‘M’lud, the Crown has not been informed about the possibility of this witness giving evidence, and has therefore had no time to prepare for such an eventuality. We had assumed that Mr Rashidi would be the defence’s final witness.’
‘I can’t imagine why,’ said Booth Watson, with an air of innocence. ‘After all, I registered my intention to examine this witness with the clerk of the court yesterday afternoon, after some new evidence had come to light, and asked him to inform Your Lordship without fail.’
‘Which he did,’ said the judge. ‘Perhaps it would have been courteous to have also informed the Crown of your intention.’
‘That was remiss of me,’ said Booth Watson. ‘I’ll make sure I don’t make the same mistake again.’
‘It wasn’t a mistake,’ said Grace, unable to restrain herself any longer.
‘Am I my sister’s keeper?’ said Booth Watson with a sigh.
‘As the witness is waiting to be called,’ said the judge, ‘I will allow defence counsel to carry out his examination-in-chief. If you then feel, Sir Julian, you need more time to consider the witness’s evidence, I would of course be willing to grant an adjournment before calling on you to conduct your cross-examination.’
‘As Your Lordship pleases,’ said Sir Julian, not looking at all pleased. He pushed aside the long list of questions he and Grace had spent the previous night preparing, and the early morning rehearsing, in exchange for a virgin yellow pad and a fountain pen. He was pleased to see that both Grace and Clare already had their pencils poised.
William was still seething at the back of the court when a familiar figure walked in, and made his way to the witness box. Lamont was dressed in a dark blue double-breasted blazer, a freshly pressed pair of grey slacks, cream shirt and Metropolitan Police tie. William recalled his oft-repeated homily: always dress smartly when you’re in the witness box. It helps to get the jury on your side.
The clerk handed Lamont a Bible which he held in his right hand. He delivered the oath confidently, without looking at the proffered card, adding the words, ‘So help me God.’
‘What is the one sentence in MM’s report that screams out at you, DS Roycroft?’ asked the commander.
‘They spent another night together in the flat,’ suggested Jackie.
‘No, that didn’t surprise me. But something else did.’
Jackie quickly skimmed through MM’s two-page report once again, but couldn’t spot what the Hawk was getting at. He put her out of her misery.
‘When the two of them left the pub, they were holding hands. Summers doesn’t strike me as the hand-holding type, so we have to assume this is a more serious relationship than we’d originally thought. Which presents us with a different kind of problem.’
‘Plan B?’ suggested Paul.
‘We don’t have much choice, DS Adaja,’ said the commander. ‘With that in mind, all future team meetings will be held only when PC Bailey is on duty in Romford. We will also have to rely on DC Pankhurst to update us on Nicky’s movements, if she’s not to become suspicious. Naive she may be, but a fool she is not.’
Rebecca nodded, but didn’t comment.
‘The one exception will be our usual Monday-morning meetings, which must still go ahead, with PC Bailey present. She can continue to give us her weekly progress reports, which should prove illuminating.’
‘Perhaps she’ll come clean,’ said Rebecca, ‘and admit what a terrible mistake she’s made?’
‘I wouldn’t put your wages on it, DC Pankhurst,’ said the Hawk.
‘Please state your name and occupation for the record,’ said Booth Watson after the witness had taken the oath.
‘My name is Bruce Lamont, and until recently I was a detective superintendent with the drugs squad based at Scotland Yard.’
‘And you were the officer in charge of the successful operation known as Trojan Horse, that took out the drugs factory in Brixton.’
‘I was indeed, sir.’
‘And was it you who arrested my client, Mr Assem Rashidi?’
‘No, sir, I was on the battle bus at the time, in charge of overall strategy for the operation.’
William was glad the Hawk wasn’t in court to hear this claim.
‘An operation that was hailed by the press and public alike as an overwhelming success.’
‘We all thought so at the time, but I began to have my doubts a few days later.’
‘But your team had arrested twenty-eight criminals that night, among them several drug manufacturers, dealers, runners, and most importantly, Mr Assem Rashidi, the man you believed to be their controller.’
‘I thought so at the time, but after further investigation, I began to wonder if we’d arrested the wrong man.’
Sir Julian couldn’t help noticing that the jury were hanging on Lamont’s every word.
‘You’re no longer convinced that the leader of the drugs ring was among those you arrested and charged that night?’
‘No, I am not, sir.’
‘Do you think he might have escaped?’
‘No, sir. I don’t think he was there when we turned up.’
‘How could that be possible when the operation had been planned so meticulously for several months?’
‘I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that someone must have tipped him off before we arrived.’
‘Could that someone possibly have been a member of your inner team?’
‘Perhaps, but I still don’t want to believe it.’
‘Do you have any idea who that person might be?’
‘I have my suspicions,’ said Lamont, looking directly at William. ‘But suspicions alone should never be enough for a good copper.’
William could feel his body tense, but accepted he could do nothing except sit and wait to find out what was coming next.
‘Nevertheless,’ continued Booth Watson, ‘my client was arrested and charged with the despicable crime of manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs. Was it you who arrested him?’
‘No sir. It was Detective Inspector William Warwick who arrested and charged him. He seemed convinced he’d got the right man. But then, Mr Rashidi conveniently fitted the perceived profile of a drugs baron.’
‘I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at, superintendent,’ said Booth Watson, understanding only too well.
‘An Algerian immigrant who ran an import company, previously had a drugs problem, and just happened to be on the premises at the wrong time. We thought we’d hit the jackpot, but it all seemed a little too convenient for me. So I began to carry out a more in-depth investigation of my own.’
‘But surely, superintendent, you must have been tempted to remain silent and bask in your success?’
‘Tempted, yes,’ said Lamont, ‘but then I thought about how even more disgraceful it would be for an innocent man to be sent to jail for a crime he hadn’t committed.’
‘And in the course of your investigations, did you discover anything that would explain why Mr Rashidi just happened to be on the premises at the time of the raid?’
‘He was on his way home from a small warehouse in Battersea that he visits every Friday evening.’
‘For what purpose?’ asked Booth Watson.
‘Mr Rashidi’s family company imports tea, and he always checks next week’s orders on a Friday evening before returning to his home in the country.’
‘That doesn’t explain what he was doing at the drugs factory later that night.’
‘My surveillance team were able to establish that he did occasionally visit the factory, but never for more than a few minutes. I came to the reluctant conclusion he was simply an occasional customer, and not the man we were looking for.’