by Sally Rigby
‘Why are you repeating everything I said?’
‘Damn. Has he sussed what we’re doing?’ Whitney said.
‘Because there’s a roundabout coming up and one lane leads to the north entry and one to the south. I want to make sure I go the right way. I’m not repeating everything you said.’
‘Nice save,’ Brian said.
‘I’m sorry,’ Robinson said.
Whitney frowned. ‘Why is he apologising? We could do with George to tell us what’s going on inside the man’s head.’
‘I want you to go north,’ Robinson said.
‘Okay, this makes it easier. He doesn’t know any of our cars which means we can all get on the M1.’
She radioed to the other cars, and they followed the taxi in convoy for thirty miles.
‘I hope he’s not going to Scotland, guv,’ Brian said.
‘They’ll have to stop for petrol at one of the service stations if that’s the case, and we’ll arrest him then.’
‘Pull in at the next service station,’ Robinson said.
‘I didn’t know you practiced mind-reading in your spare time,’ Brian said, flashing a grin in her direction.
‘You’d be surprised what I can do. I—’
‘I said the next service station,’ Robinson said, interrupting her.
‘This one?’ the driver replied.
‘Yes, turn now.’
‘But there are cars in the way.’
‘I don’t care. Do it.’
‘All units, vehicle turning left into the service station,’ Whitney said.
The driver turned, narrowly missing a car coming up behind him.
‘Now where?’ the driver asked.
‘Park at the top. The boy is getting out and then I want you to drive straight out and back onto the motorway.’
‘We’ll follow the taxi, Doug go to the left and Frank take the right. Be ready to block him in.’
The taxi drove through the car park and stopped at the back beside the fast-food restaurant.
‘Get out,’ Robinson said.
‘How am I going to get home?’ the boy said.
‘Get out before I change my mind.’
‘But …’
‘I said get—’
Three unmarked cars screeched to a halt and surrounded the taxi.
Brian jumped out and ran to the front passenger door. He dragged Robinson from the car and threw him on the ground in front of Whitney.
She grabbed hold of Robinson’s arm and pulled him up while Brian handcuffed him.
‘Mark Roberts, I’m arresting you—’
‘It’s Eric Robinson. I changed it by deed poll.’
‘Okay. Eric Robinson, I’m arresting you on suspicion of the murders of David, Gillian, Keira, Harvey, and Tyler Barker, and the kidnapping of Joshua Smith. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ he muttered.
Two police cars, closely followed by an ambulance, sped into the car park. Four uniformed officers ran over to them.
‘Take him away,’ Whitney said.
Chapter 36
George was seated at one of the spare desks in the incident room, checking online property sites. Her current Victorian house only had a single garage at the rear of the property. If they could find something with a set of garages, then she’d start a classic car collection. Whitney called her a petrolhead because she loved cars. She was right. George would love to own a Jaguar XK120 to start her collection.
Also, Ross’s studio needed additional space for where people could come and discuss their requirements when they commissioned him. He’d recently been turning down work because he was so busy after he’d had some prestigious exhibitions. His work was becoming highly sought after. Even her mother had mentioned acquiring a piece from him.
They needed a good-sized garden. Gardening was one of her hobbies and she intended to grow her own vegetables and herbs.
She was making notes about a potential property when the door opened and the team came rushing in, all talking at once. The operation must have been a success. She headed over to Whitney, who was standing by the board, a beaming smile on her face.
‘We’ve got him, but not until after he kidnapped a boy from the school and we had to pursue him up the motorway,’ Whitney said, the words rushing out of her mouth.
‘How is the child?’
‘The medics checked him out at the scene, and he was unharmed. He’s home with his parents and a family liaison officer.’
‘Are you going to interview Robinson now?’
‘Not until his solicitor arrives.’
‘First of all, providing the warrants have arrived, we’re going to search Robinson’s house and then I want to visit Joshua Smith, the kidnapped child, at home. I’ll get the address details from Ellie.’
‘Would you like me to come with you?’
‘Of course. I’ve just got to speak to the super and tell her what went down. You can wait here. What have you been doing while we’ve been away?’
‘Thinking about the questioning as you requested, and then looking at properties.’
‘Were any of them suitable?’
‘There are some possibilities.’
‘Why don’t you wait for me in my office. I won’t be long.’
‘Okay.’
Whitney returned ten minutes later.
‘Search warrants have come through, so let’s go.’
Robinson was renting a small semi-detached property, not far from the Barker’s house. Whitney handed George some disposable gloves, which she pulled on, and they entered using the key he’d handed over.
The front door led immediately into an open-plan lounge, dining, and kitchen area. It was minimally furnished with modern furniture and nothing was out of place. They headed to the kitchen.
‘He’s obviously a cook, judging by the selection of spices and herbs growing on the windowsill,’ George said.
‘And very healthy. Nothing pre-packaged in the fridge or pantry.’
‘Look for cinnamon, lentils, sea salt, anchovies, and leeks. Those are ingredients needed for the meal he cooked for the family.’
