Paula highlighted her report consolidating what April had reported and answered questions. Brad had returned his phone to the desk and gave his full attention to Paula’s statement. He enquired where Kelly was housed but simply received a stare suggesting he should know better. That information could not be disclosed.
DCI Mason rounded up the briefing. ‘I’ll be interviewing Quasim this evening and formally charging him. Skeeter, I’d like you to assist seeing it was you who started this whole investigation. He also seemed to like you in the room!’
She nodded and smiled, not knowing if he was being polite or cynical.
Checking his watch, he stipulated, ‘Twenty minutes.’
Skeeter collected her things before heading into the ladies’ toilets. She locked herself in a cubicle, requiring the maximum, uninterrupted time. Within minutes she had Googled ‘Arabic numbers’ and cross-referenced. She had five numbers. Considering how the fingers interlocked, she realised that they would be in a certain sequence starting and ending with a squiggle. She had 66, 83, 96, 65 and 68. Immediately she thought of bus numbers and chuckled to herself. You wait all this bloody time and five come along all at once! she thought. She sent a text relaying the images of the three unidentified tattoos to an Arabic speaking translator she had used in a previous investigation, requesting a favour. Within minutes she received a reply.
Two are the same, the ones marked ‘B’, although not of the same quality of script. This can be interpreted as ‘betray’ or ‘betrayed’. The one marked ‘A’ I feel is the idea – ‘remember’. Hope that helps. You owe me! :)
Skeeter looked again at the marks. Who’s betrayed whom?
Quasim sat, his arms resting on the table as he lightly drummed his fingers on the surface. He was still nervous. His lawyer sat next to him; the files set before her. As the door opened, Quasim stood immediately and looked round. Skeeter could not help but notice a nervous smile cross his lips, it was neither in defiance nor arrogance. For the first time she saw a youth and not a thug.
‘Thank you. This will be the final interview and the last time you can help yourself. Drug dealing, theft, ABH and GBH will be on the charge but murder may be hovering in the wings? We still await evidence. It would be a positive step if we could say that you led us to the gang leaders. It would certainly go some way in your favour in the jury’s eyes.’
Bob turned to his lawyer. ‘Do you agree?’
‘We always encourage our clients to be fully co-operative and honest during interviews remembering they have taken an oath.’
‘Why did Abid want you to have the plastic disc and the medal?’
Quasim was taken aback by the question but quickly recovered. ‘He was scared that he would be killed and should that happen, he’d asked me to hold them and make sure that I put them with his body. In his hands if I could. He said it was important to him. He was a friend, a brother. He also told me not to say a word.’
‘And you did? You did as he asked?’
His lawyer leaned towards him and spoke. He nodded.
‘I have to say this as it’s the truth.’ His eyes were intense and his knuckles white as he spoke. ‘I know they killed him in the warehouse but I wasn’t there. I was only there when we took the body to the sands. I was chosen as I was fairly new. They told me the same would happen to all traitors who betrayed Snow White.’
‘Did you put them in his hands?’
‘Only the plastic one as I was on that side. Had I gone to the other they’d have seen. I was very scared just doing that. It wasn’t easy as the hands were stiff and partly wrapped.’
‘And the medal?’ Skeeter asked.
‘I dropped it in the sand as we covered him, tried to bury it with the toe of my boot. I couldn’t let them know it was there.’
Skeeter could see a tear begin to form in his eye. He brought a hand up to wipe it away.
‘Quasim, why the chain? It was with the body.’
‘It was believed if it was found like that it would suggest the body probably had come from the sea. I know that I’ve been a fucking shit but I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve stabbed at them when I’ve been on the bikes but I could control that. I wasn’t there when they did him.’ He looked at his lawyer. ‘I’m telling the truth. I was with Beverley when she was done but that was a guy called Hoover. He’s with a rival bike gang trying to trespass on our territory. I can tell you it was him, I saw him.’
‘Does Hoover have a real name?’
Quasim nodded. ‘Mark Dyson.’
Skeeter turned to Alex.
‘This warehouse you mentioned. Where is it?’
On arrival, Derby Road had been closed to traffic and a diversion was being set up. April and Tony took the dock road before forcing their way through, sirens and lights forging a path as cars moved onto the kerb. An officer directed them to the right and onto Effingham Road. It was evident from the commotion at the top that it was to be their destination.
Armed police were just standing down and loading their van. The building was clear. CSI vans were positioned near the door as the technicians carried in a variety of boxes. April and Tony
