Jack entered the viewing room, surprised that Amanda was still not being questioned. Laura was sitting with a plate of sandwiches and asked him how it had gone with Mrs Dunn. Jack shrugged and said that it was quite informative, but didn’t elaborate. Instead, he helped himself to the curry and some items from the salad bar. Glenda was sitting reading the Evening Standard, moaning about the length of time she had been waiting for the ‘show’ to start. Just then the lights came on in the viewing room as Anik entered, carrying a thick folder of files. He was followed by Amanda, who looked like a different person. Her usually lank, greasy hair was shining and full. She was wearing a fashionable denim jumpsuit and had applied makeup and lipstick.
‘My God! She brushes up well,’ Jack said as they all looked intently through the large two-way screen. Raj Bukhari was last to enter. He was no longer in his cashmere overcoat but was wearing a very fashionable suit with a white shirt and maroon tie. He carried a folder and sat beside Amanda. Next to enter was a matronly-looking woman, presumably from Social Services. Last to walk in, also with a large folder, was DCI Clarke who sat down beside Anik.
Anik kicked off by explaining that the interview would be both filmed and recorded. He switched on the machine and introduced himself. DCI Clarke gave his own name and rank and the matronly lady said that she was Mrs Hardcastle, acting as the appropriate adult. Raj turned to Amanda who gave her name and then he introduced himself as Raj Bukhari, acting as legal representative for Miss Dunn.
Anik explained that they wanted to question Miss Dunn regarding the disappearance and possible murders of Nadine O’Reilly, Trudie Hudson and Jamail Brown, saying they believed Amanda might be able to assist the investigation. He then cautioned her.
‘You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’
Amanda sat upright in her chair, appearing not to listen, looking at her false pale-pink nails. She was pressing down on them, as if to keep them in place.
Anik opened his bulging file.
‘Amanda, could you please tell us how long you have lived in the basement flat in Leighton Avenue that is leased to Rodney Middleton?’
‘No comment.’
Anik paused, then continued.
‘How well do you know Rodney Middleton?’
‘No comment.’
‘What age where you when you first met Rodney Middleton?’
‘No comment.’
Anik swallowed. He was beginning to look flustered.
‘Amanda, if I was to show you a Snapchat photograph of Trudie Hudson, could you tell us about your friendship with her.’
‘No comment.’
‘Did you exchange a bracelet with Miss Hudson for a gold and ruby ring?’
‘No comment.’
Glenda gave a loud yawn in the viewing room, saying that this was going to be a very long night, as she had expected.
‘Look at her, Little Miss Confidence. She’s not even looking at her brief sitting beside her. He certainly schooled her well. She’s loving it, and poor old Anik is starting to sweat.’
Jack looked on in disgust. He could not believe they were not being tougher on her. It felt like a waste of time. The questions continued for over half an hour and Amanda had still not answered a single one. They had upped the game by showing photographs of the coal hole and the accumulated evidence, but nothing moved her. If anything, she appeared to be becoming bored. She asked for a glass of water and was handed a small plastic bottle. She took a long time unscrewing the top because of her false nails, and then took deliberately tiny sips before re-screwing the lid back on.
Anik continued, slowly moving to the evidence showing that they had identified the three girls, but she still maintained her stance of ‘no comment’. He raised his voice as he said they had a witness to prove that she had been living at the premises when Jamail was there, but Amanda wasn’t remotely fazed, responding yet again with ‘no comment’.
Anik changed tactics, explaining that by being uncooperative she was only implicating herself and was more likely to be charged as an accessory to murder. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
Jack leaned over to Laura and said he was going home. He knew they had only just started and that this could continue for another couple of hours. He told her that if needed he was contactable on his mobile, but he had heard enough to know they were not going to get anything tonight.
Glenda pulled a face. ‘I don’t blame you. I’m waiting for them to show some of the CCTV images but, as I told you all, this is going to be a long night and by the sound of it she’s not going to crack.’
Jack ordered an Uber to collect him and take him home. He would have liked to have been in on the interview, but by the sound of it the cashmere coat brief was playing hardball. It was looking like they were going to have to charge her with accessory to murder and hope that persuaded her to give evidence against Middleton in return for a reduced sentence. Right now, however, the game was only just beginning.
The Uber dropped him off at home just after 9 p.m. He was about to switch on the hall lights when he saw a bulky grey-haired man coming down the stairs. The man looked shocked to see Jack, and Jack didn’t hesitate. He ran up the stairs towards him, grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and they both fell to the bottom of the stairs. The man tried to get to his feet and swung a fist, catching Jack on the nose. Jack head-butted the man in the face, then dragged him to his feet ready to punch him out. Suddenly Maggie came running out of the kitchen screaming.
‘Jack . . . Jack! What the hell are you doing? Stop it. Stop right now, for God’s sake!’
Maggie forced her way between them. Jack’s nose was bleeding profusely. She put her arms out wide to protect the burly man.
‘What are you doing?’
Penny came running down the stairs, looking shocked.
‘What on earth is going on? Oh, my goodness, look what you’ve done to him.’ The man was holding his chin and was obviously dazed.
‘Who is this for Christ’s sake? What is he doing in my house?’ Jack demanded.
Penny took the man in her arms, saying she would get an icepack. Maggie held up her arms to Jack and told him to calm down.
‘Calm down? He was coming down the fucking stairs in our house!’
