Free For Reasons Unknown by Michael Wood Page B

He looked up at the damaged building and saw the blue and white striped wallpaper that adorned the walls of his sanctuary.
    He hadn’t realized how much this was going to affect him. As soon as he saw the wallpaper he could feel a lump in his throat and tears gathering in his eyes. He was hoping for a cathartic experience, closure maybe, but he couldn’t cope with this. It was killing him. The crowd of gawkers around him gossiped among themselves; their voices fighting with the noise from the demolition site.
    ‘That used to be such a beautiful house. What a waste.’
    ‘That place always gave me the creeps. It should have been torn down years ago.’
    ‘Can you imagine what went on in there?’
    ‘I wonder what those poor kids are up to these days.’
    ‘I used to have that wallpaper in my back bedroom.’
    As Jonathan walked away he was stopped by a tired-looking woman and a sharply dressed young man behind her. He wondered if they were more reporters. Bloody vultures.
    ‘Are you Jonathan Harkness?’ Matilda asked.
    ‘Who?’ His voice was gruff, his throat still dry.
    ‘You are aren’t you? Don’t worry; I’m not from the newspapers.’ She fished her ID from her inside pocket. ‘I’m Detective Chief Inspector Matilda Darke, this is Detective Constable Rory Fleming. We’re from the Murder Investigation Team at South Yorkshire Police. Would it be possible to have a few words?’
    Jonathan looked from Matilda to Rory then back again. ‘I’m sorry but I’m about to go to work.’
    The sound of a wall collapsing behind them broke their concentration. Both Matilda and Rory looked in the direction of the house while Jonathan closed his eyes. The agony of grief and terror was etched on his face.
    ‘I understand this is a very difficult day for you Mr Harkness but we’d just like a brief chat.’
    ‘I don’t have anything to say.’
    He looked sad. His face was pale and his blue eyes dull. He had the look of someone on the brink of tears.
    ‘We’re having another look at the case.’
    ‘What?’ Now Matilda had his full attention. He looked genuinely shocked. ‘Why?’
    ‘We review cold cases every so often, and with the demolition we’ve decided to take another look.’
    ‘Is there new evidence?’
    ‘We don’t know yet.’
    ‘Look, between the book and your archives you pretty much have all the information there is.’
    ‘You’re right, there is plenty of information, but there’s one thing missing: your statement.’
    Jonathan looked up from the ground and into Matilda’s eyes. ‘My statement?’
    ‘I know you went mute after everything that happened, it’s hardly surprising, but your statement is vital to finding out the truth.’
    ‘I really don’t think…’
    ‘Mr Harkness,’ Matilda’s voice took on an edgier tone. ‘This is an official police investigation. We need your statement. Would you like to come down to the station now?’
    The look on Jonathan’s face at the mention of going to the police station was one of horror. His eyes widened, his mouth opened a little and his bottom lip quivered. He took a deep breath as if to steady his nerves.
    ‘If you don’t feel comfortable at the station we can do it at your home. Your choice.’
    Behind him the side of the house collapsed and exposed the living room. Jonathan turned to look at the wreckage and quickly screwed his eyes shut again.
    ‘We’ll go back to my flat.’
    The crowd of onlookers had grown, some were even filming it on their mobile phones. One member in particular stood out from the rest as she was the only person not interested in the demolition. She took a step back and looked at Jonathan talking to a good-looking young man with shiny hair and a dishevelled woman who could win first prize in a Vera Stanhope lookalike competition. She had enough experience of police officers in her time to recognize who they were. What were they doing here? Surely a house being demolished didn’t warrant police interest,