“Yes. I think so.”
“You didn’t know him then?”
“No. Look, if you don’t mind my asking, how is he, by the way?”
“He’s still in intensive care, but he’s hanging on.”
“Good. I mean… oh, shit, this is so difficult. I still can’t believe it. What am I supposed to say? The man’s a friend of mine, after all, no matter…” Brighouse put his fist to his mouth and chewed on a knuckle. He seemed suddenly close to tears.
“No matter what he’s done?”
“I was going to say that, but… I’m just confused. Forgive me.”
“It’ll take time. I understand. But in the meantime I need to find out all I can about Terence Payne. What sorts of things did you do together?”
“Mostly went to pubs. We never drank a lot. At least I didn’t.”
“Payne’s a heavy drinker?”
“Not until recently.”
“Did you say anything to him?”
“A couple of times. You know, when he was in his car.”
“What did you do?”
“I tried to take his keys away.”
“What happened?”
“He got angry. Even hit me once.”
“Terence Payne hit you?”
“Yeah. But he was pissed. He’s got a temper when he’s pissed.”
“Did he give you any reason why he was drinking so much?”
“No.”
“He didn’t talk about any personal problems he might be having?”
“No.”
“Did you know of any problems other than the drinking?”
“He was letting his work slip a bit.”
The same thing Knight had said. Like the drinking, it was probably more of a symptom than the problem itself. Jenny Fuller would perhaps be able to confirm it, but Banks thought it made sense that a man who was doing, who felt compelled to do, what Payne had been doing would need some sort of oblivion. It seemed almost as if he had wanted to be caught, wanted it all to be over. The abduction of Kimberley Myers, when he knew he was already in the system because of his car number plate, was a foolhardy move. If it hadn’t been for DCs Bowmore and Singh, he might have been brought to Banks’s attention earlier. Even if nothing had come from a second interview, his name would have leaped out of HOLMES as soon as Carol Houseman had entered the new data, that Kimberley Myers was a pupil at Silverhill, where Payne taught, and that he was listed as the owner of a car whose number ended in KWT, despite the false NGV plates.
“Did he ever talk about Kimberley Myers?” Banks asked.
“No. Never.”
“Did he ever talk about young girls in general?”
“He talked about girls, not particularly young ones.”
“How did he talk about women? With affection? With disgust? With lust? With anger?”
Brighouse thought for a moment. “Come to think of it,” he said, “I always thought Terry sounded a bit sort of domineering, the way he talked about women.”
“How so?”
“Well, he’d spot a girl he fancied, in a pub, say, and go on about, you know, how he’d like to fuck her, tie her to the bed and fuck her brains out. That sort of thing. I… I mean, I’m not a prude, but sometimes it was a bit over-the-top.”
“But that’s just male crudeness, isn’t it?”
Brighouse raised an eyebrow. “Is it? I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what it means. I’m just saying he sounded rough and domineering when he talked about women.”
“Talking about male crudeness, did you ever lend Terry any videos?”
Brighouse looked away. “What do you mean? What sort of videos?”
“Pornographic videos.”
It wasn’t possible for someone as red as Brighouse to blush, but for moment Banks could almost have sworn that he did.
“Just some soft stuff. Nothing under the counter. Nothing you can’t rent at the corner shop. I lent him other videos, too. War films, horror, science fiction. Terry’s a film buff.”
“No homemade videos?”
“Of course not. What do you think I am?”
“The jury’s still out on that one, Geoff. Does Terry own a camcorder?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Do you?”
“No. I can just about manage a basic point-and-shoot camera.”
“Did you go to his house often?”
“Once in a while.”
“Ever go down in the cellar?”
“No. Why?”
“Are you sure about that, Geoff?”
“Damn it, yes. Surely you can’t think…?”
“You do realize we’re carrying out a complete forensic examination of the Paynes’ cellar, don’t you?”
“So?”
“So the first rule of a crime scene is that anyone who’s been there leaves something and takes something away. If you were there, we’ll find out, that’s all. I wouldn’t want you looking guilty simply for not telling me you were there on some innocent mission, like watching a porn video together.”
“I never went down there.”
“Okay. Just so long as you know. Did the two of you ever pick up any women together?”
