The Doll's House (44 page)

‘I know that, Anne, but as I said to O’Connor and Maloney, his
inaction over the short term is positive. Something is holding him back.’

‘We apply the Schlossberg theory as the general rule. When the heightened-arousal state of the hostage situation subsides, if the hostage-taker goes past half an hour without killing a hostage, they probably won’t kill them.’

‘But he’s still unaware of anyone else’s presence.’

‘That’s true, Kate, and we do have a man down.’

‘Nevertheless, if Clodagh McKay is still alive, we need to find out what’s holding him back.’

‘I agree.’

‘I’m hoping, Anne, that after the attack on Alister Becon, his heightened-arousal state has passed. And if so, mentally, Dominic Hamilton is coming down. He is probably experiencing levels of exhaustion – psychosis and sleep deprivation going hand in hand. The surge of adrenalin he experienced from killing Becon will have depleted his sugar levels. That combined with fatigue will make him more vulnerable. If the negotiations coincide with a more calm and lucid state of mind, we can work with that.’

‘Okay, let’s get this going.’

With the audio link in place, Kate remained in number 75 as Anne Holt took her position with Maloney and the rest of the ERU team outside. Anne Holt, as the trained hostage negotiator, mentally prepared herself to enter the premises once the sharp-shooters and the on-scene commander gave her the all-clear.

Soon after Anne Holt left number 75 Strand Road, O’Connor joined Kate and the other detectives positioned there. No one spoke, everyone waiting for ERU to make the next move.

Someone is here. Nothing else would explain the change of light at the bottom of the door. Perhaps the neighbours alerted the police, having heard the shouting.

Dominic hasn’t said anything for ages, and I’m not sure if this is a good or bad sign. I know that if I make any sudden movements he’ll respond. It’s as if, in his silence, he‘s trying to find the energy to make his next move, and I have no idea when or what that will be.

The darts in the old dartboard are too high for me to reach without alerting him, but the more I look at my brother, the torment on his face, the more I wonder if maybe, just maybe, I can pull him back from the brink. If there are others in the house, they’re bound to make their presence known soon. That has its own risks. I have no choice but to try to talk to him again. Get him to see some kind of sense.

‘Dominic,’ I say, as gently as I can. He doesn’t look up so I repeat his name, ‘Dominic.’ This time it registers, although I’m not sure that he knows it’s me. His eyes are frantically shifting around the room as if others are here. ‘Dominic, it’s me, Clodagh.’ He stares at me blankly. ‘Dominic, you look tired.’

‘I am tired.’ He looks down at the knife again.

‘Dominic, you do know that I love you.’

Again he stares ahead of him.

‘You’ve always taken care of me, Dominic, my big brother.’ I keep my tone soft, hoping that somewhere in his mind he can hear me.

‘None of that matters, Clodagh, not now.’ His voice is chilling.

Again, I hear the dogs barking outside. Although I can’t be sure, I think I hear movement beyond the attic walls, as if the noise is coming
from the old shaft. I look at Dominic to see if he’s noticed it, and as I do, a woman’s voice calls from outside the attic door.

‘Dominic, my name is Anne Holt. I’m here to help you.’

Her voice isn’t threatening, but Dominic panics, jumping up from his resting position.

‘Dominic, can you hear me? My name is Anne. I’m here to help you.’

I’m not sure what to do next, so I do nothing.

‘Dominic, it’s Anne. I can hear movement in there. What’s going on? Are you okay?’ She sounds sympathetic.

Dominic roars, ‘GO TO HELL whoever you are. Keep away from us.’

‘Don’t worry, Dominic. I’m not coming any closer. I’m sorry if I gave you a fright.’

‘FUCK OFF.’

‘Dominic, I don’t mean to upset you. I’m here to help. You’re the one who’s in charge here.’

Kate could hear Anne Holt’s first tentative interactions with Dominic Hamilton, and was imagining how hard it must be to walk willingly into a dangerous situation as Anne had just done. She knew that the first thing she and Anne had to accomplish was to calm the situation. Kate spoke to her through the audio link.

