Murder Club - Mark Pearson [56]
He nodded at Hamilton who couldn’t see him, and Sally rolled her eyes.
‘Don’t get up to anything I wouldn’t,’ Delaney said as he headed out the door.
Hamilton took a sip of his drink. ‘Just you and me then.’
‘What’s going to happen to Jack?’
‘Not a lot, I should imagine.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to be investigating him?’
‘I’m interviewing you, aren’t I?’
‘Is that what you’re doing?’
‘Yeah, I’m the good cop. It’s my technique.’
‘All charm?’
‘Is it working?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’
‘It was destroyed in one.’
‘So you think he showed her the photo?’
‘I wouldn’t put it past him, but he doesn’t think he did. And that’s good enough for me.’
‘I don’t think he did either.’
‘So what are we going to do about it?’
‘Prove him innocent.’
‘Good.’
‘And then, maybe dinner? Do you like Chinese?’
Sally finished her drink, then stood up. ‘Still not working.’
DI Hamilton stood up and jangled his keys. ‘Northwick Park then?’
‘Sounds as good a plan as any!’
Sally walked to the door and Hamilton watched her for a moment then grinned and followed her out.
39.
STEPHANIE HEWSON HESITATED for a moment before slamming the door shut. Delaney took that moment to hold his hands up in an I surrender gesture.
‘I’m not here to give you a hard time, Stephanie.’
‘What are you here for then?’
‘To help.’
‘You’d help me by leaving me alone.’
‘Is that what they said?’
‘Who?’
‘Someone has threatened you, I know that much.’
‘You don’t know anything at all.’
‘I know Michael Robinson was the man who hurt you.’
‘He didn’t just hurt me. He raped me and sliced me like a carcass of meat.’
‘And I am going to make him pay for what he did.’
‘You can do what you like, as long as it is not at my expense.’
Delaney took a card out of his pocket. ‘I know nothing I say can make up to you for what has happened. The truth is there is never the kind of justice that that man deserves.’
Stephanie Hewson looked at the detective standing on her doorstep, some of her anger evaporating. ‘I have to protect myself.’
‘I know,’ said Delaney and then nodded sadly. ‘Take my card. It has my mobile number on it. Call me any time, day or night. I promise I’ll be there for you.’
‘I’m not going to change my statement.’
‘I’m not asking you to. I know why you did it, and that’s all that’s important to me.’
Stephanie looked down at the card Delaney was holding out.
‘Take it, Stephanie. Please,’ he said. ‘I can’t promise you that the Metropolitan Police force will do everything in its power to bring Michael Robinson down. But I do promise you I will. It was personal to me when I was assigned the case in the first place. I wasn’t functioning properly then. I was borderline alcoholic.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Because I want you to understand. My wife was killed and it was partly my fault. I didn’t pull the trigger on the shotgun, but I put her in harm’s way. I blamed myself and I couldn’t deal with that, so I drank. My eye was off the ball. We should have had a stronger case against Robinson. What we had was circumstantial and it mainly came down to your identification in the end.’
‘I know.’
‘So you have been put in a place you shouldn’t have been. Twice.’
She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
‘But I am going to make that stop now.’
‘Thank you,’ she said and took the card.
Delaney waited until she had closed the door and listened to the bolts being slid home, and then walked back to his car.
40.
DELANEY LOOKED UP at the sky for the hundredth time that day and frowned. Thick flakes of snow had begun to fall, settling in his long eyelashes. He blinked and locked the door to his Saab. The snow was crusty and slippery underfoot as he walked into the churchyard.
It was starting to get dark now and there was a glow coming from the forensic ‘marquee’ that had been erected over the grave where the body of the unknown man had been discovered.
Diane Campbell was standing outside the tent with a lit cigarette in her hand. Beside her stood a tall thin woman, with silver-grey hair slicked back. She