Chapter 40
‘If I didn’t know better, I would say he looks pleased to be here,’ said Copeland, moving away from the spyhole in the door.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Ramouter who was crouched on the floor sorting through the forensic reports that had been printed in the wrong order.
‘What I mean is that he’s calm, and I swear that he’s got a smile on his face.’
Ramouter groaned as he straightened up. ‘Maybe this is what he wants, to be involved. To have an angle for his so-called news reporting.’
‘I’ve been in this job for so many years, and I keep thinking I’ll get to a point where I’m no longer surprised by people but yet, here I am, surprised,’ said Copeland.
‘We need to keep being surprised, otherwise where’s the incentive to keep going?’
‘You’re right. Being surprised is what makes me eager to get in there. So how do you want to play this? You’re usually partnered with Henley, so you’re probably used to taking her lead.’
‘To be honest, she’s always kept it 50/50.’
‘Oh, that’s a surprise. I saw her as being a bit more of a controller.’
Ramouter let the statement hang in the air, not wanting to get into a discussion about Henley.
He could remember how quickly Stanford, Eastwood and Ezra had gathered the wagons when his poor attempt at small talk had been interpreted as him digging into her past. After working with her for over a year, he was now equally protective of her.
‘Let’s make a start,’ Ramouter said. He reached past Copeland and opened the door, and gestured for her to enter. ‘And you can follow my lead.’
‘Of course,’ Copeland said tersely. She walked in and sat down in the first chair, activated the touchscreen monitor and entered the interview details.
‘Who’s this?’ asked Ben who had somehow positioned himself in the bolted down chair that enabled him to put his feet on the table. He was wearing no shoes, and the pilling was visible on his once-white socks. He looked relaxed as though he was at home.
‘Sit up properly,’ Ramouter ordered.
‘I’m not going to lie, but I’m a bit disappointed.’ Ben straightened up and smoothed down his unruly hair. ‘I was expecting Inspector Henley.’
‘I’ll let her know she was missed,’ said Ramouter. He turned the pages of the custody sheet printout and read through the log. ‘Before we start, you were informed of your right to free legal advice and to have someone informed of your arrest, but you declined both.’
‘I was dragged out of my boyfriend’s bed at seven o’clock this morning so I would take that as him being informed, and I don’t want to waste time waiting for a lawyer. So, let’s get on with it.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ said Ramouter as Copeland pressed record.
They introduced themselves and Copeland asked Ben for his full name.
‘Benjamin Sylvain Trezeguet.’
Ramouter repeated the caution and Ben confirmed he understood.
‘And even though you’ve declined your right to legal advice, I will stop the interview if you change your mind.’
‘I won’t change my mind. Let’s get things moving. Ask your questions.’
‘You’ve been arrested for attempted burglary and the murder of Nathan Hall.’
‘Am I able to get a copy of the video of this interview?’ Ben asked as he pointed up at the black dome which concealed the camera in the corner of the room.
‘You’ll get a copy of the recording if the CPS decide to charge you with murder,’ answered Ramouter. ‘Now we’ve got evidence of you entering Nathan Hall’s property on the night of his murder.’
‘What sort of evidence?’ Ben asked cautiously.
‘These are screenshots taken from the security footage,’ said Copeland. She laid out four A4 sized photographs on the table. ‘Is that you?’
Ben pulled the photograph towards him, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. ‘It’s going to be a bit hard to deny it. The only thing I didn’t do was smile for the camera.’
‘We also found your fingerprints in the property. How did you know where Nathan Hall lived?’
Ben snorted. ‘Because he wasn’t smart. I’ve been following him on social media since he was charged.
I don’t know what he thought he was going to achieve but he started posting these walking mindfulness videos.
Just him chatting away about overcoming the odds and having faith when he was out on his morning walks.
On one video, I saw a bus go past and I took a note of the number.
Another video, you could see the street name.
Put two and two together and bingo. A location. ’
‘How did you get past the security gate?’
‘It was already open. Someone had jammed it.’
‘This screenshot was taken at 11 p.m.. What were you doing there so late?’
‘I’m a journalist. I wanted to ask him some questions about the verdict, his victims and to also find out if he thought he was in danger.’
‘Why would he be in danger?’
Ben looked across at Ramouter and Copeland open mouthed. ‘Is it possible to be both smart and stupid at the same time?’ he said.
‘Watch your mouth,’ Copeland warned. ‘Stop with the attitude and answer the question.’
‘Is she allowed to talk to me like that?’ asked Ben.
‘Answer the question. Why did you think he was in danger?’ asked Ramouter.
