He Said He Loved Me by Lesley Whyte

"But you definitely saw him this morning?"

"Yes, he woke me up to say goodbye."

"Was there anything unusual about him? Did he say or do anything strange? Was he acting in any way out of the ordinary?"

"He woke me up to say goodbye."

"He wouldn't normally do that?"

"Not if he wanted me to be there when he got home."

"I see." He made a note on his pad, but he didn't think any of this was especially worthwhile. He was stuck wasting his time talking to the wife when his colleagues were out doing the real work, hunting the real criminals. That was why he'd got into this job, to do good, not to talk to upset women. Although, he noticed, Mrs Bannerman didn't look that upset. In fact, she looked more bored than anything. She was a lot younger than her husband - younger than he himself was, in fact - with bright coppery hair, perfect lipstick and a perfect figure. Maybe if all the upset wives he had to talk to looked like this, he wouldn't mind being left behind to interview them.

"He said he loved me."

"Sorry?"

"Before he left, this morning? When he woke me up to say goodbye, he told me he loved me."

"And that was unusual?"

"Oh, yes, very unusual."

"I see."

"He hasn't said it in months. Since the day before our wedding, in fact."

"Oh. He...he didn't say it on your wedding day?"

"No, that's not his style. Can you tell me why I'm actually here?"

"Well, I'm afraid there's been an incident involving your husband. He was...he was found in an alleyway near his office. Badly beaten."

"Beaten?"

"Both of his legs are broken. There could be spinal damage, too, but we'll know more when he wakes up. They're already running tests at the hospital."

"Who would do this to him?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could help with that."

"I have no idea."

"It seems he was having some financial trouble. A gambling problem or borrowing money from a loan shark would make a lot of sense. Do you...do you know anything about that?"

"Financial trouble?"

"It does look like the work of a loan shark."

"So, you're telling me the money's gone?"

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you. Can we get-"

"I'm sorry, but I really need to call my lawyer. Can we finish this off later?"

"You're not in any trouble, you don't need a lawyer. We're just trying to establish-"

"Oh, it's not for that. I want her to start putting the papers together. If there's no money, there's no marriage. Excuse me."