He began shaking his head rapidly, bits of spittle landing on the table. ‘No.’
He was cracking. Gina clenched her hands under the table in anticipation. ‘No, what?’
‘Can I have another drink?’
‘What were you trying to get your mother to see?’
‘I need a smoke.’
‘What did you want her to see?’
He stared straight at Gina. ‘That she was a murderer.’ Curtis stood and flipped the table over, knocking the recording equipment everywhere. It was as if the pain in his arm was gone and had been replaced by a surge of adrenaline. ‘She’s a murderer.’ He slammed himself against the wall. Gina hit the alarm strip on the wall and PC Smith and Jacob ran in and attempted to restrain the man.
Curtis slammed his fist into Jacob’s jaw then he ran into the corridor. PC Smith grabbed him from behind and brought him to the ground. Gina ushered the shaken solicitor out. The woman’s low heels clattered down the corridor where she stayed watching at the end.
Curtis’s roars filled every inch of the station as he swore and shouted. ‘She’s the murderer, not me. I did it for Hailey. Justice for Hailey.’ He began to scream and kick as he was led towards the cells. The rest of his shouts were incoherent babble.
‘Do we know anything about his deceased sister?’
Wyre shook her head. ‘They were twins.’
‘You’re shaking.’
Wyre looked at her hands. ‘So I am. I just wasn’t expecting that.’
Gina felt her own body trembling a little. ‘I won’t ask if you’re okay.’
Wyre smiled. ‘Thanks, guv. Ditto. What’s happening with Jhanvi?’
‘She called and wants to see us. I was going to head over there when we’d interviewed Curtis Gallagher. You coming with me?’ Gina glanced at her watch. It was almost nine in the evening. Late for a visit but they all needed to know what Jhanvi Kapoor had to say before they stated their case to the CPS and the medical team had stabilised her now.
‘Too right.’
Gina smiled at Wyre. ‘Let’s do this.’
As they headed back towards the incident room, Gina glanced into the main reception where she saw that Madison, Tyrone and Alice were about to leave. She peered through the door. ‘Have you all given statements?’
Tyrone nodded. ‘Yeah, just finished. Sorry again. We didn’t mean to mess things up.’
The dressing on Madison’s head had begun to peel around the edges where she was picking at it. ‘I can’t believe it was him. All this time, he must have been watching Amber, then me. When I visited Ty, he was there, always lurking outside with a roll-up in his mouth, trying to make conversation.’ She shivered. ‘It makes me sick to think about it. Is the other woman okay? Your officer?’
Gina didn’t want to discuss Kapoor with the meddling trio. ‘We’re going to visit her in a while.’
Madison forced a smile and Alice linked arms with her. ‘Let’s get you home.’
‘Stay safe and I shouldn’t need to tell you again. Any trouble in the future call the police straight away and let them handle it. Don’t go putting yourselves in danger. Anything could have happened.’ Gina smiled back at them. For all their faults they had been trying to help. She couldn’t be angry at their interference any longer. To her they looked so young, so vulnerable and she now knew they were safe from Curtis Gallagher and Gina hoped that tonight, Madison would sleep well knowing that they’d made an arrest. They were only a little bit younger than her own daughter, Hannah, and she felt this sudden urge to protect them, mostly from themselves and their own stupid decisions.
Tyrone pulled her card out of his pocket. ‘Thanks, DI Harte. If I suspect anyone else of being a murderer, I’ll call you.’
His wide grin made her smile. ‘Look after that kitten of yours.’ She waved them off and turned back to the incident room, bumping straight into Briggs’s broad chest. As always, heat radiated from him. ‘That was moving, Harte. Are you okay? I heard about what happened in the interview so I thought I’d check.’
She glanced at him, properly this time. His frown caused his forehead to crease. She knew he wasn’t just checking up on her. He wanted to know if they were okay. She mulled over that for a second and she couldn’t answer that question. ‘You know, Wyre and I have made a decision never to ask each other if we’re okay ever again. I’m standing and I’m present and I’m not hurt. We’ve made an arrest. Things couldn’t be better.’ They could. Briggs being on AppyDater had really played on her mind. She swallowed and looked away.
‘I’m sorry you found out about me being on AppyDater the way you did. I know I should have said something.’
‘It’s none of my business. We’ve established that. Now all this is over, I might even resurrect the account I opened the other day just so that I can have a snoop. Might find me a hook-up. A woman has needs.’
‘You’re going to find a hook-up?’