‘Why anchovies, they weren’t there?’
‘Traditional fish sauce is made from them, with sea salt. The fish is covered in salt and then left to ferment.’
‘How do you know that? Don’t tell me, you’ve made it in the past.’
‘No, I haven’t but I researched it after Claire told us fish sauce was part of the meal.’
‘Well, you’re spot on because all those ingredients are here. There’s also a container in the fridge with something in it. I’ll open it.’ She put the container on the side. ‘Eww. It stinks. Is this it?’
George walked over and sniffed the liquid. ‘Yes.’
‘Right, this all needs to come with us.’ Whitney pulled out some evidence bags and placed the food inside. ‘Let’s go upstairs to see what else we can find.’
‘We’ll need to get the sauce into a fridge once we’re back at the station or it will smell dreadfully.’
‘We’ll leave that for forensics. I’ll put it back in the fridge until we’re ready to leave. It should be okay from here until we get back.’
‘Yes, that will be fine.’
The first bedroom they came to was obviously Robinson’s. Again, very tidy, nothing out of place. Whitney opened the wardrobe door.
‘Look at this. All colour-coded. I wish someone would do that to my wardrobe.’
‘I’d give it a week before it would be back to its usual mess. You couldn’t maintain it.’
‘I could be offended, except I know you’re right. I haven’t seen his laptop, have you?’
‘He might be using the other bedroom as a study. I’ll take a look.’
George went next door and when she pushed open the door
her eyes widened.
The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with photos and newspaper cuttings of the Barker family.
‘Wow,’ Whitney said, coming up behind George. ‘He was seriously obsessed with this family. We need to get forensics around here.’ She pulled out her phone and took photos of all the walls.
‘This material isn’t randomly placed. Each of the children has their own section, and there are very few photos of the family together. I believe this is all related to him being adopted. He wanted to be part of the family and because Gillian excluded him, he refused to show them as a whole. By having only the constituent parts up there, he could pretend he was a part of it. It’s complex.’
‘You’re telling me. I think we’ve seen enough here. I want to speak to Joshua Smith. We won’t stay long, in case you’re worried about the fish sauce.’
George frowned. ‘I’m not.’
‘And I’m kidding.’
‘Oh.’
They drove out to the Smith house, and the door was opened by the family liaison officer.
‘Hello, Caroline. We’ve come to have a chat with Joshua and his parents. How is he holding up?’
‘Shaken, but unharmed. I’ve been instructed to stay with them until this evening.’
The officer took them into the lounge where Joshua was sitting next to his mother.
‘I’m DCI Walker and this is Dr Cavendish. Do you mind if we have a quick chat with you about what happened earlier?’
‘Yes, that’s okay,’ Joshua said, glancing up at his mother who nodded.
‘You’ve been very brave. When Mr Robinson took you, did he tell you why he did it?’
‘No. But he did say something.’
‘Can you remember what it was?’
‘Yes. He said, it was so unfair. And now they’ve all paid for it.’
‘Did he threaten to harm you?’
‘He told me to shut up when I spoke and wouldn’t let me go to the toilet. He said as long as I behaved myself I’d be all right. But if I didn’t, he would do something to hurt me.’
‘He didn’t actually harm you, did he?’
‘No.’ Joshua shook his head.
‘What was Mr Robinson like at school?’
‘He was my favourite teacher. Everybody liked him. He wouldn’t shout all the time, you know, not like some teachers. He was strict, but hardly anyone messed around in his lessons.’
‘Thank you for your help. If you do remember anything else, tell Caroline and she’ll let me know. Is there anything you’d like to ask us, before we leave?’
‘Can I go to school tomorrow?’
‘I don’t think he should,’ his mother said.
‘I want to be with my friends. I don’t want to be here on my own.’
‘What do you think?’ his mother asked.
‘Why don’t you play it by ear and see how you feel in the morning. Joshua, if you don’t mind I’d like a quick chat with your mum outside.’
‘Okay.’
They went into the hall, and Whitney closed the door so the boy couldn’t hear.
‘I wanted to let you know that Mr Robinson has been arrested for the murders of the Barker family. It’s going to be on the news, so you might want to prepare Joshua.’
‘Oh my goodness. I definitely should keep him off school, then.’
‘He might be better with his friends,’ George said. ‘I do suggest that you take him to see a counsellor. The school will have details of one they recommend. The shock of it might hit him hard at a later date.’
‘Yes, of course, I’ll do that, thank you. How could Mr Robinson have done such a thing? He was such a nice man.’
‘His anger was directed solely at the Barker family, which I believe is why he didn’t harm Joshua physically.’
Chapter 37
‘Brian, you and I will interview Robinson while George watches. His solicitor is here,’ Whitney said. ‘What suggestions did you come up with regarding questioning?’ she asked George.
‘He believes that he’s been betrayed by people for his entire life. In his mind he was justified in taking the action he did and it’s unlikely that the act of murdering the family caused him any fulfilment. It would have been a means to an end. With this in mind, I suggest that you take a more softly-softly approach. If he believes that you understand the reasoning behind what he did, he might open up.’
