Anderson had been pacing his cell all morning waiting for the legal visit at 2pm. He prayed their letter to the CPS had turned up something.
Hussain gave him the bad news. ‘Sorry, John, they said no intelligence held on Doran.’
Anderson sighed.
‘But Adey has something.’
‘You’re not going to like it,’ she said anxiously. ‘Doran’s current matter. I did some digging and I’ve got details on the modus operandi.’
‘Go on,’ said Anderson.
‘She was drugged first. In a club. Rohypnol.’
‘Rohypnol?’ Anderson sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Of course! Rope – it’s street slang for Rohypnol. I gave you enough rope to hang yourself. Doran drugged me.’
Hussain was ahead of him: ‘I reckon so – slipped it into your coffee in Starbucks. You flake out on the drive home.’
‘And it wipes the memory,’ Anderson added. ‘But what about Butt?’
‘We can’t work that out. Maybe she administered the drug somehow, but no drink container of any sort was recovered from the vehicle – we’ve been back over the search records.’
‘So how do we prove it?’
‘That’s the bit you’re not going to like,’ said Hussain. ‘A blood sample was taken at the hospital and tested for alcohol, and a standard screening for drugs, cocaine, etc., which of course were negative. But no test for Rohypnol. Why would they? And no one thought to preserve the sample.’
Anderson shook his head.
Hussain continued: ‘Rohypnol is only detectable in the blood for seventy-two hours max, so—’
‘No point giving a sample now.’
‘Correct.’
‘OK then,’ said Anderson, remaining positive. ‘We bang in grounds of appeal with what we’ve got.’
‘Which is what?’
‘Doran attacking me − and the Rohypnol.’
‘John,’ said Hussain gently. ‘That’s just a theory. It’s not evidence. Leave to appeal will be refused.’
‘What about Sandra Granger, can’t we argue she lied in the box?’
‘That was a matter for the jury, not the Court of Appeal. You know that,’ said Adey. ‘And when you read the transcript, which is what the judges will have, it doesn’t come across like that.’
Hussain agreed. ‘You had to be in court to see she was lying.’
‘Then we go to London and renew it before the full court. Try and turn something up once we’re there.’
‘Come off it, John. If we go with nothing we will lose, and we can never come back. Let’s wait.’
‘Wait for what, Tahir? It’s now or never. Besides, I can’t take much more.’
‘Then we use Connor. It’s weak but at least it’s something new.’
‘He’s really prepared to stand up in court and say he lied?’
‘More mistaken. He’ll look an idiot but escape a perjury charge. Like I said, it’s not great but it gets us into court.’
Out of options, Anderson agreed.
‘What other witnesses will we require at the hearing?’ asked Adey, ever the practical member of the team.
‘Just the OIC, I suppose,’ Anderson replied.
‘I want West,’ said Hussain. ‘I don’t trust that man, never have. I think he knows something.’
‘He was just a character witness, what do I tell him?’ asked Adey.
‘Flatter him,’ suggested Anderson. ‘Tell him the court places great store by his opinion of me. He’ll lap it up.’
‘All right then,’ said Hussain, bringing the meeting to a close and trying to sound positive, despite the hopelessness of the appeal. ‘See you in London.’
Anderson took both their hands and held them firmly. ‘Thank you.’