‘But Lisa Gray didn’t know about it during the hearing,’ said Annie. ‘She only found out afterwards. Don’t you remember what she told you? She overheard a conversation between Beth Gallagher and Kayleigh Vernon in the ladies’ and came to tell you about it. She also told you about Gavin Miller warning Kyle McClusky off selling drugs on campus, and that was the reason Beth and Kayleigh ganged up to discredit him. The three of them were mates. Surely you remember that?’
‘So she said. But it was nothing but hearsay. Pure invention. There was no proof.’
‘And there was proof of Miller’s guilt in the first place?’ Annie shook her head. ‘Did you question the girls again after you received this new information, ask them if it was true?’
‘No. As I said, there would have been no point. I’d done everything I could for Gavin. The hearing was over; the decision had been made. The girls had already been through enough. Why put them through the trauma all over again?’
‘Gee, Trevor, I don’t know,’ said Annie. ‘Because a man’s reputation and livelihood were at stake? A friend of yours.’
‘And if Beth and Kayleigh had been lying,’ Banks said, ‘as Lisa Gray claimed they were, then surely it was your duty to investigate that and find out?’
‘You mistake my job for your own, Mr Banks. It wasn’t my duty to do anything of the kind. It was over and done with. I’d already done my best to stick up for Gavin, but to no avail.’
‘What was it your duty to do?’ Annie asked. ‘Brush it under the carpet?’
‘I resent that. Gavin Miller was a friend of mine.’
Banks scratched his head. ‘That’s what puzzles me. He was supposed to be your mate. I’d love to know how you treat your enemies.’
‘That was uncalled for.’
‘Was it?’ Banks moved away from the wall, leaned forward and rested his palms on the desk. ‘A girl comes to you and tells you she overheard two girls who’ve accused a fellow employee, a friend of yours, of sexual misconduct, having a giggle about how they pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes, including yours, and you do nothing. I have to ask myself why.’
Lomax leaned back in his chair. ‘And what brilliant conclusion do you come to?’
‘There are a number of possibilities,’ Banks said slowly. ‘The first one that comes to mind is that Kyle McClusky also supplied you with drugs. Perhaps you bought some roofies from him and had your way with some leggy eighteen-year-old student. Or maybe you scored a bit of speed so you could stay up all night marking essays. Maybe you were shagging Beth or Kayleigh. Obviously, Kyle knew about this, and if he went down he would make sure as hell you went with him, so it was in your best interests to keep him out of the whole affair. Gavin Miller didn’t know Kyle was a pal of Beth and Kayleigh’s. As far as he was concerned, there was no connection between his warning Kyle off selling drugs, which had taken place some time before, and the accusations the girls made of sexual misconduct. But you knew, didn’t you? And as only you and the Gray girl knew that she’d been to see you — or so you thought — it was a simple matter of sitting on it.’
‘That’s absurd. You’re accusing me of buying drugs from Kyle McClusky and having sex with a student? This is bordering on slander. Maybe I should call my solicitor.’
‘I didn’t hear him say anything about sex and drugs,’ said Annie.
‘I’m simply suggesting it as a possibility,’ Banks went on, ‘a reason why you didn’t do anything with the information Lisa Gray brought to you.’
‘I told you. It was too late. The decision had already been made. It would have done no good to... to...’
‘To what? Rake it all up again and risk the publicity? Wouldn’t be good for who? For you? For the college?’
‘Of course it wouldn’t have been good for the college. What’s wrong with that? Don’t you lot all close ranks and pull together when someone attacks one of you?’ He glanced sharply at Annie. ‘Didn’t you do exactly that just now?’
‘You’re comparing what you did to us closing ranks?’ Banks leaned back against the wall again. ‘Now I’ve heard it all. Annie, I’ve had enough. Perhaps you can take it from here?’
‘What DCI Banks means is that the information was entrusted to you, a friend of the accused, by perhaps the only other person around here who seemed to give a damn what happened to him.’
‘But nobody would have listened to her,’ said Lomax. ‘To Lisa Gray. I wanted to avoid getting personal about it, but she was neurotic, a delusional, drunken trollop. She started out as an outstanding student, but she was failing her courses and going downhill fast in every way.’
‘What was wrong with her? Why did she change?’
Lomax shrugged. ‘It happens. She was probably on drugs.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘It’s true. The girl was on the verge of expulsion herself. She was behind in her work, she’d been abusive to members of staff, she’d missed more than half of her classes and attended at least one of them while intoxicated. Imagine how well it would have gone down if we had publicised an exoneration of Miller by such a person. Not that I’m saying it was an exoneration. All Beth and Kayleigh would have had to do was stick to their guns.’
‘Beth Gallagher admitted to us that she fabricated her story.’
Lomax swallowed. ‘She did? When?’
‘Yesterday,’ said Annie.
‘And you believe her?’
‘My DS believes her,’ Banks said. ‘And that’s good enough for me.’
Lomax spread his hands. ‘Well, what can I say? If she’d admitted that at the time, maybe I could have done something, but it was too little, too late.’
‘Couldn’t you somehow have reinstated Gavin Miller after you found out the truth?’ Annie asked.
‘What truth? Lisa Gray’s say-so? Weeks after he’d been dismissed? I can’t imagine any precedent for that sort of action. Can you? Who’d believe her? Don’t forget, it’s ultimately down to the government. They provide our money. We’re not a private institution, you know. Besides, I thought you were investigating Gavin’s murder, not his dismissal.’
‘Oh, we are,’ said Annie. She glanced towards Banks, who gave her a nod. ‘We just think they might be connected. How many people did you tell about Lisa’s story?’
‘What do you mean? Nobody. Why?’
‘Not Jim Cooper, or anyone else on the board or the committee?’
‘No. Why would I? Jim Cooper wasn’t on the committee. Besides, I don’t particularly like him, to be honest, and the board... well, it wasn’t their concern.’
‘Did you tell your wife?’
‘Sally and I share everything. It was she who advised me that it would be foolish to go to the board with the girl’s story, that I’d be laughed off campus.’
‘Might your wife have told someone else? Dayle Snider, perhaps?’
‘I very much doubt it. Besides, Dayle and Gavin weren’t together then.’
‘What about Kyle McClusky dealing drugs on campus?’
‘We didn’t know about that, either, if he was. And he’d gone by then.’
‘Thanks to Gavin Miller warning him off.’
‘Yes, well... as I said, we didn’t know about that. Gavin didn’t see fit to tell us. What Gavin did was tantamount to a tip-off more than anything else.’
‘Does Jim Cooper use drugs? Did he buy from Kyle?’
‘How on earth would I know? It wouldn’t surprise me, the way he goes about trying to be so hip and cool all the time, but really I have no idea.’
‘Imagine this, Trevor,’ said Annie. ‘You reminded me that we’re investigating the murder, not the dismissal. Well, consider this scenario. Somehow, four years after the events that lost him his job, Gavin Miller finds out that Lisa Gray came to you with information that might have exonerated him, and that you did nothing. Maybe she told him, or maybe he found out some other way. It doesn’t matter. He confronts you about this. He’s broke, and he wants money, compensation, perhaps, so he blackmails you. If you don’t pay, he’ll denounce you to the college authorities for some indiscretion or other that he knows about. You arrange to meet at the old railway bridge south of Coverton. It’s a nice, secluded spot. Something goes wrong. Maybe he decides he’d rather have a public apology and get his old job back. Whatever. You struggle and end up pushing him over the bridge. Maybe it’s an accident. Maybe you didn’t mean to kill him. Or maybe you couldn’t afford to pay a blackmailer, so you went there intending to kill him. What kind of car do you drive?’