Chapter 35 #2
‘I’m not sure how making Mr Durant relive the loss of his wife is going to help you with your investigation. Are you going to actually ask any questions to do with the reason why you arrested Mr Durant?’ Kalia cut in.
‘Let’s talk about the Ashcrofts,’ said Henley. ‘On the day Tabitha Ashcroft was sentenced you—’
‘That wasn’t a sentence,’ Larry interrupted, his voice raised and angry. ‘She walked away with a warning to behave herself. She committed murder. She killed my Sherri.’
‘And you threatened to kill her too, didn’t you?’ Henley pulled a witness statement from a file. ‘“I’m going to kill you, you fucking bitch. I’m going to take everything from you.”’
‘They dropped the charges.’
‘They may have dropped it but that doesn’t erase the words that came out of your mouth. You held on to that anger, didn’t you, Larry?’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘You were determined to get Tabitha Ashcroft back for ruining your life. For killing your wife.’
Larry tutted and shook his head. Henley pushed a sheet of paper towards him.
‘What’s this?’ he asked.
‘This is a copy of a bank transaction. A payment of ￡10,000 from Graham Ashcroft’s bank account to Barclays account number 18740299, which is your bank account, right?’
‘Yes, but I can explain.’
‘Oh, I didn’t realise there was an explanation for blackmail,’ Henley said sarcastically .
‘It wasn’t … no, it wasn’t blackmail.’
‘Of course it was. After the police very kindly dropped the charges against you, you began a campaign of harassment against the Ashcrofts, didn’t you?’
‘Absolutely not. I wouldn’t waste my time on those people.’
‘You wrote them letters, made threats against them and then you started to demand money from them to make it all stop.’
‘He offered me the money.’
‘What, out of the blue Graham Ashcroft offered you money?’ Henley asked with clear disbelief.
‘To help with the funeral costs.’
‘You’re telling me that eighteen months after you buried your wife, Graham Ashcroft offered you ten grand?’
‘It’s not cheap to organise a funeral.’
‘I know it’s not cheap, but I also know that both you and your wife had funeral plans, so those costs were covered. So, you start with harassment and move on to blackmail. Told them things would get worse for them if they didn’t pay you.’
‘I didn’t blackmail them,’ Larry said weakly.
‘But you weren’t happy with the ten grand they sent you. You wanted more. You wanted revenge,’ Henley said as she subtly elbowed Ramouter.
‘Larry, you told our colleagues, DS Stanford and Eastwood that you didn’t know where the Ashcrofts lived,’ said Ramouter as he opened his laptop. ‘Do you remember that?’
‘That’s right. I don’t know where they live.’
‘But that’s not correct, is it?’ Ramouter turned the laptop around. On the screen was a residential street. ‘This is Cullen Lane. Do you recognise it?’
‘No. Never heard of it,’ Larry replied, his voice quavering.
‘And this house belongs to the Ashcrofts.’ Ramouter pointed on the screen.
‘I want it on the record that this footage wasn’t disclosed to me,’ Kalia chipped in.
‘We disclosed that we had video evidence,’ Ramouter replied. ‘Now, this is video doorbell footage from the house opposite. As you can see, its 9.18 a.m. on Tuesday 12 October.’
‘I was teaching that day,’ Larry said quickly.
‘Keep watching.’
The minutes dragged painfully as the video footage played. A postman walked past pushing his trolley and a UPS van came into view followed by a Skoda Octavia.
‘You own a Skoda Octavia, don’t you, Larry?’
Larry didn’t reply but he looked across at Kalia who had leaned forward in her seat, watching the screen intently. The Skoda disappeared from view.
The video continued to play. The UPS van now back but moving quickly down the street.
‘You said you were teaching that day?’
‘Um … yes, yes. I was,’ Larry replied.
‘What time?’
‘Time?’
‘Aye. What time did you start teaching?’
‘I can’t remember.’
‘You can’t remember?’
Larry didn’t reply and Ramouter pressed pause.
‘For the benefit of the tape, I’m showing Laurence Durant footage of himself outside the Ashcrofts’ home on Tuesday twelfth October at 9.18 a.m.,’ said Ramouter. ‘Would you like to explain why you lied to my colleagues about not being at the Ashcrofts’ house?’
‘That’s not me,’ Larry said meekly.
‘If I’m not mistaken, you’re wearing the same jacket now that you were wearing on this video footage.’
Larry looked down at his arm as though realising for the first time that he was wearing a jacket.
‘This is you going up to the Ashcrofts’ front door. You then go across to the windows and then you go to their car and crouch down. You’re out of view. Why did you slash the car tyres?’
‘No. I didn’t,’ Larry said. ‘That wasn’t me. I wasn’t there.’
