‘This is out of order.’ He weighed up his options and found them lacking. ‘Okay, I’ll talk to you but only here and not till my lawyer gets here.’
‘Too late,’ Narey told him. ‘We’re taking you in. We need your assistance with our enquiries into the disappearance of Eloise Gray. Move.’
He moved, fists bunched, eyes wild, but he moved. They put him into the back seat of the car and drove.
*
It was two hours before the lawyer, Gareth Stein, turned up. In that time, Harkness simmered, refusing all attempts to convince him to start without Stein being present. Narey tried to read his thinking but the end result of all the possible scenarios was that the angry man became more angry. Whether he knew they’d found her or not, even whether he’d killed her or not, the only possible eventuality was that this short-tempered thug would be as he was.
Stein was a criminal defence lawyer at a well-established Glasgow practice, Henderson and Park, but had only been there a couple of years. He was in his late twenties, all youthful vigour but without the usual baggage of moral righteousness. He came dressed in an expensive pinstripe but still managed to carry an air of street fighter.
Narey despised him immediately.
‘This is outrageous, Detective Inspector. Your superiors are already aware of my client’s treatment at your hands, as you well know. You have been told to back off and been warned of the consequences of not doing so. If this doesn’t end today then I will have no option but to present a formal complaint against yourself and to initiate proceedings leading towards financial compensation for my client for emotional distress.’
‘Have you finished, Mr Stein? Good, then we can get on.’
The lawyer was momentarily taken aback by her complete dismissal of his opening rant. He recovered enough to speak but she’d already moved on, leaving him behind.
‘Mr Harkness, I’d like to thank you for voluntarily agreeing to this interview. For the purposes of the tape, also present are Detective Sergeant Rico Giannandrea and Mr Gareth Stein, solicitor for Mr Harkness.’
She paused just long enough to let Stein think he could interject but spoke before he could actually do so.
‘Mr Harkness, can you tell me when you last saw Eloise Gray?’
‘How many times? I’ve been through this. I don’t know where she is.’
‘That’s not what I asked you. When did you last see her?’
‘A few days before she was supposed to have disappeared.’
‘Supposed to have? You don’t think she disappeared?’
Harkness screwed his eyes up. ‘You know what I mean.’
‘No, I’m sorry. I don’t.’
‘My client simply means that he can’t know whether or not Ms Gray disappeared because he had no involvement with it or knowledge of it. Inspector, you told my client that there was a development with your investigation that somehow necessitated his presence here. Would you please tell us what that is so we can make an informed decision as to whether his assistance to your enquiries will continue?’
‘Of course, Mr Stein. And thank you for your patience.’
She faced Harkness, studying him, waiting for his reaction.
‘Mr Harkness, Eloise Gray’s body was found in the early hours of this morning.’
His mouth fell open. He hadn’t expected that.
She steamed over him. Telling him more and telling him nothing. Not giving him time to adjust to one slap before slapping him again.
‘She’d been murdered.’
‘Detective Inspector—’ the solicitor tried and failed to stop her.
‘The extent and manner of her injuries leave no doubt that this was an extremely brutal attack and in no way could they possibly have been the result of an accident.’
‘Inspector—’
‘You were once romantically involved with Eloise, Mr Harkness, so it’s only fair that you hear what happened to her. I hope that you can now see your way clear to helping us with our investigation.’
‘Yes. Yes. Of course. I—’
‘My client isn’t prepared to say anything at this time.’
‘I haven’t accused him of anything. I have simply updated him on the latest development in the investigation. Why would he not be saying anything at this time?’
She’d watched Harkness go from nervous to shocked to disorientated. He’d managed to disguise either nothing or everything and she really doubted it was the latter. He was completely thrown and wasn’t a good enough actor to hide it.
The lawyer was talking, protesting and excusing, but no one in the room was listening. She wasn’t sure that Harkness was hearing anything at all. His head slumped forward, mouth open, eyes unfocused. He’d left them.
Narey felt her mobile vibrating in her pocket but let it ring. The call stopped and almost immediately Giannandrea’s phone rang instead. When he looked at the screen and nodded at her, she called a temporary suspension to the interview and left the room. She returned Campbell Baxter’s call, knowing it to be urgent.
‘Detective Inspector, I’ve got some news for you that I suspect you’re going to like to hear.
‘We have a probable match on the piece of clothing found at the Highland Fling this morning.’
‘Already?’
‘I prioritised it. And we had the benefit of having a potential match at hand.’
Her breath caught and made time stand still. He’d said little but it was more than enough to make her thought process race ahead of what he was saying. She had to pull herself back into the conversation.
‘I urge some caution as the results are not complete. However, I am breaking the habit of a lifetime to let you know that the sample of clothing collected from the scene is a probable match to one Thomas Harkness.’
The breath left her slowly, much like a sigh of relief. She wasn’t elated, not jubilant or triumphant. Sometimes the journey exhausts you enough that you don’t have the energy to celebrate getting there. Sometimes it just seems wrong.
Once back in the interview room, she pretended to study the notes in front of her. She wanted time to compose herself and time for the solicitor to stew and wonder. His client had finally looked up, seemingly aware of the change of atmosphere in the room.
‘Interview recommenced at 12.37. Those present as before. Thomas Harkness, I am arresting you under Section 1 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 on suspicion of the murder of Eloise Gray. The reason for your arrest is that I suspect that you have committed an offence and I believe that keeping you in custody is necessary and proportionate for the purposes of bringing you before a court or otherwise dealing with you in accordance with the law. You are not obliged to say anything but anything you do say will be noted and may be used in evidence. Do you understand?’
Harkness was stunned and his lawyer’s eyes widened. ‘What’s going on here? My client came here voluntarily and not—’
She snapped at him. ‘Things have changed. Your client has been cautioned and his change of status will be recorded in the custody suite. Mr Harkness, you will be taken there now and will have the opportunity of consulting with your lawyer.’
Harkness jumped to his feet, red-faced and shaking. Stein was indignant.
*
Less than an hour later. Different room. Different game. Narey was determined not to let Harkness have the chance to settle.