentioned a friend who’s a photographer?’
    ‘No,’ William said, then, sadly, his voice breaking again, ‘Can we see her?’
    Glebe Morgue just before dawn was about as chilly emotionallyas a place could be. Suzanne’s body hadn’t long arrived, and Ella and Dennis sat with the Sheppards in the family room until a staff member came to get them.
    They followed the man down the corridor and into the viewing room, their footsteps loud in the silence. The Sheppards held hands so tightly their fingers were white. Ella felt the cold sink into her soul.
    Dennis said, softly, ‘If you couldjust tell us please whether it’s her.’
    The staffer lifted back a sheet and William let out a wail that reverberated off the walls and straight through Ella’s head.
    ‘It’s her,’ Lydia cried, then sobs burst from her with such force Ella feared her heart might come out next.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ Dennis said, the words all but lost in the sounds.
    Ella felt her phone vibrate and went back into the corridor.‘Marconi.’
    ‘It’s Jen Katzen.’ The detective sounded excited. ‘The Crawfords’ car was snapped by a red-light camera on Elizabeth