Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

Becky, apparently determined to let her drive, headed straight for her car without giving Tom a chance to comment.He couldn't stop riding in her car forever, at least the roads here were much more orderly than the streets of London where he had first tasted her crazy driving.Becky repeated everything Mrs Evans had told her as she drove, passing a car or slamming on the brakes after each angry sentence as she realized she was about to collide with an oncoming car . "What do you think?" she asked after she finished speaking, not at all moved by the fact that she had almost run into other cars several times before.

Holding the handle and trying to maintain his balance, Tom wished he had figured out the point. "Besides that Brooks is an asshole, I think it sounds very suspicious. What are you going to ask him?" Becky bit her lower lip. "I'd love to question him, but actually, I think you're more of a threat in his mind than me, and I see the way he looks at you, and he can't figure out what you're thinking. I'm just a stupid woman, It's nothing to him. I think it's up to you to ask him, if you will. I'll watch and listen and see if I can find anything."

Although that was what Tom was looking for, he didn't want to flatter her by lying.And at this moment, he realized that he had reached his destination, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, that's fine, there is no time to continue talking about this anyway.The car slid to one side and stopped in front of Brooks' house. "I don't think we're going to be able to confuse things with laptops or passports just yet," Becky said. "I want to get a clear response from Mrs. Evans when we repeat to him what she told me. " They got out of the car and walked to the Brooks house, and Tom nodded his approval.Suddenly, they heard the sound of metal rubbing against something hard.

"My God! That sound pierces my ears. What the hell is that sound?" said Becky sullenly. "Sounds like one of the neighbors hasn't learned how to use an excavator yet," Tom replied with a smile.The guy no doubt thought he could save the money by doing a job best left to experts.Just as the sound of the machine stopped abruptly, a loud curse came from the next door.The excavator appears to have stalled. When they knocked, Robert opened the door, looking haggard as if waiting for someone to arrive. "Any news?" His eyes were glazed.Tom couldn't see the meaning of it.

"It's hard to say, sir. We haven't found your wife and children yet, but things are making some progress." Robert opened the door wide and motioned for them to enter.His face recovered, his chin dropped to his chest.Tom could see it now, in that habitual displeasure.When he saw Tom, he just raised his eyes with a slightly gloomy expression. Robert stood in the middle of the aisle, not asking them to come in or sit down, but shut the door tightly when the excavator sounded again. "So what's going on?" he asked. "Earlier this morning you went to see Mrs Evans at the family hotel on Anglesey," stated Tom.

Robert stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and leaned casually against the wall. "Don't you already know about this? We talked about it." "I know, Mr. Brooks. But can you repeat to us what you said to Mrs. Evans?" Tom saw a slight stiffness in Robert's body.He must have guessed that they had more information than before. "I'm trying to figure out why she said I visited Olivia ten days ago, when I knew I hadn't. She also admitted that she had never seen me before." "But she didn't know who it was. He never introduced himself to her."

"Perhaps she wasn't introduced to her, Chief Inspector. But she's a landlady by the sea, and she should have known who called—and she knew it wasn't me." "That's right. What else did she tell you?" "What do you mean?" Robert tried to put on a puzzled expression, but failed. "Well, Mr. Brooks, stop being so sloppy. She told you that the man who claimed to be Robert Brooks was staying overnight in your wife's room, didn't she? The guest wasn't visiting anyone else, he was going to Visit your wife." Robert's lips tightened, and his casual stance turned into a provocative pose with legs apart and arms folded. "Are you expecting me to repeat that? You expect me to admit that my wife was apparently slept by another man?"

"If it's true, then, frankly, it is," replied Tom. "Don't you think it's a pretty important piece of information when you keep saying you want us to find your wife and kids?" Robert didn't answer. "Not only did you not tell us that, but you told Mrs. Evans not to tell us. In fact, from what she said to us, you threatened her." Robert sneered, "Not a threat, Chief Inspector. I just told her not to say anything. I want to protect Olivia's reputation." "You also threatened Mrs. Evans' livelihood. Physical violence is not the only form of threat, Mr. Brooks, you said you would slam her hotel on every review site and most of her customers were from those The website found her and you're trying to smear her hotel as 'notorious', which I'm sure she said, but it's also despicable."