‘People think that because I’m running around the streets and make my living from YouTube that I’m an idiot, but I’m not.
The serial crimes unit is investigating Fox-Carnell who was murdered after she basically got away with murder and Tabitha Ashcroft who was nearly killed because she got away with murder.
Nathan Hall, if you ask me, got away with raping four men. Am I on the right track?’
Ramouter bit his cheek to stop himself from confirming that Ben was indeed right.
‘Yeah, I’m on the right track,’ Ben said smugly.
‘What happened when you got through the gate?’ Ramouter asked.
Ben shuffled down in his seat, the bravado disappearing as quickly as smoke in the wind. The photograph he was still holding tremored slightly in his hand.
‘What happened when you went into the house, Ben?’ Ramouter asked softly.
Ben sniffed, dropped the photograph and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. ‘If you watch enough true crime, you always hear that blood smells coppery but that makes it sound as though you’re sniffing a handful of pennies but it’s … it’s worse than that,’ he said.
‘It sticks in your throat, doesn’t it?’
‘Yeah, that’s exactly it,’ said Ben as he finally looked up. His eyes red and wet with tears.
‘What did you see when you got in the house?’
‘He was on the floor. Nathan was on the floor.’
Copeland flashed a look of surprise at Ramouter. ‘On the floor. Are you sure?’ she asked Ben.
‘Where else would he have been?’ Ben asked as he looked quizzically at Copeland.
‘What state was he in?’ asked Ramouter.
‘Alive. I could hear him breathing. I didn’t touch him because that’s what they tell you, isn’t it? Not to touch someone if they’re injured.’
‘But you didn’t call the police.’
‘That’s because I heard voices, and I ran upstairs.’
‘What did they sound like?’ said Ramouter.
‘Men. Both men. One was definitely south London, and he sounded like he was in charge and the other, he had an accent. I couldn’t really place it because the TV was on and I was too busy running for my life.’
‘Where did you hide?’ asked Copeland.
‘In a cupboard.’
‘How long were you there for?’
‘I don’t know maybe half an hour.’
‘Half an hour in the cupboard. Knowing that Nathan Hall was still alive downstairs, and you didn’t call the police. You’re unbelievable.’
‘Let’s focus on what Ben did do and what he heard,’ Ramouter intervened gently, not wanting to show Ben that he was annoyed with his partner’s attitude. ‘What happened after half an hour, Ben?’
‘I came out of the cupboard, and I left.’
‘You didn’t check on Nathan Hall?’ Copeland asked.
Ben twisted his mouth and looked away. ‘No,’ he said.
‘Let me see if I understand this correctly. You illegally enter Nathan Hall’s house, you see him on the floor, seriously injured, but you do nothing.
You then tell us that you hear voices, and you hide upstairs for thirty minutes.
I understand you were hiding so you wouldn’t have called but you could have texted 999. ’
‘I didn’t know that—’
‘I haven’t finished,’ Copeland snapped. ‘You then leave after thirty minutes, down the stairs, past Nathan Hall who is now hanging from the bannister—’
‘Hanging from … No. I didn’t see—’
‘You didn’t see this and this,’ Copeland said as she slapped four photographs of Nathan Hall on the table.
Ben’s face paled as he looked across at Ramouter as though pleading for help.
‘Look at the photograph, Ben,’ said Copeland. ‘Do you see all that blood? His legs, face. Look at the floor. Do you know where all that blood came from?’
Ben shook his head.
‘He was scalped. The skin peeled off his head and you walked past of all of that and did nothing.’
‘I didn’t see that. I would have called the police if I had,’ Ben said as he began to cry.
‘DC Copeland,’ Ramouter said with warning as he rubbed his right ear.
‘I don’t believe you,’ Copeland continued. ‘You keep calling yourself a reporter. You returned the following morning with a drone. Did you film Nathan Hall?’
The room descended into silence as Ben raised his face to the ceiling.
‘Don’t worry about it. We’re carrying out a Section 18 search in your mum’s flat, your studio and have seized your equipment,’ said Ramouter. ‘But what I’m interested in is why you ran from your home and hid at your boyfriend’s flat.’
‘I want protection,’ Ben blurted out.
Ramouter looked at Ben steadily. ‘They saw you, didn’t they?’ he said. ‘That’s why you’re here, because Nathan Hall’s murderers saw you.’
Ben nodded.
‘For the benefit of the tape, Mr Trezeguet nodded his head.’
‘We found your prints in the bedroom and also trainer tread marks, Nike size nine, the same size as the ones we removed from you, with traces of blood on the carpet, facing the direction of the bathroom,’ said Ramouter. ‘You weren’t just hiding in the cupboard.’