She nodded slowly. You’re right, that might mean people don’t trust us. She turned back to the house. Let’s see if she’ll talk to us, then, she signed, indicating the PCSO.
I’d been hoping to build up to asking Sasha about her visiting Lukas without telling me, and about the solicitor, but I felt like I’d missed my opportunity now. We crossed over the road and were approaching the house when I heard someone calling my name. Turning round, I saw Singh walking towards us. I smiled in greeting, but he didn’t return it and I felt my heart sink.
‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he said, annoyance written all over his face. ‘Is there something I can help you two with?’
We heard about this fire and we thought it might be connected to the one at Lukas’s house, Sasha explained, standing shoulder to shoulder with me. I was grateful that she didn’t leave me to answer the question, but I really didn’t want to antagonise Singh – I would be crushed if we fell out and besides, he was my one friendly contact in the police.
‘How can it possibly be connected, when the person who set that fire is currently in custody?’ Singh asked quietly. He was keeping his voice low to avoid us being overheard, but I could still hear the tension underlying his words: he was angry with us for being there.
We don’t believe Lukas did it. You know that. If we can find another explanation, perhaps that will help him. Sasha folded her arms, refusing to back down.
‘Come on, Rav,’ I added, hoping to appease him. ‘You can’t blame Sasha for wanting to help one of her clients.’
Singh tensed his jaw, and I wondered if he was going to shout at me. ‘Can we talk? In private?’
I looked at Sasha and she shrugged. I should go, anyway, she signed to me. Nobody here is going to talk to me.
Singh and I watched her walk to her car, then he looked back at me.
‘Come with me,’ he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and striding off down the pavement before I had a chance to reply. He walked to the end of the road, turned right, then crossed over to a small, scrubby patch of grass with a children’s playground behind it. Here he turned to me and looked me in the eyes.
‘Paige, you know I respect you as a professional, and I like you personally. But you need to drop this now. When we’ve worked together before you’ve been invaluable to our investigation. Now, you seem determined to undermine us. You’re a witness, and meddling like this isn’t going to look good for Lukas.’
I shook my head. ‘That’s not what I’m trying to do, Rav. I told Sasha I didn’t want to get involved, but I can’t stop her doing it, and I’m her interpreter. Anything I’ve done, I’ve done to support Sasha because it’s my job.’ This wasn’t strictly true when I thought about my trip to Worx gym that morning, but I knew he’d be fuming if I told him about that. And I didn’t feel that I could tell him my concerns about Sasha lying to me until I’d given her the chance to explain herself. ‘She doesn’t believe Lukas did it.’
‘He won’t defend himself, Paige! How can she keep insisting he’s innocent when he won’t even do that himself?’
Trying to stay calm, I thought carefully before I spoke. I’d been mulling over Lukas’s reaction for a while, and I’d had some time to come up with a theory based on my experience. ‘My parents were always scared of anyone in authority. Even people like the staff at the bank. The communication barrier always made them feel like they were doing something wrong. Deaf people are routinely ignored or mistreated because of the difficulties in communication, and if they find it hard to stand up for themselves they can end up agreeing to things just because they think it’s what the person in authority expects of them. I once interpreted for a lady who went to Citizens Advice because she was struggling to pay her bills, and when they looked into it they found she had dozens of direct debits going out to charities every month. People would come to her door and ask her to sign up to something for three pounds a month, and she couldn’t understand what they wanted. She realised that signing their bits of paper made them go away, so she did it, not realising exactly what they were asking.’
I made a frustrated noise. ‘I sound like I’m saying she was stupid – she wasn’t, but she’d grown up being afraid of people in authority, in case she was taken away or locked up in an institution, or in case she had something blamed on her because she couldn’t communicate properly with the hearing people around her. I’m worried the same thing is happening with Lukas.’
Singh scowled at me. ‘You think we’ve manipulated him? Scared him somehow, so he won’t tell us anything in case we use it against him? You were there, Paige. That didn’t happen.’
