Dead Like You

76

Wednesday 14 January

Thirty minutes later, Grace sat down in front of ACC Peter Rigg’s vast desk at Malling House, the Sussex Police headquarters. It was 4 p.m.

‘So, Roy, you wanted to see me. Do you have some good news on the Shoe Man?’

‘Possibly, sir.’ Grace gave him a general update and told him he hoped to have more for him after the evening briefing at 6.30 p.m. Then he went on: ‘I have a rather delicate situation that I want to run by you.’

‘Go ahead.’

Grace gave him the background on Cassian Pewe and what had happened during the brief time he had been with Sussex CID. Then he went on to outline his current concerns about the man.

Rigg listened intently, making occasional notes. When Grace had finished he said, ‘So, let me get this clear. Detective Superintendent Pewe was in the right places to be a potential suspect during the Shoe Man’s original attacks back in 1997?’

‘It would appear so, sir.’

‘And again, during these past two weeks, his movements might fit with the current attacks?’

‘I’ve asked him to account for his whereabouts at the times of these three recent attacks, yes, sir.’

‘And you think Detective Superintendent Pewe could be the person who took the pages from the file that could contain crucial evidence?’

‘Pewe was one of only a handful of people with access to that file.’

‘Could he be responsible for these past and present leaks to the press, in your view?’

‘It’s quite possible,’ Grace said.

‘Why? What’s in it for him to do that?’

‘To embarrass us? Perhaps me in particular?’

‘But why?’

‘I can see it quite clearly now, sir. If he could make me look incompetent by undermining me in various ways, he might get me transferred out of CID HQ – and safely away from the cold-case files which could incriminate him.’

‘Is that just theory, or do you have anything concrete?’

‘At the moment it’s just theory. But it fits.’ He shrugged. ‘I just hope I’m not letting the past history cloud my judgement.’

The ACC looked at him. He had a wise face. Then he gave Roy a kindly smile. ‘You mustn’t let this get personal, you know.’

‘I want to avoid that at all costs, sir.’

‘I know your experiences with him were less than satisfactory – and that you put yourself at enormous personal risk in saving him, which has been noted – but he is a very widely respected officer. It’s never good to make enemies. Know that old proverb?’

Grace thought he seemed to he hearing rather a lot of expressions this afternoon. ‘No?’

‘One thousand friends are too few; one enemy is too many.’

Grace smiled. ‘So I should let it drop with Pewe, even if I suspect he may be our man?’

‘No, not at all. I want to start our working relationship on a footing of mutual trust. If you genuinely think he might be our offender, then you should arrest him and I’ll stand by you. But this is a politically sensitive issue and it won’t be too clever if we screw up.’

‘You mean if I screw up?’

Rigg smiled. ‘You’ll be including myself and the Chief Constable in the screw-up, by association. That’s all I’m saying. Make very sure of your facts. There’ll be an awful lot of egg on our faces if you’re wrong.’

‘But even more if I’m right and another woman is attacked and we did nothing.’

‘Just make sure your evidence against him is as watertight as your logic.’