Skinner shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t know. It’s just a bit of an anticlimax, I suppose. I was expecting some master criminal, and all we wind up with is some poor bastard who’s been driven stark raving mad by his kid’s murder. He is a loony, Andy. After all that, he’s a loony. He just sat there and took it. No bluster, no denial, no nothing. I’ll bet you he’ll turn out to be unfit to plead.
‘I didn’t expect that. My famous instinct told me that if we found anyone at the end of the day, it wouldn’t be someone like that. An evil sod, yes, but sane, and with some sort of a purpose. Well, I was wrong.’ He shook his head. ‘I shouldn’t care. It’s catching him that counts. But I feel let down. Maybe I wanted him to have a go, to have a physical confrontation with the dark beast. As it is, I just feel empty. We’ve got him bang to rights and I don’t feel a thing.’
Martin leaned towards him and spoke gently. ‘Bob, this has taken more out of you than you realise. If Sarah was here she’d say you were reacting naturally to extreme stress.’
Skinner looked at him and smiled. ‘Sarah. Yes, I’ll call her. Alex too. She’ll be in Glasgow by now.’
31
When Mackie returned an hour later, Andy had gone. The newly promoted inspector told Skinner that nothing else had been found, other than the incriminating drawer.
Madame Yobatu had been stunned by her husband’s arrest.
‘Did she say anything when you told her?’ Skinner asked.
‘Nothing at all, boss. I told her that her husband had been arrested, and why. I told her about the weapons - not about the other, of course. She didn’t say a word. Just nodded, and went back to her children. I offered to leave Maggie Rose there, and she agreed.’
‘Okay, Brian, that’s fine. I didn’t really expect anything else. Right, I’ll call Willie Haggerty now, in Strathclyde, and tell him to get his arse through here, pronto. Then you and I will go and take a statement from our man, and wrap this thing up.’
But Skinner’s earlier assessment of Yobatu had been all too accurate.
The two detectives entered the drab, windowless interview room and signalled the uniformed guards to leave. Yobatu sat at a table in the middle of the room, his forearms on the surface, his head bowed. A mug of tarry black tea sat untouched before him.
The detectives sat down on two hard chairs opposite the man. Mackie slipped two cassettes into a tape-recorder on the table, and switched it to RECORD.
Skinner faced the microphone and spoke formally. ‘I am Detective Chief Superintendent Robert Skinner, with Detective Inspector Brian Mackie. It is 5.30 p.m. on Sunday, November the twenty-fifth, and we are here to question Mr Toshio Yobatu, a Japanese citizen, in connection with the murders of Mr Michael Mortimer, of a person as yet unknown, of Mrs Mary Rafferty, and of Police Constable Iain MacVicar.
‘Mr Yobatu is also being held in connection with the deaths in Glasgow of Mr Shun Lee, and Miss Rachel Jameson. Later, officers from Stathclyde CID will arrive to question him about these events.’
He repeated, for the tape, the formal caution given to Yobatu earlier in the day. Then he turned towards the figure opposite.
‘Yobatu san, you were present today when we found, in your garage, certain items which could be linked to the events I have described. You admitted to me earlier that you were present at the scene of Miss Rachel Jameson’s death, and that you held her and Mr Michael Mortimer responsible for a slur upon your late daughter’s honour.
‘You said also that you held Mr Shun Lee to be guilty of your daughter’s murder, and that you were pleased that he had himself been killed. Do you now wish to make a full statement describing your part in these murders and explaining your reasons?’
Since they had entered the room, Yobatu had not moved a muscle. While Skinner spoke, and for several seconds afterwards, he sat with his head bowed, his gaze fixed on the space within the ‘V’ of his arms on the table.
Then, slowly, he raised his head. His eyes, unblinking, tracked across the table, but rose no higher than Skinner’s chest.
The big detective looked into the man’s face, and winced at what he saw.
The unforgettable fire that earlier had burned so fiercely was gone completely. The eyes were empty, devoid of expression, dead, and pitiful.
Speaking carefully, Skinner invited the man, for a second time, to make a statement.
There was no response. No movement. Not a flicker in those blank and awful eyes.
Skinner spoke again to the recorder. ‘The subject has declined to answer. I am now instructing that he be medically examined. This interview is at an end.’
Mackie switched off the tape. He followed Skinner from the room and sent the two constables back in.
Skinner went back to his office and called Sarah again. ‘Business this time, love. I’d like you to come up and take a look at Yobatu, to examine him physically, and then, if you agree that it’s necessary, to call in a psychiatrist.’
‘What are the symptoms?’
‘He’s withdrawn, gone away deep inside himself. He could be putting it on, but I don’t think so. He looks as if the soul has left his body, if that’s not too melodramatic a description for you.’
‘I’ll be right along.’
She arrived ten minutes later. Before taking her into the interview room, Skinner showed her the photograph of Yobatu, and described in detail their confrontation earlier in the day.
Yobatu did not resist as Sarah carried out a swift but thorough physical examination. Blood pressure, respiration, pulse and reflexes, all were normal, indeed better than average for a man in his forties.
During the examination Sarah asked Yobatu several questions. He responded to none and his expression remained fixed.
When she was finished, Sarah motioned Skinner outside.
‘Physically he’s fine. In some ways he’s a marvel. But you’d better get the head specialists in here now. This man is definitely not open for business. All the time I was working on him he didn’t blink once. He’s in as deep a trance as I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s self-induced, but I doubt it. It’s more likely to be an extreme reaction to the shock of discovery, after what he thought was the perfect revenge. You’ve handled a few psychopaths, you must know how volatile they can be.’
Skinner nodded. ‘Yes, too true. Brian, call Kevin O’Malley at the Royal Edinburgh. Ask him to turn out, and to bring a trusted colleague. We’d better double up on this one.’
‘Very good, boss. There’s one other thing. The tip-off machine’s been at work already. The desk has had calls from the Scotsman and the Record.’
‘Bugger it! I’d hoped to avoid that for a few hours, at least. Some day I’m going to take the time to find out who that tip-off mechanic is and disconnect him, permanently.
‘Deal with it this way. Don’t put out a general statement, but say in answer to calls that a man is helping us with enquiries into recent incidents. Don’t mention Glasgow. They’ll ask if charges are imminent. You can say “no” with a clear conscience. We can’t do that till we know he can understand us.
‘We’d better tell the Fiscal too. Give him a call and get him, or the Depute, up here. And get Maggie Rose to ask Madame Yobatu who the family lawyer is. Chances are it’ll be one of the big firms.
‘Once you’ve got that sorted out, I’ll give the Chief a call. It’s time he was brought up to date.’
32
When Mackie returned to the outer office fifteen minutes later, Sarah was about to leave. As she closed Skinner’s door behind her, Mackie could have sworn he heard her say: ‘See you later then.’