Twenty-Six
‘He’s certainly a cocky so-and-so,’ Akers said. The core team were gathered in a semicircle of chairs in front of the DCI’s desk and had just listened to Miller’s account – complete with a Scottish accent of which he was mistakenly quite proud – of his phone conversation with Malky McDougall.
‘He can afford to be,’ Sullivan said. ‘Him and the woman he works for, because they know we’ve got sod all.’
‘It’s early days yet,’ Miller said.
‘Agreed,’ Akers said. ‘But DI Sullivan makes a very persuasive point, all the same.’
Miller hoped the smile looked a little more sincere than it felt. ‘He’s good at that.’
‘So, bearing in mind the massively irritating over-confidence of our prime suspect, is there any possibility that we might have rather more than “sod all” any time soon?’ Akers leaned towards Miller, her voice low and serious. ‘Even a fraction more than sod all?’
‘A fraction of a fraction?’ Sullivan said.
‘Well, forensics are still working on the Audi, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope. It was completely destroyed by the fire. Totally trashed.’ Miller looked at Sullivan. ‘Sorry if me talking about damaged cars is bringing back painful memories, sir. I wasn’t thinking.’
Sullivan narrowed his eyes, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak Akers cut him off.
‘Fine, but I’ll tell you who is still holding out some hope. Darren Grant’s mother and father. His siblings. His kids.’
‘Kids?’ Miller had not been aware of this.
‘Two of them under eight,’ Akers said. ‘With the woman he was married to before he moved in with Stacey Cheshire.’ She looked from one officer to another, then closed her eyes suddenly and took a deep breath.
‘You OK, Susan?’ Miller asked.
‘Hot flush …’
‘Ah.’
Akers looked at Miller and Sullivan, irritated and clearly a little uncomfortable. ‘I don’t know which is worse,’ she said. ‘Dealing with you idiots or perimenopause.’
‘Could be worse,’ Miller said. ‘Could be the peri-peri menopause. Now those are seriously hot flushes.’
‘Ignore him,’ Sullivan said, shaking his head.
‘I usually do.’ Akers took a few seconds to compose herself, then leaned forward. ‘So … our victim’s family want answers. They’ve all got a right to see justice done, which means that we need to pull our fingers out.’
‘Ma’am, you need to look at this.’ Xiu, who had been trying to chip in for a while, held up her phone.
‘Doorbell footage from four different houses on the same street as the victim. Uniform brought the files in about half an hour ago and I’ve been editing the best bits together.
’ She stood and took the phone over to Akers’s desk, then played the clip once Miller and Sullivan had moved close enough to watch.
‘Thank you, Sara,’ Akers said, when the footage had fini-shed. ‘It’s a start.’
‘Yes, good work,’ Sullivan said.
Miller waited until he’d caught Xiu’s eye, then replicated Sullivan’s somewhat nauseating expression and mimed being sick in his mouth. ‘I have to agree,’ he said. ‘It is unquestionably police work of the highest order, but evidentially it’s about as much use as tits on a fish.’
‘You’re implying it’s of very little use at all,’ Xiu said.
‘No, I’m stating confidently that it’s of no bloody use whatsoever.’
‘It’s footage of our killer.’
‘A killer who can’t be identified.’
‘Because he’s wearing a balaclava,’ Sullivan said.
Miller turned to the DI. ‘I can see why they pay you the big bucks, Tim.’
Akers sat back. ‘So, if we can’t identify him based on CCTV evidence—’
‘I don’t need to identify him,’ Miller said. ‘I know exactly who the cocky so-and-so is.’
‘Yes, I think we’ve all got a shrewd idea,’ Akers said. ‘But knowing who he is and convincing a jury are two very different things.’
‘We need better evidence,’ Sullivan said.
‘Any evidence.’
‘Yeah, well, I refer you all to my previous comment about hope and not holding out a lot of it.’ Miller nodded towards the phone that was still in Xiu’s hand.
‘A start, you said, Susan. But chances are it’s also the finish, because you know as well as I do that when it comes to evidence against the likes of the Cutlers, finding anyone willing to provide it is next to impossible. ’
‘We managed to put Wayne away,’ Akers said.
‘I know, but—’
‘Largely thanks to you, Declan.’
Sullivan looked dubious. ‘I don’t know about largely.’
‘Actually, it was largely thanks to Jacqui,’ Miller said, ‘and that was only because she wanted shot of her old man. Putting her away is going to be a lot harder than that. By now, they’ll have people on the streets looking for anyone who might have seen anything, heard anything, be as much as thinking anything that could incriminate Google McDougall and, by implication, Jacqui Cutler.
Anyone unlucky enough to know anything at all will be threatened or paid off.
There might well be someone out there who saw Malky McDougall drive up to the victim’s address, then watched him get out of that Audi and sharpen his knife, right before he popped the balaclava on.
But if McDougall and his cronies get to that witness before we do … ’
‘So we’d better make sure that doesn’t happen,’ Akers said. ‘Let’s get an appeal organised, for a kick-off.’
Miller nodded. ‘Oh, I’m on it, boss. I will do whatever it takes to nail Malky McDougall for Darren Grant’s murder, and then I’ll have everything I need to nick the woman who told him to do it. One way or another, I will take down Jacqui Cutler.’
‘I’m loving the enthusiasm, Dec.’ Akers looked at Sullivan, who somewhat reluctantly nodded his approval. ‘I think we all are … but I’d advise you to go easy. I don’t see that there’s a lot to be gained from making this personal.’
‘I think it’s too late for that,’ Xiu said.
Everyone stared at Miller.
‘She didn’t give him any cake.’