No Questions Asked (10 page)

Ollie read Gary Mitchell his rights and reminded him that he was being interviewed under caution. Gary had called his solicitor and he was there too.

‘Gary’ Ollie began. He was holding the rucksack. ‘This belonged to Bradley Thompson’.

‘Yes, I know. I’ve seen him with it countless times’.

‘Did he have it with him last Sunday morning?’

‘Well how would I know that?’

‘You might’ve seen him?’

‘No, I didn’t see him, I didn’t see him at all and I’ve told you this now about three times and I’ve told Jeff as well’.

‘Gary, you’ve given us a statement saying you left Lucy Thompson’s house at  midday last Sunday and that you were alone at home until your wife returned from her brother’s house at … when was it now?’

‘Exactly an hour later at one o’clock’ said Gary, testily. ‘Again we’ve been through all this and no amount of you trying to catch me out on timings is going to make any difference. I was alone in my house for that hour. I didn’t go anywhere and I didn’t speak to anyone’.

‘But that’s not true, Gary, is it?’ Ollie continued still with the rucksack sitting on his lap. He was sitting at the end of the table opposite where they’d asked Gary to sit. Gary was leaning his right arm and hand on the table and he felt tense. This wasn’t going as easily as he’d thought it would. Jeff must know that he’s not a killer. Surely he believed him?

‘Gary?’

‘What?’

‘You did speak to someone, Gary. You know you did’.

Gary reared his head back slightly and his face gave it all away that he couldn’t hide anymore.

‘We’ve got your mobile phone records, Gary’ said Rebecca who was sitting alongside Ollie. ‘You called Bradley on his mobile at five minutes past twelve and were on the phone to him for two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. What did you talk about?’.

Gary ran his hands over the top of his head. He felt uncomfortable. He felt hot and flushed. It wasn’t an easy place to be.

‘I asked him what he was up to’ Gary confessed.

‘And did you ask him where he was?’

The solicitor placed a warning hand on Gary’s arm but Gary carried on. ‘Yes … yes I did’.

‘Why did you do that, Gary?’

‘Oh God it’s all falling apart, it’s all just falling apart and there’s nothing I can do. I don’t know what the hell Debbie is going to say’.

‘What’s falling apart, Gary?’ Rebecca pursued. She could smell blood.

‘Look, I took an interest in Bradley. I wanted to be like a Dad to him without telling him that I might be his Dad’.

‘But why, Gary?’

‘Because he didn’t have anyone! He didn’t have any uncles or granddads or brothers or cousins. Lucy and Bradley never got any visitors. I just wanted to be there for him and it helped me in my need to at least act like a parent to a boy who needed it’.

‘Well this gesture out of the goodness of your heart meant you kept up pretty regular phone contact with him according to these records’.

‘It wasn’t a gesture’ Gary stated firmly. ‘I just wanted to do something decent’.

‘What was wrong with using the home phone to call him? And why did you have to call him when he only lived across the street?’

‘Because of my wife Debbie. She’d have been furious if she’d found out’.

‘Did Lucy know?’

‘Yes, she knew. She was grateful’.

Rebecca was getting so sick and tired of listening to men who consider themselves to be so heroic to lonely women like Lucy Thompson by giving them just a taste of what they really need for themselves and their children. She’d seen so many women like Lucy Thompson who build their lives around a man who sees more of their bed than anywhere else and doesn’t really give a toss for not being able to give them the love and the normal life they really need. She’d read a report in the paper the other day that said that the country was suffering an epidemic of loneliness. Well it will always be the case if men like Gary Mitchell and his ilk use women like Lucy and young kids like Bradley to have their cake and eat it. She wondered why it was that women like Debbie Mitchell get what they want and women like Lucy Thompson have to feed on the crumbs that are left. And then she brought it back to herself and the relationship she was trying to start with Jeff. They hadn’t made a very auspicious start. No sooner had he declared that he did have feelings for her after all than he had a child murder case dumped virtually on his doorstep. She understood it was difficult. Of course she understood that. But she was fed up of understanding and having to stand back whilst everybody else had a piece of him. Now even his sister and his nephew were on the scene and moving in with him. She didn’t want to come in the way of that and she certainly didn’t want to come between him and little Toby. She’d just like her own piece of him. Every time she saw Jeff she tried to maintain her smile but it wasn’t getting any easier. It was exasperating at times. It also broke her heart over and over again. 