Brighouse’s eyes shifted toward the Bunsen burner, and he fiddled with the test tube rack in front of him.
“Mr. Brighouse? Geoff? It could be important.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Let me be the judge of that. And if you’re worried about splitting on a mate, you shouldn’t be. Your mate’s in hospital in a coma. His wife’s in the same hospital with a few cuts and bruises he inflicted on her. And we found the body of Kimberley Myers in the cellar of his house. Remember Kimberley? You probably taught her, didn’t you? I’ve just been to the postmortem of one of his previous victims and I’m still feeling a bit off-color. You don’t need to know anymore, and believe me, you don’t want to.”
Brighouse took a deep breath. Some of the bright red coloring seemed to have leached from his cheeks and brow. “Well, okay, yeah, we did. Once.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“Nothing. You know…”
“No, I don’t know. Tell me,”
“Look, this is…”
“I don’t care how embarrassing it is. I want to know how he behaved with this woman you picked up. Carry on. Think of it as confiding in your doctor over a dose of clap.”
Brighouse swallowed and went on. “It was at a conference in Blackpool. In April, just over a year ago.”
“Before he got married?”
“Yeah. He was seeing Lucy, but they weren’t married then. Not till May.”
“Go on.”
“Not much to tell. There was this cracking young teacher from Aberdeen, and one night, you know, we’d all had a few drinks at the bar and got to flirting and all. Anyway, she seemed game enough after a few gins, so we went up to the room.”
“The three of you?”
“Yes. Terry and I were sharing a room. I mean, I’d have stayed away if it was his score, like, but she made it clear she didn’t mind. It was her idea. She said she’d always fancied a threesome.”
“And you?”
“It had been a fantasy of mine, yes.”
“What happened?”
“What do you think? We had sex.”
“Did she enjoy it?”
“Well, like I said, it had been mostly her idea in the first place. She was a bit drunk. We all were. She didn’t object. Really, she was keen. It was only later…”
“What was only later?”
“Look, you know what it’s like.”
“No, I don’t know what it’s like.”
“Well, Terry, he suggested a Greek sandwich. I don’t know if you-”
“I know what a Greek sandwich is. Go on.”
“But she didn’t fancy it.”
“What happened?”
“Terry can be very persuasive.”
“How? Violence?”
“No. He just doesn’t give up. He keeps on coming back to what he wants and it just wears down people’s resistance in the end.”
“So you had your Greek sandwich?”
Brighouse looked down and rubbed his fingertips on the rough, scratched lab bench. “Yeah.”
“And she was willing?”
“Sort of. I mean, yes. Nobody forced her. Not physically. We’d had a couple more drinks and Terry was at her, you know, just verbally, about how great it would be, so in the end…”
“What happened afterward?”
“Nothing, really. I mean she didn’t kick up a fuss. But it soured the mood. She cried a bit, seemed down, you know, as if she felt betrayed, used. And I could tell she didn’t like it much, when it was happening.”
“But you didn’t stop?”
“No.”
“Did she scream or tell you to stop?”
“No. I mean, she was making noises but… well, she was a real screamer to start with. I was even worried about the people next door telling us to keep the noise down.”
“What happened next?”
“She went back to her own room. We had a few more drinks, then I passed out. I assume Terry did the same.”
Banks paused and made a jotting in his notebook. “I don’t know if you realize this, Geoff, but what you’ve just told me constitutes accessory to rape.”
“Nobody raped her! I told you. She was willing enough.”
“Doesn’t sound like it to me. Two men. Her by herself. What choice did she have? She made it clear that she didn’t want to do what Terence Payne was asking for, but he went ahead and did it anyway.”
“He brought her around to his way of thinking.”
“Bollocks, Geoff. He wore down her resistance and resolve. You said so yourself. And I’ll also bet she was worried what might happen if she didn’t go along with him.”
“Nobody threatened her with violence.”
“Maybe not in so many words.”
“Look, maybe things went just a little too far…”
“Got out of hand?”
“Maybe a little.”
Banks sighed. The number of times he’d heard that excuse for male violence against women. It was what Annie Cabbot’s assailants had claimed, too. He felt disgusted with Geoffrey Brighouse, but there wasn’t much he could do. The incident had taken place over a year ago, the woman hadn’t filed a complaint as far as he knew, and Terence Payne was fighting for his life in the infirmary anyway. Still, it was one worth noting down for future reference.
