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‘We have to investigate this,’ DI Walsh said.
‘I swear I didn’t do this. I couldn’t!’ Adrian said, struggling to breathe.
‘That’s not for me to decide, I’m afraid. There has to be a proper investigation. Do you at least have an alibi for last night?’
‘Not really. I went to the pub, someone might have seen me there. What happens now?’
‘We go and tell Mira. She will have to contact the Professional Standards Division and they will send someone to come and figure out who is telling the truth here.’
‘You think I did this?’ The idea of having PSD looking into his conduct at work made Adrian uncomfortable. He had been investigated for evidence tampering before and even though he was eventually exonerated, the process was degrading. He could just imagine the talk that would be flying around the station. It didn’t even bear thinking about.
‘I don’t know you. I think at this point it doesn’t matter what I think.’
‘It matters to me,’ Adrian said, trying to ignore what he felt DI Walsh was inferring.
‘I think you will probably get assigned to desk duty for as long as it takes to clear your name,’ DI Walsh said unapologetically.
‘Imogen. You believe me, right? I didn’t do this.’ He could feel his voice getting higher as he got more agitated.
‘I know you didn’t,’ she said without hesitation, calming the swirling in his head for a second.
‘False rape claims are a lot rarer than people think they are,’ DI Walsh said. ‘There’s a lot of physical evidence that she’s been assaulted.’
‘I’m not saying she wasn’t raped, I’m saying it wasn’t me,’ Adrian said.
‘Well, the PSD will clear it up. Now, let’s get back to the station.’
‘Am I under arrest?’
‘That’s not my call. DCI Kapoor will make that decision. I think there will be at least some preliminary investigation before that happens. See what the rape kit turns up.’
All Adrian could think about was what had happened to Caitlin; it was horrific and brutal. Maybe the head injury she’d sustained had messed with her memory and she really did think he had done it. He had dropped her off, but then driven straight home before walking to the pub. Something was bothering him about the timing of all of this though. For him to coincidentally get mugged on the same day, covered in scrapes and bruises on the exact same night, what were the chances? Maybe the attack on him wasn’t a random mugging, after all. Maybe he was targeted. But why would someone target him? And what did Caitlin have to do with it? Adrian couldn’t help feeling paranoid at this point. After what he had been through in the past with Dominic Shaw, his son’s stepfather – a man who dedicated his life to messing Adrian’s up – he didn’t believe in coincidences and the fact that the attack on Caitlin happened the same night as his attack meant that someone had planned this. But why? What was the end game?
DI Walsh walked in front as they exited the hospital and Imogen dropped back a little until she was by Adrian’s side.
‘What are you thinking?’ she said to Adrian in a whisper, clearly not wanting to draw DI Walsh into the conversation.
‘I swear I didn’t do this.’ Adrian felt compelled to say it over and over again.
‘I know you didn’t,’ she reassured him.
‘I was telling the truth about last night, too. I got jumped. What if that and this are connected?’
‘That seems a little far-fetched.’
‘After everything we’ve seen over the last couple of years you think that’s far-fetched?’
‘OK, say it is connected. What is it about? Hugh Norris? Owen Sager? Is it because of what she told us at the station yesterday? And why would they target you?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. Do you think she’s lying, or do you think she’s just remembering it wrong?’
‘I don’t feel confident to say; it’s possible she’s got confused, that it was a nasty attack. I say for now we give her the benefit of the doubt. I don’t like to think anyone would falsely report a rape. The amount of damage it does is unbelievable. Not just to the accused but to the whole system. So, for now we work on the assumption that she’s confused. But that’s between you and me.’
‘Thank you,’ Adrian said.
‘What for?’
‘For not doubting me.’
‘I’d like to think I know you well enough to know you weren’t capable of something like that.’ She paused. ‘What was the name of the pub you went to last night?’
‘I went up to The Imperial.’
‘You went to the biggest pub in town?’
‘Someone might remember me,’ Adrian said.
‘Well, let’s hope so. Did you go into her house?’ Imogen said, looking away from him, obviously afraid of the answer.
‘Nope, absolutely not. I pulled up outside, she got out and then I drove away. I swear to God that’s what happened.’
They arrived back at the cars.
‘Adrian, I think you should come back with me,’ DI Walsh said.
Adrian didn’t know whether DI Walsh believed him or not, but he knew in his situation, he would be inclined to believe the victim. A thought that gave him no great comfort. Either way, this was a shitshow and Adrian was the main attraction.
Chapter Nine (#ulink_ad262b53-c472-52a3-9b4c-3b3bb5414365)
Imogen stood with her arms folded, looking down at DCI Mira Kapoor, who was responding to an email from PSD, the department that were sending someone over to investigate Adrian. She had come in to speak to the DCI on her own, without DI Walsh breathing over her shoulder. She knew he wasn’t actively trying to piss anyone off, and that he was right to question what was going on, but he seemed to have made his mind up already. Admittedly, looking at Caitlin Watts in that hospital bed was enough to give anyone pause. It really wouldn’t make sense for her to make it up, why would she? Wouldn’t she want to see her attacker put away for what he had done to her? Meeting Caitlin before and forming a strong opinion about how manipulative she was was definitely clouding Imogen’s judgement. She knew there were plenty of people who would be happy to think of Adrian as someone who would do this. The truth was, of course, that even though there was no doubt in her mind that Adrian was innocent, there was still that voice in the back of her mind, demanding to be heard.
‘You can stop looking at me like that, DS Grey. This is procedure, there is nothing I can do. My hands are tied.’
