Chapter 15
678 Words
15
‘John Lucas?’ Culverhouse said as the man in front of him opened the door.
‘Yeah, why?’
‘Can we come in?’ the DCI replied, already pushing his way past John Lucas and into the house, Wendy following behind him.
‘Doesn’t look like I’ve got much choice, does it?’
‘Just wondered if we could ask you a few questions, that’s all,’ Culverhouse called from the living room. ‘Nice wallpaper, by the way.’
‘It’s my mum’s. Was. And anyway, I deal with the probation service now. You lot had your moment eleven years ago. I’m clean now.’
Culverhouse snorted as he put the photo of John’s mum and dad back on the mantelpiece. ‘Once a con, always a con.’
John stood in the doorway and folded his arms. ‘I know what this is all about. This is because of that copper, isn’t it? You lot never could admit that people make mistakes, they change. It was eleven years ago. It was a mistake.’
Culverhouse walked slowly over to John until he was almost nose-to-nose with him. ‘“That copper” had a name. His name was Owen McCready. He was a dedicated, loyal police officer who worked to keep the public safe. He had a bullet lodged in his pre-frontal cortex. A bullet fired from your gun. He spent four months in hospital, came out a changed man who managed to ruin his marriage and never worked again. He had a name.’
John nodded, holding Culverhouse’s eye contact. ‘Like I said. It was a mistake. I served my time.’
‘You didn’t serve a quarter of what you deserved,’ Culverhouse said, sitting down in an armchair. ‘Now. Where were you last night?’
‘I was here,’ Lucas replied. ‘I’m not allowed anywhere else.’
‘I know you’re not. You tagged?’
‘No.’
‘So how are we meant to know where you were last night?’ Culverhouse asked.
Wendy hovered behind John Lucas, keen to see how this was going to play out.
‘Listen, I was released on parole because I’d served my time and the prison reported to the parole board that I’d been on my best behaviour. Read the judgement. It declared me to be a reformed character who deserved a second chance. What do you reckon the odds are of me breaking the terms of my probation on the first bloody night I’m released? I was here. All night. And I’m still here.’
‘Do you live alone?’
‘Yes. My mum died while I was inside.’
‘Hence the wallpaper,’ Culverhouse quipped, gesturing at the walls. Lucas ignored him. ‘I presume the name Freddie Galloway means something to you?’
John Lucas laughed. ‘You know damn well it does. You’ve not come here knocking on random doors, have you? You know about me, and you know about Freddie Galloway.’
‘And what do you know about him? Any idea what he’s up to at the moment?’
Lucas swallowed hard. ‘I don’t know and I don’t care. I’ve put that all behind me now.’
Culverhouse nodded as he looked at him. ‘And what if I was to tell you that he’s currently lying on a slab in the mortuary, having been moved there from a slab in his back garden?’
He watched as Lucas registered what he was telling him, but he couldn’t see any signs of recognition or reaction to what he'd said.
‘I don’t know,’ Lucas said, eventually. ‘I want to say “good”, but I don’t see how that would help anyone.’
Wendy gave Culverhouse a look that said he should just arrest Lucas and get it over with. PACE guidelines suggested that arrests should be made immediately, meaning that anything the suspect said could be taken down as evidence to be used against him. All the time Culverhouse spent talking to Lucas before arresting him was potentially wasted, and anything he said could easily be thrown out in court. But Culverhouse had his own way of doing things and tended to follow his nose rather than the guidelines — something which had rarely let him down in the past.
‘What were you wearing last night?’ Culverhouse asked.
‘Uh, a t-shirt and jeans I think. Why?’
‘Where are they?’
‘In my washing basket, upstairs in the bedroom.’
Culverhouse nodded to Wendy to go upstairs and retrieve the washing basket as evidence. Potentially, they could find traces of accelerant on the material or other evidence which would link John Lucas to the scene of the arson attack on Freddie Galloway’s house.
‘Righto. In the meantime, Mr Lucas. You’re coming with me.’ Culverhouse read him his rights as dictated by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, put the handcuffs on him and led him out to the car.
- Writer
