‘Not to me, she didn’t.’
‘Who did she make that allegation to, then?’
‘My – the company’s lawyers.’
‘You’re referring to Citadel Resources?’
‘Yes.’
‘What, she contacted them directly?’
‘Her lawyers did.’
‘Are you sure it wasn’t your lawyers who contacted her family first?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘What injury did her lawyers allege you caused her?’
‘I don’t recall.’
‘C’mon, Mr Richter. That’s not a truthful answer, is it? What was the injury?’
‘I don’t recall.’
‘Did your lawyers tell you to answer my question that way last night?’
‘I object,’ Aitken said.
‘I’m not talking about the Crown Prosecutor, your Honour,’ Tanner said.
‘That’s not an appropriate question, Mr Tanner.’
‘Did Felicity Horton allege you’d fractured her skull?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘Did she allege that you struck her on the head with a champagne bottle?’
‘That didn’t happen.’
‘It wasn’t a trivial allegation, was it?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘Do you remember the amount of money paid on your behalf to Miss Horton?’
‘No.’
‘Does two million dollars ring a bell, Mr Richter?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘You just told the court that you didn’t hurt Miss Horton, do you remember that?’ It was now past the time when he thought he had to keep up any pretence of politeness. He let his voice rise, and real anger rose with it.
‘Yes.’
‘You haven’t forgotten that in the last two minutes?’
‘I object, your –’
‘Weren’t you outraged?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Forget the exact sum. When you found out this woman was seeking money from you, weren’t you angry?’
‘I wasn’t impressed.’
‘Not impressed? You must have discussed it with, for example, your father?’
‘I don’t have a specific memory. I guess so.’
‘And your lawyers?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘You don’t remember? Who got hit on the head, Mr Richter, Felicity Horton or you?’
‘I object, your –’
‘Mr Tanner!’ the judge cried.
‘I withdraw that question. You must have told your lawyers that what Miss Horton was alleging wasn’t true?’
‘I would have done.’
‘You don’t recall being angry?’
‘Like I said, I wasn’t impressed. People know we have money. That can make you vulnerable to . . .’
‘To what, Mr Richter?’
‘People trying to take advantage.’
‘To get money?’
‘Yes.’
‘What, like blackmail?’ Tanner said, looking at the jury. ‘Is this the same as with your late wife?’
‘I object.’
‘It was the witness’s own word, your Honour,’ Tanner said. ‘It’s what he said his late wife was doing.’
Knight shook his head. ‘No, Mr Tanner.’
‘Why do you think Miss Horton made this allegation?’
‘I object, your Honour. The witness can’t know the motivation of someone else.’
‘The witness might well know –’
‘I’ll allow the question.’
‘Do you need it repeated, Mr Richter?’
‘We had a fight. A – a disagreement.’
‘Over what?’
‘She wanted to be a couple. I didn’t.’
‘Where did this disagreement take place?’
‘At a party. We talked about it, I said I didn’t want to, she got angry. As far as I know, she left. The next thing I know, she was making wild allegations.’
‘Let me see if I understand you, Mr Richter. You won’t date Miss Horton, so she says you’ve assaulted her and wants money? Is that it?’
‘Pretty much.’
‘And your father pays her money.’
‘I wasn’t involved in that.’
‘Why pay someone money if what they’re alleging is untrue?’
‘She was threatening to go to the press, to go on TV.’
‘Oh, you remember that part, but not the injury she alleged or what you paid her?’
‘Yes.’
‘So what?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘So what if she said she’d do that? You didn’t hurt her, you say. How would she prove you did?’
Richter paused before answering. ‘I – I don’t know. That’s what she was threatening.’
‘Did you think she was going to get someone to hurt her and then blame you? Could it have been the same person your late wife got to nearly strangle her?’
‘Your Honour –’
‘I press the question.’
‘It’s not a proper question, Mr Tanner, and you know it!’ Knight shouted.