‘So you knew he was on his way home?’

‘Yes, I did’.

‘And did he tell you he was going to take the shortcut through the woods?’

‘Yes, he did’.

‘So you knew where he was going to be and your house is barely two minutes away from where his body was found’.

‘What are you trying to say?’

Ollie leaned forward. ‘Gary, we want to help you’.

‘Help me? I don’t need any help’.

‘Gary, you knew where Bradley was because you’d called him and he’d told you where he was going to be. You had enough time to go and meet him and carry out the murder’.

‘Did you have a row with him, Gary?’ Rebecca asked. ‘Did you have a row and lose it for some reason resulting in Bradley’s death?’

Gary could feel his heart pumping in his ears. ‘I did not kill him’.

‘Gary, the rucksack was found in your butcher’s shop’.

Gary felt himself go light headed with shock. ‘I never … I never put it there’.

‘Then how do you explain the rucksack being hidden away in your shop?’

Gary shook his head and in a feeble voice said ‘I don’t know. I promise you I don’t know’.

‘Are you really trying to tell us that you didn’t know it was there, Gary?’

‘Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying. I didn’t know it was there and I didn’t kill Bradley!’

‘Tell us why we should believe you, Gary?’

‘Because I’m telling you the truth!’ said Gary. He started to cry. ‘I could never have laid a finger on him. He was my son. I couldn’t tell him he was because it would’ve hurt Debbie so much and I know I was a bastard for using Lucy the way I did but there’s always been something between Lucy and me’.

‘Not enough to leave your marriage behind for’ said Rebecca.

‘I’ve told you that I accept that I was a bastard and yes, I did use Lucy. But what we had wasn’t dirty or sordid. We had something special. We had a son together’.

‘A son who never knew you were his father’.

‘I know, I know’.

‘A son who just thought you were a cool guy for taking an interest in him’.

‘Alright, alright, I should’ve told him’.

‘Well it’s a bit late now’.

‘There seems to be quite a list of things you should’ve done but didn’t, Gary’ said Ollie. ‘As well as a few things you did do but shouldn’t have. Do you want to help yourself by voluntarily adding murder to that list?’

Gary wiped his face with his hands. ‘I didn’t kill him’.

‘You had the time, you had the opportunity and you’ve been hiding one of his belongings since it happened’ Ollie went on. ‘Now why don’t you put an end to all this and tell us what happened when you went to meet Bradley?’   

There was a knock at the door and Rebecca and Ollie went outside to speak to Joe Alexander.

‘The DNA results regarding the paternity of Bradley Thompson are in, ma’am’ said Joe. ‘And Gary Mitchell was definitely not Bradley’s father’.

Jeff came down from the CCTV viewing room and joined them in the corridor. Joe filled him in on the paternity test results and the fact that no traces of Gary Mitchell’s DNA had been on the body itself.

‘Well the last bit is easily explained’ said Rebecca. ‘He was using gloves’.

‘I say we don’t tell him about the paternity, sir’ said Ollie. ‘I say that we don’t tell him until we’ve finished questioning him and are ready to charge him’.

‘I agree with Ollie, sir’ said Rebecca.

‘And if you were to charge him right now?’

‘We could do it on the basis of he had the opportunity and he’s been lying about having spoken to Bradley last Sunday morning’ said Rebecca.

‘And then there’s the rucksack, sir’ said Ollie. ‘Why did Mitchell have it hidden away like that if he wasn’t hiding it for some reason?’

