“It’s like squeezing the proverbial blood out of the proverbial stone,”
Annie said. “We were wondering if Ms. Wells might be able to help, but she seemed to think we should talk to you.”
“
“And can you help?”
“Oh, I think you’ll find I’ll be able to help you a great deal,” said Julia Ford.
“But
“Will I?” She spread her hands. “Of course I will. I’ve never hin-dered a police investigation.”
Annie swallowed. Julia Ford had a reputation as a tough barrister who would do anything she possibly could to discredit the police and get her client off.
“Can you tell us about her background, then?” Annie asked.
“I could, but I don’t think that’s really the main issue right now.
You’ll find out soon enough, anyway.”
“Ms. Ford,” said Annie, “with all due respect, aren’t we supposed to be the ones who decide what questions we should ask?”
“Yes, yes, of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t meaning to be rude, and I’m not trying to do your job for you. What I’m trying to tell you is that there is something more important you need to know first.”
“And what’s that?”
“Karen Drew wasn’t her real name.”
“I see . . . May I ask what her real name was?”
“You may.”
“And . . . ?”
Julia Ford paused and played with her Mont Blanc on the desk in front of her. Annie knew she was indulging in typical courtroom tactics for dramatic effect, but there was nothing she could do but wait out the theatrics. Finally, the barrister tired of playing with her pen and leaned forward across the teak. “Her real name was Lucy Payne,” she said.
9 4 P E T E R
R O B I N S O N
“Jesus Christ,” whispered Annie. “Lucy Payne. The
“ S O W H AT do you think of Jamie Murdoch?” Banks asked. He was sitting in his office comparing notes with Kevin Templeton and Winsome Jackman. Templeton, he noticed, kept sneaking glances at Winsome’s thighs under the tight black material of her trousers.
“He’s got an attitude,” Templeton said, “and he’s a bit of a plonker.
But that hardly qualifies him as a murderer. No more than being a Geordie does. I don’t know. I’m sure we’ll be able to verify his story about the vandalized bogs when we talk to Hayley’s friends and the yobbos from Lyndgarth. We’ve got film of him leaving on his bike at half past two, and no sign of him before that. Like he says, there’s no access to The Maze from the pub without using the front or side exits, and they were both covered by CCTV.”
“Okay,” said Banks. “Now, what do we make of this new angle Winsome’s come up with?”
Winsome had been watching the rest of the CCTV footage and noticed someone coming out of The Maze from the narrow shopping arcade that led off Castle Road at twelve-forty, which was twenty minutes after Hayley had gone in. There was no CCTV record of the person’s having entered. The images were indistinct, but Winsome thought he resembled one of the people Hayley Daniels had been talking to earlier in the square, just before she went off down Taylor’s Yard by herself.
“Well,” said Templeton, “he certainly hadn’t been shopping at that time of night. Someone searching for her? A friend?”
“Could be,” said Winsome. “Maybe he got worried when she didn’t turn up at the Bar None. But why not use the Taylor’s Yard entrance? It’s nearer the Bar None.”
“Is there a back way from the Bar None to The Maze?” Banks asked.
“Yes, sir,” said Templeton. “A fire exit.”
“So he could have left that way,” said Banks. “And I suppose it’s possible that he knew about the market square CCTV, which is the F R I E N D O F T H E D E V I L
9 5
setup that gets all the publicity, but not about that on Castle Road. He didn’t know he’d be seen coming out. Twenty minutes isn’t very long, but it’s probably long enough for what the killer did, and he seems in a bit of a hurry. This looks very promising. DC Wilson’s at the college working on that list of names. It could take some time to get through them all. Do you think you can get technical support to come up with a still image from the video? Enhanced?”
“I can always try,” said Winsome. “They’re already working on that car number plate, but no luck so far.”
“Ask them to do their best,” said Banks. “It’s another long shot, but it might save us time.” Banks leaned back in his chair and ran his hand across his closely cropped hair. “Okay,” he said, “let’s review what we’ve got so far.” He counted off on his fingers as he spoke. “Joseph Randall, who swears he was at home alone when Hayley was killed, but has no real alibi and also can’t account for the eleven minutes between finding the body and reporting it. Oh, and he also eyed up the victim in The Duck and Drake earlier on the eve ning she was killed.
