Chapter Six
ERIC POWEL tapped his notebook as he waited for Richard to come to the interview room. He had gathered a little information from Gardner about what to expect, but the latter had formed his own opinion of Richard Bright by this time and it was unfair to influence another... even if he felt that the young man was more sinned against than sinned. Meanwhile Garner lit a cigarette in the grounds of the police station and hoped he might be allowed to visit Maya Thompson in due course, as his interest in Maya Thompson was becoming something that concerned him greatly.
“Good morning, Mr. Bright. I hope you are well.”
Richard looked as though he had just waked up. His eyes were half closed and he shook his head from side to side, as he rubbed his forehead and strained to see who was visiting him.
“Good morning,” he replied wearily and waited for the visitor to introduce himself.
“I am Eric Powel... the solicitor for your defense case, if it should come to that”
Richard shook his head again and frowned.
“I don’t need a s... s... s... solicitor thank you and besides, I couldn’t afford you, so we had better say... goo... goo... goodbye now before anything... f... f... further happens... O.K?”
Powel sat his brief case firmly by the side of his chair and touched the end of his spectacles with his thumb and forefinger.
“Well no... It’s not O.K. Mr. Bright and with legal aid you don’t have to pay anything, so can we begin please?”
Richard sighed. Was there no getting away from these inquisitors? Would the questions never cease?
“I... d... d... d... don’t think you... you... under... understand Mr. Tower.”
“Powel, the name is Powel but you may call me Eric, if you like and do I have to address you as Richard? Surely your friends call you by another name?” said Powel remembering the warning he had from Tommy Gardner if he should even touch on the name that referred to Richard’s privates. Richard grinned. It was all to start again... The names game, but he was determined that he would never be addressed as a Dickie... not by any means... He was no prick and he wanted everyone to know that.
“I thought I had g... g... g... given all the information that was required yesterday to that p... p... policeman who came to see me,” said Richard as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I am called... Wi... Wi... Richard and that is my name.”
“Well, of course Richard. That suits me if that is what you want. I can’t be sure what enquiries were made with you yesterday, but as I am due to visit Mrs. Thompson in the next day or so I would like to ask you a few questions about her, if I may and now if we could begin, please?”
Richard stared at Powel with angry eyes and his mouth twitched as he swallowed hard.
“You have no business... g... g... g... going to see that lady. She has nothing to do with the... the case. I am guilty of the... m... m... m... murder of the man in... q... q... question,” he snapped, shaking his head vigorously as he was well aware of the difficulty with his impediment... His stammer was apparent. It always was when he was irritated and got angry. He knew it got in the way, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it, unless shut up and stare into space... and there was no way he was ever going to be allowed to do that...
“What?” snapped Powel in surprise, “You‘ve only been banged up in this police station for the past forty eight hours and you talk about being guilty of murder. Who do you think you are exactly... Al Capone?”
“I am... the... the... the only one responsible... f... f... for what happened. Surely you must realize... th... th... that, as I am sure that... e... e... everyone else does.”
“But this lady was the cause of your actions. You must surely realize that. If the other man was not with her when you arrived at the flat, things would have been very different, wouldn’t they?”
Richard paused when he heard that statement and shook his head sharply from side to side.
“I wish I had... I wish... “he went on before he threw his head back when an afterthought entered his head... “No, I don’t wish...”he said resolutely, “If I hadn’t gone to the... f... f... flat when I did, Maya could have... b... been the one who was k... k... killed. That man meant... b... b... b... business. He was big and he was... h... h... hurting Maya. I thought he wanted to k... k... kill her when I saw wh... wh... what he was doing...”
“But I understood this lady Mrs. Thompson had asked you to leave her flat some weeks before, implying that she didn’t want to see you again. Is that correct?”
Once more Richard looked to the floor before he answered, but he was a little perplexed as to just how much this Mr. Powel knew and he was sure that Powel had certainly done his homework...
