Let the Dead Speak (Maeve Kerrigan #7)

‘He said it was rough sex, but consensual.’ I shrugged. ‘Without Kate, I can’t prove anything.’

‘He also said he was shit in bed.’ Pettifer sniffed. ‘He’s an arrogant sort. If he was making it up, he’d have said he was amazing, wouldn’t he? Especially when he was trying to flirt with you, Maeve.’

‘There’s a shock,’ Derwent said. ‘Kerrigan is a creep magnet.’

I put my foot on the seat of his chair and shoved, hard, so he rolled a few feet away. ‘It’s a good point, Chris. That’s a strange thing to make up. But I can’t see any other reason why she’d keep the clothes.’

‘Did we find any other DNA in the house?’ Pettifer asked.

‘Three other men. We haven’t identified them yet. There’s nothing on the system,’ Derwent said. ‘It fits with what Oliver Norris said about her having visitors.’

‘Living dangerously,’ I said. ‘Most murder victims do, one way or another.’

Pettifer went back to his desk but Derwent propelled himself around to sit beside me. He leaned on my desk, staring into the distance.

‘How was Oliver Norris?’ I asked eventually.

‘Inconclusive.’

‘Still a suspect?’

‘Very much so.’

‘What did you make of him?’

‘I don’t know.’ Derwent rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. ‘Watch it, if you like. Let me know what you think.’

‘I will.’ Very casually, but because I had to know, I asked, ‘How did Georgia do?’

‘Fine.’ He got up and walked away. Over his shoulder, he said, ‘But I missed you.’

By the time I’d decided how I should respond, he was long gone.





16


Metropolitan Police

RECORD OF INTERVIEW

Visually Recorded Interview Person interviewed: Oliver John NORRIS

DOB: 05/12/71

Place of Interview: Colton House, Westminster Time commenced: 1235 hours

Time concluded: 1430 hours

Duration of interview: 115 mins

Interviewing Officer(s): DI Josh DERWENT, DC Georgia SHAW

Other persons present: Mr John PACKARD, Solicitor, JPL Solicitors All persons present introduced themselves.

Tape procedure explained.

Mr NORRIS confirmed he had had sufficient time for legal consultation. Advised of ongoing right to legal consultation. Caution given, explained and understood.



DERWENT: Do you know why you’re here?

NORRIS: Because you want to talk to me about Kate Emery. That’s what you said when you came to my house in the middle of the night. It was completely unnecessary.

DERWENT: It’s routine. Tell me about Kate.

NORRIS: She was my neighbour.

DERWENT: Just a neighbour or more than that?

NORRIS: What are you implying?

DERWENT: I think you knew her a bit better than you’re letting on.

NORRIS: I knew her. [inaudible]

DERWENT: Could you repeat that?

NORRIS: I was friendly with her.

DERWENT: How friendly?

NORRIS: I – does my wife need to hear about this?

DERWENT: Go on.

NORRIS: We were … close.

DERWENT: What does that mean?

NORRIS: No comment.

DERWENT: That’s not how it works, Mr Norris. You can’t opt out of answering the difficult questions. Did you have a sexual relationship with Kate Emery?

NORRIS: No.

DERWENT: No?

NORRIS: Not really.

DERWENT: What does that mean?

NORRIS: [inaudible]

DERWENT: Shall I tell you what we’ve found, Mr Norris? Would that be helpful?

[Silence]

DERWENT: The forensic service can say with a high degree of certainty that your DNA was on and inside this used condom, along with Kate Emery’s skin cells and body fluids. Do you know where we recovered that?

NORRIS: No.

DERWENT: It was in number twenty-two Constantine Avenue. That house belongs to a man named Harold Lowe.

NORRIS: I don’t know him.

DERWENT: Have you ever been in that house?

NORRIS: No.

DERWENT: Are you sure?

NORRIS: I – I can’t.

PACKARD: My client is very distressed.

DERWENT: My colleague will give you a tissue, Mr Norris. Would you like some water?

NORRIS: [sniffing] No.

DERWENT: How do you explain the used condom in Harold Lowe’s house?

NORRIS: I know this looks bad. It is bad. I should never have done it.

DERWENT: What did you do?

NORRIS: OK. I’m going to tell you everything that happened. Everything. I’m not going to lie any more. I was very taken with her. Obsessed. Out of my mind. I knew it was wrong. I’ve been married for a long time and I’ve never been unfaithful. I’ve never wanted to be. Marriage is a sacred union and I love my wife. That’s the whole point. I love her. I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want her to know …

DERWENT: Know what?

NORRIS: I got to know Kate. I got to know her better than Eleanor realised. I spent quite a bit of time with her. I got in the habit of popping round when Eleanor was out and Chloe was round at our place. I was lonely, I suppose. She was good company and she was fun. I started off thinking that I was there because I wanted her to join our church, but I was wrong to use that as an excuse. It wasn’t true. She let me talk about God and prayer and so forth, but it wasn’t why I was there and I knew it. I should have walked away from temptation but I was weak. I was weak.

DERWENT: Did you have an affair with her?

NORRIS: Not at first. Then – then I couldn’t help myself. But I didn’t want Eleanor to find out. I couldn’t think about what would happen. It would destroy her. You mustn’t tell her.

DERWENT: When did it start?

NORRIS: After she came to our church. I wouldn’t have— I couldn’t have encouraged her to come if we’d already been— but it was only a few times. Five. Six, maybe.

DERWENT: Explain to me why you were in Harold Lowe’s house.

NORRIS: I was worried that Eleanor would see me going into Kate’s house. I thought I could come round the back way, but Kate said she had a better idea. She had a key to the house on Constantine Avenue. She told me we wouldn’t be disturbed. Otherwise we could only meet when Chloe was away, or out, but it was too risky. I wasn’t always able to get away when Chloe was out, so it was … frustrating. But when we had the house, we could meet there and Kate could keep an eye on her house so she’d know when Chloe got back.

DERWENT: And you met there for sex.

NORRIS: Yes.

DERWENT: Did you drink while you were there? Smoke?

NORRIS: No.

DERWENT: Did you have sex without a condom?

NORRIS: No. Never. I had no idea we’d left one behind, obviously. I thought we’d been pretty careful about tidying up. Kate cleaned the room we used. It was wrong to use someone else’s house, especially for that, but it seemed like the only option.

DERWENT: Apart from not having an affair.

NORRIS: Apart from that. But we had decided to end it. She had decided, actually. I was sorry, but it was a relief too.

DERWENT: Tell me about the last time you spoke to Kate.

NORRIS: I went round to her house last week. She asked me to come over. Chloe was out with Bethany at the cinema. Eleanor was at choir at the church. I said I had a sore throat so I had to stay at home.

DERWENT: When was this? What night?

NORRIS: Monday.

DERWENT: Time?

NORRIS: I don’t know. Eight? Eight thirty? We had a glass of wine. I brought a bottle over.

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