Chapter 62

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

‘ H ow are you feeling?' asked Tom.

Ana thought how strange it was that she should be the one being questioned and not the other way around. ‘I'm okay. The pain meds help.'

‘Good.' He smiled.

Ana thought how handsome he was. Everyone at the station knew he and Beth had a thing going on. They weren't good at hiding it.

‘Obviously, we have some questions about that night with Luke. He's owned up to everything, but there are some loose ends I'd like to clear up. I'm curious, DC Rawlins, why did you invite Luke Carpenter to your flat and not question him at the station? That would have been the correct procedure.'

Ana sighed. ‘I know. I was stupid, basically,' she said honestly. ‘I wanted to give him a chance to own up. I thought it would look better for him. I guess I didn't want to be a snitch. I honestly wasn't expecting him to lose it like that.'

‘I don't want you to make that mistake again, Ana,' Tom said firmly.

She lowered her head. ‘No, sir.'

Tom leaned his arms on the table and looked closely at Ana. She was a good cop, he knew that, but he also sensed she was holding something back. ‘It was very fortunate The Vigilante came when he did, wasn't it?'

Ana lifted her eyes and kept them focused on his. ‘I've been thinking the same thing. The only thing I can come up with is that he came to the same conclusion about Luke as I did. Or Lisa revealed something one night when pissed. It could have just so happened that the night Luke came to me was the night The Vigilante planned to get him.'

‘Convenient,' Tom murmured. ‘And there was nothing familiar about him.'

‘Nothing,' Ana lied.

‘You didn't recognise his voice?'

‘No,' she lied again. Don't lose eye contact , she told herself. ‘In all honesty, I'm grateful to him. I think Luke was quite capable of killing me.'

‘I'm not excusing him, but he's changed over the years. His financial situation is a mess,' explained Tom. ‘I think he got desperate.'

‘No one is above the law,' Ana said sharply, taking Tom by surprise.

Tom realised then that Ana Rawlins was razor-sharp, which came from a place in her past. He recognised the hardness and the couldn't give a damn attitude. It came from an injustice. She was a copper to watch. One for her own safety and two for whatever was driving her.

‘I agree. Can you give us some idea of The Vigilante's age? Clearly, he was fit.'

Ana chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘He had a youngish sounding voice, so maybe late thirties.' At least that's not a lie , thought Ana.

‘Thanks, Ana. Take some time off. Give that jaw time to heal.'

‘Thank you, sir,' she said and left his office.

Beth phoned Will and asked if he would mind coming in to help clear up some of their enquiries. ‘Just an informal discussion.' Beth sensed his hesitation. ‘Just a few loose ends to tie up. Sorry if it's inconvenient.'

‘Well, I suppose I could,' he'd said finally.

He arrived looking nervous.

‘It's just a friendly chat,' said Beth Harper. ‘You know DC Wilkins?'

Will didn't even look at Matt. ‘I don't know what this is all about. I told you everything I knew about that trail bike and–'

‘Did you go straight home after the fair?' asked Matt.

Will shot him a dirty look. ‘Why don't you ask my wife?'

‘We did,' said Beth. ‘But I don't believe she told us the truth.'

Beth saw the confusion cross Will's face. He knew that if his wife had covered for him, then he wouldn't be at the station being questioned. So, what else was going on? Beth gave him a few minutes to answer, and she continued when it became clear he wasn't going to.

‘Were you on the coach returning from the Chelsea match when some skinhead lads attacked a Pakistani boy?'

Will looked puzzled. ‘I don't use the coach. I get the train.'

He could be lying , thought Beth. ‘I know you didn't go straight home when you left the fair. I had someone follow you just to be sure you'd be okay, and he claimed that after ten minutes of walking home, you didn't seem drunk and didn't aim for Longfields but went into a house in Stonesend.'

Will gave her a dirty look. He'd like to smack me in the face , thought Beth.

‘I only did that so he'd stop following me.'

‘If you didn't go home, then where did you go?'

Will sighed. ‘I did go home,' he insisted. ‘I don't know what the fuck you're insinuating,' he scoffed, standing up. ‘Unless you tell me what I'm supposed to have done. Then I'm leaving.'

‘Why don't you sit down and tell us where you were, who you were with, and what was in the envelope Hale gave you? If you don't tell us, I'm sure he will.'

Will fell heavily into the chair. ‘You guys are killing me. Okay. The night the trail bike was smashed, I was writing out fake MOT certificates in my office. Two clients came to collect them. You can check it out with them. They'll be pretty fucked off with me when you turn up.' He sighed. ‘I left the fair early because I was meeting this woman I've been seeing. I suppose you'll want her name too?'

Beth nodded.

‘The envelope was money for fixing Hale's car where that little sod with the trial bike had damaged it and arranging a fake MOT. Okay? Fucking happy?'

‘I'd be delighted if you'd give us those names,' she said, pushing a pad and pen towards him.

Will shot her a murderous look and then wrote the names. ‘Look, she's married too. Her bloke's a rough bugger. So, can you be discreet?'

Look who's talking , thought Beth. Talk about the kettle calling the pot black.

‘Can you please question her when he's not around?'

‘It shouldn't be a problem,' said Matt. ‘We're not here to judge your private life.'

‘I might supply the odd fake MOT, but I ain't no murderer, and whoever killed that girl, it sure wasn't me,' Will said, scraping back the chair and storming out.

‘Nice fella,' remarked Matt.