The Silent Suspect

by Nell Pattison

  Is there anyone you want me to call, who can be here with you? I asked him. I’ve told Sasha what’s happened, I added. Whatever happened, you have rights, and Sasha can help.

  He shook his head, and his eyes filled with tears.

  I gave him a few moments, but he didn’t respond any further. I had done all I could. It was an awkward situation; I felt responsible for him, despite the fact that he was Sasha’s client, not mine. I was about to turn and leave again when his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. The speed of his movement took me by surprise, and his grip was so tight it hurt. When I looked up at him, I could see a fire burning in his eyes, and I tried to pull away. The charming man always ready with some banter was gone, and he was scaring me slightly.

  I know who did this, he told me, releasing my hand so he could sign.

  If you know what happened to Nadia, you need to tell the police, I replied. He wrinkled his nose but didn’t reply. I know one of the detectives, DS Singh. He’ll help you, I added.

  Nobody can help me, he replied.

  Who was it? I asked. Lukas, who killed Nadia?

  He looked at me, his eyes still bright, and he licked his lips nervously. At that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. It was a message from Sasha.

  Stay there, on my way up.

  She must have sent it from the hospital car park. I looked back at Lukas, but he’d turned away, and the moment was lost. I tried to attract his attention to ask him again who was responsible, but he ignored me.

  Accepting defeat, I left Lukas’s room and went to find one of the nurses, to make sure Sasha would be allowed onto the ward at this time of night. The nurse I spoke to didn’t seem happy about it, but she agreed to it anyway. Something about the presence of police officers obviously swayed her decision.

  The buzzer at the door to the ward sounded a couple of minutes later, and I went up to meet Sasha. She swept through the door, her long curly hair looking a little wild as she was framed in the doorway, her eyes searching for me. Her brightly patterned quilted coat was starkly contrasted against the drab walls of the ward, and she swept up to me with the imposing air I recognised from when she was ready to fight for one of her clients.

  Paige! What the hell happened? she asked as soon as she saw me. I quickly explained as much as I could – my call from Lukas, the fire, and the police arriving at the hospital to arrest him.

  I need to see him, she told me, her face grave. I want to know what he has to say about it, and I expect he’ll need help to get a solicitor.

  The PC was watching our signed conversation, openly curious, and I led Sasha to him so I could make introductions. We were interrupted by a different nurse from the one I had spoken to – her uniform was a different colour, and her badge said she was the ward manager.

  ‘I’m sorry but this is not acceptable,’ she hissed at the three of us. ‘We have lots of patients on this ward, sick people who need to rest, and your presence is disturbing them.’

  I interpreted this for Sasha, and she nodded.

  I understand, and I apologise. I’m a social worker. If you’ll give me ten minutes to see my client, after that we’ll leave.

  The ward manager didn’t look impressed, but she gave a stiff nod, then looked at the PC.

  ‘I’ll be here until he’s discharged and transferred to the police station,’ he said.

  Sasha and I stepped back and left them to their argument.

  I’m going to go in and talk to him, see what he needs, she told me.

  Okay. Do you want me to wait here for you? I asked. She didn’t need me to interpret as she and Lukas were both sign language users, but I didn’t know if she’d want to speak to the nurses or the PC again.

  She nodded. Just in case.

  There wasn’t anywhere to sit, so I stood opposite the PC, my legs aching with fatigue after the day I’d had. I’d barely had any time to think about Max, let alone whether or not I wanted to move in with him, and I was quite glad of that. I’d only spent a few seconds mentally preparing myself for him to break up with me, but even that short time was enough to completely throw me when it turned out he wanted the opposite. It was gone midnight, too late to be trying to make any decisions right now, I told myself. I would be better sleeping on it, although I had a suspicion that thinking about it would keep me awake.

  I yawned widely and rubbed my eyes. I’d have to drive home carefully. I was so tired. Checking my phone, I saw a message from my sister, Anna, asking when I would be home, so I let her know how I was getting on.

  After about five minutes, Sasha emerged from Lukas’s room. I was surprised she hadn’t been in there longer. She looked pale, and gestured to me – she needed me to interpret so she could talk to the PC.

  Do you know how long he’s going to be here? she asked him.

  He shrugged, and addressed his response to me. ‘You’ll have to ask the doctor. Once he’s discharged, he’ll be moved to the station.’

  Can someone please inform me when that happens? I could see that Sasha was fighting to stay polite and not say something she’d later regret.

  The PC shrugged again. ‘Not my job to do things like that. You’ll have to speak to the detectives in charge of the case.’

  I could see Sasha was considering responding, but she thought better of it and the two of us left the ward. We walked down to the car park without a word or sign passing between us; I was too tired for meaningful communication, and she was deep in thought.

  When we got outside, Sasha paused and leant against a railing.

  I think he must be in shock, she told me.

  I nodded. That’s likely. What did he say?

  Nothing, she replied, with a slow shake of her head as if she couldn’t quite believe it. He wouldn’t communicate with me at all, except to ask me to leave.

  Nothing at all? I checked. I was surprised, assuming Lukas would be a lot more open with her than with me – maybe even tell her who he thought had killed Nadia – but she shook her head.