‘Anne, right now Dominic Hamilton will be experiencing a high level of panic. It’s a time of chaos in his mind. We’ve shifted the goalposts and he isn’t sure where he fits into all this. Well done on the reassurance. Keep the conversation going, one-sided if necessary, repeating a similar mantra.’

Anne’s voice remained calm. ‘Do you hear me, Dominic? You’re the one in charge. I won’t come any closer unless you want me to.’

Kate heard a loud thud at what she assumed was the attic door, then a male voice shouting at Anne, ‘I’ll kill her if you come any closer, I fucking will.’

‘Dominic, you have my word that I won’t.’ Anne’s tone was unchanged.

‘Anne, keep talking to him, but allow short intervals in between, even if it remains a one-sided conversation. He’s still listening. Slowly we’ll move it forward to finding out what he really wants.’

‘Kate, can you hear me?’ Anne murmured, to avoid being heard on the other side of the attic door.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m going to keep the concentration on Dominic Hamilton. He’s the one I’ll be empathising with. Right now, the less focus I place on the hostage, the better her chance of survival.’

‘Okay, but take it carefully.’

‘Dominic, can you hear me? It’s Anne again.’ This time, there was no response. ‘Dominic, I know you’ve been through a tough time. I can help you if you let me.’

‘I don’t want your fucking help.’

‘You’ve had to do some difficult things.’

‘I did what I had to do. I’m no coward.’

‘Of course you’re not.’ Anne allowed an interval, as Kate suggested. ‘Dominic, none of this is your fault. You are not to blame. Nobody is blaming you.’

‘Who the fuck are you?’ His voice rose again.

‘My name is Anne. I’m here with the police. Can we talk face to face?’

‘I don’t want to talk to you.’ This time his tone was less aggressive.

‘I understand that, Dominic.’ Another interval. ‘I appreciate that you’re listening to me.’ Pause. ‘I’m sorry if I took you by surprise.’

‘What do you want?’

‘I want to help. Are you thirsty, Dominic? If you are, I could try and get you some water.’

‘I’m not thirsty.’

‘Thanks, Dominic. Thanks for answering me.’

Kate kept silent, allowing Anne to get on with the job she was trained to do. Part of it was the necessity to appear non-hostile, appreciative, and build a rapport to develop trust. Kate also knew Anne was endeavouring to distract Dominic Hamilton, taking the conversation in unrelated directions, asking him if he was thirsty, shaping their interaction, forcing him to think and also to answer.

‘You sound tired, Dominic.’

No response.

Kate spoke through the audio link: ‘Anne, we both know we’re dealing with a Pandora’s Box here, but you’re doing great. He’s starting to calm down. I can hear it in his voice. Don’t worry about him not answering you. He’s listening, and that’s critical right now.’

‘Dominic, are you okay?’ Anne’s voice sounded as calm as her original introduction.

‘I don’t know.’ This time Dominic Hamilton’s response was less hostile.

Kate spoke through the audio link again: ‘Anne, keep up the empathy. Let him know his wife, Valerie, has been worrying about him.’

‘Dominic, it’s been tough on you, I know that. Valerie’s been worried about you.’

‘You spoke to her?’

‘She wants you home, Dominic.’

‘This has nothing to do with her.’ His voice rose.

‘I know that. I don’t mean to upset you. Valerie cares about you. If you come out, you can talk to her.’

‘I’m not coming out …’

Kate spoke again: ‘Anne, can you hear me?’

‘Yes, Kate.’

‘Take your time. He’s talking to you now. Speak to him about his not being able to sleep, how much strain that must be placing on him. The longer we keep the conversation going, the better.’

‘Dominic, it’s Anne again. I know you haven’t been well. Not sleeping can put a huge strain on a person.’ Again she allowed an interval. ‘You must be tired.’

‘That doesn’t matter. I’m not looking for your sympathy.’

‘I know that.’ Another interval. ‘Dominic, it’s going to be okay. I’m here to help.’

‘Nobody can help.’