‘You know that’s not what I’m saying!’ I threw my hands up and tried to lower my voice. ‘Lukas is scared of you. He’s scared of the police. He’s scared of something worse happening to him if he tells the truth. So he won’t tell you anything because he’s worried what will happen to him if he protests his innocence.’ I thought back to Tuesday night and the fire and my eyes filled with tears. I tried to blink them away but it was too late – Singh’s face fell, and I knew he thought he’d upset me.
‘I saw the look in Lukas’s eyes when he thought Nadia was trapped in that burning house,’ I told him, my voice cracking slightly. ‘I saw the utter horror and devastation on his face when they pulled her body out. There is no way you can convince me that he’s responsible for her death. He was broken by it.’
We stood in silence for a moment, before Singh turned away from me and kicked a clump of grass.
‘Shit. Shit, shit, shit.’
‘What?’ I asked.
He walked away from me and sat down on a bench, leaning back with his hands linked behind his head. I joined him, wondering what had caused this sudden shift in his attitude.
‘Forest knows Sasha thinks he’s innocent. We talked about it yesterday, after I saw you, and she thinks you’re driving it, that you’ve got it into your head that you’re some sort of amateur detective now.’
‘Wow,’ I replied, stung by his words. ‘I wish you hadn’t told me that.’
‘Sorry. But what I mean is that she actually had me convinced for a few hours. That’s why I came down here to talk to you. But what you just said …’ He looked at me searchingly, and after a moment I felt uncomfortable, as if he was looking right into my mind. ‘I think I know you well enough that you wouldn’t be so emotionally involved if you didn’t genuinely believe what you’re saying. And if you believe it that fiercely, I really don’t know what to think any more.’
I rubbed my face and took a couple of deep breaths. ‘All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind. I understand that the evidence points towards Lukas being the one responsible, but can you at least consider the fact that someone else might have had a motive to kill Nadia?’
‘We’re still investigating, but I can’t push it too far,’ he replied with a frown.
‘Fine, but don’t stop us from talking to people,’ I replied, my tone sharper than I’d intended. ‘I’ve been doing my best not to get involved, like you told me, but if Sasha and I find something that could prove his innocence, tell me you’ll take it seriously.’
He glanced over his shoulder, back in the direction of the most recent fire, then turned back to me. ‘They think it was kids messing around,’ he told me. ‘One of the neighbours said there’s been a gang of teenagers hanging around outside for a few days, coming and going on bikes. They haven’t been seen since last night when the fire started.’
I nodded. ‘Thank you.’
He gave me a small smile. ‘I meant what I said, Paige. I respect you.’ His eyes flicked up to mine. ‘And I like you. But I also worry about you. Don’t do anything stupid.’
I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off. ‘Don’t argue with me. You know you tend to act before you’ve thought about the consequences. I can’t stop you from talking to people, so please promise me you’ll be careful.’
‘I will,’ I told him. He stood up and gave my shoulder a qu
ick squeeze before walking back towards where he’d left his car. I didn’t follow him immediately, because I wanted to think about what he’d said, and I needed a bit of time to gather my own thoughts.
When I’d told Singh about Lukas’s reaction to Nadia’s death, I knew he thought I’d become emotional because we were arguing, but really it had made me realise something – I had never had that sort of love in my life, not even with Max. And that scared me, because the answer to his question was becoming more and more clear.
Chapter 17
After my conversation with Singh, I didn’t want to go straight home. I hadn’t heard from Sasha, and I wondered if she was annoyed with me for talking to Singh. She’d probably be digging for information when I saw her on Monday.
Rather than being discouraged from digging any further, I found myself wondering what else I could do to help Lukas. I was even more certain that he hadn’t killed Nadia, and I felt I had a duty to act on that; my job involved supporting and empowering members of the Deaf community, and here was someone who was especially vulnerable. I drove around for a little while, eventually deciding to pay a visit to the office for the care agency both Nadia and Caroline worked for. Even if the break-up between Lukas and Caroline had been amicable, I imagined it would be difficult to work with your ex’s new wife, and I wondered if that had led to any animosity between Caroline and Nadia at work. I assumed it wasn’t a coincidence that they worked together, and that was how Lukas and Nadia had met. That was one thing I was hoping to ask Paul about.
