Fifteen minutes later, Jasso stumbled out of the apartment ahead of Maggie, his face ashen after hearing the rest of Annika’s account. Annika watched them leave, tears streaking her face, her grief raw.
‘I was the one who checked his alibi,’ Jasso said as they clattered down the staircase to the apartment block’s car park, where his vehicle was. ‘I spoke to the friends at the hostel who vouched for him.’
‘You heard what Annika said he was like – I expect he either threatened them into covering for him or paid them to.’
‘I took them at their word, Maggie – I never double-checked what they said. Martos was so convinced the killer was Declan Morris that he told me not to spend any more time on Ruiz, so I didn’t. I filed my report and forgot about it.’
‘You did what you were told to do,’ she said. ‘The blame lies with Martos.’
She was being kinder than she needed to be. Even acting under orders, it was still a monumental error on Jasso’s part, who back then was an experienced officer and should’ve known better than to take the word of Ruiz’s friends without verifying it, especially in the light of the statement given by the couple from Penge who claimed Ruiz had slept with Katy.
Less understandable was why Annika had never come forward with her suspicions about Ruiz. She claimed she was too scared of what he might do to point the finger directly, so she made up the story about seeing Katy crying on the seafront the day before she died in the hope it would plant the idea in the police’s minds that there had been another male involved. But because the police – presumably under Martos’s orders – had been so determined to implicate Declan, his name had been inserted into her statement and all thoughts of a second boy were forgotten.
Outside in the street, Maggie called Walker, who sounded jubilant.
‘We’ve got the bastard. He was arrested at the Popes’ apartment ten minutes ago. He was only sitting there holding Jade’s fucking earrings.’
‘It’s not Johnnie, boss.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. He’s banged to rights.’
‘He’s being framed by Julien Ruiz. Annika has identified Ruiz as me@threedates.com and it all adds up. We need to find him before he kills Jade and before he lets an innocent man go to prison for what he’s done.’
She heard Walker gasp.
‘Start at the beginning and this had better be good,’ he said, his voice hoarse.
Jasso got into his car and began revving the engine impatiently. Maggie jumped in beside him, explaining to Walker what Annika had told them about Ruiz attacking her and how she was now certain he’d killed Katy weeks later in a fit of retaliation.
‘Why Katy though?’
‘I’m only guessing here, but I think it’s because she knew Johnnie and he might’ve introduced her to Ruiz while she was in Saros. It turns out Johnnie and Ruiz were as thick as thieves when they were younger. Both of them used to spend their summers in Saros visiting their grandparents and Annika said they started hanging around together and became friends. Ruiz was obsessed with her and was furious she picked Johnnie over him.’
The tyres of Jasso’s car squealed against the concrete as it peeled out of the car park.
‘Where to first?’ he asked her.
‘The restaurant.’
‘What was that?’ Walker wanted to know.
‘Sorry, I was talking to Inspector Jasso. We’re heading for Annika’s restaurant.’
‘Why?’
‘When Ruiz was there earlier he dropped something on the ground. I think I know what it is, but I want to check. Can you meet us there?’
‘Yep.’
‘But can you find George Pope and bring him with you? Tell him to bring his wallet.’
Even though they were up against the clock and adrenaline was running high, Walker couldn’t resist cracking a joke.
‘Now’s not the time to be asking him to shout us lunch,’ he said.
‘I’m hoping he’ll do more than that, boss – I want him to shout us a house.’