‘So, then, tit for tat. Kind of like taking revenge.’
‘Yeah, sort of.’
‘Did it feel good taking revenge on Alexa?’
A long silence while Toby follows the direction of this question.
‘I wouldn’t say it felt good, exactly.’
‘Okay, so maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe you wanted your revenge to be a little stronger. Or even a lot stronger.’
Toby looks like a trapped animal now. ‘Now, wait a minute. I didn’t do nothing to Alexa. I would never harm her. You’re twisting my words.’
Webley says, ‘How many of the men in the exercise class do you know well, Toby?’
‘What? What’s that got to do with—’
‘I mean well enough for them to open up to you about who they sleep with?’
‘Nobody. I told you, I made it up.’
‘Uh-huh.’ Webley holds up her clipboard. ‘I’ve got a list here of all the people who attended Alexa’s classes. There aren’t that many men on it. Wouldn’t take us very long to visit them and ask them about you.’
‘About m-me? Why would you ask them about me?’
‘Well, you’ve already said you wanted to take revenge on Alexa. Perhaps one of these people could tell us a bit more about—’
‘Wait! No. You’re putting words in my mouth. I never said I wanted revenge. I didn’t want to hurt her at all.’
‘But you were making up nasty things about her. Isn’t that hurtful?’
‘No. I didn’t make them up. They were…’
He halts, obviously realising he has contradicted himself.
‘True?’ Webley says. ‘Is that what you were about to say, Toby? How do you know they were true?’
‘He… he told me. He confided in me. Nobody else knew.’
‘Who? Who confided in you?’
Toby searches the faces of the detectives again before deciding the gig is up. His shoulders slump.
‘Sam,’ he mutters.
‘Sam?’
‘Yeah. I don’t know his surname.’
Webley consults her list. ‘Sam Ridley? He’s the only Sam in your class.’
‘Then it must be.’
‘You’re good friends with him?’
‘Yeah. Well, sort of. We sometimes go for coffee in the leisure centre after the class. He seems to like me. He tells me stuff.’
‘Yeah? What kind of stuff?’
Toby scratches at his neck again. ‘You know…’
‘No, Toby, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?’
‘Personal stuff. Like, about girls and so on. He gives me advice. Tells me what they like and what they don’t like. He’s very experienced in that way.’
‘Uh-huh. And precisely how intimate does this get?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Does he talk about sex?’
Toby flinches slightly, as though Webley’s use of the word comes as a shock to him.
‘Yeah. Sometimes.’
‘Does he tell you about his sexual conquests? About what he gets up to in the bedroom?’
Toby’s cheeks are burning now. He simply nods.
