‘Yes, well, that was my assumption but now I’m not too sure.’
‘So what might that have shown?’
‘You don’t know! Now it never crossed my mind that you didn’t know why Jason Phillips killed Michael Carmichael.’
‘The evidence showed it was to stop him killing Sergeant Cooper.’
‘Yes, Jase was a sharp cookie. But Munro had that covered didn’t he? So you didn’t really ask why Jase also had a pop?’
He was right. Could Jase have had another motive?
‘Are you going to let me into the secret?’
‘Well I could but then I’d have to kill you too.’
‘That’s not very friendly.’
‘Let me just say this: It wouldn’t have done the Carmichael family any favours, as the bad smell would again pollute the air The Family breathes.’ With that, he rose and walked towards the door. He turned, nodded and said, ‘I think Jase Phillips did the world a service that day. It was a shame I had to have him killed.’ He then turned away and tapped on the door. It opened and he left.
So, Jase knew something and had to be silenced. But what? I would definitely have to start from scratch and look at Carmichael as a killer. But it couldn’t be a normal killing; it had to be something that would show him in a very negative light and something that Jase wanted to prevent continuing; something that if exposed would discredit The Family, but why would Jase care? I was sure that he wouldn’t care about The Family’s reputation so it must have been something else and that something else would also impact The Family. But what? My mind twirled around with lots of ideas but I needed more information.
33
Jacko the librarian tipped me the wink that I was wanted in the interview room. It was the same room as last time. I knocked and entered. The same Sergeant Ayres was there but the inspector had changed. Senior Officer James sat where she’d been before and Sarah was sitting at the table.
‘Have a seat please, Jake,’ the new man said, indicating the empty chair.
I sat.
‘Thank you for agreeing to see us. My name is Redfearn, Detective Inspector David Redfearn. Let me confirm you’re Jake Robinson.’
‘Yes, I’m Jake Robinson.’
‘It is Jake and not Jacob or some other name?’
‘Yes, it’s Jake. My mother had a thing about liking short names.’
‘I think you know all the other people here. You’ve met Sergeant Ayres before I believe.’
I nodded.
‘Jake, I’m going to interview you under caution. I must emphasis you’re not under arrest and are free to leave at any time. Do you understand that?’
‘I haven’t been served with notification of this until now and I’ve not had time to consult my solicitor. Not only that, the governor has taken action against me relating to the reason you are here and changed my category from B to A. I will refuse all co-operation until that abuse is corrected.’
‘Do you wish to take some time to consult your solicitor?’
I looked at Sarah. It was clear that this was in my ballpark so I said, ‘Yes. As I have not been found guilty of any offence I wish my solicitor to take action on my behalf.’
Senior Officer James said, ‘Please stay here.’ She unhooked her radio and was speaking into it as she left the room. Five minutes went by before she returned. ‘Please come with me, Jake, your temporary category change has been rescinded and we have to get the tracker removed.’
I left with Senior Officer James and it was removed. We then returned to the interview room.
‘I guess we need to start again. As I said, I am Detective Inspector David Redfearn and it appears you have not had the opportunity to consult your solicitor. Do you wish to do that now?’
‘Not at the moment, but I reserve the right to consult her at any time before answering any question you may ask me.’
We then went through the whole rigmarole of the caution, the setting up of the tape machine, the time the record was made and everybody saying who they were for voice identification. We then got started.
‘Two prisoners have been killed and you’re suspected of carrying out that crime. Have you anything to say about that?’
‘I’ve heard that Mr Wharton and Tug Wilson were killed.’
‘Jake, please tell me about the events of the twenty third of April.’
‘Let me check. That was the day they were killed?’
‘Yes.’
‘It was midday, the bell went and I finished the morning session with my class.’
‘How many in your class, Jake?’
‘Let me see, that day there was Arthur, Maniac, George, Dad, Robbo, Johno, Liz, Spider, Little Fred and Big Fred. That’s, let me see, ten.’
Sergeant Ayres was making notes. ‘Jake, you said Liz?’ There was an enquiry in his voice.
‘Yes, Liz.’
‘You had a woman in your class?’
‘No, no, Liz’s name is David Horton. Apparently he played Elizabeth the First in a play at school and has been called Liz ever since.’
‘Thank you.’
Inspector Redfearn continued. ‘So, ten people can vouch that you were in the classroom at twelve.’
‘Well no. Big Fred went to the gym at about a quarter to.’
‘So nine saw you there?’
