His words, at that point, became interlaced with incomprehensible word-like utterances.  John seemed to be becoming too agitated to continue, so the interview was terminated and he was returned to the cells.

“Why did you ask him that about the witches Sir?” Detective Green asked, puzzled by his line of questioning.

“If they answer ‘the witch,’ as John did, it shows that they identify with the perpetrator, the guilty party or the killer.  If they reply ‘the crowd,’ then they identify with the innocent, or the victims.” 

“That’s very clever Sir,” she replied, looking impressed.  Millar said nothing.  He had a lot of thinking to do.

For someone deemed sane, John was too strange in his thinking and ways for them to make much sense of.  His speech was pressured and interlaced with Biblical quotations and religious gibberish.  His appearance was that of the stereotypical madman.  Taking anything he said too seriously was difficult, even for seasoned Belfast detectives who had seen and dealt with just about every bizarre brand of weirdo under the sun!  

While John was in his cell, they discussed his interview.  Since he seemed to have admitted to tampering with the bodies, they thought over the idea of just having him make a statement to that effect, but there seemed to be more to what he was saying than they could understand.  ‘What did he mean in his references to “the avenging cherub?”  Does he mean something supernatural, mythical if you like, or does he mean a real person?’

“His tampering with the bodies could fit in with the type of magical thinking many people with this type of personality disorder indulge in,” the Psychiatrist informed them. 

“What we need to establish now is did he just happen upon the bodies and interfere with them, or did he witness their murder, then interfere when the killer had left the crime scene.”  Millar told them that further questioning would have to be carried out when the suspect had calmed down. 

“He seems to think the killer is some sort of avenging angel sent by God.  Do you think the killer is religious too?  If he’s not the killer, that is,” Green asked.