Kate spoke: ‘Anne, he’s opening up. Even his negative response could be his way of acknowledging your willingness, at the very least, to help. Keep your sentences short, and continue to allow the intervals. If nothing else, maintaining a conversation will tire him more, but we’re still on shaky ground. With the pressure he’s under and the psychosis, this is hard to call. Focus more on his needs. He’s the older sibling in this relationship. Everything about the killings suggests he’s been on
some kind of mission, taking down people who have hurt his family. We can only assume, with the drowning, that this is all tied into his father’s death, but his mother’s death is still raw.’

‘Okay, Kate. I get you.’

Kate continued: ‘He’ll feel like he’s been carrying a heavy burden. His feelings of isolation must be enormous. You need to acknowledge both those things.’

‘Dominic, can you hear me?’ Anne’s voice was clear and steady.

‘What do you want?’ A slight tension in his voice.

‘I want to help, Dominic.’ Another pause. ‘You’ve been carrying a heavy burden on your own. I understand that. You’ve had to do things that others didn’t have to do.’

‘What would you know?’ He sounded drained.

‘I know you’re the eldest in the family. That can be tough at times.’ Again there was no response, but Anne Holt pushed forward. ‘You lost your mother too.’

‘Death is part of life.’

‘That doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.’ Anne Holt moved closer to the staircase. ‘Dominic, I know you’ve felt isolated for a long time.’ She let him absorb the affirmation, then said, ‘What is it you need? I’ll try and help you.’

‘I don’t want to feel burdened, not any more.’

‘That’s okay, Dominic. I understand that.’

‘I’ve been fucking responsible my whole fucking life.’

‘I know that too, Dominic, but you don’t have to be responsible now. You can let go. It’s okay to let go.’

‘You don’t understand. Nobody does.’

‘I know you don’t want to hurt Clodagh, Dominic.’ Another interval. ‘You’re not a bad man. I know that.’

‘Things had to be done. I had no choice …’ His voice lowered.

‘I know, Dominic,’ Anne said softly.

‘Anne, it’s Kate again. With his psychosis, he could turn at any point. You need to get him to put down the knife if he still has it.’

‘Dominic?’

‘What?’

‘Do you still have the knife?’

‘Yes.’

‘Would you put it down for me?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I want you to get well, Dominic. I want you to get help. If you could put the knife down on the floor that would be a good thing.’

‘I’ve put it down.’

‘Thanks, Dominic. I appreciate that.’ Another pause. ‘Is Clodagh okay?’

‘She’s okay.’

‘That’s good. Thanks for that, Dominic. I know deep down you really don’t want to hurt her. As I said, I know you’re a good person.’

‘I’ve killed people.’

‘Dominic, you’ve been through a lot. You haven’t been well. None of this is your fault.’ Anne waited, hearing nothing from behind the door.

‘Anne, it’s Kate – it’s a huge thing that he’s put the knife down. See if you can get him to talk to you face to face. Keep emphasising that you want to find ways to help him. Remember what he said about being tired of feeling responsible? Work on that. It’s the key. We need to take some of the burden off his shoulders. It’ll buy us time, and reduce the risk to Clodagh’s life.’

Maloney, who had been listening down the audio link, intervened: ‘Anne, do as Kate says, continue the empathy. If he does open the door, we’ll have made real progress. We’re close at hand if you need us.’

‘Dominic, are you okay? I’m sorry you’ve felt so burdened. It must have been hard on you. Sometimes we all have to let go, take the responsibility off our shoulders. You need to get better. You’ve been unwell. I know that, and everyone who loves you, including Valerie and Clodagh, knows that too. Why don’t you open the door, and we can talk face to face?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what to do any more.’

‘It’s difficult, I know, but thanks for answering me, Dominic. You’re doing really well. Do you think we could talk face to face? It might be easier that way. You don’t have to take all the responsibility. You can let go of it.’

There was no response.

‘Dominic, can you hear me?’

Although Kate was in a different house, she might as well have been standing right beside Anne Holt, both of them knowing that there were only two possible outcomes: surrender and arrest, or a tactical assault by the sharp-shooters. ‘Anne, can you still hear me?’

‘Yes, Kate.’