Free Liar Liar: DI Helen Grace 4 (A DI Helen Grace Thriller) by M. J. Arlidge Page B

for smaller, unsecured loans? A few grand, ten maybe. What happens if they borrow that from you, then can’t – or won’t – pay it back?’
    Spence shrugged – seeming to imply that such sums were beneath him.
    ‘What about Thomas Simms for example?’
    ‘Jesus Christ, is that what all this is about?’
    ‘He borrowed money from you and when he couldn’t pay it back, you threatened his family.’
    ‘Whoa, whoa. You’re going to have to rewind a bit there. Who says my client threatened the Simms family?’
    It was offered aggressively, but Helen could see Fielding hadn’t been expecting this line of questioning and was rattled as a result.
    ‘Your client came to the door and told Karen Simmsthat if he had to come back again, she would regret it. Sounds pretty much like a threat to me, wouldn’t you say?’
    ‘That’s bullshit,’ Spence barked back, earning a silent but pointed look from his lawyer. But Spence didn’t seem to be care. ‘I never went near that bloody house,’ he continued, ‘and anybody who says I did is lying out their arse.’
    ‘We have the date when you visited – November 30th. Around nine p.m. apparently. What’s the betting that street cameras and your phone signal put you there around that time, Gary?’
    For a moment, Spence said nothing.
    ‘Ok, maybe I went round there for a quick word,’ he offered finally, earning yet another look from his lawyer, ‘but I was looking for Thomas Simms. I never threatened no one.’
    ‘Of course not. You’re good as gold, aren’t you?’ DI Sanderson said, picking up the baton. ‘Not that you’d know it from your record. ABH, GBH, attempted murder –’
    ‘I was never convicted of that!’ Spence protested.
    ‘Lucky break then, because you did throw a live grenade into the property of one of your particularly troublesome debtors, didn’t you?’
    ‘Don’t answer that,’ Spence’s brief cut in.
    ‘And you’ve got a bit of form with fire, haven’t you?’ Helen persevered, keeping the pressure on.
    ‘A one-off mistake,’ Spence dead-batted in return.
    ‘Is that what you’d call it? I think you like to teach people who won’t pay a lesson,’ Helen continued. ‘I think you like people to know that no one, absolutely no one, gets away with ripping you off. Am I right?’
    Spence said nothing in response. Neither did his lawyer.
    ‘The attack on the Simmses’ house was determined, organized and
personal
. Let me tell you what I think happened. I think you threatened Simms and when he didn’t pay you, you went
back
to his house. We’ve applied for a warrant to check your phone records – it won’t take long to find out where you were, Gary.’
    Spence just scowled, so Helen carried on:
    ‘We know you’d had words with Bertrand Senior. Had you also lent money to Travell’s? Was this payback? A one-night spectacular to punish Thomas Simms? A warning to keep all your other debtors in line? I must say, Gary, I admire your style. You think big.’
    Spence breathed out slowly. He looked weary and angry now.
    ‘Keep talking, Inspector. But know this. I was in bed last night. With my wife. And if my Pug could talk he’d tell you he was there too, sitting on the end of my bed from nine p.m. till six a.m. the following morning. I didn’t do it and you can’t say I did. So do your work, run down your dead ends and then let me go. Interview over.’

28
     
    ‘What do you think?’
    Helen had gone straight to Gardam’s office, only to be told he was in the viewing suite with McAndrew, casting an eye over the latest batch of amateur footage from the fires. Instinctively this made Helen feel uncomfortable – officers of his rank usually steered well clear of the coalface and she didn’t appreciate him overseeing her team’s work. She resolved to ask Gardam why he felt the need to impose himself on her investigation but wasn’t given the chance. Having dismissed McAndrew from the viewing suite, her superior cut straight to