Free Fireflies by David Menon

‘You’re trying to lead my client into a confession for something she hasn’t done and has told you repeatedly that she hasn’t. Now back off, detectives or I’ll advise my client not to answer anymore of your questions’.
    ‘Come on, Tina’ said Rebecca. ‘You were seen walking off with James Clifton, you admit taking him back to your flat where he physically abused you, then we find Rohypnol in your flat together with a knife with Clifton’s blood all over it’.
    ‘And I don’t know how any of that stuff got there’ pleaded Tina. She was sobbing so much it was making her shake. ‘I wouldn’t even know what Rohypnol looked like’.
    ‘Do you really expect us to believe that, Tina?’
    ‘Believe what you like’.
    ‘You’re starting to sound boring now, Tina’.
    ‘That’s because you’re just not listening!’
    ‘What offends you about stag nights, Tina?’
    ‘Nothing offends me about them’.
    ‘You knew that James Clifton was on a stag night’.
    ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Tina blurted out between sobs.
    ‘Did you add the Rohypnol to the glass of wine you poured him? We know it was in his system’.
    ‘No!’
    ‘But if you don’t know anything about the Rohypnol or the blood stained knife then how do you explain how they got into your flat?’
    Tina almost screamed her answer. ‘I don’t know! Look, talk to my family, talk to my friends. They’ll all tell you I couldn’t possibly be involved in anything like this’
    ‘Can we take a five minute break, detective?’ asked Ryan. ‘You can see how distressed my client is getting’.
    ‘Yes, well murder does tend to get rather distressing for the victim especially when he gets his genitals hacked off in the process of being murdered’ said Rebecca.
    ‘And we can do without remarks like that, detective’ said Ryan.
    ‘We’ll take a break now, Tina’ said Jeff. ‘We need to make some further enquiries’.
    ‘Please let me go’
    ‘We’ll make those enquiries and then we’ll come back to you, Tina’ said Jeff. ‘But be prepared to stay here tonight’.
     
    FIREFLIES SEVEN
    Jeff pinned pictures of Tina Webb and her two friends Andrea Kay and Donna Price onto the clear plastic mission board in the middle of the squad room.
    ‘Statements have been taken from both of Tina Webb’s fellow travelers from the night in question’ said Jeff. ‘Ollie? What did they tell us?’
    ‘Well both Andrea Kay and Donna Price confirm that they shared a taxi that went first to Andrea’s home in Crumpsall and then to Donna Price’s home in Middleton, sir’ said Ollie. ‘The taxi firm has confirmed the journey and the phone companies have confirmed the text messages that both girls sent to Tina to say they were both safely home’.       
    ‘Do you think she did it, sir?’ asked Rebecca.
    ‘Well the evidence suggests that she at least had something to do with it but looking beyond that evidence I’m yet to be convinced that she could single-handedly seduce someone into her flat and end up cutting their balls off. I mean, can you?’
    ‘I admit there’s a lot of holes in the probabilities and that means the whole thing doesn’t make much sense’ said Rebecca. ‘But if she was working with someone else then who and why? Either she’s too scared to say or we’ve got it all wrong and she’s more dangerous than she looks’.
    ‘Well we’ve still got some time left’ said Jeff. ‘Ollie? Look again at the CCTV from inside the Paradise club. Try and compare the behaviour of Tina Webb and that of her two friends’.
    ‘Sir’.
    ‘DS Stockton? Let’s go and see Andrea Kay and Donna Price’.
     
    Jeff drove the short distance from the station to the supermarket up on Regent Road in Salford to interview Andrea Kay and Rebecca decided to use the time to do some interviewing of her own.
    ‘So how did Toby enjoy his weekend with his grandparents?’
    ‘He had a great time, thanks’ said Jeff. ‘He’s driving