‘Do you remember signing a legal document with Miss Horton?’
‘No.’
‘Do you deny it?’
‘I can’t recall.’
‘Do you deny she was paid an amount of money?’
‘No.’
‘You just can’t recall the figure?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’ll come back to it. You said Mr Matheson had cocaine with him the night that Elena Mancini died?’
The question disorientated Richter, and it took him a moment to refocus. ‘Yes.’
‘And you’re aware he told police that the cocaine was yours?’
‘That’s not true.’
‘Your late wife used cocaine from time to time?’
‘Yes.’
‘But not you?’
‘No.’
‘Did you buy it for her?’
‘No.’
‘Do you know anyone who sells cocaine?’
‘I – not that I’m aware of.’
‘Who’s Anthony Kerr, Mr Richter?’
The many hours Richter had spent training for giving his testimony didn’t help him. He hadn’t discussed his coke habit with the prosecutor, or his own legal team. Shock froze his face for several moments. ‘He’s a lawyer.’
‘A lawyer for Citadel?’
‘Yes.’
‘The company’s Australian deputy general counsel?’
‘Yes.’
As Tanner asked his question, he became aware of someone approaching the seats behind the prosecution team. He turned and saw a man in a suit attracting the attention of James Carrington, the lawyer from BBK who’d been assigned to hold Richter’s hand.
‘His office is three doors from yours, correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘I haven’t objected yet, your Honour, but I’ve been wondering about relevance for the last several questions.’
‘I’ll get there, your Honour.’
‘Soon.’
‘You socialise with Mr Kerr?’
‘Not really.’
‘You’ve never had a drink with him after work?’
‘Maybe a couple of times.’
‘He’s a member of Pantheon, isn’t he? You must have seen him there?’
‘A couple of times.’
‘And, more than a couple of times, you bought cocaine from Mr Kerr, didn’t you?’
The question seemed to slow time down. ‘There’s no basis for that question, your Honour,’ Aitken finally said.
‘Actually, your Honour, there is.’
The judge looked stunned for a moment. He knew Tanner wouldn’t risk a question like that without foundation. ‘We’d better talk in chambers first, Mr Tanner.’
‘Are you going to tell me, Peter?’ Jane Ross said to Tanner as they stood at the bar table, watching the judge disappear from the courtroom af
ter the jury had. She grabbed his arm tightly. ‘How do you know this?’ she demanded.
‘Let’s go see the judge,’ he said, moving his chair back.
• • •
Justice Knight was sitting down when the lawyers walked into his chambers. Aitken looked subdued and didn’t try to lead off.
Knight removed his glasses and looked at Tanner. ‘Well?’
‘He was arrested over an hour ago,’ he said. He looked at his watch. ‘An hour and a half. They found cocaine in his office at Citadel.’
‘How do you know this?’
‘I was told.’
‘By whom?’
Tanner shook his head. ‘No, judge, with respect. I was told.’
‘I’ve just got a text, judge,’ Aitken said, almost in a whisper, ‘telling me the arrest of Mr Kerr hasn’t been made public yet. He’s still being processed.’
‘Peter?’
Tanner shrugged.
‘I’ll still formally object, judge,’ Aitken said. It was a meek effort.
‘My client says it was Richter’s coke, judge. That alone is enough for me to put to this witness he bought it. Now I have a guy three doors down from him arrested for having cocaine in his office. I’m going to bash Richter over the head with that. No pun intended regarding his skills with a champagne bottle.’
Aitken looked like he was going to say something, but the judge held up his hand to stop him. ‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,’ he said, looking at Tanner.
‘I’m going to ask you to issue a subpoena for the arresting officer to give evidence in my case.’
The judge nodded. ‘Let’s go back to court.’
• • •
After the jury came back in, Tanner applied to use the blown-up photo of Nikki Richter’s face and bruised neck. He’d deal with the drugs and the deed while using the image. He had the easel set up close to the dock, on an angle so both the jurors and the gallery could see it. He had the same photo put on the courtroom’s flat screen television.
