‘What will happen now?’ Mary said.
‘I’ll be sending some officers down to take away Adrian’s computer. I’ll need you to make a formal statement of what you’ve told us this afternoon.’
Mary just nodded, too stunned to really take in what was happening.
Michael rushed after Claire as she headed down the stairs to reception. She turned to him as the bemused receptionist let them out of the automatic doors from the building.
‘You’re sitting in on this,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘Let’s see how deep the rabbit hole goes.’
CHAPTER 57
Stefan came rushing through the incident room as Claire was going into her office. ‘Where’ve you been? I’ve been emailing you.’
‘I haven’t had a chance to read them. Have they brought Williams in yet?’
Stefan shook his head. ‘Not yet.’
‘I’m anxious to have her in custody.’
‘Well, I’ve got something that might lighten your mood. I found out which hospital Adrian went to.’
‘Where?’
‘The QE2, Welwyn Garden City. He was given eight stitches for a wound to his arm caused by a sharp object. Doctor said Brown wouldn’t say how he got the injury but she thought it was definitely consistent with a stab wound. She knew who I was talking about because she remembered how scared he seemed that afternoon and she said she’d make a statement.’
Just then, Michael appeared in the doorway.
‘She’s on her way.’
***
It had taken an hour before Amelia had been processed in the custody suite and a further hour before the solicitor had arrived and she was ready to be interviewed.
She’d come without a fuss when Matthews had arrested her. She was confident there was nothing but circumstantial evidence against her. She’d been too careful to have left anything crucial behind or lying around her flat should the police decide to search the premises.
The text message her Guardian had sent her the day before had given her the heads-up to expect something and soon.
She’s getting closer.
That’s all the message had said. Amelia had deleted it after she’d read it. It’d given her time to put a few things into place at least.
When Claire got to the interview room, Michael was waiting for her outside. He gave a wry smile. ‘It’s Carmichael, you’ll be pleased to know.’
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. ‘Why is it always Carmichael when I’m in a bad mood? He’s not a solicitor, he’s a bloody parasite.’
‘He’s fond of you too, Guv.’
Claire wasn’t listening. ‘That’ll explain why he’s taken so long to get here. He always uses the delaying tactic, not that he’ll ever admit to it.’
‘Just play him at his own game.’
Her face was stony when she looked at him. ‘I’m in no mood for games. Let’s just get this over with.’
Michael entered interview room one, which was hot and uncomfortable. Claire watched him place a plastic cup of water down on the table in front of Amelia, and then turned her attention to the man offering his hand towards her.
She stared into the cold grey eyes of Josef Carmichael.
‘Chief Inspector,’ he said, giving her a small nod. ‘I’m sorry for the delay but I needed the necessary time to brief my client.’
Claire ignored his hand and glanced at the two-way mirror on the wall to her right.
Matthews and DC Jane Cleaver were watching through the mirror from the small dark room next door. Matthews watched Amelia’s eyes bore into Claire’s face; they were the only part of her that conveyed any emotion. She was sitting in her chair as if she were a waxwork mannequin but her eyes shone bright.
‘She’s just fucking creepy,’ said Matthews.
Jane looked at him and sighed. Although she’d heard it all and despite her years of experience, she still detested the crassness of some of her colleagues, male and female alike.
‘Any time you feel like putting a lid on the potty mouth, go right ahead.’
Matthews gave her a sideways look but didn’t respond.
Inside the interview room Claire had started to state the relevant information for the benefit of the tape and made sure Amelia knew why she was there and that she was being interviewed under caution.
‘Amelia,’ Claire said, leaning forward in her chair, ‘I believe you’re acquainted with a man by the name of Adrian Brown?’
Amelia removed her eyes from Michael and looked at Claire. ‘I thought this was going to be about some thug with my picture? That’s what they told me,’ she said, turning to Carmichael.
‘I understood this to be about a Gavin Hargreaves, Chief Inspector,’ Carmichael said. He clasped his hands together in front of him on the table and eyed her with suspicion.
