Reprobates (25 page)

Dylan leaned forward towards Richard Bryant and he reacted by lounging back in his chair just as Dylan expected.
‘You understand why you have been arrested?’ he asked.

‘Yeah,
’ he said. He tapped his fingers under the table, his eyes downcast.

‘
Would you explain to us what your relationship is with Jane Simpson?’

Bryant shuffled in his seat. He raised his head and his eyes met Dylan
’s. ‘That’s her in the papers, that topped her old man, isn’t it?’

‘
What is or what was your relationship with her?’ Dylan wasn’t going to be distracted that easy.

‘
I know now that she’s got a gob on her like the Mersey Tunnel.’

‘
Why?’ asked Dylan.

Bryant seemed to ponder over the question.

Dylan and Vicky remained silent expecting him to continue. He did.

‘Okay, look I
’ll be straight with you. I met Jane at this fancy dress party. And I’ve spent the odd night at hers, but she told me her and her hubby had split.’ Bryant sat up straight and leaned in towards Dylan. ‘She did all the running. She said it turned her on, me wearing the mask.’

‘
So, what happened?’

‘
The usual. She got clingy. Wanted me to get serious. Look, it was a bit of fun while it lasted. I’m not going to go bragging about it, especially now she’s locked up, am I? It’s not good for my reputation, know what I mean? That’s me, I can’t tell you anything else,’ he said holding his hands up before resting them palms down on the table. ‘Why didn’t I come forward? Because I didn’t think me spending a few nights with her was relevant.’ His head lowered and his voice with it. ‘The rumour that’s going around is her ex broke in and attacked her. Is that right?’

‘
How old are you, Richard?’ Dylan asked ignoring his question.

‘
Thirty-two,’ he said. He gave a sudden jerk of his head.

‘
Do you go for the older woman?’

‘
I didn’t know how old she was and she didn’t know how old I was under that mask, did she? Know what I mean?’

‘
When did you last see her?’ Dylan continued well aware Bryant had mentioned the mask twice.

‘
Not sure,’ he said.’

‘
About?’

‘
A month or two, I guess.’

‘
Lucky you weren’t staying over that night, wasn’t it?’

‘
Well yeah, but if I had I might have been able to stop her getting hurt.’

‘We
’ll be checking your mobile and home phone numbers to check your contact with her. What are we likely to find?’ Vicky was very matter of fact. Her manner was composed, her facial expression impassive.

Bryant looked sideways at his solicitor.

Vicky glanced at Dylan. His scrutiny of the prisoner was almost tangible. He wasn’t happy with Bryant and she knew why, he was far too confident and he appeared to have all the answers at his fingertips – was it all rehearsed?

‘
Oh yeah, yeah she was always ringing me, asking me to go round, missing me like you know what. You know what women are like.’

Vicky looked at him half-questioningly, as though she might have misheard. Bryant
’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’, ‘I mean...’

‘
I know what you mean. When did you last speak to her?’ asked Vicky.

‘
Not sure. She carried on sending me messages and ringing me long after... Wouldn’t take the hint.’

‘
You seem to remember a lot of things about your relationship with Jane Simpson, Richard, why not when you last spoke? ’

‘
Hey, I don’t remember exactly what was said on what date for every phone call, do you?’

Vicky looked at his greasy, alcoholic face and his messy hair.

‘Where’s the mask now?’

Bryant shook his head.
‘I don’t know. What would I want it for? She kept it on the coat hooks at the bottom of the stairs; said it would scare people off...’ He stopped. Jerked his head, that looked like it had been hung out to dry on a stalk. ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘I know what this is all about. It said in the papers something about the dead man wearing a mask. THE mask, was it? You don’t think she thought it was me do you?’ Richard Bryant’s eyes grew wide and round.

‘
Your DNA was found inside the mask along with Billy Simpson’s. And according to her recollection of the event she never said she gave it a thought that it could have been you wearing it. Strange that, don’t you think?’ asked Dylan.

‘
And that’s why you think I’m involved because of the mask. No way,’ he said jumping up. ‘You’re trying to set me up? I want out of here,’ he said looking towards Lin Perfect.

‘
Sit down, Mr Bryant,’ said Dylan. ‘Did you know Billy Simpson?’

Bryant hesitated then sat down.
‘Did I know Billy Simpson?’ he asked.

