‘Did he say anything to you?’
‘Didn’t get a chance. The other guy called him, and I ran into a bedroom and locked the door.’
‘Did he follow you? Try to get into the room?’
Ben nodded. ‘I saw the door handle turn. I thought he was going to break the door down but then he left.’
‘The man who called him. Was he the one with an accent?’
‘No, the Londoner.’
‘Did he call him by name or …’
‘Josh. He called him Josh.’
‘And then what happened?’
‘I gave it about half an hour and then I left too but I went out the back. The bedroom had a terrace and stairs that went into the garden. I went down that way.’
‘And that’s why you didn’t see Nathan Hall hanging from the bannister, because you left through the back?’
‘There was no way I was leaving through the front door. I would have jumped out the window if I had to.’
‘And you still didn’t call the police,’ said Copeland. ‘After all that. You knew Nathan Hall was dead. You saw the people responsible, but you saw it all as material for your ridiculous show.’
‘DC Copeland!’ said Ramouter. ‘Ben has—’
‘He came to my studio,’ Ben shouted. ‘The day after my report. I saw him … it … he’s coming after me. So, you’ve got to protect me. You’ve got to.’
‘Talk me through what happened?’ Ramouter asked as Copeland leaned back in her seat, clearly annoyed at Ramouter’s intervention.
‘I was in my studio in Whitechapel. It’s not hard to find me because my details are on my YouTube page. Seth, my boyfriend, dropped me off. He helps me sometimes with editing and—’
‘Flying the drone?’ asked Ramouter.
‘He’s better at it than me. I’d left the studio to go to the chicken shop, and I saw him in the car park. The guy who came out of the bathroom.’
‘Are you sure it was him?’
‘Positive. He clocked me and then he started to run after me, and I ran too.’
‘Did he catch you?’
‘No. I jumped the fence and ran into the estate. I heard someone shouting and I think they scared him off.’
‘But again, you didn’t call the police,’ said Copeland. ‘Which makes me think this is all a ploy. That you’ve watched too many true crime documentaries.’
‘I was scared. What would you do if you were being chased by a serial killer?’
‘As I said, I don’t—’
Ramouter turned to Copeland and gave her a sharp look, silencing her before she had a chance to finish. ‘This man. You’ve seen him twice. Could you give us a description?’ he asked Ben.
‘What about protection?’ Ben asked as though he hadn’t heard the question.
‘It’s unlikely,’ Copeland said bitterly. ‘You ran. You lied. You broke into property. Three strikes and you’re out. I’m sure your lawyers explained that to you the last time you were in court.’
‘Ben, I’ll talk to my boss about the protection. It never hurts to ask, ok?’ reassured Ramouter.
