‘We have to prepare for the fact that it might not be Melody Jones we’ve found at Hawne Park.’
Four expressions of surprise rested on her.
‘Why would we do that, boss?’ Penn asked. ‘The timeline of her disappearance fits with the date of the construction works.’
‘Only if he kept her longer than the others or stored her body elsewhere before burying her there. Melody was taken in 1996 and the works were carried out in 1999. That’s a three-year gap. Plenty of time to stick to his one-year schedule of abduct and release or kill. We need to be sure it’s her, and we need to do it by ten o’clock.’
‘Why’s that, boss?’ Stacey asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘We have Harte until 3 p.m. before we need the extension.’
Not if he’s been arrested for the wrong girl, she thought, which she was sure was the reason for Keats’s late-night call. Without stating the words, he had been telling her the dental records were not a match for Melody Jones and had given her time to do something about it. She wasn’t the girl in the grave, but it was the crime for which Steven Harte was being held.
Right now, she could claim deniability. She hadn’t actually been told. Because once she knew for sure she would have to action it. It was a grey area and she wouldn’t pass that on to her team. Keats had given her until ten o’clock to make something happen.
‘Just work with me, Stace,’ she said to the detective constable. She took a breath and then a sip of coffee.
Stacey nodded.
‘Harte’s lawyer will be in some time this morning and they’ll want a good chat, so we’ve got a few hours. Stace, I need you to identify any other victims that might be our girl in the ground. Once you’ve done that, I want dental records for every one of them.’
Stacey made a note and began tapping.
‘Penn, I want you coming at it from the other angle. If Melody isn’t the victim at Hawne Park, where is she buried?’
Kim didn’t add that she needed one or the other by ten o’clock or Steven Harte would be leaving this station a free man at exactly five minutes past ten.
He nodded his understanding.
‘Any progress on the property searches?’
Penn groaned. ‘It’s like a maze, boss. I’ve found two corporate umbrellas: one in Jersey and one in Portugal. Each header company splits into six divisional operations, and each needs to be searched separately with Land Registry. I’ve done two so far and ruled out anything that’s more than thirty miles away.’
‘Keep at it, Penn.’ She turned to her right. ‘Bryant, see what you can find out about Butler Building Limited as a company. There’s something about that guy that’s not ringing true.’
‘On it, guv,’ he said, turning to his computer.
Bryant wasn’t a natural data miner but right now it was all hands to the wheel.
Finally, she turned to Alison, who was mushing three Weetabix into a muddy, milky pool. Today, she had come prepared.
‘You got anything for me?’
Alison put the bowl aside. ‘Oh yes, I definitely have some observations if you’d like to pull up a chair.’
Kim did so, hoping Alison had something she could use. Right now she needed every one of her team to be at the very top of their game.
Forty-Four
‘Shoot,’ Kim said, wheeling her chair next to Alison.
‘Inappropriate choice of word for a police officer, no?’ Alison asked, opening up her notebook.
‘You’ve been busy,’ she observed, seeing all the hastily written notes.
‘I’ve watched the interview ten times now – normal speed, slow speed, with sound, without sound – and every time I discover something new.’
‘I was in there ten minutes.’
‘Yes, but they were quality minutes for deducing real and faked emotions. I’m going to point out some things, but if I try and show you everything we’re still going to be sitting here way past your 10 a.m. deadline. So here we go, and although you’ll find it hard, try not to interrupt.’
Kim snorted.
‘Firstly, Harte is brought into the room by a constable and before he fixes the blank expression on his face, there’s a brief flash of warmth. It’s the first of many micro-expressions I’m going to mention but he is genuinely pleased to see you.’
‘He didn’t look at Bryant once,’ Kim noted, watching the video.
‘Bryant’s not even there. He’s totally inconsequential.’
‘Er… guys, right here,’ Bryant said, waving across the desk.
‘There’s no one else in this game but you and him. Even when Bryant is reading him his rights, Harte never takes his eyes off you. He’s relaxed at this point and is showing no sign of tension.’
‘Did he really expect to be arrested?’
‘Okay, clearly the “no interruption statement” fell on deaf ears. The answer is yes. He was definitely expecting this. His palms are open, and his mannerisms are in line with his speech. As we move on and you talk about his home, we see genuine happiness. The involuntary movements cause crow’s feet and narrowed eyelids. At the same time, the corners of the mouth curve up. As brief as it was, it was the only time I’ve seen it on his face, and that’s what I mean when I say some genuine emotions will seep out without his knowledge. When you talk about his home and he rebuts you for not asking a question, we see a flash of contempt.’
For this Alison went to the marker she’d noted on the video.
‘See here. Unlike the other basic expressions, contempt is asymmetrical. One lip corner is pulled in and back. He feels that that line of questioning is beneath you.’
Kim would never have spotted that had she not been shown.
‘His responses to you about partners and his need for one all appear to be genuine, but look at this little leaker.’
She scrolled to the next marker.
‘His eyebrows are up, his eyelids widen and the mouth drops ever so slightly. He is definitely surprised at Jenson Butler’s comments on his love life.
‘When he tells you that the questioning isn’t important, there’s a flash of impatience. He actually wants you to get to what matters. He wants to talk about the girls.’
Alison paused as though expecting interruption. Kim said nothing.
‘The first signs of real tension only come when you mention his childhood. Watch what he does.’
Alison played the footage.
‘He traces the ring on his cup,’ Kim observed.
‘That’s why I asked you to let him have tea. I wanted to see what prompted him to touch it. It’s his comforter. It’s his version of grooming. Make sure he always has tea. It’ll tell you a lot.’
‘Got it.’
‘Next we have a good example of deceit. When you tell him that you know why he takes the girls, he shrugs as though he couldn’t care less. The movement is one-sided and his eyes narrow. He cares very much what you have to say and shows no surprise when you say it, but watch what happens next.’
Alison played about twenty seconds of footage and then stopped it.
‘That was his butterfly speech, and it’s clearly about the girls, but did you notice anything?’