Dylan remained quiet. Bryant appeared to be considering his response to the question.

‘Small town, you know what I mean.’ Bryant shrugged his shoulders. ‘Probably,’ he said with a nod of his head.

‘
You were knocking his wife off and staying in his house. I’d have thought you’d have wanted to know what he looked like?’

‘
I can look after myself,’ he said with a swagger of the shoulders.

‘
Yeah, we know that from your previous, but you didn’t answer my question. Did you know Billy Simpson?’

‘
Someone pointed him out to me in the boozer.’

‘
Who?’

‘
I don’t remember who,’ he said.

‘
Well, why should someone who you don’t remember point him out to you. Had you told them you were seeing his wife? If so, surely it is someone you know?’

I can
’t remember.’

‘
Which pub?’

‘
I don’t remember.’

‘
So you don’t know who it was or where it was?’

‘
I don’t know. It was a while ago. I didn’t put the date in my diary.’ Richard Bryant looked more composed.

‘
Jane Simpson didn’t kill her husband by herself, somebody helped her. Was it you?’ Dylan asked.

‘
No. No way are you pinning that on me. I’ve told you what I know. I want a private word with my brief.’

It seemed like a reasonable time to have a break so the first interview was concluded. Tapes of the interview were taken from the machine and sealed before being signed by all present.

***

DC Ned Granger was hopping around the Incident Room in an excited fashion.
‘What the bloody hell have you put in ’em,’ he yelled to Vicky as she walked through the door. Waving the sandwich in the air he looked to her as if he was about to combust.

‘V i c k y...
’ growled Dylan, showing her the whites of his eyes.

‘
My office now,’ he said striding out in front of her.

Vicky took a small detour past the water dispenser where Ned was guzzling water as quickly as he could extract it.

‘Serves you right,’ said Andy.

‘
You won’t do it again, will you?’ Vicky bristled as she grabbed his ears and pulled his red, dribbling bulbous face towards her. She kissed his forehead. ‘Truth is you didn’t notice you’d been eating cat food for most of last week so I decided I’d spice it up a bit for you,’ she said. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself laughing. She let him go and with that she picked up her pad and pen from her desk and self-satisfied she ordered two coffees. ‘And we’ll have biscuits please, Lisa,’ she said. Dylan’s office door was shut behind her, she sat opposite him, jigging a black pump off the end of her bare foot.

Dylan was running his fingers over a folded piece of paper. He placed it in an envelope and cleared his throat.
‘I should be angry,’ he said.

‘But?
’ she said raising her eyebrows. ‘But, you know he deserved it.’

‘But, I can
’t very well preach...’ His lips turned up at the corners.

‘
No... You didn’t? Spill the beans?’

‘
Well not exactly, but let’s say our rota had once to take the shift Sergeant home after his pipe, that he had kept filling up from the other’s tobacco pouches, had been mysteriously filled with cannabis.’

‘
No way?’ Vicky’s smile reached from ear to ear and she leaned in closer for more.

‘
But if he makes a formal complaint...’ Dylan said.

‘
I know I’m up the river without a paddle for the Sergeant’s boards.’

‘
Yeah, well it’s not the best stunt to pull right now.’

Vicky gave a little twitch of her shoulder and rose as Lisa brought in the coffee on a tray. She wiped away a tear.

‘You okay,’ said Vicky.

‘I
’m crying with laughter.’

‘
Is he okay?’ asked Vicky tossing her head in the Incident Room’s direction.

‘
His pride’s taken a knock. He’ll be fine.’

‘
Cost me nearly twelve quid for that Ass Blaster Sauce from Amazon. Worth it though for that reaction,’ she said with a chuckle.

Lisa held the drinks tray flat to her body, still tittering into her tissue, she turned to leave.

‘Send Andy in, will you?’ Dylan asked, before she shut the door behind her.

‘
Well, what do you think of Bryant?’ asked Dylan biting into a Digestive biscuit.

‘
He had all the answers. Didn’t attempt to cover up. Plausible story about how they met and the mask... Think maybe he could be telling the truth, in part anyhow,’ she said dunking her biscuit. ‘I’ve seen Inspector Farren from the Safeguarding Unit do this and she’s a pro,’ she said peering down into her cup.