‘Yes, Inspector.’ He was going to build up a blow-by-blow picture of my day.
‘What happened next?’
‘I went to my cell but Officer Moorby was waiting for me on the landing. He said I’ve a medical and I had to have a shower then have the medical that afternoon. It was odd.’
‘What was odd?’
‘Well, there’s nothing wrong with me and if it had been some routine thing, I’d have been told ages before by my personal officer.’
‘Your personal officer is?’
‘Senior Officer James.’
He turned to Senior Officer James and she responded without being asked. ‘There was no routine or special medical requirement for this prisoner, Inspector.’
‘But you booked the appointment, Jake.’
‘That’s what the governor said, but I didn’t.’
‘I don’t understand. What has the governor got to do with this?’
‘He interviewed me this morning.’
‘So you’ve already been interviewed about this incident?’
‘Yes, Inspector.’
He looked pissed off; no, he was pissed off. ‘Interview suspended at eleven twenty. Detective Inspector Redfearn leaves the room.’
We waited and it wasn’t long before Redfearn returned with a folder and we went through the start procedure again.
‘Let me just pick up the theme, Jake. You were told to take a shower because you were due to have a medical. What happened next?’
‘I went for a shower.’
‘What, straight away?’
‘Well, no; I collected my washing gear and got myself ready and went for a shower.’
‘Did you speak to anybody else?’
‘I’m not sure. Yes, I did. I spoke to Harry, my cell-mate. I think I told him I was going for a shower and I had a medical, I think.’
‘You’re not sure?’
‘Not really. I know I spoke to him so I suppose it was about the medical or the shower.’
‘Why did you go for a shower?’
‘Because I was told to.’
‘Who by?’
‘Officer Moorby.’ God, this was tedious but thorough. I don’t know if he realised it, but he was nailing Moorby.
‘You went to the shower room. Did you see anybody else?’
‘Probably. It’s a bit difficult not to in here.’
‘I suppose it is. Can you think of anybody you saw?’
‘Oh yes, I saw Russ Hotten. He was with Quinny. And I saw Officers Moorby and Manson. They were leaning on the landing rail outside the blue room.’
‘The blue room?’
‘Yes, the bathrooms.’
‘
The bathrooms are called the blue room?’
‘Yes.’
‘So, they watched you go in?’
‘Yes and they watched me come out.’
‘Hadn’t they moved then?’
‘Oh, yes, they were on the landing on the other side of the cellblock looking across at the bathrooms. Like they were waiting for something.’
‘Did you see anybody else when you came out?’
‘Only about twenty people. Do you want me to try and name them?’
‘No, not now, but perhaps later. We’ll also talk to a whole range of people and build the picture. You told the governor this morning that you saw nobody else in the showers.’ He was reading the governor’s notes. ‘You stand by what you said to the governor?’
‘Yes.’
‘You don’t mention the scream.’ I wondered how he knew about the scream. It hadn’t come up in the governor’s interview.
‘I wasn’t asked about a scream.’
‘So, I’m asking you now.’
‘I heard a scream.’
‘And?’
‘And what?’
‘Didn’t you go and look?’
‘Are you completely daft, Inspector?’
He looked at me, working it through in his head. ‘No, given the environment, I’d probably ignore it too. So who do you think killed Wharton and Wilson?’ He’d made a change in his questioning that was unexpected.
Sarah moved forward in her seat and I signalled that it was okay. She leaned back again. She now trusted me.
‘I think it’s obvious.’
‘Obvious?’ He clearly didn’t comprehend anything obvious.
‘Officers Moorby and Manson.’
Redfearn smiled. ‘Obvious. Why don’t I find it obvious?’
‘Because you’re ether suffering from myopia or prejudice.’
‘I see; I’m a short-sighted bigot.’
‘I wouldn’t be that impolite.’
‘Tell me about the myopia and bigotry.’
‘You, like your previous colleague, assume the murder has to have been done by a prisoner here. Then he found out that Officer Manson had given him information that wasn’t one-hundred per cent correct.’
Redfearn looked at Sergeant Ayres, who nodded.
Inspector Redfearn was a very bright and socially aware man. ‘Let me try again. Why would Officers Moorby and Manson murder Wharton and Wilson?’
‘That I don’t know, but you seem to have a reason for me killing Wharton and Wilson.’
‘Only because you were there.’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘And Moorby and Manson were there as well.’
The sergeant had opened another file and pointed at a page that the inspector read. It had to be the file on the killing of Ratty.
