Ms Wilson sits on the chair beside him. She opens her briefcase on the table. For reasons he cannot fathom the bulging case, jammed with papers, reminds him of his mother. He thinks of Marian and imagines her distress. In contrast the woman beside him looks serene until two police officers enter the room. Their intrusion makes her eyes narrow. Satori feels her aura alter. Her body stiffens and she breathes more rapidly.
One of the police officers is the man who was inside Satori’s home when he returned from the mountains, D.I. Long. The other officer is female. The man is older than Satori remembers. His hair is steel grey and his weak chin is juxtaposed by cold, hard eyes. The woman is probably in her forties. Her hair is neatly styled and her face retains an aspect of prettiness in spite of the frown lines across her brow.
D.I. Long reaches across to slot a tape into the deck. He looks across the table at Ms Wilson who nods.
Pressing the red button, he clears his throat. ‘Interview commenced at…’ He glances at his wrist watch. ‘Ten-fifty a.m. on the third of December 2011. Present are Detective Inspector Alistair Long, Detective Sergeant Michelle Cummins, Mr Steve Michaels and Ms Jane Wilson, representing Mr Michaels. Mr Michaels you are aware that we have arrested you on suspicion of the murder of Sarah Brown and that you are still under caution.’
Satori nods.
‘Please speak, for the benefit of the tape Mr Michaels.’ D.S. Cummins’ voice is deeper than Satori had expected.
‘Yes, but…’
His lawyer puts her fingers on the back of his hand. He looks at her and sees her shake her head.
‘Please state your full name, Mr Michaels,’ says D.I. Long.
‘Steven Alexander Michaels,’ says Satori.
‘Detectives, my client is innocent of the charge and all the evidence you have provided us with is purely speculative and circumstantial. I would recommend that you release Mr Michaels while you make further enquiries.’
‘We have information which places Mr Michaels at the location. Witness statements agree that he was in a state of agitation. We have physical evidence linking him to the deceased and the murder scene and we are currently conducting interviews with acquaintances of Miss Brown which are proving to be illuminating, to say the least. Do not worry yourself Ms Wilson. We have plenty of evidence to hold your client. The search of his premises later today will only strengthen our case.’
Search? Satori bristles. They are going to tear my room apart. Of course they are. He should have known this. He balls his fists and places them in his lap. Relax.
‘If that is the case, I require full disclosure of the evidence so that I may properly advise my client,’ says Jane Wilson.
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible at this time, Ms Wilson. We have grounds to believe full disclosure at this stage of proceedings might hamper our investigation.’ Detective Inspector Long smiles.
Satori feels three pairs of eyes burrow into his skull. He glances up. His lawyer’s face looks sympathetic, but her pursed lips warn him to keep quiet. The detectives’ eyes gleam. They are sharks and they have smelt his blood.
‘You’re going down for this Mr Michaels. Your only hope is to be as cooperative as possible. You need to tell us everything that happened. Perhaps you were suffering from mental illness? Perhaps you still have some hope? Tell us everything, Mr Michaels.’ D.I. Long licks his lips.
Satori’s lawyer, Jane, must have seen the action too. She shudders and her face hardens. ‘I object to this style of questioning. It is not my client’s job to tell you answers to questions he can only guess at. We are willing to cooperate with your enquiries and we are as eager as you are to reveal the truth of this tragic event. However, you will need to ask your questions before you can expect an answer to them.’
The detective’s mouth thins. His eyes flicker.
This is a game. They will move their pieces in turn until one can cry check-mate. I am the hunted and the protected. I am the black king.
‘Very well,’ D.I. Long says, his voice devoid of emotion. ‘Mr Michaels what was your relationship with Sarah Brown?’
Satori looks at Jane who nods.
‘She was my girlfriend.’
‘What sort of relationship did you have with the deceased? Were you happy?’ D.I. Long leans forwards.
Satori can smell his smoky breath. ‘I loved her.’
‘What was Sarah Brown like?’ Detective Cummins asks.
‘She’s an artist. She’s beautiful, kind, gentle.’
