The Breaker

by Minette Walters

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good,’ she said. ‘I hate having to tell lies.’ She raised the back of a gnarled hand to her cheek to wipe away a stray hair. ‘In any case there’s no point pretending I was happy about it when anyone round here will tell you I wasn’t. She was a gold-digger, but that wasn’t why I thought he was mad to marry her. It was because they had so little in common. She was ten years younger than he was, virtually uneducated and completely besotted by all the material things in life. She told me once that what she really enjoyed in life was shopping.’ She shook her head in bewilderment that anything so mundane could produce a height of sensation. ‘Frankly, I couldn’t see what was going to keep them together. She wasn’t remotely interested in sailing and refused point-blank to have anything to do with that side of William’s life.’

  ‘Did he go on sailing after they married?’

  ‘Oh, yes. She didn’t have a problem with him doing it, she just wouldn’t go herself.’

  ‘Did she get to know any of his sailing friends?’

  ‘Not in the way you mean,’ she said bluntly.

  ‘What way’s that, Mrs Sumner?’

  ‘William said you think she was having an affair.’

  ‘We can’t ignore the possibility.’

  ‘Oh, I think you can, you know.’ She gave him an old-fashioned look. ‘Kate knew the price of everything and the value of nothing, and she’d certainly have calculated the cost of adultery in terms of what she’d lose if William found out about it. In any case, she wouldn’t have been having an affair with any of William’s sailing friends in Chichester. They were all far more shocked by his choice of wife than I was. She made no effort to fit in, you see, plus there was a generation gap between her and most of them. Frankly, they were all completely bemused by her rather inane conversation. She had no opinions on anything except soap operas, pop music and film stars.’

  ‘So what was her attraction for William? He’s an intelligent man and certainly doesn’t give the impression of someone who likes inane conversation.’

  A resigned smile. ‘Sex, of course. He’d had his fill of intelligent women. I remember him saying that the girlfriend before Kate’ – she sighed – ‘her name was Wendy Plater and she was such a nice girl . . . so suitable . . . that her idea of foreplay was to discuss the effects of sexual activity on the metabolism. I said, how interesting, and William laughed and said, given the choice, he preferred physical stimulation.’

  Galbraith kept a straight face. ‘I don’t think he’s alone, Mrs Sumner.’

  ‘I’m not going to argue the point, Inspector. In any case, Kate was obviously far more experienced than he was even though she was ten years younger. She knew William wanted a family and she gave him a baby before you could say Jack Robinson.’ He heard the reservation in her voice, and wondered about it. ‘Her approach to marriage was to spoil her husband rotten, and William revelled in it. He didn’t have to do a damn thing except take himself to work every day. It was the most old-fashioned arrangement you can imagine, with the wife as chief admirer and bottle-washer and the husband swanking around as bread-winner. I think it’s what’s known as a passive–aggressive relationship where the woman controls the man by making him dependent on her while giving the impression she’s dependent on him.’

  ‘And you didn’t approve?’

  ‘Only because it wasn’t my idea of a marriage. Marriage should be a meeting of minds as well as bodies otherwise it becomes a waste ground where nothing grows. All she could talk about with any enthusiasm were her shopping expeditions and who she’d bumped into during the day, and it was quite clear William never listened to a word she said.’

  He wondered if she realized William had yet to be eliminated as a suspect. ‘So what are you saying? That he was bored with her?’

  She gave his question long consideration. ‘No, I don’t think he was bored,’ she said then, ‘I think he just realized he could take her for granted. That’s why his working day got progressively longer and why he didn’t object to the move to Lymington. She approved of whatever he did, you see, so he didn’t have to bother spending time with her. There was no challenge in the relationship.’ She paused. ‘I hoped children would be something they could share, but Kate appropriated Hannah at birth as something that was the preserve of women, and if I’m honest the poor little thing created even more distance between them. She used to roar her head off every time William tried to pick her up, and he soon got bored with her. I took Kate to task about it, as a matter of fact, told her she wasn’t doing the child any good by swamping her in mother love, but it only made her angry with me.’ She sighed. ‘I shouldn’t have interfered. It’s what drove them away of course.’

  ‘From Chichester?’

  ‘Yes. It was a mistake. They made too many changes in their lives too quickly. William had to pay off the mortgage on my flat when he sold the house across the road, then take out a much larger one to buy Langton Cottage. He sold his boat, gave up sailing. Not to mention flogging himself to death driving to and from work every day. And all for what? A house he didn’t even like very much.’

  Galbraith was careful to keep the interest out of his voice. ‘Then why did they move?’

  ‘Kate wanted it.’

  ‘But if they weren’t getting on, why did William agree to it?’

  ‘Regular sex,’ she said crossly. ‘In any case, I didn’t say they weren’t getting on.’

  ‘You said he was taking her for granted. Isn’t it the same thing?’

  ‘Not at all. From William’s point of view she was the perfect wife. She kept house for him, provided him with children and never pestered him once to put himself out.’ Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile. ‘They got on like a house on fire as long as he paid the mortgage and kept her in the manner to which she was rapidly becoming accustomed. I know you’re not supposed to say these things any more but she was awfully common. The few friends she made were quite dreadful . . . loud . . . over made-up . . .’ She shuddered. ‘Dreadful!’

