Isaac had to conclude the interview knowing full well that they had only raised the hackles of the man opposite, although he knew that could provoke an action, an unexpected move that would prove the man’s guilt. And one thing the DCI knew: Alex Hughenden was guilty.
***
The DNA from Brazil had arrived. Pathology had confirmed that the body retrieved from the River Thames was Rodrigo Fuentes, a known drug dealer and trafficker. There were none in Challis Street who were concerned that another lowlife had died, but the man had had chains around his ankles and was a murder statistic. The team had been working on that basis ever since the body had been discovered; now it was official.
Isaac had phoned Maria Cidade to let her know. He had conducted some checks, and she appeared to be a decent person who had fallen in love with a criminal.
She had taken the news calmly and said she would take his body back to Brazil for his parents. Hopefully, she said, they would never find out the truth of what he had become.
DCS Goddard, wanting to wrap up the murder of Dougal Stewart, was again in Isaac’s office at Challis Street. The team were already there.
‘DCI, another one?’ Goddard stated the obvious.
‘Yes, sir,’ Isaac replied, anticipating the now predictable response from his senior, the man he had once held in great esteem.
‘You know who murdered Stewart. Is the latest death related?’
‘We believe so.’
‘Proof?’
‘Vicenzo Pinto mentioned Fuentes’ name before he disappeared.’
‘Then it’s three murders?’ Goddard said.
‘We do not have proof of Pinto’s death.’
‘But you’re certain he’s dead.’
‘Until we receive advice to the contrary, then we will treat his disappearance as murder.’
‘And the murderer of Rodrigo Fuentes?’
‘Devlin O’Shaughnessy and Steve Walters.’
‘Can you prove it?’
‘It’s unlikely. After four weeks weighted down in the Thames, there’s not a lot to work with.’
‘The body of Dougal Stewart. Can you register a case against O’Shaughnessy and Walters?’
‘With Pinto’s evidence.’
‘But if he’s dead.’
‘It would’ve been better to have a live witness, but we have his interview on video as well as a signed confession. His evidence will hold up, and we have a lot of fingerprints from the warehouse where they killed Stewart. We’ve enough.’
‘Then find the murderers soon before I have him onto me again.’ Goddard left the office soon after.
‘Who’s he referring to?’ Wendy asked.
‘The commissioner.’
‘Davies?’
‘He’s not an easy man.’
‘Will Caddick be back?’ Larry asked, hopeful that the unpleasant Welshman who had temporarily occupied Isaac’s seat would not be returning.
‘He will if we don’t start solving the case.’
‘What did you achieve with Alex Hughenden?’ Wendy asked.
‘Not a lot. We don’t have any proof against him. At the present time, he’s not guilty of any crime.’
‘But you suspect him?’
‘Serious and Organised Crime Command have their suspicions, but no proof. O’Shaughnessy and Walters have been the visible members of the syndicate bringing the drugs into the country, but they’re not smart enough for a venture of this complexity.
‘We could keep a watch on Hughenden,’ Larry suggested.
‘Can I leave that to you and Wendy?’ Isaac said.
***
‘You should have brought me in when you interviewed Hughenden,’ Len Donaldson said.
Isaac and Donaldson were sitting in a café not far from Challis Street Police Station. Both men were relaxed in each other’s company, each having mutual respect for the other.
‘In hindsight, but I wanted to get the measure of the man. I needed to know if he had the look of a guilty man,’ Isaac said.
‘And what did you deduce?’
‘He’s careful in what he says.’
‘Slimy, that’s how I’d describe him,’ Donaldson said. ‘I’ve been into his shop, spoken to the man.’
‘Did he know who you were?’
‘I made out I was a customer aiming to buy a bracelet for my wife’s birthday.’
‘Did you?’
‘Not a chance. He charges through the roof, and besides my wife ran off with my best friend. She’d be lucky to get the time of day from me.’
‘What were you looking for?’
‘The man has money, lots of it. I needed to know where it came from.’
‘And?’
‘No doubt he makes good money, but not enough to buy a three-storey terrace in Bayswater, and a couple of other expensive houses in the area.’
‘Pillar of the church, donates to charity. Doesn’t that indicate a decent man?’ Isaac posed a rhetorical question.
‘No doubt he is kind to children, but he staked nearly one hundred thousand pounds for renovations on the church he attends.’
‘Guilty conscience?’
‘Maybe his generosity allows him to be involved in an odious business.’
‘Like taking from the rich to give to the poor, no matter how the money was obtained.’
‘Something like that. Besides that, what did you get from Hughenden?’
‘Nothing to incriminate him.’
‘What do you reckon of the man?’
‘He’s involved.’
‘How do you intend to prove it?’
‘I need to solve two murders first.’
‘You’ve solved them already.’
‘We have a case against O’Shaughnessy and Walters for the death of Dougal Stewart, but no way of implicating them in the death of Rodrigo Fuentes.’
‘That may never be solved unless you have a confession.’
‘We should work together on this,’ Donaldson said.
‘I thought we already were,’ Isaac’s reply.
***
Larry was out on the street. He was meeting people, slipping them money for information. Wendy was close to Hughenden’s shop. She had looked in the window, seen a ring that she positively loved, but the price tag was the equivalent of six months of her salary.
Rasta Joe was not pleased to see Larry, but he was at risk, he knew that, and the news of Rodrigo Fuentes’ death had created fear in those who dealt in drugs.
‘Rasta Joe, what’s the deal with Alex