As it was Saturday I wasn’t sure if he’d be in, but I didn’t have to wait long before I was shown into his office by the receptionist, and he offered me a broad smile along with a firm handshake.
‘How’s Lukas?’ he asked me as soon as I’d sat down. ‘I was wondering if I should go and visit him, but I didn’t know if he’d be happy to see me.’
‘You can ask,’ I replied. ‘Seeing a friendly face might be good for him. But don’t be offended if he refuses to see you,’ I added. ‘He’s not in a good way at the moment.’
Paul looked concerned and leant forward, resting his elbows on his desk. ‘Is there anything I can do to help him?’
‘Well, that’s partly why I’m here,’ I explained. ‘I’m trying to find out a bit more information about Nadia, just to see if I can work out a way to help Lukas. In case there’s something the police have missed. I can’t believe he’d do this to her.’
He shook his head, and for a moment I thought he was disagreeing with me, but then he said, ‘You’re absolutely right. Lukas would never hurt Nadia; she meant everything to him. I know he’s had problems with alcohol in the past, but even then he wasn’t a violent man. He’s always been a depressed drunk, not an angry one.’
‘I understand,’ I replied. ‘How is that you and Lukas became friends?’
‘We knew each other from down the pub, before Caroline worked for me. He was always sitting on his own, so I learnt a bit of sign language. We used to chat about the football. When he told me his wife was looking for a new job, I offered her a position, including training.’
‘That was Caroline?’ I asked, double-checking.
He nodded. ‘We stayed friends even after they got divorced. He went through a rough time, but things improved so much when he started seeing Nadia.’
‘Do you know of any problems the two of them might have had recently? Anything that might give someone a motive to do something like this?’
He grimaced. ‘Possibly. But I don’t really know how much I should be telling you. I mean, Lukas is my friend, and I want to help him, but I don’t know how he’d feel about me discussing his private business with a relative stranger.’
‘There are some things I already know,’ I told him, hoping it would help him to trust me. ‘For instance, I know he had a large loan from a friend.’
Paul let out a snort. ‘Friend? I wouldn’t call Roy Chapman a friend. Oh, I know, he and Lukas are drinking buddies, but all that means to Roy is that Lukas is someone he can use in some way.’
‘Do you know Roy, then?’ I asked, and I realised my eagerness had shown in my voice, because he crossed his arms defensively.
‘I know of him. He’s not the sort of man I associate with.’ A frown had creased his forehead and darkened his expression. ‘I’m a legitimate businessman, and people like Roy Chapman give this town a bad reputation. I’d happily see the back of him, and if I’d known Lukas was going to him for a loan I would have warned him off.’
‘What sort of bad reputation?’ I asked, digging to see what Paul knew.
‘Well, let’s just say that not all of his business is above board, and he seems proud of that fact. He’s a swaggering lout who thinks he’s a cut above others because he’s always one step ahead of the taxman or any other authorities who might be wanting to take a closer look at his businesses, but one day soon that will all come crashing down around his ears, I’m sure.’ Paul’s tone of voice was measured, but I could see his neck reddening as he spoke; he clearly had a great dislike of Roy.
‘Why did Lukas go to him, then?’ I asked. ‘Doesn’t he know that Roy has a shady reputation?’
Paul spread his palms wide, a look of exasperation on his face. ‘I have no idea. Lukas can sometimes be a little too trusting, but I would have thought he’d have enough sense to be able to see through Roy. Nadia spoke to me about it, because she was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to afford to repay the loan. If Lukas had gone to a bank, they could have negotiated their repayments and made sure they could pay it back, but someone like Roy …’ He tailed off.
