Page 109 of Better the Devil

Bosco swallowed. Straightened. His hand slipped from the wall, and he turned to face DCI Reeve.

‘I would like to go back into room,’ he said. His eyes darted to the door they’d just walked through. ‘I have information I think you will want to hear.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Logan directedOlivia to a seat on the other side of the interview room desk. She slouched into it without a word, arms folded, face formed into a clear visualfuck you.

‘Comfortable?’ he asked.

‘Oh, yeah.’ Olivia rocked in the hard plastic chair. ‘It’s like sitting on a cloud.’

‘Right. Aye. Well, I’ll, eh, I’ll just go and get DI Khaled to come in and he can?—’

‘No.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Me and you,’ Olivia told him. ‘That’s it.’

Logan shook his head. ‘That won’t work. Because of our relationship, I need someone else to sit in on the interview. Ideally, to lead it.’

‘Well, don’t worry about that. We don’t have a relationship,’ she told him. ‘You’ve made that very clear.’

Logan sighed. ‘Olivia, listen?—’

‘It’s me and you, just the two of us, or this isn’t happening,’ she insisted. ‘Or, I walk out of here. Unless you arrest me. Is that your plan, Jack? You going to arrest me?’

There was spite behind it. Behind all of it.

‘Listen… This was your call,’ he reminded her.

‘My call,’ she scoffed.

‘You said downstairs that you wanted to come up here and do this properly.’

Olivia lurched forward in the chair, practically screaming at him. ‘Because I wanted you to sayno!’

She swallowed quickly, like she was trying, too late, to choke back the words. Her voice dropped until it was little more than a whisper.

‘You were meant to say no. You were meant to tell me we didn’t have to do this.’

Olivia sat back again, refolding her arms, bringing her defensive shields back online.

‘But, fine. Here we are. It is what it is. So, go on then. Ask your questions. Accuse me of whatever it is you think I’ve done. Hurry up!’

Logan watched the girl’s leg bouncing under the table. She was wearing the trainers that Taggart used to chew on when he thought no one was looking. Shona had bought replacements, but Olivia had said the teeth marks gave the shoes character.

They were white canvas things, not remotely in keeping with the school uniform. She’d drawn a cartoon picture of the dog on the side of the left shoe, although he appeared to be stoned out of his mind and smoking a giant spliff.

‘Look, Olivia, I get that you’re angry,’ Jack began.

A sharp peal of laughter stopped him before he could say any more.

‘Angry? I’m not angry. This isn’t angry.’ Her voice became thin. Became fragile. ‘I amsad, Jack. Alright? If you must know. I amdevastated.’

She turned away, like she couldn’t stand to look at him.

‘But, come on, ask. Interrogate away. I’ll tell you what?—’