Page 79 of Stolen Ones

She scrolled to the next marker.

‘His eyebrows are up, his eyelids widen and the mouth drops ever so slightly. He is definitely surprised at Jenson Butler’s comments on his love life.

‘When he tells you that the questioning isn’t important, there’s a flash of impatience. He actually wants you to get to what matters. He wants to talk about the girls.’

Alison paused as though expecting interruption. Kim said nothing.

‘The first signs of real tension only come when you mention his childhood. Watch what he does.’

Alison played the footage.

‘He traces the ring on his cup,’ Kim observed.

‘That’s why I asked you to let him have tea. I wanted to see what prompted him to touch it. It’s his comforter. It’s his version of grooming. Make sure he always has tea. It’ll tell you a lot.’

‘Got it.’

‘Next we have a good example of deceit. When you tell him that you know why he takes the girls, he shrugs as though he couldn’t care less. The movement is one-sided and his eyes narrow. He cares very much what you have to say and shows no surprise when you say it, but watch what happens next.’

Alison played about twenty seconds of footage and then stopped it.

‘That was his butterfly speech, and it’s clearly about the girls, but did you notice anything?’

‘Nothing,’ Kim replied honestly.

‘Exactly. There is not one movement or expression change when talking about the butterflies. That tells us that he does have great control of his actions and you really are looking for just the odd clue. Get him talking about the girls without the butterflies and take away his tea and I’d be interested to see how much control he can maintain.’

‘Got it,’ Kim said.

‘When you move on to his justification for taking the girls, he maintains his composure. I can tell you now that he absolutely doesn’t believe he’s done anything wrong. He truly believes he’s been a saviour to the girls he’s taken.

‘Your use of any word that hints of impropriety is offensive to him. He is annoyed but not yet angry. I think he’s annoyed that you don’t get it.’

‘Oh, I get it, and I still think he’s a sicko.’

‘Now here’s where it gets even more interesting. Your first mention of Melody is the only time I’ve seen genuine sadness on his face. Look – the corners of the lips pull down, his cheeks rise in a near squint and his upper eyelids droop. Also, true sadness is revealed through reliable muscles in the chin. As you get more aggressive and direct in your questioning about Melody, he scrunches up his nose and raises his cheeks and upper lip. He is disgusted that you think he did anything sexual to her. As you bait him further, the disgust turns slowly to anger.’ She jumped again to the next marker. ‘Look at his pulled-down eyebrows and narrowed, pulled-in lips. You are really winding him up at this point.’

‘Yes, that was my intention. I wanted to push him, but do you have any clues as to why he asked for his lawyer?’ Kim asked, sitting back. ‘He waived the right to representation when he walked into the room. He knew what he’d been arrested for, so he knew what he was going to be questioned about. He knew we were going to be talking about Melody, so why wait to say he wants a lawyer?’

‘I can give you more than a clue for his reasoning, and it has nothing to do with Melody. It has everything to do with you.’

‘Explain,’ Kim instructed.

‘Your disapproval has prompted him to call a lawyer. It may be that he’s punishing you by adding a barrier to your communication. He sees the similarities between the two of you; where you spent your early years, a mother with mental illness.’

Kim bristled. Previously, Alison had worked the case with them where someone from her near past had recreated crime scenes based on her distant past. Much of her childhood had been laid bare for the consumption of her team. Alison had almost lost her life. It bothered Kim less that the team knew of her beginnings than the fact that it was part of her work. Again.

‘Do you think he chose this nick because of that?’ Kim asked, realising Bryant had noted this before anyone and had already warned her.

‘Without a doubt,’ Alison offered.

‘So he’s expecting some kind of concession perhaps. He thinks I’ll go easy on him because I understand where he came from?’

Alison shook her head. ‘I don’t think he’s expecting anything specific in return. He doesn’t think you won’t do your job, but he’s disappointed, and I think it’s because you don’t get him. It’s important to him that you do.’

‘Why?’

‘Steven Harte appears to have formed emotional attachments with the girls he’s taken, and whether you like it or not, he appears to be forming one with you.’