‘You didn’t see him?’ Janet said to Connor.
He gave a shrug. ‘I was in bed.’
‘And the gun?’ Janet said.
‘Kept it in my room.’
‘We searched your house,’ she said.
‘Yeah, I had it on me. You weren’t going to strip-search us,’ he said. A light in his eyes, some cheek, pleasure in tricking the police.
‘And yesterday when shots were fired into your house…’
‘I did that. You had me dad but you didn’t have the gun, so if the gun was used you’d know it wasn’t him that done it.’
‘I don’t believe this,’ Gloria Tandy said, ‘I don’t bleeding believe it. What did you think would happen?’
‘They’d let him go,’ he retorted.
‘He’d broken his terms,’ she yelled, ‘let alone he’d a bagful of shooters.’
‘But that’s not murder,’ he said, ‘he wouldn’t go down for murder.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ Janet intervened.
‘But you will, you stupid fucker!’ Gloria Tandy shouted.
‘Mrs Tandy, if you interrupt again I’m going to request that we find an alternative appropriate adult. Do you understand?’
Gloria Tandy crimped her mouth shut, tears standing in her eyes. She was heartbroken, Janet could tell, beneath the swearing and shouting she was devastated that she was losing her son.
Janet spoke to Connor. ‘Earlier today you shot and injured a serving police officer. Why did you do that?’
‘She lied to me, she was messing with me.’
‘And you admit to killing Victor Tosin and Lydia Oluwaseyi?’
‘Yes.’
‘And can you tell me why you did that?’
‘To show him, my dad, to show him and everyone. He wouldn’t let me go with him, said I was still a little kid, no guts, no balls, probably a fucking pansy. Get back in touch again when my balls had dropped. And he hated them, coons, Pakis, immigrants. I’m not scared,’ Connor said. ‘I proved it.’
By killing two young people in cold blood? Two kids who fled God knows what horrors at home to eke out a living squatting in the unforgiving cold of a damp and desolate northern warehouse. Clinging to survival. Janet’s eyes burned. She blinked and took a breath, then thanked him for his cooperation. His solicitor would be informed of any further developments but in all likelihood they would be moving to press charges.
‘What about me dad?’ he said.
‘I can’t discuss that,’ said Janet.
‘He’ll be back inside, that’s right, isn’t it?’ Gloria Tandy said. ‘And none of this need have happened but for you. He’ll be inside and so will you, won’t he?’ she said to Janet.
Janet didn’t answer. Her silence said it all.
Gill was giving a speech to the press and media. She had rehearsed it until near word perfect so she could look at the cameras for most of the time.