Aftershock

Thirty-three

Sauce Haddock stuck his head round the inspector’s door. He nodded to McIlhenney. ‘Sorry to interrupt, sir.’

‘Don’t be,’ said Stallings. ‘What have you got?’

‘A result from Davis Colledge’s bank, ma’am. His debit card was used again yesterday morning, in Collioure, at the same ATM he used on Saturday. He pulled another three hundred euros. But there’s more. He used it again today, in Perpignan, at a terminal in the railway station: another three hundred.’

‘He’s drawn nine hundred euros since last weekend? What the hell’s he doing?’

‘Good question,’ the superintendent murmured. ‘And here’s another. What’s he doing in Perpignan? According to his landlady, he set off to explore the coast. Perpignan’s inland.’

‘If he was at the railway station, he’s catching a train. Maybe he meant the Mediterranean coast as a whole, not just the local area. Maybe something got lost in translation.’

‘Maybe, maybe. But I don’t like it. We need to find this boy, yet it’s as if he’s out to make sure we don’t.’ He looked at Haddock, still in the doorway. ‘Thanks, Sauce,’ he said. ‘That was quick work.’

‘I’ve still got to check his credit card, sir.’

‘You do that. See if he’s used it for anything that might give us a clue as to where he’s headed.’

‘Very good, sir.’

Stallings smiled as the door closed on the constable. ‘It’s a long time since I’ve seen enthusiasm like that in a young DC,’ she said.

‘Me too,’ McIlhenney agreed. ‘You might be calling him “sir” before you retire. He’s quite a contrast with PC Weekes. What are you going to do about him?’

‘What do you want me to do?’

‘It’s your decision. I might have taken part in the Grey interview, but you’re still the SIO.’

‘I want to hold him overnight; would you have a problem with that?’

The superintendent smiled. ‘Christ, Becky, why do I have to say it twice? You’re running this investigation. You want to hold him, you hold him. You’ve got grounds. He’s uttered threats against the victim and he can’t offer us an alibi for the time of the murder. On top of that he has a pattern of obsessive, controlling behaviour towards women. Has he asked for a lawyer yet?’

‘No.’

‘You might want to make sure he’s given the opportunity. Otherwise, bang him up, and I’ll have the press office say that someone’s helping with our enquiries. He’ll need to be formally suspended, but I’ll take care of that.’ He paused. ‘When are you going to talk to him again?’

‘Not until the searches are complete, and maybe not even till I get the DNA result. I want to talk to his ex-wife first: Jack and I are taking the search team up to her place. We’ll go in first to explain what’s happened; it’ll be kinder that way.’

‘Safer too. If PC Grey’s anything to go by, this woman may know little or nothing about Weekes’s other life. The last thing we need is to be heavy-handed with her and send her running to the press.’