The nurse put her case down on the bunk. She was wearing latex gloves. She took out a fingertip puncher and held out her hand.
‘I... isn’t... I mean, don’t you need my consent for a blood test? Or a warrant, or something?’
‘Most of the time. Not for murder though. Senior Sergeant approved it.’
After a moment, Jack gave her his arm. What else could he do? The nurse took the sample. They left the room.
The urge to punch something was nearly overwhelming.
Jack stood up and shook out his hands. He had to fight for himself. He had to fight the fear and the sick feeling of guilt that came just from being treated like a bad guy. Cameron needed him. Jack started pacing back and forth in the tiny room. He would crush the fear and feed the anger. Anger was better. Anger would help him.
* * *
But they left him there all night. At some point, the custody sergeant brought him a sandwich and a bottle of water. He was escorted to the toilet. Breakfast was another sandwich. But there was no one to talk to. No one to fight with. There was nothing to do but stare at the wall and try to figure out what the hell was happening, try to convince himself that it was all going to be cleared up any minute.
By the time Lucy Phillips came to get him, sometime in the late morning, the anger was gone. The fear remained.
Phillips escorted him to an interview room where Rocky Jansen was waiting. There was a table in the centre of the room, two chairs on one side, two on the other. There was a mirror built into the wall behind Jansen. A control panel fixed to the table. Phillips pressed a few buttons. An automated voice announced that a recording had started.
‘Take a seat, Jack,’ Jansen said.
Jack sat.
‘Interview with Jack Miller regarding the murder of Robert Walker, on Monday, 15th July, 2024. Time is nine-thirty a.m. Present are Detective Senior Sergeant Rocky Jansen and Senior Constable Lucy Phillips. Jack, for the tape, I’m going to tell you again what I told you at your apartment. You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so, however, anything you do say may be taken down and used in evidence against you. You understand?’
Jack nodded. ‘Yes,’ he said. His voice sounded crusty. He cleared his throat and tried again. ‘Yes.’
‘Okay. And we’ve already discussed that you have a right to a lawyer. You told me and Senior Constable Phillips in the car that you can’t afford to pay a lawyer privately, is that correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay. So I’d like to ask you some questions now. You don’t have to answer any questions, and if you’d prefer to return to the holding cell and wait for a public defender—a lawyer that is paid for by the state—you’re welcome to do so. But if you are happy to answer our questions, there’s every chance we’ll be able to clear this up right here and now.’
Jack knew he was being played. He’d seen probably fifty TV shows where the guy gets played by the cops because he’s too stupid to keep his mouth shut and just wait. But the temptation totryto fix things was so strong. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Why shouldn’t he answer their questions?
‘Okay,’ Jack said. ‘I’ll answer some questions. Let’s see how it goes.’
‘Let’s talk about the gun, Jack. Tell me again what you told me at the house about how the gun came to be in your possession.’
Jack went over everything again. He told them about coming home and finding the parcel and the strange note. ‘Like I said, I have no idea who sent it to me.’
‘You don’t think it could have been a family member? One of your parents, or a sibling, or cousin?’
‘Definitely not. I mean... I don’t have any siblings, just to start with. Not sure about cousins. My parents would never touch a gun.’
Jansen frowned. ‘What do you mean you’re not sure about cousins?’
‘My mother was an only child. I don’t know about my father. He wasn’t in touch with his family.’ Oh god. Jack really didn’t want to get into this.
‘Are you close to your parents? In regular contact? You didn’t want us to call them to pick up your son last night. Is there a reason for that?’
‘I’m not close to them. We don’t get on.’
‘Any particular reason why?’
‘My parents are religious fanatics. They believe in living their lives a certain way. I disagreed with them. They cut me off.’
‘When was this, Jack?’