‘ You are going to look so stupid,’ he told Danny.
‘ Yeah, right.’ She pointed to the back door of the police station. ‘I believe you made an official visit here a few weeks ago, so you’ll know the way to the cells.’ She pushed him gently. He snapped her hand away.
‘ Don’t ever touch me.’
‘ Don’t make me have to.’
He walked to the door. Behind him one of the uniformed officers imitated his rolling gait, blowing his cheeks out like a trumpet-player and forcing his belly out. Danny laughed silently… but the smile dropped from her lips as, right at the back door, the one and only police witness in the case appeared in the company of a social worker and literally walked straight into Gilbert.
‘ How could that have happened?’ FB demanded furiously. ‘Your most vital witness walking right into the main suspect. Come on — how?’
‘ I don’t know, sir,’ Danny admitted. ‘It just happened — one of those things. I feel bad about it. It should not have happened… just an unlucky coincidence.’
‘ Someone should swing for this,’ FB blazed.
Henry had watched him browbeating Danny for long enough. ‘What’s done is done,’ he said reasonably. ‘No one’s to blame for it. Grace had been handed over to Social Services and was leaving the station.’
Danny slumped heavily onto a chair. They were all back in Henry’s office.
‘ I’ve really cocked up again, haven’t I?’ Danny admonished herself. She was close to tears. ‘I did it with Claire, now I’ve done it with Grace.’
‘ What do you mean?’ FB asked.
‘ I mean I promised Grace we’d protect her if she gave evidence and look what happened.’ Danny shook her head in frustration. ‘Slap-bang into him. You should have seen his face. As soon as I get the chance I’ll visit Grace, spend some time with her, reassure her. She’ll need all the support we can give her now.’
‘ Fine, do that,’ FB said. ‘Now, where are we up to?’
‘ Gilbert’s in with his solicitor; Spencer hasn’t requested one. Danny and a DC are going to interview Gilbert first,’ Henry explained.
‘ No,’ FB said firmly to Henry. ‘I want you and Danny to interview them both.’
‘ Why?’
‘ Because I say so, that’s why. I want the best interviewer on this, and that’s you.’
Henry didn’t know whether to be pleased or pissed off. On the one hand he was glad FB had said something nice about him for once; on the other, it wasn’t his job to interview.
‘ I want those bastards charged and convicted of murder, Henry.’
‘ Is this place bugged? Can they hear what we are saying?’
Gilbert and his solicitor, Maurice Stanway, were in the solicitor’s room. Stanway had been Gilbert’s brief for almost twenty years. They knew each other well.
The room was basic. One table screwed to the floor, three plastic chairs. They faced each other across the table. Gilbert’s bulk overflowed his chair and the thin metal legs sagged.
‘ It’s always possible, but I doubt it,’ Stanway said. ‘Believe it or not, they’re pretty ethical these days.’
‘ Fools,’ Gilbert laughed. ‘So, what’s going to happen now?’
‘ You’ll be interviewed, probably fairly cursorily at first. They’ll establish a few facts, ensure you know why you’ve been arrested, things like that. Then they’ll start asking you questions, probably hoping you’ll crack before they declare any real evidence at this stage.’
‘ In other words, they’ll offer me the chance to confess?’
‘ In other words, yes.’
‘ And if I don’t?’
‘ They’ll start to declare evidence, bit by bit. Forensic, direct evidence from witnesses… hoping you’ll admit.’
‘ What forensic do they have?’
‘ I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see.’
‘ They won’t have any.’
‘ You sound certain.’
‘ I am.’
‘ They may well have witnesses.’
‘ They have. I saw her when I came into the station.’
‘ All it takes is one witness,’ Stanway stated.
‘ I think they’ll rely heavily on her.’
‘ Her testimony may well be enough — at least to get you charged and put before a court. But let’s see how it pans out, shall we?’
‘ Okay.’
‘ Will the police find anything at your house, Charles?’
‘ Books, videos, magazines, photographs… you know the sort of thing.’
‘ Anything to link you to the dead girl?’
‘ No.’
‘ Well, that’s good. Let’s go and see what they’ve got.’
Ninety minutes later Gilbert and Stanway were back in the solicitor’s consulting room. They were buzzing, feeling very confident.
‘ You handled the questions skilfully, Charles. I applaud you.’ They shook hands and sat down. ‘So,’ Stanway said, ‘that was the opening salvo.’
‘ And pretty tame it was, too.’
‘ If you’re sure about the forensic side of things, I’d suggest they will have only the girl’s eyewitness testimony. And, of course, Ollie Spencer, who has not been interviewed yet, nor requested a solicitor.’
‘ In that case, you should offer your services. I would hate for him to say anything stupid.’
Stanway nodded.
‘ When will I be out of here?’
‘ Oh, they’ll keep you in as long as possible. They always do in cases such as these.’
At midnight Henry Christie and Danny Furness were sitting on a bench on the promenade, near to Central Pier. From having been a cold day, the night had become idyllic and still. The tide was way out. The sky was clear and the moon almost full. It was even quite mild, verging on warm.
Henry rubbed his neck and rolled his head. His bones creaked and cracked. ‘God, I’m whacked.’
Danny stood up and walked behind him. She began to massage his shoulders through his jacket. Her fingers probed into his muscles. He groaned, not far short of ecstasy.
‘ That is wonderful,’ he murmured. His toes tingled. He dropped his chin onto his chest and revelled in the sensation.
‘ In another time, on another planet, I’ll lay odds we could have been good together,’ Danny whispered into his ear.
‘ It’s a nice thought,’ he responded, taking one of Danny’s hands and squeezing it.
Danny kissed his neck, sending a shiver of absolute pleasure down his spine. ‘Come on, Henry, let’s get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow.’
They strolled back to the police station car park, arm-in-arm, Danny with her head resting on Henry’s shoulder. He drove her home and dropped her off. On the way to his own home he was quite proud of himself. Not very long ago he would have been in bed with her — or at least he would have tried to be. It wasn’t that he did not like the idea of it, but he was a reformed character where women were concerned. Too many close shaves had made him see his family was more important than his libido. Never again did he want to hurt his wife or children.
Meanwhile Danny undressed and wished she was climbing into bed with him, but knew it would never
