Feel free to discuss it with Mr Hoskins.
AB: [confers with lawyer]
OK, yeah.
[pause]
But only if you back off on the other thing, OK? I’ll give you the prints and stuff but only if you drop the van.
ES: I’m afraid that’s not how it works, Mr Brotherton.
AB: Well, fuck you –
JH: [restraining his client]
We agree to the DNA and fingerprinting. I trust my client will be free to go home after that?
AF: In due course. The van, however, will be subject to a forensic search. I’m afraid your client will be taking the bus.
* * *
Adam Fawley
5 April 2018
14.09
‘Do you still think he’s lying?’ asks Somer as we walk back up the stairs.
I shake my head. ‘No. We got the truth this time. Though more by omission than any wish to be actually helpful on his part.’
Somer nods; she knows what I’m getting at. ‘There’s something in that van, isn’t there. Something incriminating. That’s why he’s so keen to keep us out of it.’
‘Well, let’s bloody well hope so. And cross our fingers that any DNA we do find is in the bloody database. Because otherwise we’ll be going nowhere fast. Again.’
* * *
‘PC Atkins will give you a lift to the hospital and back, Mr Brotherton. He’s going to bring a car round to the front.’
Everett offers the old man a hand getting up but he waves her away. ‘Thank you, young lady, but if I start taking help it won’t be long before I can’t do anything without it.’
She smiles; he reminds her of her grandad. He was a bolshie bugger too.
Outside, the rain has stopped, but it’s cold, and the old man’s coat doesn’t look thick enough to be warm.
‘I’m sure the car won’t be long,’ she says, feeling the need to break the silence.
He turns to face her. ‘Thank you. You didn’t need to go to all that trouble, but you did. And it’s appreciated. And tell Ash,’ continues the old man, ‘that I’ll come to the station again when I get back from the JR. Someone needs to look out for him.’
‘He has a lawyer, Mr Brotherton.’
The old man’s eyes narrow. ‘His kind of support costs two hundred quid an hour. I’m talking about someone who actually gives a toss. And the only one in that corner is me.’
* * *
Adam Fawley
5 April 2018
16.16
‘And you’re sure?’
I’m on the phone to Challow and the rest of the team are gathered round my desk. They can tell by the tone of my voice that it’s not good news.
I finish the call and look up at them. ‘All they’ve got from Ashley Brotherton’s van so far is one used condom and a quantity of what looks like semen on a tartan blanket. Our Mr Brotherton clearly knows how to show a girl a good time.’
Quinn’s face falls. ‘And that’s it?’
‘There was also a plastic bag containing a princely fifteen grams of marijuana. Which won’t even get the CPS out of bloody bed in the morning.’
‘But it could explain why he was so shit scared about the search,’ says Somer resignedly. ‘Perhaps none of this has anything to do with Faith. Or Sasha. He was just worried about us finding the drugs.’
‘And losing his job as a result,’ mutters Ev.
Ev is obviously a fully paid-up member of the Ashley Brotherton fan club, though for the life of me I can’t fathom why. On the other hand, I’m starting to think Somer has a point – in fact, I’m not far off coming to the same conclusion myself.
‘They’re running the swabs for DNA but we won’t get the results for at least a day or so.’
‘What about prints?’ asks Gislingham. Ever the optimist.
‘Nothing doing. There are a few partials but nothing usable apart from Brotherton’s own. They’ll check his DNA against the profiles on the Tesco bag we found at the allotments but I’m not holding my breath. So if anyone else has any ideas, I’m all ears.’
Quinn looks peevish. ‘So we’re just going to send that bolshie little git home?’
I shrug. ‘We don’t have any choice.’
‘What about the plaster dust?’ asks Somer. ‘There must have been loads of it in that van.’
‘Good question. And yes, there was. But it’ll take them a while to establish the exact chemical formulation. And Challow’s already warned me building firms tend to source their plaster from a small number of big wholesalers, so the stuff Ramsgate uses won’t be anything like unique. So even if what’s in the van does match what we found on