‘Were you still dating at the time she was killed?’ D.S. Cummins stares at Satori’s face.
Jane nods again.
‘No, we broke up about three months ago.’ Satori answers.
‘Were you the one who instigated the break-up?’
Jane Wilson frowns. ‘That’s irrelevant. My client and his girlfriend had broken up. Couples do that all the time. It makes no difference who left whom. This is not the schoolyard, Detective.’
‘Why did the relationship end, Mr Michaels?’ D.S. Cummins asks.
‘She told me she needed space to be herself,’ Satori answers.
‘Were you involved with another person?’ Detective Long hisses the word person as if it feels caustic on his tongue. ‘At the time of Sarah Brown’s murder?’
‘Be careful, Detective. No one has as yet established that Miss Brown was murdered,’ Jane replies.
‘Hmm, if it makes a difference to you…Mr Michaels?’
‘No, I wasn’t.’
‘What of the deceased Miss Sanders?’ D.I. Long waits in silence for Satori’s reply.
‘Who?’ Satori asks.
‘Rhiannon…Raven. What was your relationship with Raven, before she was murdered?’
‘We were friends.’
‘Were you intimate with her?’
‘Detective, your question is not relevant to the investigation. As I understand it, you are not charging Mr Michaels with any involvement in Rhiannon Sanders’ death.’
‘That is true, Ms Wilson. We are satisfied that Miss Brown acted alone in the killing of Miss Sanders. However we suspect that Mr Michaels may be an accessory after the fact, aiding Miss Brown’s escape. It also provides him with a motive for killing her. Were you acting out of revenge, Steve?’
‘I didn’t…’
‘Then how did you know where to find her?’ D.I. Long leans back in his chair. A self-satisfied smile plays across his lips.
‘I..’ Satori looks towards Jane who nods. ‘I have some psychic abilities.’
‘Psychic abilities? What sort of psychic abilities?’ D.S. Cummins asks.
‘I can find things and people.’
‘How?’ D.S. Cummins hiccups as if stifling a laugh of incredulity.
‘By dowsing.’
Both detectives pull the same face. Their mouths crease and they shuffle in their seats.
‘Was Miss Brown alive when you found her?’ D.I. Long pulls the questioning in a more traditional direction.
‘Yes,’ Satori replies.
‘Where did you find her?’ D.I. Long smiles again.
‘In the mountains, in a little cottage. The Cairngorms.’
‘And yet, Mr Michaels, when we first interviewed you after your return from the Cairngorms, you lied to us about where you had been. Why did you do that?’
‘I was ill. I didn’t want to face what had happened. I’m sorry.’
‘Are you lying to us now?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘No,’ Satori says, staring at the table.
‘And what sort of state would you say Sarah Brown was in, when you found her?’
‘Depressed.’
‘Depressed?’
‘Yes, depressed and confused.’ Satori stares at D.I. Long’s smug face. He no longer checks for the signals of his lawyer.
‘Confused about what?’ the detective inspector asks.
‘Mostly about the woman she ran away with,’ Satori replies.
‘Who did she run away with, Mr Michaels?’ D.I. Long a
sks.
‘I only know her first name…Lilith.’
‘Was Lilith with Miss Brown when you found her?’ D.S. Cummins asks.
‘No,’ Satori says.
‘Where was she?’
‘I don’t know for certain. She disappeared,’ Satori answers.
‘Not literally.’ Detective Cummins laughs.
D.I. Long frowns at his colleague and she controls her laughter.
‘Where do you believe she is?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘I don’t know,’ Satori answers.
‘For certain…yes you said that. So you have some idea.’
D.I. Long’s probing sends shivers down Satori’s spine. Satori looks pleadingly at Jane. She neither nods nor shakes her head. Her eyes search his face for an answer. Everyone stares at him. He shakes his head.
D.I. Long breaks the silence. ‘Mr Michaels, this is a criminal investigation. If you have any idea as to the whereabouts of Lilith, you are obliged to tell us. Withholding evidence may not be as serious a charge as murder, but I’m sure you want to show the judge that you cooperated fully with our investigation.’