‘But, he
’s also lying through his back teeth. He’s only telling us what he knows we’ll prove easy,’ said Dylan staring over her shoulder into the Incident Room as if he was in a daze.

Vicky took her eye off her biscuit to look at him and when she did half of it disappeared.
‘Bloody hell,’ she said pulling a face at Dylan. ‘I will master it one day.’

‘
Watch his eye movements in the next interview. Listen to the way he repeats the questions we put to him. Note how still he is when answering... My money is that he’s involved. We need to find out if he is involved in the murder and also why.’

‘
Well if you’re going to lie, what do they say? Stick as near to the truth as possible.’

‘
Trouble is he’s had plenty of time to prepare.’

***

Detective Constable Andy Wormald knocked on the door and walked in. He had been heading the initial search on Richard Bryant’s property and while the pair had been interviewing he had seized some items of interest. A black expanding toolbox found inside Bryant’s van had a number of items that were in the process of being preserved for examination, inside they had found a stiletto knife.

‘
Get it off to Forensic. I also want Bryant’s footwear. Seize anything else, you know like a watch or jewellery, anything that might retain a microscopic piece of material or blood.’

‘Sir.
’

Paul Robinson walked in the office as Andy walked out.
‘I’ve got Fingerprints checking Richard Bryant against the marks lifted from Kirsty Gallagher’s house.’

‘
It would be good if we could put him there.’

‘Let
’s hope the specialists come back with something positive that we can use in the next interview. I’d love to watch the cocky bastard squirm,’ said Dylan.

‘
You sound like a man on a mission,’ said Paul.

‘He
’s got his back to the wall, and in the next interview I want him to realise he’s going nowhere.’

Richard Bryant slouched in his chair but this time as Dylan and Vicky entered the interview room, he was rocking noticeably from side-to-side. The sterile room had an unusual chill about it. Yvonne Best sat alongside her client. There was only one door in an interview room and as Dylan entered he shut it firmly behind him. Silently Dylan and Vicky sat at the opposite side of the table from the pair. Vicky placed the exhibit she had brought with them out of sight, on the floor by her chair. Richard Bryant didn
’t look at them but Yvonne Best gave them both a weak smile. It had already been decided that Vicky would open the questioning, introduce the knife and ask about the whereabouts of Bryant’s mobile phone. Dylan would watch Bryant’s every move, intentional or otherwise. He would soak up his body language. Dylan was ready to play at cat and mouse if that’s what Bryant wanted.

The atmosphere in the room was tense before they started the questioning.

Preliminaries over, Vicky produced the stiletto knife in the transparent circular exhibit tube referring to it by its unique identifying number it had been given as an exhibit. Bryant sat forward. ‘Is that mine?’ he asked, referring to the item put before him. Then he looked up at Vicky. ‘What are you doing with that?’

‘
So, you can confirm that is this your knife?’ she said.

‘
Stupid not to.’

‘
It was seized from your toolbox so it can be forensically examined. Did you know it was a prohibited weapon – length of the blade?’

‘
You what? Don’t be so fucking stupid,’ he said pulling a face at Vicky. ‘I cut plasterboard with it.’ Bryant was looking agitated.

‘
Well if that’s all you’ve done with it, then you have nothing to worry about, do you?’ she asked, with a forced smile. ‘You wouldn’t expect us to be anything but thorough in a murder investigation would you? You see this knife is very similar in shape and size to the knife that caused the fatal wound in Billy Simpson’s chest.’

‘
There must be loads of bloody knives that fit the bill. You’re just trying to fit me up.’

‘
Well, we’ll leave that to the experts to decide shall we. Your van. That will be having the once over. Are we going to find anything?’

‘
Why would you?’ Bryant asked.

‘
We leave nothing to chance. Like I said. If you’ve nothing to hide...’

‘
What a waste of bloody time. I’m self-employed, don’t you realise my time is money and that van you’ve seized is my living?’ his hands rested on the table.

‘And I
’ve told you we are just being thorough.’

‘
Pathetic,’ he said, shaking his head.

‘Can
’t you see that it looks mighty suspicious that on your own admission you were in a relationship with Jane Simpson, her ex-husband is stabbed to death wearing a mask that used to be yours and a knife that could have caused the fatal wound in that enquiry is not at the house where the murder took place, but you have a similar knife in your toolbox? Worth checking out for us isn’t it?’

