“That gives us seven suspects, am I right?” Banks counted them off on his fingers. “Seth, Rick, Zoe, Mara, Osmond, Tim and Abha. Was anyone else up there during the week before the demo? Anyone we don’t know about?”
“No. And Mara wasn’t there.”
“But the others all were? Zoe was?”
He nodded.
“Did any of them have a reason for killing PC Gill?”
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Banks asked. “Anyone know him? Had a run-in with him before?”
Paul shook his head. “Maybe the students. I don’t know.”
“But I don’t think you’d go out of your way to protect them, Paul, I really don’t. Was Gill mentioned that afternoon?”
“Not that I heard.”
“You see, it still doesn’t ring true,” Banks said. “Someone picking the knife up on purpose like that and taking it along, as if whoever did it knew he was going to do it. Premeditated, that is.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, I think you do.” Banks smiled and stood up. “I’m just off for some cigarettes,” he said to Burgess. “I doubt that we’ll get much more out of him.”
“Maybe not,” Burgess agreed. “Pick me up a tin of Thumbs, will you?”
“Sure.”
“And give my love to Glenys.”
Banks was grateful for the cool fresh air outside the station. He stood for a moment, breathing in and out deeply, then crossed Market Street to the Queen’s Arms.
“Twenty Silk Cut and a tin of Tom Thumbs, please, Cyril,” he said.
“These for that mate of yours?” Cyril asked, slapping the cigars on the counter.
“I wish you’d stop calling him my mate. You’ll be getting me a bad name.”
“Well, my Glenys has been acting a bit funny lately. She’s an impressionable lass, if you know what I mean, and headstrong. Gets it from that bloody mother of hers. It’s just little things, things only a husband notices, but if I find that your mate’s behind it, I’ll… Well, I needn’t spell it out for you, need I, Mr Banks?”
“Not to me, Cyril, no. Better not. I’ll inform him of your concern.”
“If you would.”
Back outside, Banks noticed that the light had gone out in 191
his office window. No doubt they’d sent Boyd down to the cells and gone for coffee. As he crossed the street, he heard a scream. It came from above, he was certain of that, but he couldn’t pin-point it exactly. Apprehensive, he hurried back upstairs and opened the door. The office was dark, but it wasn’t empty.
When he flicked on the fluorescent light, Banks saw that Sergeant Hatchley had been sent away and only Boyd and Burgess remained. The slats on the Venetian blind had been completely closed, shutting out all the light from the street, a feat Banks himself had never been able to manage in all the time he’d been in Eastvale.
Boyd was whimpering in the chair, sweating and gasping for breath. He looked up in terror when Banks came back. “He turned the lights off,” he said, struggling to get the words out, “and closed the blinds, the bastard.”
Banks glared at Burgess, who simply flashed him a “who, me?” look and said, “I think he was telling the truth. At least, if he wasn’t, he’s just given the most convincing performance of his life.”
“Under duress.” Banks tossed him the cigars. Burgess caught the tin deftly, unwrapped it and offered Banks one. “Celebrate with me?”
“I prefer these.” Banks lit a Silk Cut.
“You can have a smoke now if you want, kid,” Burgess said to Paul. “Though with a breathing problem like yours, I’d watch it.”
Paul lit up and coughed till he was red in the face. Burgess laughed.
“So, what now?” Banks asked.
“We lock him up and go home.” Burgess looked at Paul. “You’re going to have plenty of time for long chats with the prison shrink about that claustrophobia of yours,” he said. “In fact, you could say we’re doing you a favour. Don’t they say the best way to deal with a phobia is to confront it? And the treatment’s free. What more could you ask for? You’d have to wait years on National Health for that kind of
service.”
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Paul’s jaw slackened. “But I didn’t do it. You said you believed me.”
“It takes a lot more than that to convince me. Besides, there’s tampering with evidence, accessory after the fact of murder, wasting police time, resisting arrest. You’ve got a lot of charges to face.”
Burgess called downstairs and two constables came to escort Paul to the cells.