‘You’re saying that this person, that we’re all looking at, isn’t you?’ Ramouter clarified.
Larry shook his head.
‘You need to speak,’ Henley said. ‘We’re only recording the audio.’
‘No, that’s not me,’ Larry said quietly.
‘Fine,’ Ramouter said brightly. ‘Let’s talk about your car then. You told my colleagues that you sold your car. A 2012 Skoda Octavia.’
‘That’s correct. It was my wife’s car. I thought that it was time to get rid of it. To move on,’ said Larry. He picked up his cup and water dribbled down his chin as he drank clumsily.
‘When did you sell it?’
‘Erm … a few months ago.’
‘Did you advertise it, sell it to a car trader?’
‘I just put a note in the window, and someone bought it.’
Ramouter took out two sheets of paper and placed them on the table.
‘This is a DVLA printout of the registration details for your car. Make, model, stuff like that and, on the second page – the bit that I’ve highlighted – you will see the list of registered keepers, previous and current.
The car was transferred to your name two months after your wife’s death and it’s still in your name. ’
‘I just haven’t got round to letting them know, the DVLA that is,’ said Larry.
‘Why are you lying?’ Ramouter asked. He brought up a series of photos on the screen. ‘These are photographs of your car, on your street, taken last week by our colleagues. Exhibit PS/1.’
‘They’ve made a mistake,’ Larry said shakily.
‘Are you suggesting that my officers are lying?’ Henley jumped in, leaning forward on the table.
‘I don’t have the car, I sold it.’
‘Stop lying and tell me what happened on the night of 17 October,’ Henley said firmly.
‘Nothing happened. I was home.’
‘This is footage of your car on Lordship Lane, half a mile from the Ashcrofts’ home,’ said Ramouter. ‘Your car is then seen turning into Cullen Lane at 11.38 p.m..’
‘I sold the car,’ Larry said, his voice breaking.
‘Tabitha Ashcroft was attacked in her home,’ Henley ploughed on, keeping her eyes on Larry as she produced photographs of Tabitha’s injuries. ‘She was pinned down in her kitchen and her attacker put a knife to the back of her head and scalped her.’
Larry paled, put his hands to his mouth and closed his eyes. ‘Oh my god, oh my god.’
‘Scalped her,’ Henley repeated, tapping the table hard. ‘You’ve got scratch marks on your hand and a mark on the side of your head. Did that happen when Tabitha was trying to defend herself?’
‘It wasn’t me.’
‘If it wasn’t you then who was it? Who did you drop off at the Ashcrofts’ home, Larry?’
‘I didn’t do anything.’ Larry lowered and shook his head.
‘The only reason you weren’t arrested for her murder is because her husband saved her,’ said Ramouter as Henley leaned back in her seat. ‘Not that he got away unscathed.’
‘Look at the photographs, Larry,’ Henley pushed. She placed more photographs on the table, this time of Graham. Half-naked on a hospital bed. His knife wounds visible.
‘Stabbed multiple times because he was trying to save his wife,’ Henley said slowly.
Larry breathed in deeply, clasping his hands tightly. ‘I don’t know anything about that.’
‘Can you explain why Graham’s blood was found in your car?’
‘Again, you didn’t disclose this to me,’ said Kalia, pushing another tissue towards Larry.
‘Check your disclosure,’ Henley said coldly as Ramouter brought up the image of the shattered car windscreen. ‘You were informed that we had forensic evidence. DNA.’
‘Look, Larry, we’re not asking you these questions because we’re trying to hurt you or catch you out,’ Ramouter said, his voice calm and warm as he switched the footage. ‘We want to help you.’
‘You can’t help me,’ Larry answered.
‘Graham Ashcroft ran out of his house. He thought he was running away from danger,’ said Ramouter.
He pressed play on the footage that had been taken from the Ashcrofts’ neighbour, Patsy Howe.
The gasp from Kalia was audible as the footage showed Graham running into view, being hit by a car, landing heavily on the bonnet and then falling to the ground.
‘I need a consultation with my client,’ said Kalia.
‘Interview suspended at 10.34 a.m.,’ said Ramouter.
‘We’ll be waiting outside,’ Henley told them. She and Ramouter gathered their things and left the interview room.
Ramouter leaned his forehead against the wall and exhaled as Henley began to pace the narrow hallway. ‘So, what do you think?’ he asked.
‘He’s definitely involved,’ Henley replied. ‘But I just don’t think that he’s got it in him to actually kill someone.’
‘You said it yourself. Death can change us.’
‘Or it reveals who you really are,’ Henley countered.
The interview room door opened and Kalia poked her head out. She looked tired and fed up. ‘We’re ready.’
