The silent house arc, p.31
The Silent House (ARC), page 31
to say.
He held her gaze for a moment, then looked away. No,
it wouldn’t work. Ignore me. I thought I might be able
to help.
Elisha breathed deeply to calm her racing heart. I’d
leave with you today if I thought Alan wouldn’t come for
my daughter, she told him.
He nodded. Okay. It won’t be today, but let’s make a
plan.
She knew in her heart it would never happen, but as
he explained his idea she smiled and let herself live in a
fantasy world, if only for one night.
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Chapter 26
Friday 16th February
I didn’t sleep well that night, my dreams full of Caitlin
and Lexi again. I woke up with one thought central in
my mind – Caitlin’s death was tragic, but I had always
been convinced it hadn’t been premeditated. It happened
on the spur of the moment, and whilst it could have been
prevented it couldn’t have been foreseen. Lexi’s murder
was different in that it felt planned, of that I had no doubt, but I just couldn’t understand how someone could have
such rage and hatred towards an eighteen-month-old. So
who was her death meant to punish, and what could
anyone have done to deserve such a punishment?
I called the hospital as early as I thought was acceptable,
but there had been no change in Anna’s condition, so I
headed to the police station. As I was signing in at the
desk, the door opened and Max walked towards me. The
floor lurched as I realised he was the suspect Forest had
been desperate to interview, and I held on to the desk for
support, but he didn’t seem to notice.
I was hoping you’d be here, he said, standing next
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to me. I have no idea why they want to talk to me again.
Have they told you anything?
I shook my head but didn’t offer any more information.
Is this something to do with you and Singh following
me around town yesterday? His question seemed light-
hearted, but his eyes watched me closely for my response.
I don’t know.
He reached for my hand but I pulled it away. His face
showed a mixture of hurt and frustration, but I shook my
head again.
I’m here in my professional capacity, I told him, because it was the easiest excuse I could think of, easier than
admitting I suspected him of murder, and after a pause
he nodded. We sat and waited for the detectives without
exchanging another word. I felt sick just sitting there next
to him; he might be the man responsible for all of this.
Half an hour later, Singh opened a door and asked me
to follow him, telling Max to wait a bit longer. He looked
exhausted as he led me into a small side room.
‘I told her not to call you.’ He rubbed his face with a
hand, and I knew he was referring to Forest. ‘I haven’t
told her you were with me in town yesterday. All I’ve said
is that you gave me the tablet, then I left and tracked the
phone myself. We were wanting to interview Barron
anyway, but I told her we should get a different interpreter.
It’s not appropriate for you to be here.’ His face was
anguished, and I felt sorry for him.
‘I know. She told me she couldn’t get anyone else until
next week.’
‘Still. That doesn’t make it any less of a conflict of
interest on your part.’
I shrugged. ‘I’m here now. You can cancel if you want,
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move your interview to next week and get another interpreter. Or we can get on and do it now.’
He sighed. ‘Fine. But if I think it’s getting too close to
your personal involvement, I’ll say so.’
‘Are you going to ask him about the phone?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘We have no evidence that he had it. This
is related to Lexi. Look, if you want to stop at any time,
just tell us. Okay?’
I agreed, and he took me to the interview room before
going back for Max. DI Forest joined us a few minutes
later and the interview began.
I had to force myself to concentrate on what was being
said and signed. I was scared of missing even the tiniest
detail that might help the police to get to the bottom of
this.
‘Mr Barron,’ Forest was saying. ‘We’d like to ask you
some more questions in relation to the murder of Lexi
Hunter on the night of Friday the second of February.’
Max nodded.
‘We have received a report from a neighbour that a car
was seen parked outside Mr Hunter and Miss Barron’s
house in the early hours of the morning Lexi died. The
make and model described match your car.’
Max frowned and shook his head. I wasn’t there. I told
you when I was there last.
I narrowed my eyes. He had lied to the police about
being there on the Friday, even though he’d told me about
it; how was I to know he wasn’t lying about this? Should
I tell the police what he’d told me?
‘We wanted to give you this opportunity to tell us if
you wish to change your statement,’ Forest said, her arms
folded, eyes boring into Max.
