Tony Mason, who had been out of the country when Christine had been remanded, entered Challis Street and headed up to Homicide. Two uniforms blocked his way into the department, only to have Isaac wave them aside.
‘Mr Mason, we can talk in a room down the hall,’ Isaac said. He could see that the man was not happy, although that was understandable given the circumstances.
‘My wife,’ the man blustered. ‘You’ve arrested her for what? I know she can be stupid sometimes, but murder? You’ve got to be joking.’
Finally, the man sat down in the room that Isaac had led them to. Mason was red in the face, not having waited for the lift up to Homicide, having instead bolted up the stairs. He had a suitcase with him, and it should have been scanned downstairs, but hadn’t been.
‘Your case,’ Isaac said as a uniform stood at the door to the room. ‘Any weapons in there?’
‘I sell guidance systems, not guns.’
‘You never know who could come through the door. A police station is as good as anywhere else for the terrorists.’
Isaac gestured to the uniform standing nearby to check, Mason handing him the key. ‘I packed it myself if that’s what you’re about to ask.’
‘Any of your company’s products inside?’ Isaac asked.
‘No, there aren’t, just my clothes and brochures. We ship the product and samples through couriers, the proper documentation in place, export licences, whatever else the government throws at us. We make plenty of money for this country, yet they still get in our way.’
‘Your products kill a lot of people, as well.’
‘What are you? A policeman with a soul?’
‘Mr Mason, your wife has consistently lied to us. We can place her in Hyde Park on the day before the murder; we can place her outside the house of the man’s sister, the same place that she and her father committed suicide.’
‘A double act?’
‘A foul thought, Mr Mason. We’ve had our suspicions about you for some time. It appears that you’ve spent too long around violence and death, no doubt seen your products in action, probably seen people dead as a result.’
‘Do you know how many people look after their families in this country as a result of the UK selling weapons overseas?’
‘A lot, I’ve no doubt. But we’re talking about your wife, not indulging in the justification of what you do. We also know that your wife knew of the man’s true identity and that she was embezzling hotel funds, sleeping with the hotel manager. He was bribing her for that.’
‘Okay, damning, but she’s my wife. A forced confession?’
‘Not here. Justice in this country is innocent until proven guilty. And why so much concern about your wife? You’ve not shown it before, and you’ve not been holding back on supplying women to win a contract.’
‘It’s a tough business. We produce a quality product, but that doesn’t guarantee sales. You must know that. You’re a smart man.’
‘Coming back to your wife. You’ll be free to see her, and her sister’s with her.’
‘What do I need to do to get her out of here?’
‘Provide us with a murderer. Failing that, she stays where she is.’
‘I need a drink,’ Mason said.
The uniform left the room, having concluded his checks of the case.
Larry messaged Isaac soon after. Interview room, conduct it by the book, advise Mason of his rights.
***
‘Smart lad is Constable Bradley,’ Larry said after the preliminaries had been dealt with by Isaac. Tony Mason, on advice from Isaac, had brought Gwen Hislop along as his legal adviser. A touching reunion between Mason and his wife just before the interview.
Isaac had been updated by Larry in the twenty minutes since the text message from Larry and before the four people convened in the interview room. Larry sat with his arms crossed, a look of satisfaction on his face. Tony Mason looked bewildered, unsure what to say. A sinking feeling, Isaac thought, as his lawyer had been briefed as to what was to happen, that new evidence had been found.
Isaac looked over at Tony Mason. ‘We are willing to release your wife, Christine. We do not believe that she is guilty of murder. There are other crimes that she has committed, but it is not our intention to pursue those.’
‘I’ve been told by Gwen that much. What else do you have? What are you basing her innocence on?’
‘Your suitcase.’
‘You checked it, found nothing.’
‘No weapons, that’s for sure. You were right about the brochures, not that we understood much of what they were promoting.’
Bradley, a tall, fresh-faced young man of twenty-five, entered the interview room. He carried the suitcase with him, duly tagged as evidence. He placed it on another table to one side of the room.
‘What’s the point of all this?’ Mason said.
‘Fastidious man, are you?’ Larry said. Isaac felt that he was enjoying the moment too much, not that he could blame him.
‘I like everything in its place,’ Mason said. Gwen Hislop sat apprehensively to his side.
‘Is this your suitcase, Mr Mason?’ Isaac asked. A nylon strap had been put around it after the initial examination.
‘You know it is. Chief Inspector, where is this heading? You’ve had one of your officers go through it.’
‘Get to the point,’ Gwen Hislop said. ‘I want Christine out of the cells.’
‘And Tony in?’
‘That’s not what I said.’
Mason looked over at Constable Bradley but said nothing. Isaac could see that the man was sweating, although the temperature in the interview room was moderate.
‘Mr Mason,’ Isaac said, ‘as Inspector Hill asked before, are you a fastidious man, a man who likes to keep a record of who he’s meeting, whose palm he’s greasing, the deals he’s
