Paparazzi by Jo Fenton (best free e reader .txt) 📕

“Joanna, are you happy with that?” I see no reason she wouldn’t want her son working with us, but it seems right to ask.

“Yes, of course. I think Will’s shown himself worthy of a place at White Knight, and he’s easy to work with. He’s even okay to live with, and he’s a better cook than I am.”

The light-hearted discussion of the future calms me down, and I’m in a better mood by the time Will pulls up outside the station.

Finn has arrived before us and is out of his car already as Will turns off the engine. He comes over and waits as we get out.

“I’ll take you all up to my office. We can have a chat, and then you can watch as I interview Penny and Nigel. Does that seem reasonable?”

“Sure. Have you still got that coffee machine in your office?”

“Course I have. There’s a whole selection of pods, so you can keep yourselves supplied throughout the interviews. I’ve even got biscuits. I guess no one’s had dinner. This wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I suggested exchanging information this evening.”

“No problem.” Will grins. “Coffee and biscuits sounds great. Thanks.”

When we get to Finn’s office, I look around. It’s moderately tidy, as long as you don’t look too closely at the piles on the in-trays – he has three of these, and rarely gets round to going through them. I glance at him and see he’s watching me.

“I need you to keep me in order, Becks.” He smiles wryly. “None of the team ever challenge me like you did.”

I refrain from asking why he betrayed me then. He’s already explained. And also, I would prefer to keep it between Finn and me for now. I’ll tell Matt later, but that’s all.

He must realise that he’s not getting a response, because he glances round to check the number of chairs, then leaves to fill the deficit. Joanna gives me a sharp look. I can see she senses that all is not well between me and Finn, and I decide to make an extra effort to be normal with him.

Sitting around his desk with coffee, we keep the conversation focussed on evidence and our recent knowledge and suppositions. Finn takes copious notes.

“I’m going to have to interview Penny. I wish you three could be part of that, but at least I can let you watch.”

“Will you have your phone on?” I ask. He always used to turn off his phone before going into a meeting with the suspects.

“You know I don’t usually.” He pauses. “But I suppose I could make an exception. Are you suggesting that you’ll text me if I need prompting or if something comes up that I’m not aware of?”

“It would make sense. I think we’ve told you everything we know, but it’s not impossible that there’s some little detail that we didn’t know was important. We’ve been working in this job for long enough to know that it’s all in the details.”

“Very true, Becks. Okay. That’s a plan then.” He switches on a screen and fiddles with some buttons, until the screen shows Penny, looking sullen, and an apparently exasperated duty solicitor. “Right. Wish me luck, folks. I’m going in.”

Chapter Forty-Two

I have observed many interviews over the years, so this should be quite ordinary, but given the circumstances, I am fascinated to hear this story from Penny’s perspective. If she’ll talk.

Finn opens the interview in the usual way. He’s accompanied by a young Sergeant that I don’t recognise, who he introduces as DS Ian Timms. He addresses Penny as Miss Ellsworth whilst reading her rights to her. Then, with the formalities over, Finn starts with the events of today. However angry I am with him, I can’t deny that he’s a sensible and thorough police detective.

“So tell me about this afternoon. Why did you abduct Emma Cassidy?”

“No comment.”

“Do you deny that you abducted Emma?”

“No comment.”

“Look, Penny. I want to help you, but I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me. I need to understand the circumstances from your perspective, because right now, the evidence is extremely damning.” Finn is lying, but it’s a good tactic. He’s also switched to calling Penny by her first name. Another good strategy. The evidence is actually pretty flimsy, although now that we have a suspect, there is a warrant to search Penny’s flat. It’s hoped that this will turn up further proof of her guilt.

Penny is looking uncertainly at her solicitor, who responds in kind but firm tones. “You don’t have to say anything, Penny. But don’t forget, if you fail to say something now and you would like to use it later in court, it may be too late.”

“Fine! Okay, yes, I abducted his daughter, but he deserved it. He was being stupid.”

“Would you like to expand on that, Penny?” Finn’s tone is neutral, but I know him well enough to sense his relief.

“I sent him a letter warning him that if he didn’t change his behaviour, his daughter would be taken away. He didn’t change.”

“Was this the letter?” Finn reaches into a black leather bag at his side and extracts the plastic bag holding the letter that Troy received. Penny glances at it, then nods.

“For the purposes of the recording, Penny has just nodded assent. What did you plan to do with Emma once you had taken her?”

“It depended on what Troy said. If he’d agreed to my terms, then I’d have let her go.”

I can’t see Finn’s face from the direction of the camera. He and the Sergeant have their backs to it, but I suspect him of mentally rolling his eyes. He would show a poker face though.

“What were your terms, Penny?”

“He had to agree to be with me. To marry me and be mine for ever.”

“After you’d murdered his wife, who he loved, and his parents, who I presume he also loved?”

“He did. He was close to his mum and dad. That’s why they had to go. Anyone who