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No, I’ve answered all of these questions. I didn’t leave my house after I went home from the Deaf club that night, and I certainly had nothing to do with Lexi’s death. Max bristled, leaning forward in his seat. This is complete
bollocks. Someone has made this up because they don’t
want me interfering with the family. He sat back again, breathing heavily.
‘What do you mean, interfering with the family?’
I signed this for Max and he took a few deep breaths
before replying. I’ve said all this before. I was trying to get Elisha to leave Alan, and he knew it. I haven’t made
a secret of how much I dislike him, and the way he treats my sister. This is Alan trying to get back at me, trying
to get me out of Elisha’s life. I bet he put that neighbour up to this. He shook his head and gave a short, bitter laugh. I would have preferred it if he’d beaten me up,
because if he’d done that, Elisha would see what he’s
really like.
I hated to admit it, but his explanation made sense to
me. After all, why only bring this up now? All the neigh-
bours were questioned straight after Lexi’s death, and it
seemed a bit suspicious to remember seeing a car nearly
two weeks later.
‘We’ll be investigating this claim fully,’ Forest said, her
face impassive. I wasn’t sure if she’d even taken in what
Max said. ‘We may need to question other people in your
life, including your employer.’
Max leapt out of his seat. You can’t do that! I could
lose my job.
‘Sit down, Mr Barron,’ Singh barked, and Max did as
he was told, but perched on the edge of his chair.
I’m a teaching assistant. If anyone thinks I might have
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done something like this, I’ll lose my job and I’ll never get another one.
Singh seemed moved by this, and I wondered if he
believed this sighting of Max’s car was bogus. Forest didn’t
look impressed, however, and she leant forward to speak
to Max.
‘All we have is your word that you haven’t done
anything wrong. We need to make sure, and if we have
to follow this up in order to protect the children you work
with, then so be it.’
Despite my confusion about Max and what he might
or might not have done, I was shocked by what Forest
said and forgot myself for a moment.
‘What happened to innocent until proven guilty?’
Forest frowned, realising that I wasn’t interpreting for
Max. He picked up on what I’d said and immediately
signed something to the same effect, but I could see that
Forest was fuming.
‘Are you aware that Anna Northwood is critically ill
after being involved in a hit and run?’ Forest asked Max,
ignoring my comment.
He nodded, then turned to me. A friend told me. I was
going to call you, but I thought you’d need some time.
‘Your car also matches the description of the car that
ran down Anna Northwood two days ago,’ Forest
continued, ignoring Max’s aside to me. Her words were
like a punch to my stomach, and I had to catch my breath
before I could interpret them. Singh looked stunned; I
assumed they hadn’t discussed this. I thought the witness
had said it was a van. Max’s car was large, a 4x4, and
dark blue, but it couldn’t be mistaken for a black van.
Max stared at me, open mouthed, before he replied.
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His words were directed at me, not the detectives. I was with you when it happened. You’re my alibi, so you know
I didn’t do it.
I stuttered as I interpreted this for the detectives, my
voice shaking. He was right, of course. The police were
waiting for me when I got home, so it must have
happened whilst I was with Max. It couldn’t have been
him. I’d been so preoccupied with Anna, praying she
would be okay, that I hadn’t thought about the timeline.
Though he was late, a little voice in the back of my
mind reminded me.
Hurriedly, Singh stepped in. ‘For now, we’re following
a number of lines of inquiry. We’ll be looking for evidence
to corroborate the statement about your car, Mr Barron.
For now, we simply ask that you make yourself available
for future interviews whenever we request.’
Max agreed, and the interview ended. My head swirling,
I collected my things and made to leave, but Forest stopped
me.
‘A word, please, Miss Northwood.’
My heart sank, but I stayed behind as Max and Singh
left the room.
‘It is not your place to comment on the content of
interviews in which you are present,’ she snarled at me
the moment the door was closed. ‘I understand the situ-
ation with your sister has affected you emotionally, but
you need to remember your role. Is that clear?’
‘Absolutely,’ I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.
I wanted to point out that I simply reacted to her bullying
tactics, that I was justified in what I said, but self-
preservation made me keep my mouth shut.
‘You are here as an interpreter, not an advocate for
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those being questioned, and I suggest you remember that if you wish to work with us in the future.’
