By ALISON HORWOOD
Almost six months have passed since the murders of Christine and Amber Lundy, and no one has heard more rumours in that time than Mark Lundy.
Mr Lundy dismisses the things said behind his back as rubbish, speculation and hearsay.
"You couldn't tell me something I haven't already heard. But I try to keep away from it. I don't go out much now."
Mr Lundy's wife, Christine, aged 38, and their only child, Amber, aged 7, were butchered with an axe-like weapon in their suburban Palmerston North home on August 30.
Police say Mr Lundy, a salesman, was in Wellington on business overnight.
After the killings, Mr Lundy moved out of the family home he and Mrs Lundy had bought and renovated together.
Today it lies vacant. The venetian blinds are closed and the only visitor is the lawn-mowing contractor.
Mr Lundy initially moved in with a relative, but is now flatting on the other side of the city with two friends.
He says his friends are extremely supportive and if any rumour reaches their ears they tell people to put it in writing and sign it. No one has done that yet.
"If they did I would hand it straight to my lawyer."
Asked if the gossip affected him, Mr Lundy says: "Of course it does."
He says he copes with the support of his counsellor, Victim Support, family and friends.
He tries to protect himself by staying at home, and has not read a newspaper for almost six months.
"The thing that hurts the most is the media printing what they like," he says, a reference to an interview quoting him saying that as the spouse he is the police's prime suspect.
The proprietors of a foodmarket near the Lundy home knew the family well.
Mr Lundy, they say, has steered clear of the neighbourhood since the murders.
They recall that Mrs Lundy came into the shop almost every day for a 1.5 litre bottle of Diet Coke and a Sante chocolate bar, and she was never too busy to have a chat.
Customers still talk about the unsolved murders and probably will until there is a conviction, says one of the proprietors.
"People always talk. The smaller the community, the more the gossip.
"I had a little girl from Amber's school in here the other day and she told me she knew who the killer was.
"It's just how it is. People will continue to talk until an arrest is made and we are given some answers."
Neighbours in Karaema Cres say cars drive past the old Lundy house slowly and people walk past talking behind their hands.
Detective Sergeant Mark Painter, second in charge of the investigation, says police are pleased with the progress made during the 171 days of the inquiry, and have always been confident of making an arrest.
Scientists have analysed more than 90 per cent of the forensic evidence, he says.
More results are expected in 10 days.
"There's no point doing anything until all the evidence is together and we can do it properly."
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