‘I accept that what we’ve got so far all points to Gary being the killer’ said Jeff who nevertheless had serious doubts about his friend’s guilt. ‘But where’s his motive? If he’d befriended Bradley like he said he had then what turned him into the lad’s murderer? You’re doing well so far but get back in there now and find me that motive’.

‘There doesn’t always have to be a motive for a crime to be committed, sir’ said Rebecca.

‘No there doesn’t DI Stockton but in the case where the victim is an eleven year-old child I’d say that there has to be some kind of motive somewhere’.

Ollie and Rebecca went back into the interview room where Gary Mitchell looked somewhat more composed than he did before although his head was bowed and he didn’t exactly look happy. His solicitor, a portly man of indeterminable age between mid thirties and mid forties, wearing a dark brown suit, off white shirt and a lilac and cream tie, was also wearing one of those large and wide gold wedding rings that Rebecca always associated with men who did as they were told as far as women were concerned. Better not let him think for one moment that he wasn’t now shackled to her after their reception at a local hotel that was known for giving good value and discounts if you waited to book until the last minute. Rebecca thought that Mrs. Solicitor probably sulked if he was a minute late home for dinner and called him constantly if he had to go out of town on business. He looked the downtrodden type. He was probably very good at his job but at home his life would never be his own. He also had the kind of Manchester accent that suggested he’d grown up in a working class community like Wythenshawe or Cheetham Hill but had now been ordered by his wife to soften his vowels in keeping with his job and where he lived now which was more than likely somewhere like Didsbury or Hale. Rebecca came across some evil men in her job and some who didn’t deserve to live in her opinion. But she also came across many who seemed to need to grow a pair of balls where their women were concerned. The existence of the second lot really pissed her off. She’d never treat a man like he had to do as he was told or else. So why couldn’t she get one? Why couldn’t Jeff appreciate the kind of woman she was?

‘My client would like to make a further statement’ said the solicitor whose name was Aidan Priestley. ‘If you’re ready to listen, detectives, then he can begin’.

‘I think you’ll find we’re in control here, Mr. Priestley’ Ollie pointed out.

‘He’s aware of that, detective’ said Priestley.

‘Then he can begin’ said Ollie who then turned to Gary. ‘Gary? What is it you want to tell us?’

Gary raised his head and took a deep breath. ‘It’s true that I did go and meet Bradley last Sunday morning and that we had had a row over the phone. Bradley was a great kid and he was bright and intelligent. But he was also stubborn and fiercely protective of his mother. He loved Lucy very much and wouldn’t have a word said against her. But the relationship between me and Bradley had become strained lately. I never told him that I was having an affair with his mother but he worked it out for himself’.

‘And how did he react?’ asked Rebecca. ‘If you want us to help you, Gary you’re going to have to tell us the whole truth. No more messing about with telling us some of the story and not all of it’.     

‘He hated me’ said Gary. ‘I mean he really hated me. He threatened to tell my wife Debbie and I really couldn’t have that’.

‘So you killed him to keep him silent?’

‘No! Look, he rang me, we talked. I went round to meet him so we could talk some more and I could try to explain to him that I never wanted to hurt his Mum but that he shouldn’t tell Debbie about my affair with his Mum because it would hurt Debbie very much and he surely didn’t want to do that. But when I got there … when I got there he was already dead. I swear to you that he was already dead. I saw his body lying there and I panicked. I ran. I ran back home and that’s the real reason why I haven’t been back to see Lucy. I couldn’t face her. I couldn’t face her knowing that I’d seen Bradley that way. But I swear to you, detectives. I swear to you with everything about my being that I did not kill Bradley. I found him there and I should’ve told you way before this but I was afraid of how it all might look’.

‘Did you see anyone who might’ve killed him?’ asked Ollie. ‘I mean, he can’t have been dead very long when you found him?’

‘I didn’t see anyone’ Gary proclaimed emotionally. ‘I didn’t see anyone and I didn’t kill Bradley. He was my son’.