‘You did that to your wife, didn’t you?’ Tanner asked.
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘She didn’t throttle herself, did she?’
‘I don’t – it wasn’t me.’
‘Were you angry when you did it, Mr Richter? About your late wife saying she was divorcing you? Did that put you in a rage?’
Aitken objected before Tanner finished his question, and the judge overruled him.
‘Did you buy cocaine for your wife, Mr Richter?’
‘No.’
‘You bought it off Mr Kerr, didn’t you?’
‘No.’
‘What about heroin? You paid for that?’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘You paid two million dollars to Felicity Horton, though, didn’t you?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘Let me show you this document.’ Tanner had a court officer hand a copy of the deed to Richter. ‘Do you recognise that document?’
‘No.’
‘Turn to page six. Is that your signature?’
Richter looked at it for a long time. ‘It looks like it.’
‘Turn to page two, Mr Richter, and look at the figure I’ve highlighted. Do you see the figure and words for two million dollars? Does that refresh your memory?’
‘I see the figure.’
‘You fractured this woman’s skull, didn’t you?’
‘I didn’t do that.’
‘You didn’t pay her that sum for breaking her heart, did you?’
Aitken objected, but Richter answered. ‘I didn’t do it.’
‘Did she dance with another man? Did that put you into a rage?’
‘I didn’t do it.’
‘What about Elena Mancini, Mr Richter? What put you in a rage that night? Did she knock you back?’
‘I didn’t hurt her.’
‘Was it an accident? Or did you mean to hurt her but not kill her, is that the truth?’
‘I didn’t touch her.’
‘Was it the cocaine you purchased from Mr Kerr? Did that put you in a rage?’
‘The coke was Justin’s.’
‘Who did you call, when you did it? Who came and helped clean up the mess?’
‘I called the police.’
‘When Justin Matheson was unconscious, did you run Elena Mancini’s hands over his chest, or was that the idea of someone higher up the brains trust than you?’
‘That didn’t happen.’
‘Who’s Steve, Mr Richter?’
‘What?’
‘Just one more question and we’re done,’ Tanner said, lowering his voice. ‘Did you cry at your wife’s funeral, Mr Richter?’
53
In Tanner’s chambers that afternoon, Charles Porter twisted the top off a beer and took a seat in front of the desk, as Tanner looked at his computer screen. ‘Anything there?’ he asked.
‘It’s on the breaking news. “Senior in-house lawyer of multinational mining corporation arrested on suspicion of drug possession”, that kind of thing. Doesn’t mention his name or Citadel yet.’
‘You did, in court.’
‘They’ve got a temporary suppression order from another judge,’ Tanner said. ‘It won’t last long.’
‘Are you going to tell us how you knew?’
‘No.’
‘No?’ Jane Ross said.
Tanner nodded.
‘What’s your take now?’ Porter asked, loosening his tie.
‘On what?’
‘Where we’re at. Bill and Judith want me to call them after I leave here.’
‘There’s still Klaudia,’ Tanner said. ‘She can’t save Richter’s reputation, but she can rehabilitate him as a witness of truth about Elena.’
‘You’ve avoided me so far when I’ve asked what the strategy is with her.’
‘To get her to tell the truth,’ Tanner said.
Porter put the beer on Tanner’s desk. ‘It’ll be that easy?’
‘It won’t be easy, Charles,’ Tanner said, ‘but it will be quick.’
Porter stared at Tanner, then at Ross. ‘Is there something you’re not telling us? Again?’
Tanner shook his head. ‘Is Sarah Matheson going to be in court tomorrow?’
Porter nodded. ‘She wants to eyeball Klaudia, keep her head held high. Why?’
‘She doesn’t have to come,’ Tanner said. ‘It won’t be pleasant for her, hearing me ask Klaudia about Justin.’