‘Mr Michaels is answering your questions, detectives, and is fully cooperating,’ Jane Wilson says.
‘She could be anywhere by now,’ Satori answers.
‘Where did you last see Lilith?’ D.I. Long asks.
Satori remembers her monstrous form towering above him in the swirling hell of Chaos. ‘It was dark and confusing.’
‘Did you see her in the Cairngorms?’
‘No.’
‘Then where?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘In my room,’ Satori answers.
‘Boy, you get around…’ D.S. Cummins grins.
‘Detective, I would ask you to keep your language professional. This is a taped interview remember,’ Ms Wilson says.
‘Mr Michaels, did you have intimate relations with both Lilith and Rhiannon Sanders?’ D.S. Cummins asks.
Satori remembers moving inside Lilith’s body in that demonic threesome with Star. He cannot imagine being more intimate with anyone. However, he thinks with a shudder, that is not what is being asked.
‘I had sex with Raven, but not Lilith,’ he says.
‘Did Miss Brown kill Miss Sanders because the two of you had sex?’
‘I don’t believe Star killed Raven at all,’ Satori says.
‘We have eyewitnesses who say otherwise,’ D.S. Cummins tells him.
‘If that’s true, I don’t know why she would have done it. Star isn’t violent.’
‘Wasn’t,’ D.S. Cummins corrects. ‘Star…I mean Sarah Brown, is dead.’
‘If you didn’t have sex with her, what was Lilith doing in your room?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘We discussed Star. I asked her to let Star go,’ Satori answers.
‘You believe Lilith was holding Star against her will.’ D.I. Long taps his foot.
‘Yes.’
‘We have witnesses who tell us they were lovers. Perhaps your jealousy wouldn’t let you acknowledge that. Is that why you killed her? Did you kill both of them?’
‘I haven’t killed anyone. Star killed herself.’
‘Then why did you bury her?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘I object. What evidence do you have that my client buried Miss Brown?’ Ms Wilson interjects.
‘I did bury her,’ Satori says.
Ms Wilson turns and gives Satori a look of warning. He closes his mouth.
‘Detectives I would like to push for an early court date. My client does not belong in prison. I have other meetings to attend to today and I would request that this interview be terminated until I am able to return and speak to Mr Michaels alone.’
‘Surely you can spare us a few more moments of your precious time, Ms Wilson. Mr Michaels, why did you bury your ex girlfriend, Sarah Brown?’
‘It’s part of my religion that a body needs to be returned to the soil as quickly as possible.’
‘Your religion?’ Detective Cummins asks.
‘Yes.’
‘You’re joking!’ D.S. Cummins’ voice sounds higher than before.
‘Detective, I would remind you that it is not appropriate to ridicule a person’s religious beliefs. Now, I really must insist that we terminate this interview. I will return here at four p.m. to see my client. Then we will make arrangements for the preliminary hearing.’
‘Interview terminated at eleven-forty a.m.,’ D.I. Long presses the stop button.
D.I. Long stares at Satori as if trying to prise secrets from his mind. ‘Take him back to his cell,’ he says to Detective Cummins.
‘I’d like to escort him back too,’ Ms Wilson says.
‘That won’t be necessary. You have a schedule to keep. You’ll see your client again this afternoon.’
Ms Wilson gathers her papers into her briefcase. ‘Don’t say a word unless I am with you,’ she says to Satori, then stands up and leaves the room.
Detective Sergeant Cummins slides out from behind the table. She stands to one side to let Detective Inspector Long squeeze between the fixed table and bolted chairs. Nothing is mobile, everything is solid. Even the air feels solid to Satori. Its fingers press against his throat.
D.I. Long leaves without speaking. When he leaves another police officer enters the room.
‘Mr Michaels,’ the Detective Sergeant says. ‘It’s time to go back to your cell.’
Satori stands. The weight of the room pushes against his head resisting his efforts. Every muscle groans as he slips between the furniture.
