Bright had been waiting for the knock. His penetrating eyes stared at the door as Stone appeared through it. The DCI showed no emotion, though Bright had heard rumours that he’d come to a decision to rule Hank in or out of Walker’s murder. If only suspects in every investigation could be arrested or released as quickly.
‘David, take a seat.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
‘Before we begin, I want to commend your effort. I gather your team have worked round the clock on this.’ Bright exhaled. ‘Hank has been in the CID almost as long as I have. He’ll appreciate your haste. No doubt you’re aware that Professional Standards are breathing down my neck, giving me earache for lifting his suspension.’
‘How’s Kate?’ Stone asked.
‘A pain in the arse, as usual.’
Stone grinned.
Bright didn’t. ‘I need a full debrief and I need it now.’
Stone flipped open a notepad, thumbing a few pages before he found what he was looking for. ‘Hank left the MIR at four fifteen and was seen doing so by Carmichael. He’s in Greggs on camera buying a pasty at four forty. CCTV picks him up on Grey Street a couple of minutes later, talking to a retired detective and his wife. The exchange was brief. They rush off in the direction of the Monument. Hank continues down Grey Street alone.’
‘They’ve been spoken to?’
‘The couple? Yes, they were in a hurry to get the airport Metro to meet their daughter off her flight. I secured proof of them getting on and off the train.’
‘Where was Walker at this point?’
‘He left his office at four forty-five on the dot, arriving at Dean Street car park at four forty-nine. At the same time, Hank’s seen running across the junction of Grey Street and Mosley Street, as per his statement. He enters the car park after Walker. It takes them both a couple of minutes to get to the top floor, Walker arriving at four fifty-two, Hank a minute and a half later.
‘Presumably, their encounter was also captured on camera?’
‘No. This is where it gets interesting. The car park’s CCTV is pointing away from where Hank claims he caught up with Walker. There’s evidence that it was tampered with.’
‘Not by Hank, if he’d just arrived.’
‘Not unless he did it earlier, no. He claims he was with Kate up the coast—’
‘He was. She told me. So we don’t get to see the exchange between Hank and Walker?’
‘No, sir. But pastry crumbs were found on the floor where Hank stood, right where Walker went over the edge. The witness who works across the road saw two men arguing. Hank claims there was a misunderstanding in which Walker ended up on the deck. The heels of his hands were scuffed, but the pathologist said these scratches could not have been caused by the fall, and Walker’s secretary confirmed they weren’t on his hands that afternoon.’
‘Go on.’
‘Walker’s specs were broken, one lens shattered, yet no glass was found on or near the body. Glass was, however, found beside Walker’s car. We’ve identified it as part of his prescription lens, proving that he didn’t lose it in the fall. Again, this substantiates Hank’s claim that the specs flew off and had been smashed four floors above ground level.’
Bright wasn’t any more relaxed than he’d been when Stone started talking. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’
‘No, sir . . . When CSIs arrived at the scene, the locks were open on Walker’s car, but the doors were shut. The handles were frozen solid, or so investigators thought. In fact, they were superglued to prevent the solicitor from leaving. I reckon he was for the high jump that afternoon and Hank just wandered in by accident, wrong time, wrong place—’
‘Why am I not reassured? You need something more.’
‘Forensics lifted a silk fibre off Walker’s coat. We can’t presently identify its source. What I can say is, it didn’t come from any clothing we took from Hank or anything we found at his home.’
‘Fuck’s sake, David. His prints were on Walker’s phone.’
‘Kate has given a statement that she ordered Hank to check Walker’s phone when they were in his office, suspecting that he’d tipped off a serious offender who might go to ground if they didn’t act immediately. In order to do that, Hank sat down in the lawyer’s chair, which could account for the dog hair on his coat.’
‘Could? That’s not good enough. This is a copper we’re on about. I want no ifs, buts or maybes . . .’ Bright was practically snarling. ‘First of all, Kate would lie through her back teeth to alibi him and smile while she was doing it. You know it, I know it, every fucking barrister from here to the capital knows it. Police versus the legal profession will be the scandal of the season. They’ll be queueing up to prosecute. Second, nothing you said proves he didn’t argue with Walker and then lob him over the edge. Do better.’
‘I agree, it doesn’t rule him out, but I have something that does.’ Stone paused, a smile developing. ‘Hank left the car park at four fifty-nine, turned right, heading towards Mosley Street. Walker’s digital watch stopped at three minutes past five. Hank was in Fitzgeralds by then. What’s more, he has a receipt to prove it. Stopping off for a half, buying a bottle of red for his missus, saved his arse. It’s open and shut, guv. He’s in the clear.’