I glanced across at Sparky for approval.
'Word perfect,' he confirmed, producing a pair of handcuffs.
'Oh, I don't think they're necessary,' I said. 'Darryl usually cooperates with us. No need to be so heavy, is there, Darryl?'
'I want to ring my brief,' he said.
'Good idea. Might save a few minutes. Tell him that this time you'll be at City HQ. He'll know where it is.'
We locked the back door of Homes 4U's Heckley branch and in less than twenty minutes we were showing Buxton into my makeshift interview room.
Martin, the young PC, came and sat with him while we went to the canteen and waited for Mr. Turner to come from Manchester. This time he drove straight over.
'First of all,' I began, when we were all assembled, 'I'd like to apologise for the surroundings.' I waved a hand at the walls and the high ceiling, my words ricocheting like bullets off the tiles. 'We came here because the interview rooms at Heckley are being decorated, but unfortunately there's been a burst and the rooms upstairs are out of use. Would you believe, all the pipes are lead? You'd think in a police station, of all places, the pipes would be made of copper, wouldn't you?'
Nobody agreed. Nobody laughed.
'So,' I continued, 'I'll ask Martin here to start the tapes rolling and we'll begin.' Martin switched on the big Grundig twin-cassette recorder that sat on the desk and adjusted the video camera on its tripod. 'Martin is our chief grip, today,' I explained.
'Best boy,' Sparky suggested.
Martin smiled and nodded to me.
'Right, let's go,' I said. I read out the time and date and asked everybody to introduce themselves. 'We are here,' I continued, the formalities over, 'to record a substantive interview with Darryl Buxton, formerly known as Burton, concerning the alleged sexual assault on Mrs. Janet Saunders on Christmas Eve last…'
'An allegation that will be vigorously denied,' Mr. Turner interjected.
'Quite,' I said. 'We are in a situation where allegations have been made and denied. One way or another I would like us to lay this one to rest; this morning, if possible. It is not fair to either party for it to drag on. In the absence of independent witnesses we have to study the evidence, which so far consists of statements by the two adversaries, and decide whether it is worthwhile making a submission to the CPS. I would therefore like to clarify Mr. Buxton's statement made on January 2nd and give him the opportunity to add to it or explain in any other way the events of that night. Does this make sense?'
Turner and Buxton nodded.
'Gentlemen!' I chided, raising my hands. 'For the tape, please.'
'Yes, Inspector,' Turner agreed, drowning Buxton's mumbled assent.
'In that case, Darryl, would you tell us again what happened that night, starting in the Tap and Spile, just before it closed at midnight.'
'I've told you once,' he complained.
'I know,' I replied, with forced patience. 'But this time it's for real. You've had time to go over what happened, to perhaps remember things which had slipped your memory before. You were in an unpleasant situation, under stress, accused of rape. Maybe you weren't thinking too clearly. Let's hear it again, eh? For a start, how well did you know Mrs. Saunders?'
'Janet? You mean Janet?'
'That's right. How well did you know her?'
His hair looked newly cropped and his face was fat and puffy, with glowing cheeks. A face like a slapped arse, to use Sparky's expression. 'Depends what you mean,' he replied.
'Had you ever been out with her before?'
'No.'
'But you'd spoken to her?'
'Yeah, course I 'ad.'
'You were on nodding acquaintance?'
'A bit more than that.'
'You knew her name?'
'Just her first one.'
'Did she know yours?'
'Yeah, I fink so. Yeah, she did. I remember her calling me Darryl.'
'Did you buy her a drink on Christmas Eve?'
'Yeah, a couple, free, maybe.'
'So you were standing at the bar, talking to her when she had the opportunity, and you bought her two or three drinks.'
'That's right.'
'Wasn't it a bit too crowded to have a conversation?'
'Yeah. We didn't do much talking, if you know what I mean.'
'These drinks you bought her. What were they?'
'I don't know.'
'You don't know?'
'No.'
'I'd have thought a man of the world like you would have remembered what she drank.'
'Well you're wrong. I'd say: 'Have one yourself,' and she'd give me my change and say: 'Fanks, Darryl,'
I don't know what she had. Maybe she just kept the money.' He'd scored a point, and swelled in his chair, his arrogance slowly returning, inflating him like a hot air ball on 'So what happened next?'
'They closed at midnight. Janet didn't 'elp much with the clearing up and left nearly straight away. I said I'd walk her 'ome, but she said that people would talk. She asked me to give her five minutes and follow her.'
'Were you surprised?'
'Yeah, I was, a bit.'
'Did she give you her address?'
'Yeah.'
'What is it?'
'What's what?'
'Her address.'
'Oh, no, she just described it. The first 'ouse on Marsden Road, wiv the street light outside.'
'And you followed her?'
'Yeah, just like she said to.'
'Go on,' I invited.
'Well, I got there and we messed about a bit and…'
'Not so fast,' I interrupted. 'How did you get in?'
'She left the door open for me.'
'OK. Go on.'
'Like I said, we messed about a bit and she said she needed a shower. I asked her if she'd like her back scrubbing and she said… something like… 'You scrub my back and I'll scrub yours.' He grinned with satisfaction. He'd used an epigram, so it must be true, as any politician will confirm.
'And then?' I prompted.
He didn't need much. No doubt he'd realised that all this would go on his court documents his depositions and if he did find himself in jail on remand they'd be useful currency with his cellmates.
'We went upstairs and she turned the shower on. I took all my clothes off, and then I 'elped her take all hers off. We got in the shower 'Was it warm enough?' Sparky asked.
'No,' Buxton remembered, after some thought. 'It took a bit to warm up. I was behind her, holding her, like, while we waited. She was getting really turned on.'
'Like the shower,' I said.