‘It
’s not me. I keep telling you. It’s nothing to do with me.’ Bryant was breathing like a creature in distress. He moved to the edge of his seat.

‘
You have had plenty of time to think about what you were going to say to us. To try explain away your involvement, haven’t you?’ Vicky pushed him.

‘
I didn’t need time because it’s the bloody truth!’ he said through his bared, gritted teeth. He sat back, his head in his hands.

Dylan took over the questioning.

‘We all have to face up to things we don’t want to from time to time, and it’s now time for you to face up to this. I don’t believe you are telling us the truth. Have you spoken to Jane or her solicitor since her arrest?’

‘
What?’ Bryant looked bewildered.

‘
You heard me. It’s a simple question. Have you spoken to Jane Simpson or her solicitor since her arrest?’ Dylan said.

‘
Err... I don’t think I should comment.’ Richard Bryant said as he turned towards his solicitor.

‘
So I can take it that you have. You see you can’t even be honest about that. A yes or no would suffice. What is it you’re not telling us Mr Bryant?’ Dylan asked, leaning closer to him across the table.

‘
There’s nothing to tell. It’s you two that’s got it all wrong,’ he said. He was wringing his hands.

‘
It appears that Jane Simpson had been separated from her husband for some considerable time. What reasons would he have for suddenly turning up at her house do you think?’ Dylan asked. His eyes grew more intense.

‘
How the bloody hell would I know?’ he asked.

‘
Because, you were there. You helped her attack her husband and then one of you put the mask on him. Between you, you even tried to make it look like he had broken into the house,’ Dylan was going out on a limb and Vicky knew it. If he was wrong, Dylan knew from experience that Richard Bryant would sit quiet, confident in the knowledge Dylan was fishing.

Bryant slammed his fists on the desk.
‘Like I said before this is a fucking set up,’ he shouted.

Neither Vicky or Dylan flinched. His solicitor jumped, turned and stared at her client.

‘Calm down, please,’ she said.

‘I
’m not saying anything else. I can’t believe you’d think... Why don’t you say something?’ he asked his solicitor.

‘We can
’t understand either. That’s what we need to find out and prove. And be assured, Mr Bryant, we will,’ Dylan said.

‘
I want out of here now!’ he said standing up.

‘You
’re forgetting a minor detail, Mr Bryant. I’m in charge in here,’ said Dylan. ‘We don’t do what you want, we do what I want,’ he said looking up at him. ‘Sit.’

‘
Would it be possible to have a break, Inspector?’ asked Mrs Best,

Dylan considered the request.

‘Yes, perhaps it will give your client chance to reflect,’ he said.

‘I
’m innocent,’ Bryant said loudly. ‘How many more times.’

Dylan could see his hand tremor.

‘Then how about you start telling us the truth. Interview terminated,’ Dylan said calmly.

***

Dylan was pacing outside the double fire doors of the Incident Room with his hands in his pockets. Jen walked towards him. The back yard was almost empty bar a couple of marked police cars. She smiled. He stopped on seeing her and walked towards her. He stopped in front of her and sighed. She smiled and reached out to touch his face.

‘
You can have one of mine,’ she said pursing her lips.

‘
What?’

‘
Smiles, if you can’t find one of your own.’

His lips curled up at the corners. He looked grey.
‘I know this isn’t the place but I’m glad I told you. Sometimes circumstances... Then we’re caught up in a moment of overwhelming emotion, and we are spun over the edge. It’s the very strength of that feeling that hurries it along. I spoke to the other firearms officers afterwards. No one plans to shoot. No matter how highly trained... What some people don’t seem to realise is that like them we are human too. I understand that we push the rules to the limit but like the others I didn’t feel we had any choice but to do what we did in the situation we were in.’

‘
Shhh... you don’t need to explain. The enquiry didn’t condemn you for your action so why do you condemn yourself?’

‘
I don’t know. I guess I could have understood a need for reprisal, expected it even, but there wasn’t any. I still expect it. At the time I felt I needed to feel some suffering for inflicting such pain on another human being. Do some sort of a penance. Although others might not have seen it as such, I did. I might have taken a life, Jen,’ he said looking deep into her eyes. ‘I had to make sure that that could never happen again – justified or not.’