‘Jack, take a deep breath and listen . . . listen to me. His name is Marius and he’s from Romania. He’s the caretaker at Hannah’s nursery. Are you listening to me?’
‘What was he doing upstairs?’
‘He was saying goodnight to Hannah. Penny was with her. Is your nose broken? Let me see . . .’
Jack was still in such a fury that he backed off as Maggie reached out to feel his nose.
‘Leave it, just leave it, and tell me what the hell is going on.’
‘Marius is Penny’s boyfriend. She’s been seeing him for a while. She didn’t want to mention it to us, especially to you, in case you flew off the handle about your dad. You’d better let me see to your nose.’
Jack’s anger subsided like a deflated balloon. Maggie led him into the kitchen where Marius was sitting at the table with a pack of frozen peas held to his head. Maggie sat Jack down and felt his nose, then after a moment tweaked it hard. It clicked.
‘There you go. Penny, have we got any more frozen peas? Jack’s going to have two black eyes tomorrow.’
Nobody said anything for a few moments. Jack held a bag of frozen green beans to his face whilst Marius sat opposite him with the peas.
‘I’m sorry, Jack,’ Penny said. ‘I kept on wanting to tell you, but I was just concerned about how you would feel about it. Marius and I have been seeing each other, as friends, for some time. We enjoy each other’s company. I was going to tell you both about us, but lately there never seems to be the right time.’
Jack sighed. ‘Look, I am sorry about reacting like that. I’d been warned to take extra precautions lately, so seeing someone I didn’t know heading down the stairs just freaked me out.’
Marius removed the frozen peas to speak. ‘I understand . . . you’d never met me.’ He chuckled. ‘I have to say you have a very good right hook. I used to be a boxer when I was a kid. Anyway, I work at the church’s gym, and at the nursery school, painting and doing odd jobs . . . a bit of plumbing or electrical stuff. In fact anything that needs doing. I’m retired now, but I had my own decorating company once.’
Jack listened as the poor man continued telling him about his life, that he was a widower, how he had met Penny, and how much they enjoyed each other’s company, taking their long walks in the afternoon with Hannah.
Maggie eventually interrupted with a suggestion they all have a glass of wine, and perhaps order in a pizza.
Jack had a tissue stuffed up each nostril and shook Marius’s big, gnarled hand saying that perhaps a whisky would suit them both better.
They spent the evening apologising to each other, eating pizza and even laughing about it in the end. Maggie was keen to see if Marius could do some work around the house, and he said that he would be happy to do whatever she wanted. Penny remained quiet, obviously relieved that it was now out in the open.
After Marius had left, Jack gave Penny a hug and a kiss, reassuring her that he was happy she had a new companion and saying that he thought Marius was a fabulous old boy.
Later on, in bed with Maggie, his nose still stuffed up with tissues, he asked in a whisper if she thought his mum and Marius had consummated their relationship. Maggie nudged him in his sore ribs and told him not to be so nosy. She was more interested in Marius tackling the various things that needed doing around the house.
‘I think all this memory loss stuff I’ve been concerned about is probably due to her keeping her boyfriend a secret. It’s obviously been going on for months and must have put a lot of mental strain on her.’
Jack’s head was throbbing and Maggie gave him a couple of painkillers. ‘Well, ironically it’ll be good to have him around the house, given the situation with Ridley,’ he said with a wry smile.
Jack briefly told Maggie about Amanda Dunn’s interview, then repeated what Mrs Dunn had told him about Amanda’s sister, Sharon.
‘You know, I think she’s a devious little bitch, but they’re treating her with kid gloves. She was clearly loving doing the “no comment” show, which means we will probably have the same scenario with Rodney Middleton. This is really going to drag on.’
‘How come, when you have so much evidence against him?’ Maggie asked.
‘No bodies, so it’s all circumstantial, apart from the matching DNA that ties him to the horror that went on in the coal hole. But he could easily claim that he never knew what went on in there. Anyone could have had access while he was on remand. He could say that he used the chemicals to get rid of rats, and any blood splattering found on his clothes could have got there from him cleaning up afterwards. The DCI hinted at the pressure on him to get a confession. Any day soon it’s going to hit the press big time; they were already hanging around outside the station.’
‘You told me you have footage of Amanda getting rid of the missing girls’ clothes?’
‘We have footage of her shoving items into a charity container, but who’s to say they were the victims’ clothes? We have to have proof, and with no bodies it’s twenty times harder.’
Maggie sighed. ‘Dear God! What I find so repulsive is the way they’ve both got these high-powered briefs working for them. I mean, what kind of man or woman wants to help get a sick killer free? For the publicity? It’s just a game for them, isn’t it? The kudos of winning. The reality is those two young people are monsters.’
Jack started to nod off, the painkillers taking effect. The tissue stuffed up his nostrils were making him snore, and Maggie leaned over him to switch his bedside light off, then hers. She lay beside him in the darkness, thinking that sometimes he was such an adolescent, impulsively attacking poor Marius. But he had a very lovable side, the way he had hugged Penny, and made it up with her boyfriend.
Maggie was aware that there was another side to him, a darkness that he had to control, that set him apart from the officers he worked alongside and stopped him from being a team player. She knew that was the reason why he had not been promoted after his last successful case. He was a loose cannon, and she knew that if anyone harmed his family, he would fire back with everything he had. But if the anger she had witnessed tonight was unleashed in the wrong direction, it could be devastating.