Claire looked at him fleetingly, before casting her eyes back to Amelia, taking in her appearance.
Her arms were bare and her hair fell over her shoulders, leading down to a bright pink-coloured tube top. Her black jeans sat low on her hips.
Amelia began to click her flip-flop back and forth on her right foot, her leg crossed over her left, swaying a little. Nervous or cocky: Claire couldn’t tell which trait Amelia was conveying right now but the act irritated her.
Then Amelia suddenly stopped and looked at her. ‘He’s not an acquaintance…Adrian Brown, I mean.’
‘But you do know him?’
‘Yes.’
‘How?’
Amelia stared at her and then a smile broke out across her face. ‘Surely you know how? You’re the detective, after all.’
‘Answer the question,’ Michael said.
Amelia looked at him and smiled. ‘He’s the managing agent for the flat I rent. I’ve hardly spoken to him and have only met him about twice, three times at most.’
There was a lingering pause, as Claire looked over her notes. ‘When was the last time you saw him?’
‘It was a few Wednesdays back in the afternoon, in his office…the twenty-first.’ Claire looked up, surprised Amelia was going to admit to being in his office with so little effort on her part to coax it from her.
‘And what was the nature of your visit?’
Amelia looked down at her hands resting in her lap and smiled. She looked back at Claire.
‘It was business.’
‘Involving what?’
‘Just rent issues.’
‘How much do you pay monthly?’
Carmichael sighed and sat forward in his chair. ‘Chief Inspector, I must ask what is the significance of that question?’ Claire looked at him but fired off another question instead.
‘Are you aware that Adrian admitted himself to hospital the same afternoon after your visit?’ Amelia shook her head, looking at the two-way mirror in front of her. After a few seconds, Claire turned to look at the mirror herself, then back at Amelia. ‘Anything wrong?’
Amelia continued to stare at the glass but shook her head again.
On the other side Matthews and Jane exchanged glances, both a little unnerved by her fixating stare.
‘I know the answer, but still…she can’t see us can she?’ Matthews said, his arms folded tight across his chest.
Jane didn’t take her eyes off Amelia. ‘No, she can’t…but she knows we’re back here,’ she said, turning to look at him.
Back inside the interview room, Claire continued.
‘We know that Adrian had to have stitches in his arm that afternoon. Why was that, do you think?’
‘I don’t know, maybe he fell. Who cares? Why are you asking me?’ Amelia’s voice raised a notch.
‘We had a long chat with his PA earlier. She said he left shortly after your visit and she confirms he saw nobody until he left for hospital.’
‘She’s lying.’
‘Why would she do that?’
‘Why not?’
Claire looked her hard in the eye making Amelia break eye contact. ‘Do you know a man called Gavin
Hargreaves?’
Amelia looked up and sighed. ‘No,’ she said, drawing out the word. ‘Did you really bring me here just to fire off random names at me?’
‘I wouldn’t call them random.’
Amelia looked at Carmichael and gestured towards Claire. ‘Seriously, can this stupid bitch really keep asking me this shit?’
Claire shifted in her chair, and Michael pressed his hand on her forearm before she reacted vocally. Carmichael turned to Amelia, hushed her, then addressed Claire.
‘Chief Inspector, I must insist that you get to the point or release my client. Really, this is tedious.’
Behind the glass Matthews let out a surprised laugh.
‘Carmichael either never learns or has one of the hugest set of balls I’ve ever seen.’ Jane looked at him and pulled a face. ‘Sorry, Jane,’ he said, still grinning.
Back in the room Claire was trying her best not to show Amelia she’d got to her, and took a few deep breaths.
‘Perhaps we should take a short break,’ Michael said, rising from his chair but Claire grabbed his arm.
Carmichael turned his attention to Amelia, leaning into her to whisper in her ear, but his words were drowned out in her mind as she watched Claire.
Michael sat down again and Claire addressed Carmichael.
‘You will advise your client to restrain herself. I will not tolerate bad language in this room, especially when it’s aimed at myself or a fellow colleague.’