‘
So you left the unit?’

‘Yes –
never to return.’

‘
And the piece of wood under your side of the bed that you put back the other day when I’d put it in the bin?’

Dylan laughed a little.
‘Pathetic isn’t it? The weapon used to be meaner when I lived alone.’

‘A gun?
’

‘
No, not a gun. Never again. I haven’t held a gun since... until the other day in the property store,’ he said. ‘I felt as if life would ever be the same again. I had this dreadful feeling of loneliness. I hated myself.’

Jen wanted to take him in her arms. She looked to the grey flecking at the sides of his dark hair. She felt so confused and inarticulate.
‘You’re right this is definitely not the right time or place.’

Dylan reached out, grabbed hold of her hand and held it lightly in his, then he squeezed it as if he would never let it go. He turned his head at the banging of the door and the appearance of Vicky.

‘Get a room you two,’ she shouted as she ran towards them. ‘You ready to go for another interview, boss,’ she said. ‘Okay, Jen?’ she asked, giving her friend a fleeting hug.

Dylan and Jen
’s eyes met over her shoulder. Jen saw his lips move and briefly closed her eyes tight.

***

Back once more in the interview room. It was Yvonne Best representing Bryant. Yvonne had told Dylan with regards to issues surrounding representing both clients it was for them to consider if there was any conflict, they would be doing that. Procedural issues and caution were administered as Dylan sat alongside Vicky as she opened up the questioning.

‘
Like we said earlier, Mr Bryant we are thorough, which is what you would expect from a murder investigation. Now, we don’t appear to be able to locate your mobile phone for some reason. Can you help us with that?’

His forearms were rested on the table and he sat forward. His head bent. Eyes to the table. Vicky also leaned forward.

‘Lost it... It might have been stolen,’ he said. ‘I don’t know which.’ Dylan noticed Vicky’s hands had a waxy whiteness as they lay before her on the table, whereas Bryant’s opposite were big brown paws. It was the contrast in their hands that made him look at their faces. Vicky’s eyes were large and alive as she scrutinised Richard Bryant intently.

‘
Since you spoke to Jane Simpson?’

He didn
’t respond verbally but his body language suggested it was.

‘Convenient,
’ she said. ‘What’s the number?’

‘
Number?’

‘
Of your mobile.’

His lips drained of colour.
‘I can’t remember.’ He tapped on the back of his brown hand.

‘Don
’t worry,’ said Vicky. ‘By the way we’ve got your laptop.’

‘
What? What’s that got to do with anything? I use that for work. All my contacts, accounts... everything is on there.’

‘
We will be as quick as we can, be assured of that,’ Vicky told him. ‘And no doubt we’ll find something with your mobile number on it. Do you have a business card?’

Dylan looked at Yvonne Best who had slitted eyes
– she was watching him.

‘
This is getting stupid. Look, I’ve done nothing wrong. Jane fought with a burglar. She was in fear of losing her life – stabbed the intruder, end of.’

Although Vicky was asking the questions Richard Bryant kept looking at Dylan as if waiting for him to comment. Dylan remained quiet.

‘That’s what she wants the world to believe. There was a poor attempt at trying to make it look like a burglar had entered through the kitchen window, but it hardly seems likely that he would then head into the hallway, chance upon the mask and put it on before going back into the kitchen to lie in wait for her, does it? Did you know he didn’t have a weapon?’

‘
Maybe he thought he didn’t need one because he knew there was only Jane at the house?’

‘
Maybe. But he might have also gone to her house because he had been invited and had been let in through the door,’ said Vicky.

‘
How would I know?’

Dylan cleared his throat.
‘We think different, hence your arrest. You don’t remember the man who pointed out Billy to you. You don’t remember when or where. You’ve lost your phone but don’t know when and you can’t remember your phone number. How convenient.’

There was a knock at the interview room door. The fact was verbalised for the tape and Vicky also said that Detective Inspector Dylan had left the room. On his return, he apologised for the interruption. Vicky knew it must be of major importance for no one would dare interrupt an interview and especially one DI Jack Dylan was in on, if it wasn
’t.

Once again the officers went over old ground in the interview, until Yvonne Best raised the issue that her client had already answered the questions being put to him more than once.
‘If there are no more questions to ask Mr Bryant then please could he be charged or released?’