“I’m sorry,” said Brighouse. “But you must understand. She never told us to stop.”
“Didn’t seem as if she had much chance to do that, sandwiched between two strapping lads like you and Terry.”
“Well, she’d enjoyed everything else.”
Move on, Banks told himself, before you hit him. “Any other incidents like that?”
“No. It was the only time. Believe it or not, Superintendent, but after that night, I was a bit ashamed, even though I did nothing wrong, and I would’ve been uncomfortable getting into a situation like that with Terry again. He was too much for me. So I just avoided the possibility.”
“So Payne was faithful to his wife from then on?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that the two of us didn’t pick up any more girls together. Sometimes he told me, you know, about picking up prostitutes and all.”
“What did he do with them?”
“What do you think?”
“He didn’t go into detail?”
“No.”
“Did he ever talk about his wife in a sexual way?”
“No. Never. He was very possessive about her, and very guarded. He hardly mentioned her at all when we were together. It was as if she were part of a different life altogether. Terry’s got a remarkable ability to compartmentalize things.”
“So it would seem. Did he ever suggest abducting young girls?”
“Do you seriously believe that I’d have anything to do with that sort of thing?”
“I don’t know, Geoff. You tell me. He talked to you about tying them up and fucking their brains out, and he certainly raped that teacher in Blackpool, no matter how willing she might have been to have regular sex with the two of you earlier. I don’t know what to think of your part in all this, Geoff, to be quite honest.”
Brighouse had lost all his color now, and he was trembling. “But you can’t think that I…? I mean…”
“Why not? There’s no reason you couldn’t have been in it with him. More convenient if there were two of you. Easier to abduct your victims. Any chloroform in the lab?”
“Chloroform? Yes. Why?”
“Under lock and key, is it?”
“Of course.”
“Who has a key?”
“I do. Terry. Keith Miller, the department head, Mr. Knight. I don’t know who else. Probably the caretaker and the cleaners, for all I know.”
“Whose prints do you think we’d find on the bottle?”
“I don’t know. I certainly can’t remember the last time I used the stuff.”
“What did you do last weekend?”
“Not much. Stayed home. Marked some projects. Went shopping in town.”
“Got a girlfriend at the moment, Geoff?”
“No.”
“See anyone else over the weekend?”
“Just neighbors – you know, people from the other flats, in the hall, on the stairs. Oh, and I went to the pictures Saturday night.”
“On your own?”
“Yes.”
“What did you go to see?”
“New James Bond, in the city center. And then I dropped in at my local.”
“Anyone see you?”
“A few of the regulars, yes. We had a game of darts.”
“How late were you there?”
“Closing time.”
Banks scratched his cheek. “I don’t know, Geoff. When you get right down to it, it’s not much of an alibi, is it?”
“I wasn’t aware I’d be needing one.”
The lab door opened and two boys poked their heads in. Geoff Brighouse seemed relieved. He looked at his watch, then at Banks, and gave a weak smile. “Time for class, I’m afraid.”
Banks stood up. “That’s all right, Geoff. I wouldn’t want to interfere in the education of the young.”
Brighouse beckoned the boys in, and more followed, swarming around the stools at the benches. He walked with Banks over to the door.
“I’d like you to come down to Millgarth and make a statement,” Banks said before leaving.
“A statement? Me? But why?”
“Just a formality. Tell the detective exactly what you just told me. And we’ll also need to know exactly where you were and what you were doing at the times those five girls were abducted. Details, witnesses, the lot. We’ll also need a fingerprint scan and a sample of DNA. It won’t be painful, just like brushing your teeth. This evening after school will do fine. Say five o’clock? Go to the front desk and ask for DC Younis. He’ll be expecting you.” Banks gave him a card and wrote down the name of the bright, if rather judgmental, young DC he had that very second chosen for the task of taking Brighouse’s formal statement. DC Younis was active in his local Methodist Chapel and a bit conservative, morally. “Cheers,” said Banks, leaving a stunned and worried-looking Geoff Brighouse to teach his class the joys of unstable sodium.