I gave her a curt nod, but the stress of the past few
days had built up and I couldn’t help myself. ‘What about
my sister? Who’s going to be her advocate, now she’s lying
unconscious in the hospital? You called me and asked me
to come here when you knew what had happened to Anna,
so don’t be surprised that I’m emotionally involved now.
You’re the one who brought up her accident and blindside
me with it.’ Forest’s nostrils flared and she looked like
she was about to respond, but I jumped in before she
could. ‘Why aren’t you doing more to find out what
happened? And what’s this about the description of the
car? Max drives a dark blue 4x4, not a black van.’
‘The witness statements vary,’ Forest said, wrinkling
her nose. ‘We need to check all possible leads.’
‘Well as far as I can see, you’re doing a piss-poor job
of it.’
I stood quickly and walked out before she could reply.
As I left the building, I saw Max waiting by my car
and my heart sank. I didn’t want to talk to him, even
though he’d been telling the truth – he was with me on
Wednesday afternoon. By all accounts, Anna’s attack
happened when Max and I were having lunch together.
Unless that was why he was late.
He looked up and saw me coming, then flashed me a
wan smile. That was a hell of a lot worse than I expected.
Thanks for sticking up for me.
I nodded, unsure of how to react to him. I don’t like
her tactics, but I need to be careful. She could make it a lot harder for me to get work.
Max ran a hand across his face. When did this become
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such a mess? Isn’t it bad enough that a child died, without her threatening our livelihoods? His expression was grim.
If there’s no evidence you did it, they’ll stop looking
into you, I told him.
What do you mean, if? Of course there’s no evidence.
Paige, I didn’t kill Lexi and I didn’t attack your sister.
You know what I meant, I replied . I wasn’t accusing you. I’m not here to judge, just interpret.
I’m sorry, he said, reaching for my hand, but I pulled away again. What? Nobody can see us out here, it’s fine.
He tried to put a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged
him off and took a step back so I was out of his reach.
He looked hurt. Right. Is it like that? Do you believe
them, then?
I shook my head and let out a frustrated noise. I don’t
know what the hell to believe any more, Max. Everything
is too confusing. It’s too much for me right now.
Well, I’m sorry if me being wrongly accused of murder
is too difficult for you, he said, taking a step towards me.
How can you believe that awful woman over me? he
continued, gesturing back towards the police station. I
thought we had something good here. I thought this might
go somewhere.
You’re reading too much into this, I snapped. I told you I wasn’t willing to do this until after the investigation is finished.
You mean until you know for sure whether or not I
killed a child?
I couldn’t look him in the eye.
If you don’t believe me now, Paige, how can we ever
get over that? It won’t work if you won’t take my side.
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your side. I barely know you. I’m not taking anyone’s side. My job is to be impartial, and that’s what I have to do right now. No, I don’t honestly believe you’d do that, from the little I know of you, I told him, realising it was true, but I also know the police have to do their job, and that means following every lead. It’s not about us right
now, it’s about finding out who killed Lexi and who tried to kill Anna.
And once you know it’s not me, then you’ll go out with
me? He shook his head. I’ve had enough of this.
He stalked off through the car park in the direction of
the road. I thought about going after him, but I was too
exhausted, emotionally and physically.
Visiting hours had started by the time I arrived at the
hospital, so I spent the rest of the day at my sister’s side.
I barely noticed the time passing as I sifted through the
events of the last two weeks. The doctor came to speak
to me – the swelling in Anna’s brain had reduced, and
they were a little more hopeful that she would regain
consciousness in the next few days. My heart leapt; I
hadn’t dared to hope until then. If she came around soon,
I wondered if she’d be able to tell us who did this to her.
I sat in the canteen between four and six, watching
hospital staff, patients and visitors coming and going. As
I sat there, I turned over the events of the day Anna had
been attacked. Anna had left the flat before me that
morning, and I didn’t know the exact time the witness
had reported the attack to the police. Could Max have
tried to kill my sister and then driven to Marco’s and had
lunch with me? I went back to sit with Anna, my thoughts
going in circles.
At eight o’clock, I was forced to leave, with kind but
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firm words from the ward manager. As always, I made them promise to call me if there was a change, even if it
was the middle of the night.
Before I headed home, I sat in my car for a few minutes,
taking some slow, deep breaths. The lamppost opposite
where I’d parked was flickering, and after a few moments
