hard, hearing his own voice come out small and shrill.
‘Consensual sex?’ DI Grant persisted. ‘Or did you force the girl against her will? Hit her hard to make her more compliant? Eh?’
‘Detective Inspector—’ Mrs Fellowes began but Colin could see the police officer wave her hand brusquely in the air as though to simply brush aside any possible protest.
Colin’s mouth opened in astonishment, then he closed it again. She didn’t know. How could she? Well, he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her what had really taken place. Eva was dead. It would do nobody any good to reveal to anyone what life had been like for him over the past few months, especially to her father.
He sat back in his seat, suddenly exhausted as though the last vestiges of energy had drained out of him.
‘No comment,’ he said at last, forcing his eyes to remain focused on his hands that were bunched together on his lap, fingernails digging into the palms and making them bleed.
‘Here’s what I think happened, Colin,’ DI Grant continued, leaning forward so near to him that he was aware of a pungent scent that might have been tea-tree oil. ‘I think you fancied Eva, fancied her a lot. A pretty Swedish girl whose warm sunny nature makes her popular with everyone she meets, a girl way out of your league, Colin. Wouldn’t you say?’
‘No comment,’ Colin whispered to his hands again, the scent emanating from the woman’s fingers making him feel sick.
‘Speak up, please.’
‘No comment,’ Colin said again, anger with this stupid woman and her stupid machine making his ears burn.
‘See, Eva could have had her pick of the lads, so why pick you, Colin?’
He kept his eyes down, refusing to rise to her bait, refusing even to answer.
‘Did you force her to have sex? Or was she so sorry for you that she let you have your way? And what happened afterwards? Did you come too quickly? Did she laugh at you? And then did you have a moment of utter rage when you hit her on the head? Such overpowering rage that you had to take her throat and squeeze it so hard that you killed her?’ Grant’s voice grew louder with every question.
‘No!’ Colin sat up suddenly, thumping the table between them. ‘I didn’t kill her! You can’t believe that I did!’ he gulped.
‘Sure about that, Colin?’ The woman was smiling at him still, her cats’ eyes gleaming as though she had scored a point by making him answer her at last.
‘Of course I’m sure,’ he said, clasping his hands together to stop them trembling, eyes cast down to avoid the detective inspector’s stare.
‘You see, we think that you did,’ DI Grant continued. She paused for a moment and he looked up despite himself to see her regarding him thoughtfully.
‘We think that you killed the girl in a moment of… what shall we call it, a moment of madness, if you like. Some killers do tend to use that particular phrase, you know,’ she said drily.
Colin wanted to turn to the solicitor in mute appeal but a sudden thought made his skin prickle with sweat. She had made no noise of objection on his behalf. Was she part of the ‘we’ that the detective inspector was referring to? Was this some kind of conspiracy against him?
Colin shook his head again. ‘I did not kill her,’ he said slowly, enunciating each word as though to make the detective understand. ‘I don’t
have
a temper. I’m not that sort of person.’
The detective inspector shared a wry smile with the other woman, one sardonic eyebrow lifted as though to say,
Well what was all that shouting about then?
‘No? What sort of person are you then, Colin?’ She was sitting back in her seat now, arms folded, looking at him with interest.
‘You’re so sweet, Colin,’ Eva had said, tracing his lips with one finger. Her eyes had looked into his, melting him with that blue gaze. He had smelled her scent, something that reminded him of gardens after the rain, fresh and lovely, just like Eva herself. He had
‘Consensual sex?’ DI Grant persisted. ‘Or did you force the girl against her will? Hit her hard to make her more compliant? Eh?’
‘Detective Inspector—’ Mrs Fellowes began but Colin could see the police officer wave her hand brusquely in the air as though to simply brush aside any possible protest.
Colin’s mouth opened in astonishment, then he closed it again. She didn’t know. How could she? Well, he wasn’t going to be the one to tell her what had really taken place. Eva was dead. It would do nobody any good to reveal to anyone what life had been like for him over the past few months, especially to her father.
He sat back in his seat, suddenly exhausted as though the last vestiges of energy had drained out of him.
‘No comment,’ he said at last, forcing his eyes to remain focused on his hands that were bunched together on his lap, fingernails digging into the palms and making them bleed.
‘Here’s what I think happened, Colin,’ DI Grant continued, leaning forward so near to him that he was aware of a pungent scent that might have been tea-tree oil. ‘I think you fancied Eva, fancied her a lot. A pretty Swedish girl whose warm sunny nature makes her popular with everyone she meets, a girl way out of your league, Colin. Wouldn’t you say?’
‘No comment,’ Colin whispered to his hands again, the scent emanating from the woman’s fingers making him feel sick.
‘Speak up, please.’
‘No comment,’ Colin said again, anger with this stupid woman and her stupid machine making his ears burn.
‘See, Eva could have had her pick of the lads, so why pick you, Colin?’
He kept his eyes down, refusing to rise to her bait, refusing even to answer.
‘Did you force her to have sex? Or was she so sorry for you that she let you have your way? And what happened afterwards? Did you come too quickly? Did she laugh at you? And then did you have a moment of utter rage when you hit her on the head? Such overpowering rage that you had to take her throat and squeeze it so hard that you killed her?’ Grant’s voice grew louder with every question.
‘No!’ Colin sat up suddenly, thumping the table between them. ‘I didn’t kill her! You can’t believe that I did!’ he gulped.
‘Sure about that, Colin?’ The woman was smiling at him still, her cats’ eyes gleaming as though she had scored a point by making him answer her at last.
‘Of course I’m sure,’ he said, clasping his hands together to stop them trembling, eyes cast down to avoid the detective inspector’s stare.
‘You see, we think that you did,’ DI Grant continued. She paused for a moment and he looked up despite himself to see her regarding him thoughtfully.
‘We think that you killed the girl in a moment of… what shall we call it, a moment of madness, if you like. Some killers do tend to use that particular phrase, you know,’ she said drily.
Colin wanted to turn to the solicitor in mute appeal but a sudden thought made his skin prickle with sweat. She had made no noise of objection on his behalf. Was she part of the ‘we’ that the detective inspector was referring to? Was this some kind of conspiracy against him?
Colin shook his head again. ‘I did not kill her,’ he said slowly, enunciating each word as though to make the detective understand. ‘I don’t
have
a temper. I’m not that sort of person.’
The detective inspector shared a wry smile with the other woman, one sardonic eyebrow lifted as though to say,
Well what was all that shouting about then?
‘No? What sort of person are you then, Colin?’ She was sitting back in her seat now, arms folded, looking at him with interest.
‘You’re so sweet, Colin,’ Eva had said, tracing his lips with one finger. Her eyes had looked into his, melting him with that blue gaze. He had smelled her scent, something that reminded him of gardens after the rain, fresh and lovely, just like Eva herself. He had
Similar Books
