‘He’s stalling,’ she murmured. ‘Said he doesn’t know who the man is – or, at least, he can’t remember his name. Says he doesn’t know who the woman is, either.’
‘Is he telling the truth, do you think?’
‘No. I reckon he’s lying through his teeth. He was too smooth, Ian. Ready for us.’
They broke off their conversation as Gavin wheeled his chair towards the whiteboard and sat down, his excitement palpable.
Kay moved closer to the front of the room, her thoughts tumbling over each other.
She couldn’t help feeling that they’d missed something, that she should’ve left Demiri’s offices victorious. Instead, it seemed she’d miscalculated what his response to their unannounced visit would be, and it left her worried.
‘Okay, Sarge?’
She turned to Gavin, forcing a smile. ‘Yes, thanks. Lots to think about, that’s all.’
‘We’ll get him, don’t you worry.’
‘You betcha.’
Kay watched as Carys approached Sharp, and he stooped a little so he could listen to what the young detective constable had to say, and then gestured to the waiting group.
She joined Kay and Barnes and pulled a chair out next to them.
‘News?’ said Kay.
‘Yes. Sharp’s asked me to hang fire, and we’ll go through it with everyone.’
Kay nodded, and settled in for the debrief.
It made sense to wait for Carys’s news if it was going to involve the whole team, rather than have her repeat it – the group discussion often unearthed new ideas and theories, which would otherwise be lost.
Sharp began the briefing, noting the date and time for the official record, and provided the team with a detailed account of the interview with Jozef Demiri.
Despite being present at the time, Kay took notes alongside her colleagues, knowing from experience that often someone else’s viewpoint could be different from her own and provide insights that she might not otherwise have considered.
‘Where are we up to with the post mortem on the female victim?’ said Sharp, casting his eyes around the room for an answer.
Gavin raised his pen in the air. ‘Lucas says it’ll be tomorrow morning now, guv. Bit of a backlog, he says. Something to do with being understaffed.’
Sharp sighed. ‘Nothing changes, does it?’
No-one answered; the question was rhetorical and everyone knew how busy the small mortuary at the hospital in Dartford was, particularly with the onset of the colder months.
‘Any more news from Maidstone Hospital, guv?’ said Gavin.
‘The driver underwent further surgery this morning to pin his broken leg,’ said Sharp. ‘It’ll be a couple of days before we can question him. This’d be a good time for you to bring everyone up to speed on what we have from Harriet’s team please, Carys.’
Miles cleared her throat and rose from her seat, before standing next to Sharp. She flipped open her notebook, read a couple of lines, then raised her gaze to the waiting team.
‘Right, well first of all, there’s no record of the driver’s fingerprints being on any of the databases. Me and Gavin spent the day going through HOLMES2, and we widened our search countrywide as well – he doesn’t exist.’
‘Unusual for someone in his position to have no prior conviction or arrest,’ said Kay.
‘Maybe that’s what made him an attractive employment prospect for Demiri?’ said Barnes.
A murmur of agreement passed through the room.
‘Speaking of the driver, I’m going to arrange to have the security on his room increased immediately,’ said Sharp. ‘I’m sure our visit to Demiri will have rattled him, despite his attempts to remain cool. The last thing we want is for him to arrange for an unfortunate accident to happen to his ex-driver before we’ve had a chance to speak to him.’
He gestured to Carys to continue.
‘We also have no record for the female victim. Again, none of the fingerprints taken from her by Lucas, the pathologist, or Harriet’s team were matched by our databases, but we’ll keep digging.’
Kay could sense the frustration amongst the small group. The thought that they had Demiri in their sights, but no evidence with which to charge him was already starting to rankle.
‘Harriet did come up with something for us though,’ said Carys.
‘Hallelujah,’ murmured Barnes, and then held up his hand in apology as she lowered her notebook and glared at him.
‘Two sets of prints were taken from the steering wheel, handbrake and door handles that match a couple of blokes that have prior convictions for burglary offences. Gary Hudson and John Millard.’
‘Do we have any idea where they are now?’ said Gavin.
Barnes checked his watch. ‘It’s four o’clock. Knowing those two, we’ll find them in the pub on Union Street.’
Chapter Fourteen
Despite Carys and Gavin’s frustration, Sharp elected to let Kay and Barnes interview the two men once they’d been brought in for questioning.
‘You two aren’t known to Demiri,’ he’d said by way of explanation, and within the confines of his office. ‘I’d like to keep it that way. You’ve seen what he’s capable of doing, and the reach he has. You’ve seen what happened to Kay. I’d rather keep you at arm’s length from this until it’s absolutely necessary.’
The two detective constables had murmured their assent before Sharp had dismissed them, but Kay could sense their disappointment as they left the room, and turned to the DI once the door had closed.
‘Don’t leave them too far out of the loop, guv,’ she said. ‘I wouldn’t want them getting frustrated and then deciding to go off and try to solve this themselves.’
‘Point taken,’ said Sharp.
The three of them had then spent another twenty minutes discussing interview tactics before Kay and Barnes had made their way to the interview rooms.
‘Rock, paper, scissors,’ murmured Barnes.
Kay held up her fist.
‘Goon one it is then,’ he grinned, and pushed the interview room door open.
Duty solicitors had been assigned to each of the men, and now as Kay entered the room, the one that had been assigned to Gary Hudson rose from his chair and adjusted his tie as he stood.
‘My client denies all charges.’
‘Whoa,’ said Kay, and waved him back