  How could this have happened? she asked me. She looked almost dazed. This wasn’t the first time one of her clients had been arrested, I knew, but something about Nadia’s death had obviously knocked the wind out of her. Lukas had been her client for several years and she’d got to know Nadia in that time, too.

  I don’t know, I replied. We’ll have to wait and see what statement he gives to the police.

  I’m sure he didn’t do it, she told me firmly. They can’t hold him for long without any evidence.

  I thought of what Lukas had told me, that he knew who was responsible, and wondered again why he hadn’t said the same to Sasha. As she’d said, maybe he was in shock, and was too busy trying to process it all to manage to have a conversation with anyone. But if he was deliberately withholding information, why would he do that?

  He didn’t say anything about Nadia, or the fire? I tried to keep my confusion from my face but Sasha must have spotted it, because she paused, her head on one side.

  No, why? Did he say something to you? she asked with a frown.

  He told me he knew who was responsible.

  Who? she asked, and I could see her eagerness to know written all over her face.

  I’m sorry, I replied with a grimace. He wouldn’t tell me. That’s all he said.

  Are you sure that’s what he said? You couldn’t have mistaken his signs for something else? Her eyes narrowed as she questioned me, and I felt I was seeing a side to Sasha I’d never seen before.

  If you don’t think I can interpret accurately perhaps I should look for another job, I snapped. I was too tired for this; I just wanted to go home and sleep, and now Sasha was questioning my skills.

  She put a hand on my shoulder, looking suitably chastised. You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t understand why he’d tell you that, but refuse to say anything to me.

  I think he regretted telling me, to be honest, I told her. By the time you arrived, he’d had a chance to think about things. As I signe
d this I wondered just what it was he’d been reflecting on. Was he protecting himself, or someone else?

  Yes, but … she signed, but then let her hands drop and shook her head. Whatever she’d been planning on saying, she decided to keep it to herself.

  Sasha sighed deeply. This is a bloody mess. He won’t be able to afford a solicitor, so I hope the one he’s assigned has a bit of deaf awareness. She looked at me. Will you be able to interpret for the police interviews?

  I doubt it, I told her with a shake of my head. I’m a witness to the fire. I think it’d be a conflict of interest.

  She scowled, and I wondered why she wanted me to be present for the interviews. If she thought I’d give her inside information on the investigation she was wrong.

  Yawning widely, I looked at my watch, and she took the hint.

  You go home and get some sleep, she told me. Hopefully the police will keep me informed of what happens next, but I won’t hold my breath.

  I nodded, and stumbled off to my car, slapping my cheeks a few times to wake myself up before I set off. When I started the car, I put the air conditioning on, cold air blowing right in my face.

  As I pulled out of the car park, I could see Sasha was still standing where I’d left her, phone in hand and texting, and I wondered what had happened in that house that Lukas wasn’t telling us.

  Ten hours before the fire

  Caroline slammed the car door and marched up to the house. She’d checked Nadia’s rota, so she knew she’d be able to get her ex alone at this time. He worked in the canteen at the steelworks, and he didn’t start until midday on a Tuesday. It was no use trying to talk to him when that woman was around; she just took over and pretended to be reasonable, when Caroline knew she was smirking at her behind her back.

  She hammered on the door, unable to keep her frustration from spilling out into her body language. The flick of a curtain at a neighbouring window made her scowl in the direction of that house. The neighbours around here were so bloody nosy. Well, if Lukas didn’t let her in soon, there’d be a nice little scene for them all to gossip about for the rest of the week.

  When there was no answer, she knocked again, looking through the window to see if there was any sign of Lukas. She got her phone out, about to text him, when he opened the door and peered out at her.

  Caroline? What are you doing here?

  She didn’t answer, but nudged the door further open using her shoulder, and pushed her way past him and into the living room. Once she was in, she sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs, taking off her scarf and dropping it down next to her. Lukas looked confused, but he followed her lead and sat down in a chair.

  What do you need? he asked.

  The question made her laugh, bitterly. ‘What do I need?’ she replied, speaking and signing at the same time. She’d learnt BSL when they’d first met, but she still found she couldn’t switch her voice off, especially when she was mad at him. ‘What do you think I need? Money, you bastard. I’m sick of waiting every month for you to pay me something for Mariusz. It’s always bloody late, if I get anything at all.’

  Didn’t Nadia sort it out with you?

  ‘Nadia?’ she asked, incredulous. ‘Why the hell should I have to deal with your tart, when you can’t be arsed to do anything about it yourself? You’re a lazy bastard, Lukas Nowak, and I’m not taking money off her,’ she snapped, punctuating her sentence with the jab of a finger towards the kitchen, as if Nadia was in there, ‘when it’s your responsibility.’ She finished off this pronouncement by pointing at him, her glare sharp enough to make him cower slightly.

  I know, I’m sorry. Nadia knows what to do with online banking, things like that. That’s all I meant.

  He looked pathetic, she thought, sitting there making excuses for why he hadn’t given her any child support in three months. As if her pride would ever let her take money off Nadia. She’d die before she let her think she couldn’t manage by herself. Another woman who’d fallen for his charms, not realising that she’d end up looking after him as if he was a bloody child himself.