“We had... we had... a... d... d... disagreement a short time ago. Something about... n... n... nothing... really and she was angry with me. I could understand... h... h... h... how she was fee... fee... feeling... and I left the flat thinking that she... she... she would change her mind and be... be... besides, I still had the... k... k... key to the flat. Maya didn‘t... a... a... ask me to give the key back.”
Richard closed his eyes and shook his head at this point as if by that means he would the more easily say what he had to say.
“And did she?
“Did she... wh... wh... wh... what?”
“Did she change her mind when obviously you came back to the flat and I presume that was by her invitation?”
“Yes... It was the evening be... be... before I went back and I had a telephone call from M... M... Maya’s daughter asking me to go b... b... b... back the following day. It was she who asked me to go and see her... m... m... mother. I hadn’t spoken to Maya at all about my... v... v... visit.” Richard’s head shot forward as he spoke in an effort to make himself heard more clearly. “Perhaps I sh... sh... should have told Maya I was... c... c... coming to see her that evening.”
“Maya’s daughter... I didn’t know about her.” said Powel as he glanced again carefully at his notes.
“Yes, Maya had a... d... d... daughter of seventeen. Her name is Fee... Fee... Fiona. Fiona had visited the flat several times wh... wh... when I was there.”
“And did Fiona know about the relationship you had with her mother?”
Richard hesitated and licked his lips before he answered.
“Y... y... yes, she did.” he said slowly and Eric Powel made a few notes in his pad as he listened. “I don’t... I don’t... th... th... think she minded,” he added, but his voice was more hesitant than normal.
“Was this lady... Fiona, I mean... was she married...”
“I don’t... th... th... th... think so and I would hardly have... im... im... im... imagined her to be married at... s... s... such a young age.”
“Some are at it from a much younger age than that, but never mind... I don’t suppose she was very pleased about that. Was she?”
“What? About not being... m... m... married?”
“No, I mean I don‘t think she would have been pleased about the situation concerning you and her mother, was she?”
Richard frowned as if he didn‘t understand what Eric Powel meant and then his face took on a look of understanding.
“Fiona understood the... si... s... s... situation completely and sh... sh... she never q... q... quizzed. She never asked any... q... q... questions,” he said.
“That’s not what I asked you Richard,” said Powel and his voice was firm. “WAS FIONA PLEASED AT THE ARRANGEMENT YOU HAD WITH HER MOTHER?”
“I don’t think so... well, no... no, she wasn’t p... p... pleased at all but she... she realized what her mother was like... and... and... besides, it was n... n... none of her business. You f... f... fall in love with some people and n... n... n... not with others. Fiona would have understood... th... th... that. She was... is a very... s... s... sensible girl.”
Powel stroked his chin and raised his eyebrows, a little perplexed at the philosophy of one as young as Richard Bright.
“Was she jealous, do you think?” he asked and Richard stared at him.
“Jealous? Who... w... w... would have been... j... j... j... jealous? I don‘t understand... Wh... wh... what you mean?”
Powel looked at Richard above the rims of his spectacles and smiled.
“Fiona, perhaps?” he said with a smile on his lips, but Richard could not believe what he was hearing. “She could have been jealous of such a young handsome bloke being with her mother, surely...”Powel went on, but Richard shook his head violently and his eyes were wide with anger.
“No... not that... Fee... Fee... Fiona was only a... y... y... young girl. She would... n... n... n... never have... have... have... been jealous of anyone.”
“Hardly a little girl, Richard if she was as you say, seventeen. Perhaps it was Maya who could have been jealous... of her daughter, because of her youth, eh?”
Richard sat in silence for a few moments as if he had never had such a thought in his mind before.
“I think Fiona was... s... s... seventeen. M... M... Maya must have told me that, but I can’t remember. Fiona was... n... n... not jealous and Maya was not jealous. I... I... I don’t know where you... you... get... get these silly ideas.”