‘Even if he is totally crazy,’ Brian said.
‘If the aim is to elicit a confession, then yes,’ George said.
Whitney and Brian walked into the room and sat opposite the suspect.
‘Interview on Friday, June 11, those present DCI Walker, DS Chapman and, please state your names for the recording.’
‘Lance Critchell, solicitor for Eric Robinson.’
‘Eric Robinson.’
‘Mr Robinson, you are still under caution. Do you admit to the Barker family murders?’
‘You don’t have to answer that,’ the solicitor said.
‘I wouldn’t have done it if Gillian Barker hadn’t rejected me. All I wanted was a family.’
Wow. They didn’t even have to try George’s approach. He’d told them straight away.
‘Mr Robinson,’ the solicitor said.
Robinson turned to him. ‘I don’t care. They know I did it. What’s the point in pretending I didn’t?’
‘That’s your decision, but you’re not acting on my advice.’
Whitney shook her head. Nothing like covering your back.
‘You already have a family,’ she said.
‘That’s not the same. They’re not my real family. I wanted to know my birth mother and be part of her family.’
‘She didn’t want that.’
‘I was her son. Surely that should stand for something.’
‘Do you know the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy?’
‘Yes. She was raped at fifteen and found herself pregnant. That’s not my fault. I’m still her son.’
‘She was very young at the time and the victim of a terrible crime which would’ve haunted her. She wanted to try to forget about it. How could you hold that against her?’ Whitney drew in a breath, she had to remain calm. But it was hard.
‘She could’ve told me that instead of refusing to see me,’ Robinson snapped, his eyes flashing.
‘Don’t continue with this line of questioning, Whitney, or he’ll close up,’ George said in her ear.
‘Eric, tell us all about what happened the evening when you went to the house. Did you go with the intention of killing the family?’
‘No.’
‘Yet you had sufficient anaesthetic on your person to do so.’
‘I hadn’t decided exactly how it was going to play out.’
Play out. Was it all a game to him?
‘He’s lying. He’s virtually stopped blinking,’ George said, cutting into her thoughts.
‘I don’t agree, I think you went in there with the sole purpose of ending the lives of all the family because they didn’t want you in their lives.’
‘It wasn’t like that. You don’t understand.’
‘Then make me understand. Because from where I’m sitting it’s clear-cut.’
‘Look, I’d been observing the family for a while and when I went into the house last Saturday, all I wanted to do was speak to them. I wanted to explain how I felt. Let them know how lonely I was. I wanted to give them the chance of welcoming me into the family.’
‘Yet you took with you some midazolam.’
‘It was a precaution to stop them from trying anything stupid. I showed it to them and warned them I’d use it if necessary.’
‘Which clearly you found it was. What happened during the evening? Run through everything.’
He sat back in his chair and drew in a breath. ‘I went through the back door into the kitchen. I’d brought with me food to cook and left it on the island in the middle of the kitchen. I then went into the dining room and found them sitting at
the table. They’d just eaten dinner. Harvey noticed me first and called out. I had a gun in my hand to make sure they did as they were told. David Barker shouted at me to leave and I pointed the gun directly at him. I said move and you’re all dead.’
‘Did that work?’
‘Initially. I had some rope with me and instructed Keira to tie everyone up so they couldn’t move. I then tied her.’ He paused, a glazed expression crossing his face.
‘Then what happened?’
Robinson jumped and stared at Whitney. ‘I told them who I was, but they didn’t believe me. Not until I made Gillian admit it was the truth. She hadn’t told anyone about me. I wanted them to like me, but they didn’t. They were mean.’ His voice rose in pitch.
‘So you decided to kill them?’
‘No. It wasn’t like that. David Barker tried to come at me, even though he was restrained and I pulled out the syringe from my pocket. I injected him in the neck.’
‘And after that?’
‘Gillian swore at me and I taped her mouth shut. None of this would’ve happened if she’d welcomed me into the family.’
‘After David, why did you kill the rest of them?’
‘I had no choice. They’d incriminate me, and I’d end up in prison for the rest of my life.’
‘Were they all dead when you cooked the meal?’
‘Yes.’
‘So why cook for them?’
‘They were my family.’
‘But they betrayed you, didn’t they? That’s why you cooked their Last Supper. You were never going to let them go. You went to the house determined to kill them all.’
He ran his hands through his hair, rocking backwards and forwards in his chair. ‘That’s not true. It’s not. They didn’t have to die. It was their fault. Their fault …’
‘My client’s had enough questioning. He needs medical attention,’ Critchell said.
‘He’s right, Whitney,’ George said.
‘Interview suspended. I’ll arrange for Mr Robinson to be escorted back to his cell and for him to see a doctor.’
Whitney and Brian left the room and met George in the corridor.
‘It looks like he’s having some sort of breakdown. Is it real? Or is he trying to fool us? I wouldn’t put it past him,’ Whitney asked.