  ‘It’s not good enough, Lukas. I’ve told you before, if you don’t pay up I’ll take you to court, and they’ll take it straight off your wages.’

  Please, don’t, Lukas begged, and a fresh wave of anger hit her. She’d told him so many times.

  ‘Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.’

  Lukas hesitated, then hung his head. We can’t afford it.

  ‘What do you mean, you can’t afford it?’ she scoffed. ‘You should have thought about that when you left me for someone else, shouldn’t you! You’ve got a bloody job; you need to manage your money better.’

  For a moment she thought he was going to make another excuse, but he just shook his head.

  You don’t understand.

  ‘No,’ she replied, standing up and pointing a finger at him again. ‘You don’t understand what it’s like trying to make sure I keep a roof over our son’s head, make sure he has decent clothes and plenty of food, on just my salary. If I don’t have the money by the end of the week, you can see me in court. I doubt you can afford a solicitor.’ She stood up, then glanced around the room, her eyes lighting on a blue and silver vase on the mantelpiece. ‘And I’ll be putting together a list of items I want from this house, things that you should have given me when we split up six bloody years ago.’

  Caroline stormed out of the house and got back into her car, fuming all the way into work. It was only when she got there that she realised she’d left her scarf behind; it was her favourite one, but there was no way she was going back to get it. She was too angry with him. There was no reason why Lukas shouldn’t be able to afford to give her the child support he owed her, unless he was spending it on something frivolous. A thought occurred to her – maybe Nadia was taking all his money and controlling their finances, and that’s why he’d thought she would have sorted it out. If Caroline found out that woman was withholding money that was rightfully hers, for Mariusz, there would be hell to pay.

  Chapter 4

  Wednesday 17th April

  The following day, I was surprised to receive a call from the police station asking me to come in. I assumed it was in order to give a witness statement, as I’d been the one to call the fire brigade in the first place, but as I’d already been told to come, I wasn’t expecting a reminder.

  When I arrived, I checked in at the desk.

  ‘Oh, you’re the interpreter.’

  ‘I am,’ I agreed, ‘but …’

  The woman on the desk didn’t give me a chance to finish telling her that I was there to give a witness statement, but led me straight through to a room where Lukas was sitting with a couple of PCs. They would need to process him, take his fingerprints and DNA, which they couldn’t do without an interpreter. It was at this point I wondered if there had been a mix-up, but I figured it couldn’t hurt if I did this for them before giving my statement and leaving.

  Once Lukas had been processed, the detectives turned up to interview him and I was both pleased and surprised to see DS Singh, even if he was shortly followed by DI Forest. Singh gave me a big smile, which made up for the frown on his boss’s face. Singh’s broad frame was a reassuring presence in the room, and there was an openness to his face that made it easy to trust him. I could see even Lukas felt the same, by a subtle relaxation in his body language.

  ‘Great to see you, Paige,’ he said reaching out to touch my arm affectionately before he noticed Forest was watching and pulled away. ‘It’d be nice to catch up but we’re rushed off our feet and need to get this interview underway.’

  ‘But I’m …’

  ‘This way please, Miss Northwood,’ Forest snapped, opening a door and ushering me inside, before following me. Lukas had already been brought in by the PCs and was sitting opposite us looking mournful. I wondered if he really was in a fit state for this. His skin was deathly pale, and looked almost as white as the bandages covering the burns on his arms. Another bandage
was covering his shoulder, and it showed around the neckline of his T-shirt. I could see the bruises and cut on his face more clearly now that he’d been cleaned up a bit, and the blues and purples had developed a deeper hue overnight. How had he got them? Hopefully his statement would cover that.

  Rather than sitting down, I hovered by the doorway, unsure of what to do. There must have been a mix-up, unless another interpreter was on their way in and Forest had just assumed that was why I was there. They must not have been told that I was a witness to the fire.

  ‘DI Forest, I don’t think I …’ I began, but the detective shot me a look and interrupted me once again.

  ‘Miss Northwood, would you sit down? I don’t have time for this,’ she snapped.

  Fine, I thought. If she was going to be a bitch I’d sit here and do this interview for them, then she could deal with the consequences if it made the interview invalid.

  Singh gave me a strange look; he was probably wondering what I’d been trying to say. I knew if he’d been in charge he would have at least heard me out, even if it meant wasting a bit more time.

  ‘Mr Nowak, do you understand why you are here?’ Forest asked Lukas.

  Lukas watched me as I signed, but merely shrugged in response.

  ‘Do you wish to contact a solicitor?’

  He’d been asked that already this morning, but he’d refused, and he did so again now. Sasha had wanted to talk to him about a solicitor last night, but if he didn’t want to communicate with her, there was only so much she could do.

  ‘Can you tell us about what happened yesterday afternoon and evening?’

  Lukas looked from me to both detectives, then shook his head, not even lifting his hands to sign.

  Forest sighed, clearly frustrated.

  ‘It’s important that you give us your version of events so we can establish what happened yesterday.’