‘Mr Michaels,’ D.S. Cummins says. ‘You know things don’t look good for you. If your lawyer has told you different, she’s lying. Your only chance is to tell us everything you know. We’ll come and get you when it’s lunch time.’
A male officer escorts him to his cell. The labyrinthine corridors confuse Satori. Who would have thought a police station would be so large? Perhaps I’m dreaming. Maybe none of this is real.
Bolts judder open and his cell door is pushed inwards. Satori hangs his head and enters the room feeling like a man already condemned. He lies on his cot, too tired to even remind his brain to stay awake.
Chapter 41
‘Where’s Paul Foster?’
‘Where’s my lawyer?
‘She’ll be here soon, but this is too urgent to wait,’ D.I. Long says.
‘I already told you…He said he was going to Egypt or somewhere.’
‘Except we’ve searched his house and while we didn’t find him, we found his passport, some of your clothing, used condoms and Paul Foster’s blood on a kitchen knife. So I’m going to ask you again, where’s Paul?’
Satori feels sick. He looks from the fierce face of the Detective Inspector to the cold eyes of his colleague, and then back to the running tape recorder. They will find Paul anyway. They won’t stop looking until they do.
‘I don’t know,’ Satori lies.
‘I think you do,’ D.I. Long says. His eyes bore holes into Satori’s skull.
Satori feels the darkness inside him push back, it wants to be heard. He wants to tell this man everything. He wants to feel clean again. His head nods automatically. Hot tears flow from his eyes.
‘That’s guilt you’re feeling, son,’ D.I. Long tells him. ‘Let it all out. Tell us everything, but first tell us where we can find the body.’
Satori’s voice sounds insubstantial. He wonders if they will hear his words. ‘In the cellar.’
D.S. Cummins leaves the table and knocks on the door.
‘That feels better, doesn’t it?’ D.I. Long plays the sympathetic confessor. His tone tells Satori he will be absolved.
Satori nods again. It does feel better.
‘What happened, son?’ D.I. Long asks. The same insistent, syrupy voice washes over Satori.
‘I went there to learn some magic. I had a problem I needed to solve.’
‘What problem?’ asks the Detective Inspector.
‘I had to send a demon back to hell.’
Silence for a moment. Satori feels a sharp pain in his chest. He wants to be believed.
‘What about you and Paul Foster? When did you become lovers?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘After Star visited. I couldn’t stop him. Maybe I didn’t want to.’
‘How did you feel afterwards?’
‘I didn’t have time to think about it. When I woke up he was already dead,’ Satori says.
‘Are you telling me Paul killed himself too?’
Satori shakes his head. ‘Lilith killed him.’
D.I. Long frowns. ‘Miss Brown’s lover?’
‘Yes,’ Satori answers.
‘Why did she kill Paul?’
‘I don’t know. She’s killed a lot of people.’
‘Do you know where she is?’
‘No. She’s gone.’
‘Where?’ D.I. Long asks.
‘She’s the problem I needed to solve.’
‘So you killed her?’
‘She isn’t dead,’ Satori says.
The door to the interview room opens. Ms Wilson elbows her way into the room. Perspiration makes her skin glisten. Her eyes look dark.
‘Stop this interview now,’ she says. Her voice shakes the room. ‘I need to speak to my client alone.’
Satori rubs his face with his sleeve and looks up. She strides towards him. Her glare settles on the Detective Inspector who smiles and stops the tape.
‘He’s all yours,’ says D.I. Long.
‘Not here.’ Jane shakes her head.
Detective Long nods. As he passes through the doorway he tells the police officer standing outside to escort the accused and his solicitor to another room.
‘What happened? Why did you speak to them without me?’ Jane asks when the officer leaves them alone in the new room.
Satori looks around him. He feels disorientated again. The atmosphere is oppressive. He needs to get out. He shouldn’t be here at all. I should be there, with Donna, searching for Star, making a difference. Everything is fucked here!
‘They would have found him anyway,’ he tells her.
Starblood Trilogy Page 41