Bye Bye Baby

36

Interview room 2. I knew it well. But I'd never sat on this side of the desk before. The room looked different when you were facing the door.

They'd left me there with a uniform standing guard, under orders not to speak to me. That was fine. I didn't feel much like talking.

My uncle walked in carrying a briefcase. A grey briefcase.

"Recognise this?" He dumped it on the desk.

I checked to make sure and, yes, the name of Mrs Wilson's bank was there in gold letters on the front. "Where did you find it?" I said. "Was the money — ?"

"I asked you if you recognise this!" he shouted.

What the hell had got into him? "Yes," I said. "I do."

The door opened and Erica came in. She was carrying a large evidence bag filled with cash. Bundles of it. As she got closer, I saw that the notes were fifties, and they were all banded into bricks.

"Jesus," I said. "You did find it! Is it all there?"

"There's 120 grand." He took the bag from Erica. Set it on top of the briefcase. "With the five we found in your desk, that's exactly half of Mrs Wilson's missing money. Where's the rest?"

"How would I know?" I asked.

"There's no point carrying on this game any longer, Collins," Erica said, and folded her arms.

"Look, for the tenth time." I folded my arms too. "Dutton's the man you want. He set me up."

"I'll grant you," my uncle said, "he might have been able to put that funny finger and those magazines in your desk. He might have put a stray five grand in your desk too. But do you think Dutton's the kind of guy who'd stick 120 grand in the boot of your wife's car?"

The words struck my kneecaps like hammers. I lowered my head, placed my hands on the desk.

"Holly found it and called me." Erica leaned over and I felt her breath on my ear. "You make me puke," she said.

I stared at the bag of cash. "I have no idea how the money ended up in Holly's car." My mouth was dry. I licked my lips but it didn't help. "Dutton must have put it there."

"Here's the thing," my uncle said. "DS Dutton was in court yesterday, giving evidence. He didn't leave until three o'clock. The money was gone by then. He couldn't have lifted it. Would have been fucking impossible."

"It wasn't me." I wanted to stand up but I didn't think I'd be able to. "If I'd stolen the money, I'd have put it somewhere safe."

"Where?" my uncle asked. "We're still missing half of it. Tell us where it is. If we don't recover all the money, you're well fucked, sunshine."

I waited a while.

"Well?"

"Better get me that Police Federation representative," I said.