A female officer had taken Amanda to the protective house and would remain with her until she was collected the following morning. They were approaching the CPS to discuss the charges she could face.
‘How did she react to the possibility of being charged?’ Jack asked.
‘No reaction, really; by that time, I don’t think she really understood what it meant. She just asked for an orange juice. Mr Smooth was tight-lipped and said in passing that he hoped they had some very strong evidence before they charged her with anything. He seemed pretty unruffled.’
‘How much did Anik disclose to her?’
‘As much as he could do in the time he had, but her continual “no comment” was very wearing... It was the DCI who eventually called a halt to the interview.’
‘That’s very interesting. So what time is she back at the station?’
‘I’ve been told we need to be ready at 12 noon, but we were hoping for a bit longer as everyone is delving into the evidence we’ve got to see if we can put the frighteners on her.’
‘I’d say the ring and the bracelet are good starters,’ Jack said. ‘As well as the Snapchat messages. And don’t forget the bed socks with traces of Trudie’s blood.’
‘They have already mentioned the bracelet and the ring and got no response. If you want my opinion, she is so dominated by Rodney and now by this brief of hers that she will say whatever she is told to say, or not to say, if you get my meaning. I wish you were interviewing her, Jack; Anik is just going by the book, and you know more about her than anyone else.’
‘Tell me something I don’t know,’ Jack said.
‘You sound a bit muffled, are you alright?’ Laura asked.
‘Actually, I’m not. I tripped over one of my daughter’s toys and fell down the stairs. I got a nasty smack in the face from the banister. So, in answer to your question, I’m not feeling that bright.’
‘I hope you’re up to coming in. Do you want me to warn anyone that you might not feel well enough?’
‘No, but I might come in a bit later than ten. Thanks for keeping me up to date, Laura.’
He ended the call and rested back against the pillow. He wondered if he should have relayed the conversation he’d had with Amanda’s mother, but then decided it could wait. He was just settling the ice pack back over his face when his mobile rang again. It was Ridley. Jack was about to tell him what had happened the previous evening and how it was all his fault, but he’d only got as far as angrily saying that he had a lot to answer for, when Ridley interrupted him.
‘It’s over, Jack. The National Crime Agency has already made three arrests at Heathrow Airport, as they boarded a plane on their way to Moscow. We have CCTV footage of them, all identified as the men who not only murdered Mrs Foster but broke into her flat in Pimlico. They were apparently running scared and under heavy-duty orders. They are now being given a grilling at NCA headquarters. This is just the tip of a massive iceberg regarding billions of illegal transactions going right to the top of the Russian government...’ He paused to draw breath.
‘Are they also responsible for the murder of Lorna Elliot?’ Jack asked.
‘We believe so. It’s thanks to Lorna’s incredible research that we have the names of some very high-powered crooks, along with links to the top man himself. Her determination to get revenge for the murder of her lover was tireless. We now know that five years ago, she was doing business in Monaco and recognised someone Anton had been doing business with before he disappeared. It took her five years to unravel his part in Anton’s abduction and murder. Sadly, the man is now deceased, but they are looking into the vast wealth he left behind after being kicked out of Monaco for money-laundering. He has heirs to his fortune.’
‘So, what happens with you now?’ Jack asked.
‘I won’t be returning to work for a couple of months, perhaps even longer, but my own involvement in all of this will be brushed under the carpet.’
Jack hesitated, then asked about his pea-green Micra.
‘I want more than bloody compensation... and I don’t want some second-hand piece of junk, either. I deserve some thanks for what I’ve had to go through, so you can make it a Mercedes. I’m not joking; I risked my neck, never mind my family, for you.’
‘I know that Jack...’ Ridley said quietly.
‘Good. I trusted you and you made me feel like I was being used. Can you give me your word that my family and I are now safe?’
‘I give you my word, Jack. Your contribution was very much appreciated, not only by me but everyone connected to this nightmare. You were the only person I knew who could dig deep and not back off. You are a hunter. I had a really hard time watching the footage on Lorna’s laptop. She spoke into the camera and piece by piece gave the connections to all the banking frauds. The memory sticks suddenly made sense, providing details of hundreds of accounts. She hardly altered her expression on the film and spoke very quietly, then right at the end...’
Jack waited. He could tell by Ridley’s voice that he was finding it difficult to continue.
‘She was a very special woman, Jack, one of the most attractive and interesting women I have ever met. At the end of the footage, she said that she hoped she would be alive to be able to put her beloved Anton to rest. If she was not, and the footage was being viewed by the people who murdered him, she had failed. If it was being watched by someone who would continue her fight for justice, then it had all been worthwhile, then she gave this sweet, tender smile.’
Ridley hesitated before continuing.
‘So, there you have it, Jack.’
Jack was tempted to make a joke about it being a lesson to him about joining any dating agency. Instead, he simply thanked him and ended the call.
He replaced the ice pack on his face and lay back on the pillows. Relief that Ridley’s case was over washed over him. He wondered where Ridley would be going now, doubting that he would re-join the station. He certainly knew he would not want to work with him again. He had trusted Ridley and in return Ridley had used the very thing that he was constantly being reprimanded about, his dogged persistence and inability to be a team player.
Jack slept for a couple of hours, then had a long shower and dressed in clean jeans and a fresh white shirt with a grandad collar, which was always frowned on at the station. He checked his face in the wardrobe mirror and realised that he looked as if he had gone a couple of rounds with Tyson Fury. His right eye was no longer as swollen, but the left was still puffy. He put a small wad of cotton wool up each nostril to hold back any bleeding, then rooted around in Maggie’s makeup drawer for some tinted moisturiser to try and cover up the bruising, and after combing his hair and checking himself in the mirror again, finally felt he was ready to go into the station.
It was after twelve when he got there, and the Uber driver made a joke about hoping that the other fella looked worse. Jack laughed, feeling strangely upbeat. He knew he was about to get a lot more ribbing from his colleagues, but he couldn’t give a toss. He went straight to the canteen to get a coffee and then into the incident room. Laura had obviously relayed the story of his accident, and there were some sympathetic glances as he stood looking at the incident board.