Her voice startled him and the room soon fell silent. Amelia’s eyes bored deep into Claire’s. Not to be outdone, Claire returned the favour and it was Amelia who looked away first.
‘Let me help move this along, Amelia. I suggest that you have more than a purely “business” relationship with Adrian Brown, and I believe you know who Gavin Hargreaves is.’
‘Your theory is based on what exactly?’ Amelia’s foot started swinging back and forth again.
‘I’ve had a look at your rental agreement. I then looked at your monthly payments. Tell me,’ she said, pausing, ‘just what were you giving Adrian in exchange for a reduced rate?’
Michael’s eyes almost popped from his head. ‘What DCI Winters means—’
‘She knows exactly what I mean,’ Claire said, cutting him off. She leaned forward and shoved a file in front of Amelia. ‘Why did he admit himself to hospital after your visit?’ She opened the file and a photograph of Adrian’s corpse stared back at her.
Amelia took one look at the photograph and her hands shot up over her face.
‘Tell me why he’s dead? Here’s how the firemen found him: tied to a chair and burnt alive.’
‘Stop this!’ Amelia shook her head, refusing to look at the photograph again. Carmichael tried to protest but his words were drowned out by Claire’s.
‘Come on, Amelia. You’re paying reduced rent. I have evidence mounting up that Adrian was fixing the books for you. He must’ve been getting something in return.’ She paused, taking a breath.
‘You say you don’t know who Gavin Hargreaves is. I don’t believe you. Adrian Brown was seen in some kind of meeting with Hargreaves last Saturday night,’ she said, sliding another picture in front of Amelia, who risked a look at the grainy black and white photograph.
Despite the angle and quality of the photo she saw it was Adrian at a table with Hargreaves.
‘Why is it that Adrian has turned up dead only two miles from where we found Hargreaves murdered, with a picture of you in his wallet?’
Amelia began muttering to herself. ‘Adrian’s dead?’
‘That photograph of you will be tested. I bet Adrian’s fingerprints are all over it. I’ll want to know why. Why does a known violent criminal have your photograph?’
‘I don’t know. Please believe me…’ Amelia shook her head and started crying.
Carmichael edged closer to her, offering some words of encouragement. Michael looked at Claire, and raised his eyebrows at her when she caught him looking. She spoke for the benefit of the tape.
‘Interview adjourned for a short break at 19:43 hours.’
***
Matthews and Jane stared at Claire when she entered the room adjacent to where Amelia was still sitting.
‘Why are you staring?’
‘You basically implied she was selling her body for reduced rent,’ said Matthews.
‘She didn’t deny it, did she?’
‘Did she have a chance to?’ He paused and leaned up against a chair. ‘Look,’ he said, pointing to Amelia through the glass. ‘I’ve seen cold-blooded killers before…she doesn’t fit the profile.’
Claire frowned at him. ‘Fuck the profile! That’s how we make mistakes if we stick to what we think we know about killers. There’s always someone to break the mould, do something different and be something we’ve not seen before.’
‘She’s right,’ Jane said to Matthews.
Claire pointed towards Amelia. ‘She went from cocky little shit to a meek little girl in the space of ten seconds. That out there is an act.’
Matthews went to speak but thought better of it, instead heading out of the room. ‘I’m going to get a coffee,’ he said, slamming the door behind him.
***
Back in the interview room Michael sat watching Amelia. He handed her a tissue and she took it, wiped her eyes and gave him a little smile.
‘I’m sorry.’
He felt sorry for her when her sad eyes looked at him from beneath her eyelashes. ‘It’s OK… You’re not the first and certainly won’t be the last she’ll have in tears.’ He looked at the two-way mirror.
Amelia picked up her cup of water and pretended to sip from it. Michael thought he heard her say something. When he looked at her she was looking deep into his eyes, her own appearing almost black.
‘Did you say something?’
