Buried (DC Jack Warr #1) - Lynda La Plante Page 0,90
him everything. He didn’t know nothing before that and everything he did afterwards was to put right the mess I’d made. If you don’t believe that, I’m leaving right now.’ Audrey’s hands began to shake in anger. ‘Mike’s a good boy. You gotta promise that he ain’t remembered as anything else.’
Before Jack could stop himself, he said, ‘I promise.’
If that turned out to be a lie, he’d cross that bridge when he got to it.
‘Come on,’ he said, and took her elbow.
He needed her to come back inside and pour her heart out on tape ‒ not on the steps of the police station.
With another coffee in her hand and a fresh plate of biscuits in front of her, Audrey was ready to continue.
‘That debt to Dolly Rawlins put Mike in a position he couldn’t get out of. If my Mike had anything to do with the train robbery, it had to be because Dolly forced him into it. Mike was a victim, not a criminal!’ Each time Dolly’s name was mentioned, it spat out of Audrey’s mouth with venom. The tears welled. ‘Dolly Rawlins only got eight years for taking some gangster off the streets – who gives a shit about Harry being gunned down? But she got nothing for killing my Shirl, my little baby . . . and now Mike! That bitch killed my babies, but you lot never punished her for any of that.’
‘She was shot six times!’ Jack pointed out.
‘Not by me! Not by me!’
Audrey dropped her mug, hid her face in her hands and sobbed. Years of ignoring the truth fuelled her uncontrollable anguish. It was as if she finally felt responsible for something – and that something was for not killing Dolly Rawlins when she had the chance.
*
When Jack and Laura walked into his office and closed the door behind them, Ridley hoped it was because they had something to say that he actually wanted to hear. If they were bringing him anything less than a bloody miracle, they’d better watch out. But as Jack relayed Audrey’s second interview, Ridley edged towards his seat and finally sat down on it – a rare event. Once Jack had finished, Ridley confirmed that Audrey would be arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, bounced back to his feet and headed out into the squad room.
‘Right!’ he shouted. ‘Everybody just listen for now, so we can put this together. Questions later.’
As Ridley and Jack spoke, they shuffled evidence, moved and regrouped suspects and filled in gaps on the three overflowing evidence boards. As Anik watched Ridley and Jack leading this new charge, he could feel the sergeant’s position drifting out of sight.
‘Harry Rawlins’ gang did the diamond heist ‒ we know this because most of them were arrested at the scene,’ said Jack, looking round at his colleagues. ‘But the diamonds ended up with Dolly, who gave them to Audrey for safekeeping while she went inside for killing her husband . . .’
By three o’clock, he’d brought everyone up to speed and the case was up to 1995. Ridley took over.
‘We know Mike drove to Rose Cottage in his Range Rover and we know someone else drove there in a pest control van ‒ probably Barry Cooper. We know someone killed Mike, then expertly improvised the destruction of the cottage and everything in it ‒ probably Barry Cooper. We know that the remaining cash left the scene in the pest control van. And we know Barry’s on the run. He has a background in the army and in demolition. He’s highly dangerous and we have to find him. He’s the key.’
Ridley looked round at his team. Everyone was gripped ‒ except Laura, who was frowning as she stared at Jack. Ridley followed her gaze. Jack had his hand up.
‘I think Barry’s definitely involved, sir, but there’s nothing to suggest he’s a mastermind. I think we need to look again at the women. If Dolly was the woman that Audrey says she was, she’d have had the balls to hide twenty-seven million in the cellar of an ex-copper’s house.’
Ridley looked sceptical. ‘Those women have been ruled out. Twice. Once in 1995 and again by us. By you, in fact.’
‘There was no evidence,’ Jack pointed out. ‘But then, there was no evidence to connect Dolly to the diamond raid either, yet we now know that she was the one who walked away with everything.’
‘So, no evidence means they did it?’
Anik smirked and the sergeant’s post drifted back into his sight.