‘I don’t know.’
‘How did you meet him?’
‘I never met him. I don’t know who you’re talking about it.’
‘We’ve found fingerprints and DNA at the crime scenes. We know it doesn’t belong to you. You’re not the one who injected fentanyl into Sian Fox-Carnell’s blood stream or broke Nathan Hall’s legs with a sledgehammer.’
Elliot’s cup fell from his shaking hands and water spilled onto the table. ‘What?’ he exclaimed. ‘What do you mean?’
‘In your job you shouldn’t really be surprised that a pre-meditated murder is usually the worse kind,’ Henley said soothingly as she blotted away the spilled water with a tissue. ‘The planning that goes into that type of murder. The decision to not only murder but to desecrate a body by, DC Ramouter, why don’t you enlighten, Mr Fonseka?’
‘Oh, you mean the scalping?’ said Ramouter. He opened a blue, spiral-bound A5-sized photo album and placed it in front of Elliot. Nathan Hall’s broken body – the Y incision visible on his chest was the first photograph. Ramouter turned the pages before stopping at the photograph of the back of Nathan’s Hall’s head.
‘Thankfully Hall was already dead when Don – or maybe it was Kaiden Longley – cut away a piece of his scalp.’
Elliot put a hand to his throat as he audibly heaved. ‘I didn’t … didn’t. Oh my God.’
‘What was that? You didn’t know?’
Elliot shook his head vigorously and pushed the photo album away.
‘You’re involved in the murder of five people. You’re the one in the middle of all of this. None of this is possible without you. Did your wife introduce Don to you?’ asked Ramouter.
‘I told you that I’m not talking about her,’ Elliot said shakily.
‘Are you scared of her?’
‘Of course not but I’ve told you I’m not talking about her. She’s not involved.’
‘I don’t think that’s true. Do you know Gareth Humphreys and Karim Messenger? They’re both serving sentences in Strangeways but they’ve both given descriptions of you and—’
‘Stop. Stop. I need to talk to my lawyer. I’m allowed to stop the interview to have a consultation with him. You said it,’ Elliot said, standing up and pointing at Ramouter. ‘You said I could.’
‘Aye, I did say it. Calm yourself and sit down,’ said Ramouter as Arthur grabbed Elliot’s arm, forcing him to sit. ‘I’m suspending the interview at 4.24 p.m..’
‘How long do we keep on pushing him?’ Ramouter asked as Henley walked away from the closed door of interview room four.
‘We’ve only been in there for twenty minutes and look at the state of him. He’s ignored his lawyer’s advice and he’s talking,’ said Henley.
‘Except when it comes to his wife. He refuses to talk about her.’
‘Because he doesn’t want to incriminate her, but I reckon that if we keep pushing with the questions about Don he’ll crack. Are you happy to take the lead with the rest of the interview?’ Henley asked as the interview door opened and Arthur stepped out.
‘Inspector Henley, can I have a word?’ Arthur asked.
‘Feel free,’ Henley said.
‘Mr Fonseka wants to make a deal,’ Arthur said unenthusiastically.
‘A deal,’ Henley repeated. ‘He’s in no position to make a deal.’
‘Well, Mr Fonseka thinks that he is. Section 72 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act allows for the prosecution to give an undertaking that any information a person gives will not be used against them.’
‘He wants us not to take further action against him if he grasses? Is that what you’re telling me? That he wants immunity from prosecution?’
‘Something along those lines. If you agree he would become a co-operating witness and not a suspect.’
‘Wow. He’s delusional,’ Ramouter said.
