Blood Line

a waste of time.’

‘Because he would leave you?’

‘No, because he would win.’

‘What about his friends? Did they also never argue with him?’

‘What friends? I never met any of them bar a couple and they weren’t my type. I was working hard to get my salon on its feet and by the time I got home I wasn’t in the mood for entertaining anyone, never mind his friends.’

Langton swore. Anna was losing her pressure and Tina was now sitting up straight as if she was in control.

‘Did you meet Sammy Marsh?’ Anna asked, more than aware that she had let the interview go off-kilter, and she more or less threw the name in to give herself some time to try and get back on track. It was apparent she had taken Tina off-guard. Her reaction was interesting. She shook slightly and pressed back in her chair. Paul scrabbled through the file and passed over a mugshot taken of Sammy.

‘Sammy Marsh, Tina – this man. Please look at the photograph.’

Tina swallowed, shaking her head.

‘You have never met this man?’

‘No. I don’t know him.’

‘You sure?’

Tina turned to Hyde and said she needed to use the toilet. Unable to prevent this, Paul informed the uniformed WPC waiting outside that she had to escort their suspect to the ladies.

Anna got up and followed. ‘I want a female officer inside the ladies with her.’

Tina turned on her. ‘For fuck sake, I need to have a wee! I’ve been here since early morning, all right?’

Anna ignored her as she hurried along the corridor.

‘You need one as well, do you?’ Tina shouted after her.

Langton walked out from the monitor room, catching Anna as she passed.

‘You let her off the hook, Anna.’ He was about to continue, but she ignored him, heading for the stairs to the incident room. A female officer passed her to do as requested and stay with Tina whilst she relieved herself. Anna told her over her shoulder to keep her eye on Tina Brooks. If necessary, ask for the lavatory door to be kept open.

Brian turned in surprise at seeing Anna.

‘Get onto the station in Cornwall,’ she rapped out. ‘Ask them to get their lab to forward Sammy Marsh’s DNA profile to Liz Hawley ASAP. I want it compared with the semen found at Tina Brooks’s flat.’

‘But he’s dead!’

‘He was alive until four weeks ago, so just get onto it. As soon as you get a result, interrupt the interview. Also, ask Liz if she has a result on the axe and get that to me as well.’

Anna turned on her heels and was hurrying down the stairs into the corridor when she caught the female officer returning.

‘She all right?’

‘Didn’t like the door being kept open. She sort of looked like she was going to be sick, leaning over the basin, but then she straightened out. She’s back in the interview room.’

‘Thank you,’ Anna said, hoping she didn’t have to confront Langton. However, he was not in the monitor room but up in the canteen getting himself a coffee. By the time he took up his position Anna was already questioning Tina so he propped up his leg again. He had to take painkillers with his coffee as the trip to the canteen and back had made his knee throb.

Anna had jotted down notes to Paul, who glanced at them. She had underlined Sammy Marsh, asking if they had asked Tina about him in previous interviews. Paul began to thumb through his notebook.

‘We have information that Alan Rawlins used recreational drugs. What can you tell me about that?’

‘He never did that in front of me, and I’ve never done anything more than a spliff years ago. I don’t do anything now, but I know he did sometimes.’

‘What do you know he used?’

Jonathan Hyde was nonplussed at the new direction Anna was taking, but Tina’s break had successfully calmed her down and she was more at ease answering the questions.

‘What about heroin?’

‘No, he’d never do that. Besides, I always knew when he’d done cocaine because it made him very hyper and he could get aggressive.’

‘About what?’

‘About me disapproving. Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. I know I have not been telling you some things, but it’s only because it might have got me in trouble. I know I made Alan out to be the perfect guy, but he wasn’t easy to live with.’

‘So you argued?’

‘No. I’ve told you he wouldn’t – he’d always walk away and that used to drive me nuts.’

‘Crazy enough to want to kill him?’

Tina raised her arms. ‘I didn’t, and you are trying to trip me up.’

‘Trip you up? Tina, I am through with your lies. You have said that you, and you alone, were in the flat – so if you didn’t kill Alan, someone else must have been there who did,’ Anna persisted.

‘I went out to work, you know. I was out of the flat every day when he was first missing; someone else might have come in.’

‘Who?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘There was no forced entry, so who else would have a key to your flat?’

‘Well, you keep on telling me he had this boyfriend – maybe it was him.’

‘And you keep on telling me that you were unaware of Alan having homosexual relationships, unaware that he was planning to leave you, and yet now you say that there could have been someone else who was able to enter your flat, kill Alan, dismember the body and clean up to the extent of changing the bedlinen . . .’

‘Yes.’

‘Yes? So who was the other person who subsequently had sex with you, or are you saying there were two other people in your flat?’

Tina became very agitated, slapping the table with the flat on her hand.

‘I am telling you that when I came home, Alan was not there.’

‘So why buy the bleach, the axe?’

‘I’ve told you. I used the bleach to clean up my salon.’

‘What about the axe?’

‘I am not gonna talk about that.’

‘Fine, then you will be held overnight in the cells until I have confirmation as to whether or not—’

‘You can’t do this.’ Tina turned to Hyde. ‘Tell me they can’t do that to me. I’ve done nothing wrong.’

Anna started to pack up her files and suddenly Tina erupted, gripping the edge of the table and trying to overturn it. The water bottles fell over and Hyde pushed his chair back to try and avoid the spillage as Paul grabbed the photographs.

‘Sit down, Miss Brooks. SIT DOWN!’ Anna shouted.

‘It’s Miss Brooks now, is it? I am telling you that whatever fucking evidence you’ve got doesn’t prove I killed Alan because I didn’t. I DIDN’T!’

‘Sit down. Mr Hyde, please control your client.’

Hyde went to grip Tina’s arm but she shoved him away. He rocked backwards and then she was on her feet, running for the door. Paul was out of his seat, and as Tina grasped the door handle he prevented her from leaving. She turned and threw a punch at him. The door opened and the uniformed officer stationed outside the room stepped in as Tina struggled, frantically kicking and punching out. She was totally out of control, and as she was dragged back to the table, she tried to kick again. Eventually, with Paul holding one arm and the officer holding the