Henley entered the interview room and paused momentarily. She knew it was physically impossible, but Larry looked shrunken as though the burden he was carrying had made his body collapse. He rubbed the side of his face.
‘Interview resumed at 10.46 a.m.,’ Ramouter announced. ‘I’m DC Salim Ramouter and also present is …’
‘DI Anjelica Henley.’
‘Legal Representative Kalia Ghatak.’
‘Laurence Durant.’
‘I must remind you Larry that you still remain under caution and again, you can let us know if you need a break for a further consultation, do you understand?’ asked Ramouter.
‘Yes,’ Larry mumbled.
‘Ok, so before the break, we were asking you questions about the night the Ashcrofts were attacked. Can you tell us where you were from 11 p.m. on the seventeenth October?’
‘No comment,’ said Larry.
Henley marked the question that Ramouter had asked with an X. She wasn’t in the least bit surprised that Larry had decided to follow Kalia’s new advice; to shut up.
‘Who else was in the car with you?’ asked Ramouter.
‘No comment.’
‘Whose idea was it to go to the Ashcrofts’ home?’
‘No comment.’
‘Can you give me the name of the person who was seen dragging Graham Ashcroft into your car?’
‘No comment.’
‘Can you explain how Graham Ashcroft’s blood got into your car?’
‘No comment.’
‘Did you attack and scalp Tabitha Ashcroft in her kitchen?’
Larry lowered head and shook it as he began to cry.
‘Why are you shaking your head in a no gesture, Larry?’ asked Henley. ‘Are you shaking your head no because it wasn’t you who hurt Tabitha, but you know who did?’
‘No comment.’ Larry replied, the words barely audible.
‘Can you explain why you ran away from myself and DC Ramouter when you saw us at your victim support group?’
Larry didn’t answer.
‘Is the person you’re covering up for a member of that victim support group?’
‘Can you make them stop?’ Larry whispered to Kalia who shook her head.
‘Just follow my advice which is to answer all questions no comment,’ she said softly.
‘If it wasn’t you driving your car then who was it?’ asked Henley.
‘No comment,’ Larry continued as he hugged himself.
‘We’ve seized your mobile phone as we believe that it contains information pertinent to our investigation,’ said Henley. She placed an exhibit bag containing a Samsung Galaxy flip phone on the table. ‘We want to examine it. Are you willing to give me your pin number?’
‘No, no,’ Larry said, turning to Kalia. ‘You can’t. They can’t go in my phone, can they?
‘Only if they serve you with a Section 49 RIPA notice and, even then, they will have to go before a judge who will decide if they can,’ Kalia replied. ‘Is that what you’re doing Inspector. Serving a Section 49?’
‘I will if Larry declines to provide his PIN,’ answered Henley.
‘No. I’m not doing it,’ said Larry. ‘No comment.’
‘I’ve got to warn you that failing to provide your PIN is a criminal offence. You can go to prison.’
‘No comment.’
‘You do understand that you’re potentially looking at two life sentences for the attempted murder of the Ashcrofts?’ Henley asked. ‘You and I both know that isn’t what your wife Sherri would have wanted for you.’
Henley could see all the emotions in Larry’s eyes as he raised his head and stared at her.
Anger morphed into sadness, frustration and despair but it was the grief swimming in his eyes as he mouthed the name Sherri that gripped at the part of her soul that she hadn’t locked away when she’d walked into the interview room.
Henley pushed aside the waves of compassion and strengthened her voice. ‘Larry, do you have any questions for me?’
Larry opened and then closed his mouth as though he’d made a decision but had changed his mind.
‘You look as though you want to say something,’ said Ramouter. ‘I just want to make sure before we stop the interview.’
‘No,’ said Larry as he pushed his hands in his pocket. ‘I don’t have anything to say. On the advice of my legal representative. No comment.’
‘Fine. Interview concluded at 10.53 a.m.,’ said Henley.
‘Is that it. Can I …Can I go now?’ Larry asked as Ramouter handed him a form to sign.
‘No. You’ll be taken back to your cell once you’ve finished your post interview consultation with Ms Ghatak,’ said Henley. She stood up from the table, her back muscles protesting as they tightened in knots.
‘Oh, I thought—’
‘I’m sure that Ms Ghatak advised you that we can keep you here for twenty-four hours,’ said Henley.
‘Even longer if we apply for an extension. Up to ninety-six hours.’ Ramouter opened the door and walked out.
Henley followed, but then she paused, turned around and stared at Larry.
‘You said that we couldn’t help you,’ Henley said. ‘But you need to think about how you can help yourself. Otherwise you’ll be spending more time in a cell than Tabitha Ashcroft ever did for killing your wife.’