The paracetamol seemed to dull his headache for a while, and whatever they gave him for the nausea worked, too. Just after lunch, as he was trying to relax listening to the Pavel Haas Quartet playing some Shostakovich string quartets, he had more visitors. He didn’t recognise the man with AC Gervaise, but they both looked serious.
‘This is Superintendent Newry from Police Conduct,’ said Gervaise. ‘He’d like to talk to you. He has agreed to my being present during this interview, which I am assured is merely a preliminary. In no way are you accused or suspected of anything.’
‘So why is he here, if there’s been no complaints against me?’
‘Standard procedure,’ Newry said. ‘Given the... er... unusual circumstances of your adventures.’
Newry was a small pudgy man in his fifties with thinning hair and a large round head. He looked angry. In fact, he looked as if he were permanently angry: red face, tight mouth, etched sneer. The hospital chair creaked as he sat down. His trousers tightened against the flesh of his thighs.
‘Got your memory back yet?’ Newry asked.
‘No,’ said Banks. ‘It’s still a blank. What’s all this about? What’s happened?’
‘The fire investigation officers were able to enter the scene at the water treatment plant,’ said Newry. ‘They found two bodies. Now do you remember anything about how that came about?’
‘Who are they?’ Banks asked.
‘We won’t know until the post-mortems have been carried out. To be honest, there’s not much left for her to work on. They were both very badly burned, and as yet we don’t even know if they were male or female. But that’s not the point. Do you remember anything?’
‘No,’ said Banks. Zelda, he thought. Please let it not be Zelda. Why did that thought flash through his mind? There was nothing in his memory to justify it, only that he connected what had happened, what he couldn’t remember, with Zelda’s disappearance, which was the case he had been working on. He remembered that. Had she been there, at the treatment plant? Had she been caught in the fire?
‘How I hate these memory-loss cases,’ Newry said. ‘A person could say anything, or nothing, and we’d have no way of proving it. Any thoughts on the matter?’
‘On your suspicions about my memory loss, or on what happened?’
‘The latter will do for now.’
‘I’m told I was knocked unconscious,’ said Banks, ‘and when I came around, I was here in hospital. As far as I know, I didn’t go to the plant for any particular reason, by choice. Why would I? I must have been taken there. By whom, or why, I have no idea.’
‘I understand that,’ said Newry. ‘And your DI Cabbot has already found evidence of your abduction back at your cottage. Your doctor also mentioned marks that ropes made on your wrists, ankles, and throat. It’s what the Americans call “hog-tied.” ’
‘Perhaps that’s why my throat’s sore and my wrists hurt.’
‘I should think so. And I’m sure you can understand why we’re interested in any information we can get right now.’
‘I know what you’re after,’ said Banks. ‘A scapegoat. And it’s not going to be me.’
Newry raised his eyebrows and glanced towards AC Gervaise. Banks could see she wasn’t happy with what was happening.
‘Any more questions?’ he asked.
‘Any guesses?’ Newry went on. ‘As to who it might have been? And why you were taken there?’
Banks took a deep breath before answering. ‘As you probably know, we are involved in trying to find a woman who was abducted from her farmhouse near Lyndgarth on Monday. Her name is Nelia Melnic, though everyone knows her as Zelda. We think a Croatian sex trafficker called Petar Tadić was behind that abduction, in collusion with a wanted criminal called Philip Keane. We don’t know why Zelda was taken, unless it was to settle an old score or to stop her from disclosing something incriminating she knew about Tadić, and I have no idea why they should want me, too, if that’s what happened. Unless Keane felt he had a score to settle.’
‘Was this Zelda being kept at the treatment plant? Is that why you went there?’
‘I didn’t go there. I was taken there.’
‘Right. Could that be why you were taken there, then?’
‘How would I know?’
‘Was the woman there?’
‘I have no memory of what or who was there. I don’t even remember being there myself.’
‘Your memory for some things seems pretty good to me.’
‘Yes, it is. I can even remember my own name. But I don’t remember what happened last night. It’s called short-term memory loss, or temporary amnesia. At least, I hope it’s temporary. Ask Dr. Chowdhury. He’ll be happy to explain it to you.’
‘You have a history with this Keane, I understand?’
‘He tried to kill me once, if you call that a “history.” Drugged me. Set fire to my cottage with me inside it.’
‘Something like that stays with you, I should imagine.’
‘Surely the question is whether it stayed with him. Enough for him to want to repeat his attempt. And no, I haven’t been dreaming of revenge for the last ten years.’
‘Do you think Keane was the man who set the fire at the plant?’
‘He has a history of arson, so it wouldn’t surprise me, but I have no memory of anyone starting a fire. I don’t even remember a fire.’
‘You have burns on your ankle and legs. How did you escape?’
‘I don’t know that I did. I mean, I know I must have, because I’m here, but I don’t know whether I was inside the building in the first place, or whether it was burning when I was. Or how I got out, if I did. Maybe I was always where the firefighters found me?’
‘Surely if you were taken to the plant by someone who had a reason, you must have been inside at some point? And there are the burns.’
‘They hardly prove anything. I told you, I don’t remember being inside the building. I don’t know where I was taken. Or why. I don’t even remember being taken.’
‘Yes. Of course. The memory loss.’
‘Take or leave it,’ said Banks.
‘As a matter of fact,’ Newry went on, ‘you were inside the building. Forensic tests on your clothing show traces of petrol and dirt and grease from the floor.’
‘You took my clothes?’
‘Naturally. You’ll get them back in due course.’
‘I’m tired now. The doctor says I need rest. Please fuck off.’
Newry stood up and gestured towards AC Gervaise. ‘I imagine we’ll be talking again before too long,’ he said. ‘In the meantime, do get that rest, Superintendent Banks, and perhaps your memory will have come back by the next time we meet.’
‘Is that some sort of thinly veiled threat?’
Newry managed to twist his features into what he probably thought was a smile. ‘It’s nothing of the kind. Good day.’
Gervaise waited until the door closed behind Newry before saying, ‘Was that really necessary?’
‘What? Arseholes like him give me a headache, and I’ve already got a big enough one to begin with. If you ask me, he’s watched too many episodes of Line of Duty.’
‘Even so... he’s only doing his job.’
‘He’s already after handing out blame before he even knows what happened. Is that his job?’
‘Are you sure you don’t remember anything?’
Banks stared at her. ‘Not you as well? Bloody hell. I don’t believe this.’
‘All right, all right, Alan. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’d understand, you know, if you didn’t want to tell Newry anything right now, until you’re sure.’