“Sorry... Now can we get back to your visit to the flat on the evening in question. You say it was Fiona who telephoned you and asked you to go to see her mother the following day?”
“Yes.”
”So you had a key to the flat all this time you were not visiting Maya. Is that correct?”
”Yes... I... I... have... t... t... told... you that, haven’t it... ”.”
“Rather strange, don’t you think... That a woman should ask you to leave her flat some time before and not ask you to return the key?”
“I never thought to... re... return the key and... M... M... Maya never asked me. I just forgot... for... for... forgot that I had the key in my... p... p... pocket. That’s all”
“And so you were able to let yourself into the flat when you went there, by invitation, the following morning, yes? How convenient”
“I told you it... it... it was Fiona who asked me to go b... b... back to the flat, not Maya and I went back to the... f... f... flat, not in the m... m... morning, but in the evening around seven, as that was the time... wh... wh... wh... when I always... w... w... went there. Look you are getting me stuttering again and I don’t... I... I... I don’t like it.” Richard snapped, as his eyes were wild...
“Take your time and answer at your will. I’m not in any rush and I just want you to be calm and answer to the best of your ability. Did Fiona know that you still had the key and did she know that Maya was expecting another visitor that day?”
“You will have to ask Fiona that question,” said Richard in a very slow and determined voice and there was no apparent stutter.
“O.K... Let’s leave that point for the moment. Now when you arrived at the flat... around seven in the evening, as you say, did you hear any voices or any sound at all within the flat?”
“No.”
“At what time EXACTLY did you arrive there?”
“At my... u... u... u... usual time... wh... wh... when I visited Maya... About 6.30 or 7.0pm, but I... I... I... I... can’t say exactly.”
Powel stroked his chin.
“Could you just be a little more exact Richard? Was it nearer 6.30 or nearer 7.O?”
Richard stroked his chin and looked to the ceiling.
“Nearer... s... s... seven, I would say.”
“And never during the day... but always in the evenings... and always about that time” Powel asked, but there was a look of doubt in his eyes as he studied Richard more closely...
“I could never visit Maya... d... d... during the... d... d... day. She is a photographer and has an office... t... t... t... to attend to.”
“Every day... she doesn’t have a day off at any time?”
“She works in her... o... o ... office every day of the week, but she is al... always away at the weekends, from... F... F... F... Friday evening actually. She has conferences and lectures and... and... and things she has to attend. It was after one of these... con... con... conferences in S... S... S... Southend that I first... m... m... met her.”
Powel raised his eyebrows as he continued to question Richard, but there was a strange look in his eye.
“But wasn’t it a Friday evening when you went to see Maya at Fiona’s invitation?”
“Yes... I... I... suppose... Fi... Fi... Fiona knew that her mother w... w... would not be away on that day, otherwise she w... w... wouldn’t have asked me, w... w... would she?”
“I’m asking YOU, Richard,”
“I was anxious to get back to see M... M... Maya and I... d... d... didn’t think much about it being a... F... F... Friday and anyway it didn’t... m... m... matter as long as she wanted to see me. I was willing to... to... to see M... M... Maya at any time... Any... any... d... d... day.”
“O.K... I can understand that, but didn’t you think it was rather strange that when you went to visit Maya there was another man at the flat at precisely the time you always went there?”
“I never th... th... th... thought about that. I just wanted to... s... see her.”
“And you say there was no sound when you arrived at the flat. What did you do then?”
Richard coughed and looked about him.
“I hesitated to put the k... k... key in the lock for a few moments, so I knocked... f... f... f... first and then rang the doorbell.”
“Yes and what happened then?”
“I heard this strange noise... A sort of... of... of... sh... sh... shuffling sound and then I thought I... h... h... h... heard a scream.”
“Yes, you heard a scream?”
“Yes, it was then I... sh... sh... shoved the key in the lock and rushed inside.”
“And it was then you saw this strange man? What was he doing?”
Richard closed his eyes and began to shake.