  Galbraith pressed his fingertips together beneath his chin and studied her with open curiosity. ‘You really didn’t like her, did you?’

  Again Mrs Sumner considered the question carefully. ‘No, I didn’t,’ she said then. ‘Not because she was overtly unpleasant or unkind, but because she was the most self-centred woman I’ve ever met. If everything – and I do mean everything – in life wasn’t revolving around her she manoeuvred and manipulated until it did. Look at Hannah if you don’t believe me. Why encourage the child to be so dependent on her unless she couldn’t bear to compete for her affections?’

  Galbraith thought of the photographs in Langton Cottage, and his own conclusion that Kate Sumner was vain. ‘If it wasn’t an affair that went wrong, then what do you think happened? What persuaded her to take Hannah on board someone’s boat when she hated sailing so much?’

  ‘What a strange question,’ the woman said in surprise. ‘Nothing would have persuaded her. She was obviously forced on board. Why should you doubt that? Anyone who was prepared to rape and kill her then leave her child to wander the streets alone would obviously have no qualms about using threats to coerce her.’

  ‘Except marinas and harbours are busy places and there have been no reports of anyone seeing a woman and child being put on board a boat against their will.’ Indeed, as far as the police had been able to establish so far, there had been no sightings of Kate and Hannah Sumner at all at any of the access points to boats along the Lymington River. They hoped for better luck on Saturday when the weekenders returned but, meanwhile, they were working in the dark.

  ‘I don’t suppose there would have been,’ said Angela Sumner stoutly, ‘not if the man was carrying Hannah and threatening to hurt her if Kate didn’t do what he said. She loved that child to distraction. She’d have done anything to prevent her being harmed.’

  Galbraith was about to point out that such a scenario would have depended on Hannah’s willingness to be carried by a ma
n, which seemed unlikely in view of the psychiatric report and Angela Sumner’s own admission that she screamed her head off every time her own father tried to pick her up, but he had second thoughts. The logic was sound even if the method had varied . . . Hannah had obviously been sedated . . .

  Chapter Eleven

  Memo

  To:

  Detective Superintendent Carpenter

  From:

  Detective Inspector Galbraith

  Date:

  12.8.97 – 9.15 p.m.

  Re:

  Kate & William Sumner

  Thought you’d be interested in the enclosed report/ statements. Of the various issues raised, the most telling seem to be:

  1. Kate made few friends and those she had came from her own milieu.

  2. She appears to have had little interest in her husband’s friends/pursuits.

  3. There are some unflattering descriptions of her – i.e.: manipulative, sly, deceitful, malicious.

  4. William is under stress over money worries.

  5. The ‘dream house’ was clearly Kate’s idea but the consensus view is that William made a mistake buying it.

  6. Finally, what on earth was the attraction? Did he marry her because she was pregnant?

  Some interesting vibes, don’t you think?

  Witness statement: James Purdy,

  Managing Director, Pharmatec UK

  I’ve known William Sumner since he joined the company fifteen years ago at the age of twenty-five. I recruited him myself from Southampton University where he worked as an assistant to Professor Hugh Buglass after gaining his MSc. William led the research into two of our pharmaceutical drugs – Antiac and Counterac – which between them represent 12 per cent of the antacid market. He is a valued and valuable member of the team and is well respected in his profession. Until his marriage to Kate Hill in 1994 I would have described William as the eternal bachelor. He had an active social life but his real interests were work and sailing. I remember him telling me once that a wife would never allow him the sort of freedom his mother did. Various young women set their caps at him over the years but he was adroit at avoiding entanglement. I was surprised therefore when I heard that he and Kate Hill were planning to get married. She worked at Pharmatec for some twelve months in ’93/’94. I was extremely sorry to hear about her death and have authorized extended leave for William while he comes to terms with his loss and sorts out the care of his daughter. As far as I am aware William was in Liverpool during the weekend of 9/10 August, although I had no contact with him after he left on the morning of Thursday, 7 August. I barely knew Kate Hill-Sumner while she was here and have not seen or heard from her since she left.

  Witness statement: Michael Sprate, Services Manager, Pharmatec UK

  Kate Hill-Sumner worked as part of my team from May ’93 to March ’94 when she left the company. She had no shorthand but her typing skills were above average. I had one or two problems with her, principally in relation to her behaviour. This could be very disruptive at times. She had a sharp tongue and was not averse to using it against the other secretaries. I would describe her as a bully who had no qualms about spreading malicious gossip in order to undermine someone she had taken a dislike to. She became particularly difficult after her marriage to William Sumner which she clearly felt gave her an elevated status and, had she not decided to leave voluntarily, I would certainly have sought to have her transferred from my department. I know William only slightly, so cannot comment on their relationship as I have not seen or heard from Kate since she left Pharmatec UK. I know nothing about her death.