‘What?’ I asked, urging him to continue.
‘Well, I can’t imagine him being too flexible. And I doubt his interest rates are fewer than three figures. Nadia was worried they’d end up being in debt to Roy for the rest of their lives.’
I paused for a moment and thought about what he was saying. ‘Did Nadia know Roy? Do you think she could have gone to him to discuss the loan, without telling Lukas?’
Paul raised his eyebrows. ‘I hadn’t thought about that.’ He tapped his fingers on his desk, thinking. ‘I suppose it’s possible. She would have done anything to protect Lukas. She was working extra shifts so they could overpay each month, and I always offered her overtime where possible. I mean, if they’d come to me I could have helped them, especially as they needed the money for Nadia’s family,’ he added, his frustration evident. He sat back and folded his arms. ‘Do you think Roy had something to do with Nadia’s death?’
I thought before I answered, not wanting to commit myself or give him too much information. ‘I don’t know about that. I do think the police need to look a little further into different avenues. Sasha also doesn’t think Lukas would ever have hurt Nadia.’
‘I agree with her,’ Paul replied. ‘But I don’t think Roy is the type to get his hands dirty.’
I didn’t answer him, instead pulling my notebook out of my bag. I turned to a page where I’d made notes about Nadia and the people she might have seen on the day she died.
‘How can we find out if Nadia spoke to Roy?’ I asked him.
‘I don’t know. It’s unlikely she would have told anyone about it. She didn’t want her friends knowing how much debt they were in.’
‘Why did she confide in you, then?’
He laughed. ‘She needed to convince me to give her extra shifts instead of sharing them out. Some of the others had started to notice, though, so I wouldn’t have been able to keep it up. There was already some tension between Nadia and the other carers because of the unfounded rumours about thefts. But I wanted to help them out if I could.’ I jotted this down in my notebook, as he continued speaking. ‘I did offer to give her the money myself, but she refused. She didn’t want to complicate things by shifting the debt around, and she was worried Roy would find another way to get some sort of hold over Lukas.’
‘Why would he do that? Lukas was pretty insignificant, in Roy’s world.’
‘Just because he liked to have power over others, I suppose,’ Paul replied with a shrug. ‘I don’t profess to know how a man like that thinks.’
I nodded again, thinking about what he’d said. ‘But he wouldn’t benefit from it, would he?’ I pointed out. ‘With Nadia dead and Lukas in prison, Roy won’t be getting the rest of his money.’
‘He probably didn’t think Lukas would take the blame for it,’ Paul reasoned. ‘Why would he, if he’s innocent?’
‘Good point,’ I replied, and went to write that in my book. Paul looked interested, so I tapped it with my pen and explained. ‘I’m trying to help Sasha, and she wants to get Lukas out of prison. I want to make sure anything relevant is written down, then if I find something that we can take to the police, I won’t forget anything.’
He nodded and glanced away, checking his watch as he did. ‘I’m sorry, Paige, I need to go. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can do to help.’
‘Of course. And do try and see Lukas, if you can. It might do him some good to know a friend is thinking about him.’
He agreed and showed me out. As I walked to the car I tucked my notebook back in my handbag, frustrated that I hadn’t had time to ask him about Caroline and Nadia’s relationship at work. It would have to wait; I had other things on my mind today.
I let myself in to Max’s flat, and found him in the kitchen. We hugged, but I could feel the tension across his shoulders as we did. I was nervous; part of me wanted to run out of there and put the conversation off for another day, or week, or maybe even a month. But I knew it was time, and I forced myself to take a deep breath.
Come on, I said, beckoning him into the living room. We need to talk.
He nodded and followed me in, sitting down on the sofa next to me.
You promised you’d give me an answer today, he reminded me. His leg jiggled up and down and he couldn’t seem to sit still.
I know, and I will. I took a couple of deep breaths. Thank you for being patient with me. I know it’s been hard for you to do that.
The Silent Suspect Page 13