‘It’s not an uncommon way for homeowners to try and deter burglars,’ Lawton added helpfully. ‘Can you prove it was Joshua Ainsworth’s blood?’
‘Even if it is we thought it was just a regular burglary,’ Sutherland said. ‘Me and Nadia were both out. How would we know who broke in?’
He had them and Zigic was annoyed how quickly they’d got here. They’d come in underprepared, both wanting to avoid the inevitable next step of questioning Nadia, which was the job they should have done first, gritting their teeth and accepting the discomfort of it.
‘Why did you lie to me when I asked you about Nadia?’ Ferreira asked, trying to drag the interview back onto useful ground.
Lawton started to intervene but Sutherland spoke over him, and Zigic noticed annoyance flash briefly across the solicitor’s face.
‘I knew how bad it looked,’ Sutherland said.
‘But Nadia has her leave to remain, she isn’t in Long Fleet any more,’ Ferreira said innocently. ‘She’s free to do what she wants. Why would you think that looked bad?’
‘After everything that’s happened at Long Fleet and my involvement in reporting abusive staff members, I thought you’d think I was a hypocrite.’
Ferreira smiled thinly. ‘And why would my opinion matter?’
‘I’m not like those men,’ Sutherland said. ‘And you can’t help who you fall in love with.’
It was a non-answer and Zigic wasn’t even sure he believed it himself. That shame had come from somewhere and he was sure Ferreira’s good opinion was of little to interest to the man. Unless he figured she would see the relationship as evidence of some deeper moral failing and was worried it might lead her to see him as a murder suspect.
‘You love Nadia.’
He nodded. ‘I do.’
‘Enough to kill Joshua Ainsworth for her?’
‘I didn’t kill Josh,’ he said resolutely. ‘And why would I need to kill him for her? What world do you live in where that kind of thing happens?’
‘Josh broke into your house looking for Nadia,’ Ferreira said, fixing her gaze on him. ‘He attacked her in Long Fleet and he got sacked for it. He must have been furious with her. And you. He would have wanted to punish you both for exposing him. Josh Ainsworth, the good guy, the whistle-blower, one of the very few men in Long Fleet with clean hands.’ She brought her palm down on the table. ‘He must have been furious with you two.’
‘This is all completely unsupported,’ Lawton said.
But Sutherland was trapped, couldn’t seem to drag his eyes off Ferreira.
‘And Nadia must have been absolutely terrified,’ she said. ‘We spoke to her earlier and I can see it, Patrick. I can see how traumatised she is.’ Her voice went low and emotional, her hand to her heart. ‘Look, I’m just a copper but I felt for her. I can only imagine how you must feel. Seeing the woman you love so scared.’
‘I think you should present something more substantial than feelings,’ Lawton said, his tone firmer now, impatience showing.
‘I mean, why else would Josh break in except to get to Nadia?’ she asked.
‘We didn’t know it was him,’ Sutherland said again, less forcefully this time.
‘And she got lucky that time, she was out.’ Ferreira shook her head as if she couldn’t bear to think about the alternative. ‘But what about the next time Josh came for her?’
‘These are just feelings with question marks at the end of them,’ Ben Lawton said, bringing his hand down on the table between them and inserting himself across Sutherland’s eyeline. ‘Mr Sutherland is happy to answer your questions. Real questions, DS Ferreira. But you quite clearly have no compelling reason to keep him here.’
‘We’ve got hours to keep him here yet,’ Zigic told Lawton.
He gestured to Ferreira.
‘Interview suspended 6:22 p.m.’
CHAPTER SIXTY
Half an hour later, Nadia Baidoo was in an interview room, her solicitor seated next to her. Ms Hussain was clearly ill at ease with the situation as the recording devices began to roll.
‘Nadia wishes to make a statement,’ she said stiffly. ‘We appreciate that you will have questions for her, but in the first instance, she would like to correct some misinformation she believes you have about her and Dr Ainsworth.’
The room was stuffy, the air thick and stale, smelling of all the bodies that had been in here before them already today: fear, sweat and aftershave, hot feet and a trace of absurdly tropical aftersun lotion. The lighting over the table was blown and the only sun that made it in through the high, narrow window was diffused by the dirt on the reinforced glass, making the room oddly gloomy, everything rendered slightly insubstantial by it.
Nadia looked smaller, hunched over behind the table, her face tight like she was in physical pain. She took a sip of water before she began and even swallowing seemed to give her some trouble.
Zigic felt a bolt of sympathy for her. He was dreading what she was about to say, knowing that if she admitted killing Ainsworth after he had attacked her, he was going to have to charge her and he would hate himself a little for doing that.
‘Take your time,’ Ferreira said gently.
‘I’ve lied about Dr Ainsworth,’ Nadia said, shooting her a quick and haunted glance. ‘In Long Fleet. I said terrible things about him and they weren’t true.’
She paused and Zigic noticed Ms Hussein was watching her carefully. She looked troubled and that concerned him too. Whatever advice she’d given, Nadia had obviously decided to speak in spite of it.
‘Before I was arrested I didn’t know I was in the UK illegally. I didn’t understand my status. I was a student. I was working and paying my taxes. I was paying for my home. I thought I was safe.’ She blinked slowly. ‘And then I was in Long Fleet and it was hell. I was so scared I hardly slept, I was like a zombie from the sleep deprivation. It’s