“I... I... saw that this man had his hands... his hands... ar... ar... ar... around Maya’s throat. He was a... b... b... big man, broad and tall. I... I... I... thought he would kill her if I didn’t do something, so I... I... reached for a poker by the f... f... fireside and hit him hard across the... sh... sh... sh... shoulders with it. This poker was all I could... f... f... find at that... m... m... moment.”
“Yes and...”Powel persisted and Richard closed his eyes for a moment before he answered.
“He stumbled and turned... to... to... to... towards me. I hit him with my fist this time and he fell to the... f... f... f... floor. There was blood... c... c... coming from his mouth and I knew I had... d... d... d... done him some... some... serious damage, but I was more... in... in... in... interested in helping M... M... M... Maya.”
“Did you check to see what harm you had done to this man who was lying on the floor, by this time?”
“No... I... d... d... didn’t care what I had done to him. I just d... d... dropped the poker to the... f... f... f... floor and went to the telephone to... d... d... d... dial for an ambulance to get Maya into... h... h... h... h... hospital. She looked... rather... d... d... dazed. I think she was unconscious.”
“You’re doing fine Richard,” Eric Powel patronized, “Your stutter isn’t so bad. Are you able to go on with some more questions?”
Richard nodded, but he looked pale and Powel could see that he was deeply upset.
“It was just a... f... f... few minutes after the ambulance had taken Maya away that the p... p... p... police arrived at the flat. They... w... w... wouldn’t let me go to the hospital with her. It was then I knew that I had m... m... m... murdered this man. The ambulance took him away also and the police took me to... to... to... the... p... p... police station for... qu... qu... qu... questioning.”
“Did they handcuff you, Richard?” he asked and Richard shook his head.
“I was stunned. They knew I... c... c... couldn’t and wouldn’t run away, even if I... w... w... wanted to and besides, I told them then that I had m... m... murdered that man.”
Powel sighed deeply and felt for his brief case.
“Don’t be such a bloody idiot,” Powel said and his voice was angry... “You didn’t murder anyone. This man’s name is Rudolph Barnes. He is in hospital suffering from an over dose of cocaine otherwise he’s as right as you or I will ever be. He’s a registered drug addict. Can you tell me if Maya was an addict too?”
Richard stared into space. There was fear in his eyes and a tear formed at the corner of his eyelid.
“I was... sh... sh... sure I had killed this man. There was blood coming from his... m... m... m... mouth as he was lying on the... f... f... floor after I hit him. He did not seem to be... b... b... b... breathing, but I have never thought M... M... M... Maya to be on drugs. No... n... n... never that... She is a lovely woman... A supremely... l ...l ... lovely lady.”
“But as you have already said, you were more interested in getting Maya to the hospital. I don‘t suppose you gave this man another thought. Did you Richard?”
Richard did not answer that question.
“Is Maya alright?” he asked, “Can I... g... g... go to the hospital and see her?
“Maya is not in hospital. She was discharged yesterday. That is when I went to see her, but I will have to go again to ask her some questions.
“She is alright then, yes?”
“Yes... Apart from a sore neck and a black eye together with a bruised ego, the lady is fine, but I still want to know why Fiona arranged for you to go to the flat when this man was there with Mrs. Thompson. Was Fiona aware that this man would be there with her mother and did she know what time you would go there, knowing her mother’s routine?”
“I... d... d... don’t know, but Fee... F... F... Fiona wouldn’t do anything like that... d... d... deliberately. I presumed that Maya h... h... had asked her to tell me I could come back and... and... and... and see her. That’s all.”
Eric Powel stooped down and picked up his brief case.
“I’ll be off now, but I’ll see Mrs. Thompson again soon... and also her daughter Fiona.
“But what will... ha... ha... happen to me now? Will I still be held prisoner here or... w... w... w... will they let me go,” pleaded Richard, but Powel couldn’t give him an answer except to tell him that he was still guilty of assault and the rest was up to the police.