‘He didn’t do this. No way,’ she urged.
‘I’m glad you have his back, and while I admire your loyalty, I don’t have that luxury.’
‘Can I help with the investigation?’
‘I think we both know the answer to that.’
‘I can’t just do nothing. This isn’t right,’ Imogen said.
‘Between us … you met the girl before. What did you think of her?’
‘Honestly? She was all over Adrian, disturbingly so. Flirting and desperate for his attention.’
‘And you don’t think he could have taken that the wrong way and maybe—’
‘No. Aside from the extreme violence towards her, which I am positive Adrian would have no part in, I just don’t think he’d be into it if the person wasn’t into it, too. If you know what I mean,’ Imogen said, unsure if she was making things better or worse, worrying she was digging Adrian into an even bigger hole.
‘Why do you say that about the violence? People can surprise you,’ DCI Kapoor said gently, as though she were trying to prepare Imogen for the worst.
‘On previous cases, Adrian has been quite affected by violence against women. His father was a violent man, apparently; hit both him and his mother frequently.’
‘I didn’t know that,’ DCI Kapoor said apologetically.
‘He doesn’t talk about it much, but I just can’t imagine him raising a hand to a woman. Let alone this,’ Imogen said. Adrian hadn’t talked about it much but on the few occasions where he had said something it was clear to her that it was something he felt very strongly about.
‘Have you and he ever—’
‘No,’ Imogen said before she had a chance to finish the sentence.
DCI Kapoor’s computer pinged and she clicked on something. She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, exhaling and scrunching her face up. She was obviously trying to decide what to do.
‘PSD are sending over Detective Chief Constable Trevor Sneddon. If you would, please meet him and bring him to my office. He’ll be out front in about five minutes. I’ll see if he has a problem with you observing the in-house interviews. Observing being the key word. You won’t be able to sit in, but you can watch from the control room if he gives you the OK.’
‘Thank you,’ Imogen said, breathing out a small sigh of relief at not being shut out completely.
‘Any idea why Miss Watts might make this up?’
‘None whatsoever.’
‘OK, thank you, Imogen. Can you send Adrian in?’
Imogen left the DCI’s office and sat back down at her desk. Adrian was perched on his chair with his head in his hands – anxious was an understatement. She could see he was lost in his own thoughts.
‘The DCI wants to see you now.’
Adrian stood up and barrelled towards DCI Kapoor’s office. Imogen hoped he didn’t lose his temper. She couldn’t stay in here and try to guess what the DCI was saying to Adrian; she needed some air. It had been raining earlier, so she grabbed her coat and went outside to wait for the DCC to show up.
Just being outside made Imogen want a cigarette, but she hadn’t had one since about three days after New Year’s Eve. One more week and she would have gone two whole months without one.
A car she didn’t recognise pulled into the forecourt and a man she wasn’t familiar with got out. She wrapped her coat around her and walked towards him, the wind whipping her hair into an unruly mess.
‘DCC Sneddon?’ she called out.
‘Yes, how did you know?’ He was tall with sandy blond hair and a stern face, but she liked to imagine he didn’t look unreasonable.
‘You just look like PSD.’
‘I’ll pretend that’s a compliment.’ He held his hand out and she took it; he had a firm shake, confident, that of someone in a position of authority.
‘I’m DS Imogen Grey. The DCI has asked me to take you through to see her.’
‘Do you know the accused?’ he said sombrely.
‘I do. He’s my partner.’
‘I’m guessing you believe him.’
‘Correct.’
‘OK, let’s get this show on the road,’ he said in an apologetic voice.
This at least gave her hope that he wasn’t just out to nail someone. She hated her job sometimes.
Chapter Ten (#ulink_1fc36f62-7cb8-5816-bdbf-d8abab5d11ce)
Being on this side of the interview table was no fun. Adrian waited patiently for DCC Trevor Sneddon to start asking questions. They had already got the formalities out of the way: date, time, name, rank. Adrian could feel the beginnings of a migraine, or maybe he just really wanted a drink.
‘Could you tell me about the first meeting with Caitlin Watts?’ DCC Sneddon began.
‘She was brought in for breaking into a chapel. Her grandfather was a reverend, though, and so no charges were brought and we let her go,’ Adrian said.
‘Did she steal anything?’ Sneddon asked.
‘Apparently not.’
‘How did she seem at that time?’
‘I don’t know. Normal. She was quite friendly,’ Adrian said. Did that make him look bad?
‘And the next time you saw her?’
‘Yesterday morning. She said hello to us near the scene of the Norris murder. We went to speak to one of his colleagues, who turned out to be her lecturer. Psychology, um … her name was Gillian Mitchell. Miss Watts walked past and said hello.’
‘And you hadn’t arranged to meet Caitlin Watts there?’
‘Of course not. It was a murder that we were called out to. How would I know beforehand that it was going to happen?’ he said, trying not to get annoyed at the questions. He knew they had to ask them.
‘And then the next time?’
‘Yesterday again. She came in late afternoon and told us that she thought Hugh Norris was having an affair with a student. She also told us that one of his students committed suicide exactly three months ago. She brought in an article about the suicide and I put it on the desk.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘She told me she couldn’t get home and that she was a bit upset by the murder, so I offered to give her a lift.’
‘You offered? Why?’
‘Actually no, I offered to get someone else to drop her home, but she asked if I could do it. She said she was nervous because of the violent nature of the murder.’
‘And you said?’
‘I said, fine. I was leaving anyway.’
‘And what happened then?’
