23
Ian watched Marks survey the lounge. Marks seemed to nod to himself, then turned to Ian. “We have a schedule 5-1 TACT search warrant for the premises. Items listed include mobile phones.” He held out his hand. “If you would?”
“My phone?”
“Yes. Mr Morgan. Your phone please?”
“Alice was right you know.”
“Oh yeah? About what?” Marks still held his hand out.
“She said all police are the same. Can’t trust them.”
“Whatever.”
“You said she was no longer a suspect. That she was only a witness.”
“Facts change. Now, your phone.”
Ian frowned. “I want to call my lawyer first.”
“Why? You got something to hide?”
“No. Something to protect.” Ian folded his arms. “My rights.”
“Rights? Really? Maybe you should tell that to the people who died on Friday.”
“Alice had nothing to do with that.”
Ian took his phone from his pocket. He gripped it tight to stop it trembling in his hand as he scrolled through his contacts for Malcolm Rix. Marks glared at him and took a step closer. Ian felt his heart thump louder. He was sure Marks would grab the phone, but he fought every instinct to hand it over, and he pressed the call button without dropping the phone. He saw Marks’ eyes flit to his shaking hand, and Marks did nothing to hide his look of scorn.
“M... Malcolm. Uh, hi. It's Ian Morgan. Sorry to call you on a Saturday...”
“Ian who?” Rix asked.
“Ian Morgan. We met a few years ago at a dinner party. You’re a friend of Olivia Kelly. You told me if I ever had legal trouble to call you.”
“Oh, yes. I remember now. You told me you wouldn't need me.”
“Good memory, however...”
“No, Ian. Everybody says that. What’s the problem?”
“The police arrested my partner Alice in relation to the terror attack on Friday night. They’re in our house with a search warrant. Can I hire you?”
“Are you under arrest?”
“No. At least I don’t think so.” Ian looked to Marks, who stared back with his arms folded.
“Good. Can you give me a brief background? Any context?”
“Alice was in South Kensington yesterday during the attack. She knows the terrorist. They worked together last year and there may have been an incident between them, anyway, Alice spoke to the terrorist prior to the attack. It was caught on CCTV and ended up in the media.”
“I saw it. Is Alice the one they’re referring to as the champagne terrorist?”
“Yes. But we called the police last night and they came here. Interviewed Alice and told us she was a witness, not a suspect. Then they left. We thought it was all finished with, and now they’ve turned up here with this warrant.”
“They must have received some new information. I’d imagine someone implicated her. Let me talk to whoever's in charge.”
Ian held out his phone. “My lawyer wants to talk to you.”
Marks scowled and took the phone. “DI Colin Marks. Who are you?”
Ian shifted on his feet under glares from police officers while Marks spoke to Rix in monosyllables and grunts. After several minutes, he handed the phone back to Ian.
“Malcolm?”
“Look, Ian...” A sound like a gust of wind through trees came from the phone as Rix inhaled. “...under the provisions of the anti-terrorism legislation, they can question her for up to 48 hours without a lawyer.”
“Christ Almighty. Does that mean she’ll be alone for 48 hours?”
“Yes. But it gets worse...”
Ian grabbed a handful of his own hair and pulled. “What do you mean worse?”
“They can hold her without charge for 14 days.”
“What? 14 days? That’s... That’s just wrong.”
“That’s how it is.”
“Christ. Alice won't cope with that. She’s innocent, Malcolm. Innocent.”
“Sure. But the police don't think so. They tend not to arrest people they believe are innocent. They’ve got something on her.”
“What?”
“I don't know for sure. As I said, I suspect someone implicated her.”
“Who would do that?”
“If I were to speculate, I’d say either the terrorist or someone associated with him. But speculation’s not a wise move at this stage.”
“What can we do?”
“Nothing. We wait. That's all.”
Ian stared at Marks with a growing hatred. “This is crazy.”
“No. It's the law. First, take the search warrant and read it. It is limited to relevant material only, the definition of which is items likely to be of substantial value to a terrorist investigation. The warrant lists the items they can take. It excludes your phone, as your name is not on the warrant. That could be an oversight, although it’s likely they failed to get you onto the warrant because of lack of evidence.”
“Can you come over?”
“Unfortunately not. In any case, there is little I could do, and the search could be over by the time I arrive. I suspect they’ll take her phone and any computers or tablets you have.”
“Can I say they’re mine?”
“No. The warrant has them listed as shared devices. Make sure they only take the items listed on the warrant. I’ll call them in the morning and get you an update.”
“I don't know what to say. Or do. This is a mistake. Won’t they realise that?”
“Even if they have made a mistake, they won't admit it. They will hold her for a few days at least. They need to justify this. Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you in the morning. We’ll take it from there.”
Rix disconnected the call and Ian stared at the phone in his hand for a moment as his mind whirled. He took a deep breath to steady himself. No way would he give Marks the satisfaction of a quavering voice. When he thought he had composed himself, he slipped the phone into his