Jack finished his first slice; Maggie just nibbled on one of hers and then sipped her wine. ‘So, you suspected that Morrison’s unidentified victim was Detmar Steinburg, and you went to the gallery to prove you were right.’
‘Yes.’
‘You had no other reason than that?’
Jack put down his second slice of pizza. ‘Where are you going with this?’
‘You know exactly where I’m going.’
‘No, I don’t.’
‘Yes, you do.’
‘OK, Mrs Detective, tell me. You think I had some ulterior motive?’
‘I know you did. And you were prepared to risk your career and your family for it.’
Jack tensed. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘Adam Border. I think you withheld evidence until you could find out, one: if the victim was Adam Border, and two: if he wasn’t, had he committed the murder.’
Jack was speechless. Suddenly he felt like he was back in the interview room, only this time he was being grilled by his wife. Maggie got up and picked up a suitcase on the floor by the door. She carried it over and banged it down onto the table. Opening it, she took out Jack’s laptop.
‘I managed to get this out of the house, right under their noses. I put it in Charlie’s pram beneath the covers. Penny took him and Hannah out of the house because they were scared out of their minds with the police banging around and tipping things out of drawers.’
Next, Maggie took out of the black bin liner, tipping the contents onto the table. ‘All your notes and press cuttings about Detmar Steinburg.’ Jack looked on in shocked silence. Maggie picked up her wine glass and took a long gulp. ‘I cleared out your desk drawers and put all this into a nappy bin, leaving two of Charlie’s dirty ones on top. Then I called the papers and told them you were the unnamed man at the gallery.’
‘Did you give your name?’
‘No! Of course not. Then I retrieved the invitation from your evening suit jacket pocket and hid it, like you asked me.’
‘Did they find it?’
‘I stuffed it in the plastic wheelie duck... it’s still there.’ Jack was about to speak when she snapped. ‘I haven’t finished. I removed all my receipts, mortgage documents and bank statements from the kitchen drawers and put them in your office. When they searched in there, they removed the lot.’
Maggie grabbed everything from the table to shove back into the case, then slammed it shut and carried it back to the doorway.
‘If I hadn’t managed to hide everything, especially your laptop, they could have found a lot of incriminating evidence, probably enough to charge you. They took my laptop, in case you’d used it, but I doubt there was anything incriminating. I am taking legal advice as it is predominantly used for my work, so it is an invasion of medical records privacy.’
‘I don’t know what to say. I might not be here now without what you did.’
‘You need to think about everything, Jack. I refuse to have you jeopardise my life, my career, our family and your own career. Sleep in the loft tonight because no matter how much I love you and want to protect you, I can never go through this again.’
She walked out, leaving him sitting at the table with the rest of the now cold pizza.
Chapter 37
Jack lay on the small single bed they’d bought from Portobello market feeling utterly wretched. He went over the entire discussion he’d had with Maggie. He’d always known she was far more intelligent than he was, and tonight, she had once again given proof of her many talents. Her quick thinking and determination to protect him made him feel like weeping. He immediately considered giving in his notice and leaving the Met, but then what other options would he have?
He was trying to avoid facing the truth of her accusation. He had risked so much, and it wasn’t the first time. He closed his eyes, hoping to sleep, but his brain kept spinning, trying to figure out his next move. He knew if he went back to the station, the boredom would only get worse and he’d never get the respect he felt he deserved. Reflecting on his emotional breakdown and how Maggie had protected him, he said to himself, ‘I have to make some changes in my life.’
One thing was for sure, he didn’t want to change his family. Maggie and the children were the best part of his life. Losing them would destroy him and he’d only have himself to blame. He began to go over everything that had happened over the last few weeks, eventually falling into a deep sleep as exhaustion overtook him.
Maggie had an early start at the hospital. Penny was preparing for the walk to school with the children when she saw Maggie was getting ready to leave. ‘Is everything all right, dear?’ she asked tentatively.
‘No, Mum, it isn’t, but I don’t want to talk about it now.’
Penny quickly changed the subject. ‘Marius was asking about knocking down the walls.’
‘Fine, let him come in and smash them down. It might wake the hero.’
‘Oh, I wanted to tell you that his computer, his mobile phone and your laptop were delivered late last night. They’re in Jack’s office. It was so late I didn’t want to disturb you,’ Penny said.
Maggie shrugged, collecting her medical bag and briefcase before walking out of the kitchen, fighting back the tears. Penny sighed deeply, then got on with getting Hannah ready and Charlie settled in his pram.
Jack heard the movements downstairs and waited for Penny and the kids to leave the house. He had a shower and put on his best suit. In his office, he found the invitation hidden inside the plastic duck. He charged his mobile and then made a to-do list before making some calls. He got through to DCI Clarke, briefly explained that he wanted a transfer, and ended the call before Clarke could ask any questions. He then called DCI Broadbent at Scotland Yard.
‘Good morning, Sir. I wanted to let you know that although my mobile phone and laptop have been returned, along with my wife’s laptop, she is taking legal advice for misappropriating her confidential medical reports.’
Broadbent was taken aback by Jack’s aggressive tone. ‘I do hope we can avoid getting into any kind of legal situation, DS Warr.’
Jack continued. ‘As you know, the press is still very eager to interview me. I have declined to speak with them up to this point, but before I make a final decision, I would like to know the Yard’s intentions regarding my presence at the art gallery.’
‘I believe it is under discussion this morning.’
‘That’s good. I hope it will be satisfactory. I really don’t want to broadcast the fact that I was in a cell for over sixteen hours and subsequently released with no charges.’
‘As I said, we are discussing the entire situation at eleven o’clock this morning.’ Broadbent was trying his best to sound reassuring.
‘Good. I have also resigned this morning and would like to suggest an alternative position. Perhaps this would be a good time to discuss—’
‘I’m sorry, are you saying you have resigned?’
‘As a homicide detective, not from the police service. I was hoping there might be another more suitable position within the Met.’
Broadbent was struggling to assimilate everything Jack was saying. All he could do was to try and pacify him. ‘I believe DCI Morrison will not be present at the meeting this morning.’
‘He shouldn’t be. He’s an incompetent officer with a personal grudge against me. If you examine my records and the many murder cases I have headed up, you’ll realise it was a deplorable act to accuse me of misconduct. His outrageous treatment of me as a highly respected officer should be part of your discussion this morning. And perhaps his extra-marital affairs should also be mentioned while you’re at it. My home was invaded and you found no incriminating evidence against me. To be treated like a common criminal, arrested and put in a cell for what have been described as heroic actions is beyond belief. And let’s not forget that my actions led to the arrest of a very dangerous killer.’