  Witness statement: Simon Trew, Manager, R & D, Pharmatec UK

  William Sumner is one of our leading scientists. His most successful research resulted in Antiac and Counterac. We are optimistic that something may come of the project he is working on at the moment, although he has hinted for some time now that he might be leaving us to work for one of our competitors. I believe the pressure to move has been coming from his wife. William took on an expensive mortgage some twelve months ago which he is having trouble honouring and the increase in salary we can offer him does not match the offer from elsewhere. All our employee contracts contain indemnity clauses relating to the unauthorized use of research ideas funded by Pharmatec UK, so if he decides to leave his research will remain with the company. I understand that he is reluctant to abandon the project at what he believes to be a crucial point, however his financial commitments may force his hand sooner than he would like. I have never met Kate Sumner. I joined the company two years after she left, and my relationship with William has always been strictly professional. I admire his experience and expertise but I find him difficult to get on with. He carries a permanent chip on his shoulder because he sees himself as undervalued, and this causes friction within the department. I can confirm that William left for Liverpool on the morning of Thursday, 7 August and that I spoke to him by telephone shortly before he delivered his paper on the afternoon of Friday, 8 August. He appeared to be in good spirits and confirmed a meeting with me for 10.00 a.m. on Tuesday, 12 August. In the event the meeting did not take place. I know nothing about Mrs Sumner’s death.

  Witness statement: Wendy Plater, Research Scientist, Pharmatec UK

  I’ve known William Sumner for five years. We were very close when I first joined the company, and I visited him and his mother in Chichester and also went sailing once or twice on his boat. He was a quiet man with a dry sense of humour, and we spent some pleasant times together. He always told me he wasn’t the marrying kind, so I was very surprised when I heard that Kate Hill had hooked him. If I’m honest, I thought he had better taste, although I don’t think he stood a chance once she set her sights on him. There is nothing nice I can say about her. She was uneducated, vulgar, manipulative and deceitful, and she was out for anything and everything she could get. I knew her quite well before she married and I disliked her intensely. She was a stirrer and a malicious gossiper, and she was never happier than when she was pulling people down to her own level or below. Lying was second nature to her and she told some appalling lies about me for which I have never forgiven her. The sad part is William changed for the worse after his marriage. He’s been a right bitch since he moved to Lymington, constantly complaining about the people he works with, disrupting team spirit and whingeing on about how he’s been cheated by the company. He made a mistake selling his boat and taking on a huge mortgage, and he’s been venting his spleen on his work colleagues. I believe Kate to have been a terrible influence on him; however, I cannot conceive of a single circumstance that would have caused William to have anything to do with her death. The impression I have always had is that he was genuinely fond of her. I was at a disco on Saturday night, 9 August, with my partner, Michael Sprate. I haven’t seen or heard from Kate Sumner since she left Pharmatec UK and I know nothing about her murder.

  Witness statement: Polly Garrard, Secretary, Services, Pharmatec UK

  I knew Kate Hill very well. She and I shared an office for ten months while she worked in Services. I felt sorry for her. She had a hell of a life before she moved to Portsmouth. She lived on a run-down council estate in Birmingham, and she and her mother used to barricade themselves behind their front door because they were so terrified of the other tenants. I think her mother worked in a shop and I think Kate learnt her typing while she was still at school, but I can’t swear to either. I remember she told me once that she had been working in a bank before her mother died and that they’d sacked her because she took time off to care for her ma. On another occasion she said she resigned voluntarily in order to nurse her mother. I don’t know which story is true. She didn’t talk much about her life in Birmingham except to say it was pretty rough. She was okay. I liked her. Everyone else thought she was a bit sly – you know, out for what she could get – but I just saw her as an incredibly vulnerable person who was looking for security. It’s true she took against people and picked up bits of gossip about them and spread t
hem around, but I’m not convinced she did it from malice. I think it made her feel better about herself to know that other people weren’t perfect. I visited her a couple of times after she and William got married, and on both occasions her mother-in-law was there. Mrs Sumner Snr. was very rude. Kate married the son, not the mother, so what business was it of hers if Kate talked with a Brummie accent and held her knife like a pencil? She was always lecturing Kate on how to bring up little Hannah and how to be a good wife, but as far as I could see she was making a success of both without any interference from anyone. The best thing she did was move to Lymington, and I’m really upset she’s dead. I haven’t seen her for over a year and I know nothing about her murder.

  Addendum to report on Hannah Sumner (‘Baby Smith’) following conversation with William Sumner (father) and telephone conversation with Dr Attwater, GP

  Physical: As before.

  Psychological: Both father and doctor agree that Hannah’s mother was overprotective and would not allow her to develop naturally by playing with other children or by being allowed to explore her own environment and make mistakes. She had some contact with a mothers’ and toddlers’ group but, as Hannah’s play tends to be aggressive, her mother chose less exposure to other children rather than more as a means of dealing with it. Hannah’s ‘withdrawal’ is manipulative rather than frightened, and her ‘fear’ of men has everything to do with the sympathetic reaction it inspires in women and nothing to do with any real terror. Both father and doctor describe Hannah as being of below-average intellect, and blame both this and her mother’s overprotectiveness for her poor verbal skills. Dr Attwater has not seen Hannah since her mother’s death; however, he is confident that my assessment of her does not differ materially from the assessment he made six months ago.