‘I’ve been in this job for so many years, and I keep thinking I’ll get to a point where I’m no longer surprised by people but yet, here I am, surprised,’ said Copeland.
‘We need to keep being surprised, otherwise where’s the incentive to keep going?’
‘You’re right. Being surprised is what makes me eager to get in there. So how do you want to play this? You’re usually partnered with Henley, so you’re probably used to taking her lead.’
‘To be honest, she’s always kept it 50/50.’
‘Oh, that’s a surprise. I saw her as being a bit more of a controller.’
Ramouter let the statement hang in the air, not wanting to get into a discussion about Henley. He could remember how quickly Stanford, Eastwood and Ezra had gathered the wagons when his poor attempt at small talk had been interpreted as him digginginto her past. After working with her for over a year, he was now equally protective of her.
‘Let’s make a start,’ Ramouter said. He reached past Copeland and opened the door, and gestured for her to enter. ‘And you can follow my lead.’
‘Of course,’ Copeland said tersely. She walked in and sat down in the first chair, activated the touchscreen monitor and entered the interview details.
‘Who’s this?’ asked Ben who had somehow positioned himself in the bolted down chair that enabled him to put his feet on the table. He was wearing no shoes, and the pilling was visible on his once-white socks. He looked relaxed as though he was at home.
‘Sit up properly,’ Ramouter ordered.
‘I’m not going to lie, but I’m a bit disappointed.’ Ben straightened up and smoothed down his unruly hair. ‘I was expecting Inspector Henley.’
‘I’ll let her know she was missed,’ said Ramouter. He turned the pages of the custody sheet printout and read through the log. ‘Before we start, you were informed of your right to free legal advice and to have someone informed of your arrest, but you declined both.’
‘I was dragged out of my boyfriend’s bed at seven o’clock this morning so I would take that as him being informed, and I don’t want to waste time waiting for a lawyer. So, let’s get on with it.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ said Ramouter as Copeland pressed record.
They introduced themselves and Copeland asked Ben for his full name.
‘Benjamin Sylvain Trezeguet.’
Ramouter repeated the caution and Ben confirmed he understood.
‘And even though you’ve declined your right to legal advice, I will stop the interview if you change your mind.’
‘I won’t change my mind. Let’s get things moving. Ask your questions.’
‘You’ve been arrested for attempted burglary and the murder of Nathan Hall.’
‘Am I able to get a copy of the video of this interview?’ Ben asked as he pointed up at the black dome which concealed the camera in the corner of the room.
‘You’ll get a copy of the recording if the CPS decide to charge you with murder,’ answered Ramouter. ‘Now we’ve got evidence of you entering Nathan Hall’s property on the night of his murder.’
‘What sort of evidence?’ Ben asked cautiously.
‘These are screenshots taken from the security footage,’ said Copeland. She laid out four A4 sized photographs on the table. ‘Is that you?’
Ben pulled the photograph towards him, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. ‘It’s going to be a bit hard to deny it. The only thing I didn’t do was smile for the camera.’
‘We also found your fingerprints in the property. How did you know where Nathan Hall lived?’
Ben snorted. ‘Because he wasn’t smart. I’ve been following him on social media since he was charged. I don’t know what he thought he was going to achieve but he started posting these walking mindfulness videos. Just him chatting away about overcoming the odds and having faith when he was out on his morning walks. On one video, I saw a bus go past and I took a note of the number. Another video, you could see the street name. Put two and two together and bingo. A location.’
‘How did you get past the security gate?’
‘It was already open. Someone had jammed it.’
‘This screenshot was taken at 11 p.m.. What were you doing there so late?’
