Page 64 of Death Kiss

‘What did you take from the house?’ he presses.

‘I gave you my phone and car keys. You tell me?’

The way he frowns shows that my answer clearly rankles him. ‘Don’t be a smart arse. I know not to trust the press as far as I can throw them.’

‘Some might say the same about the police…’

That gets him. His teeth grind audibly as his eyes narrow. Fuck, I’m enjoying this more than I should be. Bringing this despicable fuckwad to justice will be glorious.

‘So, you claim to have received an anonymous tip-off. Which disappeared by the time you went back to your emails? How is that possible?’

Folding my arms on the table, I tilt my head a touch as I regard how far to push him. ‘Well, Richard, I don’t know how it’s possible, because I’m an investigative journalist and not a tech wizard. You’ve got to have someone on your team who knows a thing or two about technology. I’d suggest you direct that question at them, not me.’

His muscles tense further, and if we weren’t being recorded, I’m pretty sure he’d have tried to deck me.

‘So you, a journalist, entered the crime scene, yet didn’t take a single photograph?’

I don’t want to lie on record, given that I very much intend to use the evidence to rip a new one in this scumbag. Eventually.

‘You have my phone. Did you see any photographs?’

His nostrils flare, and it takes every ounce of restraint I have not to smirk.

‘What took you so long to contact the police if you weren’t documenting the scene?’

Swallowing, I lean back and consider my response. They’ve asked me this same question in what seems like a hundred different ways, hoping to find a crack.

‘I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen brutally killed people’s corpses in real life before. I’ve certainly not been sent into a situation like that by an anonymous source with no clue what the hell I’m supposed to do. I lost track of time because I was mortified about what I found. I considered walking away. To pretend like I’d never been there and leave it to be someone else’s problem. I wasn't prepared for that situation.’

There’s something sinister lurking in Ashworth’s eyes, making me want to look away, but I hold his gaze through it.

‘Sounds like a tall tale. If you’re hiding anything, we’ll find it.’

Ashworth pushes his chair back and stands, and I can’t help but prod him further.

‘Have you identified them yet?’

‘The men?’ he asks. ‘Yes.’

‘No, not them. The children.’

There’s a flicker in his gaze as he places his hands on the table and leans close to me.

‘What children?’

‘The ones in the garden.’

The smile he cracks makes my stomach weak.

‘There was a shoe uncovered in the garden when my men arrived. What leads you to think there was one child, let alone more?’ I can feel him turning my question back on me, showing me that I’ve made an error. ‘And with one shoe visible, what leads you to believe there are multiple sets of remains there?’

‘I saw the ground. There were lots of spots of earth disturbed just like that one.’

‘Mmm. If you say so. It sounds to me like you have prior knowledge of what’s buried at the cottage. How would you know that when nothing’s been confirmed, unless you are somehow involved in putting them there?’ Ashworth looks fucking thrilled with himself, whereas my arse is doing the five-pence-fifty-pence dance.

‘That’s insane.’

‘Is it? You show up alone at a crime scene that you’ve apparently been sent to with magical disappearing emails, with knowledge of bodies you couldn’t have seen.’ Ashworth sits back down and taps the table.