Robert looked from Tom to Becky and back to Tom again, without speaking. "How long have you known your wife is having an affair? How much does that annoy you?" "She's not having an affair. She's not..." Robert broke off mid-sentence. "Are you going to say 'she daren't,' Mr. Brooks?" asked Tom. Robert raised his hand and scratched his head, and Tom knew he was panicking.Tom opened the file in his hand, took out a photograph, and buckled it face down for now. "You may have forced Mrs. Evans to tell us she was mistaken, and even managed to convince herself that she was, and that the guest was going to the other room. But you were right about one thing, she did steal Glancing at the guy up the stairs. She told us something she didn't dare to tell you - the man who's sleeping in your wife's room isn't Caucasian. She's not quite sure where he's from, she's taking a wild guess Either Middle Eastern or biracial. Does that make sense to you? Does it give you a guess as to who he is?"

Robert shook his head. "Of course not. I think she made it up." Tom turned over the picture Becky had given him on the road. "Do you know this man, Mr. Brooks?" he asked. Robert looked at the photo, his lips pursed into a thin line. "know." "Can you please confirm who he is?" Robert paused, and seemed to be having a lot of trouble opening his mouth. "Dhanash Jahand." He looked at Tom with icy eyes. "Why did you show me his picture?" "What do you know about Dhanash Jahand?" asked Tom. Robert shook his head. "Never met this guy. But I've seen pictures of him. When I first met Olivia, the apartment was covered in pictures of him, and it made the place feel like a shrine."

"You bought that apartment from your wife, didn't you?" Tom asked. "Yes, that's how we met." "But all three of you went to Manchester University, and that's where your wife undoubtedly met Jahand. Didn't you know them then?" Robert curled up one corner of his mouth mockingly. "Do you know how many students there are at the University of Manchester, Chief Inspector? I'm a nerd, only obsessed with computers. I didn't really become human until I started working and realized I had to communicate with people if I wanted to be productive in this life ...then I met Olivia and she turned me into the family man I am now. Why are you asking me about Jahand? He's long gone." "Would you be surprised if I told you that Dhanash Jahand was probably the man who visited your wife on Anglesey?" The tension disappeared from Robert's face, and Tom saw something akin to amused in his eyes. "Is it funny, sir?" Robert lowered his gaze. "Not funny at all. But he's been gone for years. Not heard from since, as far as I know. He's the last thing in the world to be on Anglesey, is it?" "He hasn't completely disappeared. It seems like his brother is still in touch with him." Robert looked up abruptly, which was obviously not what he expected.He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. "There's something else we'd like to discuss with you. Shall we sit down?" Tom asked. Robert shook his head. "No need. I can just stand, just tell me." "Well, tell me about your visit to Anglesey. How many times have you been there, and where have you lived?" Robert let out a long breath through his pursed lips, as if he thought the question was off topic. "We've been a few times. We used to stay at a hotel in Moirfrey. Sometimes we go together, sometimes I'm stuck with work and Olivia takes the kids by herself. It's a great place. It's safe for her, the landlady there knows us well." "Then tell me again why you changed hotels." "I'm sure I told you. Last October, after our summer holidays, Olivia was trying to book again and got a message on the answering machine saying that the B&B was closed because the landlord was sick. She also Pass me the phone so I can hear it myself. It was a voice we were not familiar with so we assumed the landlady was sick. Olivia did some searching and found a new place. I also looked online , I was planning to go with them this summer." "So Olivia went there three times without you—October, Easter and last week—and you had never been there before, until early this Saturday morning? " "Yes. I told you all about that." "Is the B&B 'Oak Cottage' in Moylfrey?" asked Tom. "I don't remember telling you this, but yes, it is." "You didn't tell us, Mr. Brooks. We had the local police check the possibilities, and they confirmed it." "Then why do you still ask me?" "Would you be surprised if I told you that the hotel is still open and the landlady was disappointed when your wife canceled her booking for this year? She's not sick at all, she's as healthy as ever." Robert frowned. "Maybe she's changed her mind and wants to change hotels. That's possible, isn't it?" "It could also be that your wife has to change hotels so she can see her lover. If the landlady has met you before, her plans cannot be carried out." "The idea is ridiculous," Robert sneered. "Really? We also learned from Mrs. Evans that she had a photograph of your wife which you took. You are very aware that we have no photographs of your wife or children and are desperate to find something to send Something for the press. Why don't you give us that photo?" Robert looked increasingly uncomfortable, seemingly speechless, looking down at the floor. "Can you bring us that photo now? We'd like to take a few copies and get back to you as soon as possible." Tom was startled by the look on Robert's face when he looked up.He squinted his eyes and tightened his mouth.His voice was soft but stern. "I don't have a picture. I tore it up."