Waiting for Wednesday

THIRTEEN

Karlsson sat opposite Billy Hunt. ‘You must be the world’s worst burglar,’ he said.

‘So you saw I was telling the truth?’

‘Busy Bees,’ said Karlsson. ‘Apart from the fact that it’s a nursery school that is being built for little children, and that stealing from them doesn’t seem right, what the hell did you expect to get from them? Stuffed toys?’

‘There was building work going on,’ said Hunt. ‘I thought there might be some tools around.’

‘But there weren’t.’

‘No. I didn’t find anything.’

‘On the bright side,’ said Karlsson, ‘it was a building site, which meant there were plenty of CCTV cameras and I saw the best images I’ve ever seen. You could have used some of them for your passport photo.’

‘I told you I was there.’

‘But, as we know, you were also at the murder scene. You need to tell us about that.’

Hunt bit the side of his thumb. ‘If I tell you everything, will you drop the burglary charge?’

‘Oh, shut up,’ said Karlsson. ‘I’m not even sure we’re dropping the murder charge. Just tell us everything and stop messing me about.’

Hunt thought.

‘I needed some cash,’ he said. ‘I owed someone. Look, I’ve told you all this before.’

‘Tell me again.’

‘I ended up on Margaretting Street. I rang on a few doorbells, and when someone answered, I asked if Steve was in and then said I must have the wrong address. I got to that house. There was no answer. I got in.’

‘How?’

‘I picked half a brick off a skip and smashed the window next to the front door. Then I opened it.’

‘Weren’t you surprised it wasn’t double-locked?’ said Karlsson. ‘Or locked on a chain?’

‘If it had been double-locked, I wouldn’t have been able to get in.’

‘But if it isn’t double-locked,’ said Karlsson, ‘that suggests someone is at home.’

‘But I’d already tried the doorbell.’

‘Forget it. Go on, then.’

‘I went in. Took some stuff from the kitchen. Then I went into the other room and … you know.’

‘What?’

‘She was lying there.’

‘What did you do?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Hunt. ‘I was in shock.’

‘Why didn’t you call an ambulance?’

Hunt shook his head. ‘The alarm was going off. I just got out.’

‘Except you took the cog.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Although it had been used as the murder weapon and was covered with her blood.’

‘I had a couple of plastic shopping bags from the kitchen.’

‘Why didn’t you call the police?’ said Karlsson.

‘Because I was being a burglar,’ said Hunt. ‘I mean, I’m not a burglar but at that moment I was in the middle of taking things. Anyway, I wasn’t thinking straight.’

‘So what did you do?’

‘I got out. Ran away.’

‘And then?’

‘I had this stuff to sell. I told you, I needed cash.’

‘So you sold all the silver?’

‘Right.’

‘Except the cog?’

‘It needed, you know …’

‘The blood cleaning off it?’

‘I felt bad about it,’ said Hunt. ‘Seeing her there. What was I meant to do?’

Karlsson stood up. ‘I don’t know, Billy. I wouldn’t know where to begin.’