‘You said you wanted her there.’
‘Not for this witness.’
‘I can tell her she doesn’t have to, Peter, but I can’t tell her no. Why are you asking?’
As Porter spoke, Tanner’s phone rang. ‘There’s a man here who wants to see you,’ the receptionist said. ‘He won’t give me –’
Tanner’s heart started thumping. ‘What does he look like?’
‘Um. He’s tall . . . He’s well built. He’s –’
He took a deep breath. He knew who it was. ‘Tell him two minutes.’ He put the phone down and looked at Porter and Jane. ‘Sorry. You have to leave.’
‘Who is it?’ Jane asked.
He shook his head. ‘I’ll call you later.’
• • •
Mark Woods walked past Tanner and took a seat in front of the desk. Tanner shut the door and sat down.
Woods glared at him for a few moments, before throwing a white envelope he was holding on the desk. ‘You prick,’ he said. ‘You fucked me.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘We’d barely started our interview, and you’re announcing his fucking arrest in court?’
‘What did you think I was going to do?’
‘We’re all being questioned about the leak, Tanner. I’ve just been grilled. The deal was you got your fucking package, and I got an arrest. That means we announce when that’s happened, not you.’
‘I didn’t have a choice.’
‘Bullshit.’
‘I just gave you a guy with two
kilos of coke.’
‘You said the thing you wanted was for another case. “Out of the jurisdiction”, you said. Not for this fucking Matheson trial.’
‘What I want it for is out of the jurisdiction,’ Tanner said. ‘Has he made admissions?’
Woods sighed, still looking capable of a violent act. ‘He said he didn’t know how the coke got in the safe.’
‘Has he been shown the security film from the Citadel building of him walking back to the office carrying the coke yet?’
Woods nodded. ‘You can’t call me,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘You can’t call me to give evidence about the arrest.’
‘Why not?’
‘I might get asked something that would force me to lie. I don’t want to do that.’
Tanner nearly laughed. ‘You’re a high-ranking member of the New South Wales police force. Don’t tell me you can’t lie in court.’
‘You’re a prick.’
‘I’ll call someone else from your team.’
‘The coke is shit, by the way.’
‘You tried it?’
‘Fuck off,’ Woods said, but without venom. ‘We got the prelim lab results. It’s lignocaine and some other shit mixed with only thirty per cent coke. This guy got ripped off as well.’
‘That’s a shame, given what he paid. Perhaps he can sell it to his dentist.’ As he spoke, his phone sounded again. ‘Tell her to wait for a few minutes, will you,’ he said into it. Tanner put the phone down, and glared at Woods. ‘I got threatened last night.’
Woods narrowed his eyes. ‘Threatened? By who?’
Tanner shook his head. ‘A man came to my house. I don’t know his name – he said to call him “Steve”. My kid was asleep in another room.’
‘What do you mean “threatened”? Over this thing I’ve just given you? If I get any blowback about what’s in that –’
‘Your name won’t come up, detective.’
Woods glared at him. Tanner couldn’t tell if the look was concern or contempt or both.
‘Whatever it is you’re doing, Tanner,’ he said, ‘you are way out of your depth.’ He stood to leave. ‘You owe me for what I did for you today.’
Tanner looked at the envelope on his desk. ‘We’ll see.’
• • •
Tanner held up the memory stick he’d taken from the envelope Woods had given him and showed it to Lisa Ilves. Then he put it in the back of his computer.
After the cocaine was found, Kerr was made to open all of his cabinets, including one kept locked with a key. More police arrived, and Kerr was arrested and taken to Local Area Command in the city to be questioned. Woods had his hands on some of what Tanner wanted within minutes. While the video operator recorded most parts of the execution of the warrant, he ignored Woods and his portable scanner. The IT officer meanwhile had found what he’d been told to look for.
Cyanide Games: A Peter Tanner Thriller Page 36