Carmichael shifted uncomfortably in his seat. ‘Miss Williams, I must advise—’
‘I said you’re fucking her, aren’t you?’ Amelia broke out into a laugh. Carmichael went to apologise to Michael but he held his hand up, dismissing him. He stared hard at Amelia.
‘Just drink your water.’
‘I can tell, you know. It’s in the way she looks at you,’ she said, before drinking from the cup.
In the room next door, Jane gave a low chuckle as Matthews came back carrying two cups of coffee.
‘What’s funny?’
‘She’s a piece of work.’
‘What’s happened now?’
Jane turned towards him and took her cup. ‘It’s a good job the Guv ain’t here to hear what she just said… Williams just asked Diego if he was shagging her.’ She laughed nervously, watching Matthews’s face.
Matthews paused before taking a sip from his cup. ‘Well…she’s perceptive, I’ll give her that.’
CHAPTER 58
The interview commenced again and this time Claire decided to take the heat down a notch. She could feel every pair of eyes on her but, unperturbed, she carried on from where she’d left off.
‘Amelia, I hope you understand that I’m just trying to piece together parts of what looks like a huge jigsaw here. Sometimes I need help finding the pieces of the puzzle. I think you should start being honest and tell me what you know.’
Amelia looked at her with contempt and turned her head to Carmichael. ‘I don’t know anything. I can’t help them.’
Carmichael looked at Claire and shrugged. ‘Charge my client with an offence or release her, Chief Inspector.’
‘We can hold her for twenty-four hours. I’ll decide when she can go.’
‘I don’t know anything,’ Amelia said. ‘We can keep doing this for as long as you like, but you’ve got nothing on me and do you know why?’
Claire’s eyebrows rose.
Amelia sat forward. ‘’Cos I haven’t done anything.’
‘Why did Hargreaves have your photograph?’
‘I don’t know, but I may have an explanation for Adrian.’
She closed h
er eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, Claire was still staring at her. ‘It’s true, Adrian did offer me reduced rent if I…’ She looked at Michael. ‘Well, I’m sure I don’t need to draw you a picture. He expected me to sleep with him.’
Claire’s eyes narrowed. ‘And did you?’
‘No,’ Amelia said, her eyes returning to Claire’s.
‘And how did he react to that?’
‘I got the impression he wasn’t used to being turned down, but he still let me pay reduced rent and I didn’t question it.’ She shrugged. ‘I mean, why should I? The flat’s overpriced for a one-bed and I’m not made of money.’
Claire eyed her carefully before she spoke. ‘How do you support yourself?
Amelia’s eyes narrowed. ‘Why is that relevant?’
Claire shrugged. ‘Do you work?’
‘I had money left to me.’
‘By whom?’
Carmichael sat forward, his face agitated. ‘We’re going around in circles. Charge or release, Chief Inspector.’
Amelia raised her eyebrows at her, a smug look crossing her face.
Claire looked to Michael for support but he offered none. After a few seconds, she appeared to be admitting defeat.
She ended the interview and when Amelia walked into the hallway, Carmichael ahead of her, Claire said, voice low, almost a whisper, ‘Chloe Jenkins.’
Amelia stopped dead in her tracks. Her head tilted towards Claire, but she didn’t speak and her face gave nothing away.
Claire gave a small nod, as if silently confirming something unspoken to herself. Amelia followed after Carmichael.
Claire waited until Amelia and Carmichael left the custody area before she turned to Michael.
‘I looked to you for backup. Where were you?’
He looked at her face and saw how tired she was. ‘Claire, I don’t think we’ve got the right angle on this.’
‘How can you say that? After what we’ve seen on Brown’s computer, and Hargreaves. The picture too.’
‘It doesn’t mean Williams had anything to do with their deaths.’
‘What about the links? You’re just not seeing it.’
Michael put his hands on her shoulders. ‘I think we brought her in too early. We should’ve waited until we had something more concrete… Truth be told, I think you need some sleep.’
For All Our Sins: A gripping thriller with a killer twist (DCI Claire Winters, Book 1) Page 25
