“The Fortuny gowns belonging to Olga Filiput.”
This time there was nothing.
As soon as he got home, he called Ingeborg.
“Have you started?”
“Barely,” she said. “It’s not a quick job, guv.”
“Nothing to report, then? I thought you said his computer had loads of memory that hasn’t been used.”
“I did. He’s used about seven gigabytes out of a hundred.”
“Is that all?”
“Do you have any idea how many pages of text that represents? Around six million. So don’t call me, I’ll call you.”
12
On arrival at Keynsham next morning, Diamond was asked by the desk sergeant to report to the assistant chief constable as a matter of urgency. He sighed and walked across to the coffee machine. He wasn’t going to miss his first caffeine boost of the day.
In the CID room, one of the civilian staff looked up and said, as if she was doing him a favour, “Message for you, Mr. Diamond. The ACC wants to see you as soon as you arrive.”
How he yearned for the solid, concealing walls of Manvers Street nick instead of this open-plan layout. He nodded and carried his coffee into the room he called his goldfish bowl. Everyone could watch him through the glass.
Ten minutes later, revived and ready to go, he emerged and was told by Keith Halliwell, “Message from Georgina, guv.”
“I got it,” he said.
On the stairs, he passed John Wigfull, the PR man who raised a hand. “Thanks,” he said before a word was spoken. “I’m on my way.”
Georgina had two people in black suits with her-a man and a woman. They didn’t get up from their chairs, a sure sign that they outranked him.
“This is Detective Superintendent Diamond, who has been handling the Professional Standards aspect,” Georgina said to the suits. And to Diamond she said in a voice almost choking with awe, “Mr. Dragham and Miss Stretch are from the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”
Dragham and Stretch. Like a medieval torture.
Georgina had been dreading this for days.
“We were sent a copy of your report,” Dragham said. “Nice diagrams but not a lot of beef in the findings.”
The diagrams had been Dessie’s, the findings Diamond’s. He felt an instant antipathy to these people. This wasn’t likely to go well.
“I’m a police officer, not a butcher.”
Georgina swayed as if avoiding a punch.
“‘Beef’ is a term we use,” Miss Stretch said. “We need more substance to justify the conclusion you reached.”
“Hard to come by when the driver is dead and the accident victim in a coma,” Diamond said. “The sergeant in the passenger seat was the only material witness and his statement is there verbatim.”
“I saw that, including the ripe language.”
“It’s what you get from a man in pain.”
“We’re going to visit him and get a fresh statement ourselves.”
“I hope it’s more fragrant.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The language. He’s improving every day.”
Dragham took over from his colleague. “But are there any signs of improvement in the victim?”
“They’re all victims,” Diamond said, in a stroppy mode he couldn’t stop. “If you mean the tricyclist, Mr. Pellegrini, he’s still on life support.”
“Have you spoken to the hospital staff?”
“Several times. I was there last night. There’s been no change since he was brought in.”
“We understand he has no family.”
“That’s my understanding, too. His wife died six months ago.”
“So we’re not acting on a complaint as such,” Dragham said. “A case of a police car injuring or killing a member of the public is referred to us as a matter of course and we decide whether it’s appropriate for the local police to conduct their own investigation. If so, it will need to be more thoroughgoing than the one you submitted.”
“I was asked to report on professional standards,” Diamond said. “There’s only so much you can say.”
“The way the officers behaved is just one part of our remit,” Miss Stretch said.
“So I’ve saved you some time. Is there anything else you need from me?”
“A little less abrasiveness would be all to the good,” Dragham said. “We’re not trying to catch you out, Mr. Diamond. We’re independent of the police. Do you have a problem with authority?”
Georgina stepped in fast and avoided an eruption. “I can answer that. Superintendent Diamond speaks his mind but he makes a huge contribution to the work of CID and I, for one, wouldn’t wish to cramp his style.”
Diamond thought he wouldn’t mind having that in writing.
Dragham turned to him and made a feeble attempt at humour. “After that glowing endorsement perhaps we should recruit you.”
“No thanks.”
“Getting back to the fatal incident, when were you first aware of it?”
“Soon as I got into work. People were talking about a patrol car crashing and one of our guys being killed.”
“What time was this?”
“Nine, or soon after.”
“The collision was at six thirty-one,” Dragham said. “When did you get there?”
“Nine-forty, give or take.”
“More than three hours later.”
“I went when I was asked.”
“My instruction,” Georgina said. “The first response was from uniform, as you would expect. I decided we would need a senior officer to report on the professional standards aspect.”
“A lot must have happened already.”
“Yes,” Diamond said. “They were clearing up when we got there. The police officers had been removed from the wreck and taken to hospital.”
“Which is why your report contains no record of what was said by Sergeant Morgan to the paramedics who attended?”
“Makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“But you haven’t followed up.”
“I went to see Lew Morgan myself and got his version of events.”
“The next day, when he’d had time to reflect on how much he would tell you.”
“It was the first opportunity.”
“No, Mr. Diamond,” Dragham said, “the first opportunity fell to the paramedics and fire officers who were at the scene shortly after the crash and you haven’t taken a statement from them. Crucial things may have been said.”
He didn’t comment. It was fair criticism. He’d been caught out.
“Which is why a more searching investigation may be necessary.”
“To be fair to Superintendent Diamond,” Georgina said, “the injured civilian wouldn’t have been found were it not for the extra search he made.”
“He would have been found at some stage,” Diamond said.
“Almost certainly dead,” Georgina added.
“We haven’t yet visited the scene,” Miss Stretch said. “From the report I gather he was out of sight at the top of an embankment.”
“With the remains of his tricycle,” Diamond said. “No one suspected anyone else was involved.”
“What was he doing there?” Miss Stretch asked. “You don’t say in the report.”
Tricky. He wasn’t ready to reveal any of the information he’d got from inside the workshop, so he gave an obtuse answer. “The force of the impact must have thrown him into the air.”
“That isn’t what I’m asking. Why was he out on the roads at that hour?”
“Only he can answer that.”
“You must have wondered, surely?”
“My job, ma’am, was to check why the police were there, not Mr. Pellegrini.”
“They were responding to a call about a naked man. Was it a hoax?”
“No. It was daft but genuine. I found the waste of space who made it. He was the one who witnessed Pellegrini wandering off course as if he wasn’t used to riding the tricycle.”
“Can he be believed?”
“In my opinion, yes. He’s a pain in the bum, but a good observer. In fact, observing things is his main interest in life.”
“We’ll need to see him.”