A Room Full of Killers: A gripping crime thriller with twists you won’t see coming. Michael Wood

you didn’t ask?’

      ‘It’s nothing to do with me.’

      ‘Did you notice Ryan talking to anyone else yesterday?’

      ‘Just the other lads?’

      ‘Which ones?’

      ‘I don’t know. He spoke to Lee and Craig a bit, I suppose.’

      ‘Did any of the other lads say anything to you about Ryan?’

      ‘Like what?’

      ‘I don’t know. That they didn’t like him, maybe?’

      ‘He was only here five minutes. We didn’t get chance to like him.’

      ‘What did you do last night?’

      ‘The usual: dinner, theatre, then off to the club for a nightcap.’

      ‘Final warning, Callum,’ the officer raised his voice this time.

      ‘We had tea. We went into the rec. room from six till nine then we were locked up in our cells until this morning.’

      ‘Did you hear anything during the night? Anything wake you up?’

      ‘Well, Scarlett Johan—’ he looked at the officer who raised an eyebrow. ‘No. Nothing. I sleep like the dead.’

      ‘What did you think when you found out Ryan had been killed?’

      ‘Nothing. Jammy bastard doesn’t have to serve his sentence though now, does he?’

      Aaron and Scott exchanged glances.

      ‘Who do you think could have done it?’

      ‘No idea. Have you asked Officer Phipps here what he was doing last night?’ He leaned back in his seat and let out a loud throaty laugh.

      On the other side of the thin partition wall, Sian and Rory made themselves as comfortable as they could on hard chairs. They waited patiently while an officer brought an inmate for them to interview.

      ‘Do you ever wonder why kids kill?’ Rory asked.

      ‘I try not to, seeing as I’ve got four of my own.’

      ‘That’s what I mean. You’ve got kids; all of them are decent, law-abiding and do well at school. What turns a child from that into a killer?’

      ‘I’ve no idea, Rory,’ she answered quickly, not wanting to dwell on the subject.

      ‘I mean, when I was fourteen I didn’t think about setting fire to my grandparents. I was always out on my mountain bike and trying to get Rosie McLean to go out with me.’

      Sian looked over at Rory and noticed the intense look of sadness on his young face. ‘Background, upbringing, I honestly don’t know, Rory. You’d need to ask a psychologist that one.’

      The door opened and a female officer brought in a fifteen-year-old taller than she was. Sian wondered whether she should really be left alone with someone who could so obviously overpower her.

      ‘Name?’ Sian asked.

      ‘Craig Hodge.’

      ‘Where are you from, Craig?’

      ‘Hull.’

      ‘And how long have you been in Starling House?’

      ‘About a year.’

      ‘What did you do?’ Rory asked.

      ‘That’s not important, Rory,’ Sian said as an aside. ‘Craig, did you speak much to Ryan Asher yesterday?’ she asked quickly. She knew of Craig’s crime and didn’t want to hear him describe his actions in glorious technicolour to a captive audience.

      ‘A bit. Me and Mark Parker were having a pool tournament so we kept to ourselves yesterday.’

      ‘But you did speak to him?’

      ‘Kate asked me to show him around but, as usual, Callum Nixon stepped in and took over.’

      ‘Why did he do that?’ Rory asked.

      ‘Because he’s a tosser,’ Craig said, spitting his words out with venom. He clearly didn’t like Callum.

      ‘Did you overhear anyone talking about Ryan?’ Sian wanted to keep the interview on topic.

      ‘Nope.’

      ‘Did anyone say if they liked him or not?’

      ‘Nope.’

      ‘Do you know why Ryan Asher had been sent here?’

      ‘Not a clue,’ he replied nonchalantly.

      ‘What did you do last night after your evening meal?’

      ‘Nothing.’

      ‘When did you find out about Ryan being killed?’

      ‘Just after breakfast when we all tried to leave the dining room.’

      ‘Were you surprised?’

      He shrugged. ‘Dunno. Didn’t know the lad.’

      Sian rolled her eyes. He may as well be answering ‘no comment’ to every question. Was he doing this on purpose, she wondered. ‘Do you have any idea who could have killed him?’

      ‘I’m not answering that. Why should I help out the pigs when you got me locked up in here?’

      ‘That Callum’s a right little bastard,’ Aaron said to Matilda.

      ‘They’re all right little bastards, Aaron, that’s why they’re here in the first place.’

      There was an empty office Matilda had managed to secure for them all to use when they wanted to have a cup of coffee and a break from interviewing. It was cramped and cold, but it would do.

      ‘He’s a sarky shit as well.’

      ‘Did you get anywhere?’

      ‘No. He was locked in his room from nine o’clock until seven this morning. They all were.’

      ‘And even if one of them had got out of his room he’s hardly likely to admit it,’ Scott said. ‘We have to remember these boys are killers. Even if they made a full confession and begged for mercy, they’re killers and they’ve lied to and manipulated their victims.’

      ‘Scott’s right,’ Matilda said. ‘We can’t treat these boys in the same way as we do regular witnesses. They could be covering up for each other.’

      ‘This is going to be fun,’ Aaron began but stopped when his mobile phone started ringing. ‘It’s Katrina,’ he said, moving away from the group for a bit of privacy.

      ‘Are you all right, Scott?’ Matilda asked, offering him a biscuit from a battered tin.

      ‘Yes. I’m just a bit uncomfortable around all these killers. First time I went into a prison I didn’t sleep for a week afterwards. My mum always said I’m too sensitive to be a copper. I’m starting to think she might be right.’

      ‘You’re not thinking of leaving the force, are you?’

      ‘No. I’ve always wanted to be a detective, even when I was a child. I just need to toughen up a bit, I suppose, not be so—’

      ‘Sorry, boss, I’m going to have to go. Katrina’s bleeding.’ Aaron burst in on the conversation, grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and charged out of the room before Matilda could say anything.

       CRAIG HODGE

       Hull. February 2015

      Two years ago I was