‘Your conclusion, Inspector?’
‘If I remove my prejudice you may be right. I’ll have to check it out. What would you do?’
‘I’d check it out.’
‘How?’ Strangely enough, at that time, it didn’t seem odd that he asked me that question.
‘Let me see. My cell was searched. My training room is probably being searched now. A couple of your officers are probably building a picture of my movements on that day and today, probably by interpreting the computer records. They say they’re not recorded but I don’t believe that and anyway there are the CCTV records. It might be useful to do to Moorby and Manson what you’re doing to me.’
He looked at me hard and long. He was wondering and I knew what he was wondering. Was I just wriggling? Did I know something? Was I trying to set these officers up? But he knew as I knew that he was going to act and he would have to act fast.
Minutes later, he closed the interview. I asked to stay and talk to my brief and Senior Officer James agreed to that and took Sarah and me to another room. I assumed that the two prison officers would be interviewed now and the search carried out.
34
As soon as the door closed Sarah said, ‘What game are you playing, Jake?’
‘I need you to do a couple of things. Get hold of Barrow – ’
‘You mean Sir Barrow Jones?’
‘You have it in one. I want information on Peter Jackson – who has contacted him and his visitors – and his relationship to The Family?’
‘Do I need to know about his family?’
‘No, not his family, The Family. I best tell you but remember this is strictly confidential. Not just client privilege stuff; this is really secret. It’ll be good for you to know what you may be up against or just involved with. Okay?’
She looked intrigued. ‘Okay, Jake. Secret it is.’
‘But, when I’ve told you and perhaps you want out then that’s okay, but you don’t tell anybody because it could cost you your life and perhaps mine.’
‘Are you just trying me on, Jake.’ I started to laugh.
‘Has Keith told you anything?’
‘Well, he sort of said you’re into some pretty dodgy stuff. Okay, I’m in.’
‘Let me sort this out for you. Talk to Keith; he might be a bit annoyed at me for telling you these things but I don’t think I’ve a choice. There’s a high-powered criminal family and it has members right across the ruling elite of the UK. I’ve only had contact with a small and very powerful part of it. Let me go over what we do know. Mike Munro and Jase Phillips killed Major Carmichael and that was how I got involved. The case was thrown out due to evidence tampering. Double jeopardy was invoked and there was a retrial. Jase Phillips got sent here and Mike Munro was dismissed from the service. Jase Phillips was murdered here. Okay so far?’
‘Yes.’
‘The case was a stitch-up.’
‘Yes, I know about the court martial and the double jeopardy. I expect it’ll become a classic case study. Are you sure it was a stitch-up?’
‘Is the Pope a Catholic?’
‘How?’
‘A better question is by whom and why?’
‘Okay. By whom and why?’
‘By The Right Honourable Antony Bray, the cousin of the major.’
‘Oh, do come on, Jake.’
‘They were brought up together, went to school together, went to university together and took the same degree. Then the brainy one went into politics and the sporty one went into the army. Bray was a minister in the Home Office.’
‘Yes, I know, but you don’t do this just because he’s your cousin.’
‘Right. You do this to stop the information getting out that your cousin was a drug addict and a crap officer.’
‘But he was a hero; everybody says so.’
‘Yes, everybody says so, so the image has to be maintained.’
‘I’m struggling. Why does the image have to be maintained?’
‘Because they’re members of The Family.’
‘So they’re in the same family; I still don’t understand.’
‘No, not just in the same family; members of The Family.’
‘You’re baffling me with words. The Family?’
‘Right. Rupert Carmichael is the Earl of Charnforth and the present head of The Family. I won’t go into history but it’s a close-knit, very powerful, political, economic and criminal family.’
‘Whoa, just wait one minute, Jake. Do I look green? You’re telling me that Rupert Carmichael, one of the most respected men in this country, is head of a criminal family?’
‘Yes. Alongside their legitimate businesses of natural gas, tin, insurance and banking, they’re into some iffy stuff, part legit and part criminal, such as silver, diamonds from the Marange, diamond fields in Zimbabwe, gambling and, at the extreme, money laundering and drugs.’
‘By drugs you mean…?’
‘Cocaine and heroin.’
‘But they can’t be.’
‘Try this for size; Rupert Carmichael introduced Penelope Whitehaven, the daughter of an American billionaire, to George Mabry. The Mabrys and Carmichaels have previous family links. The next Mabry to be produced was Randolph Mabry. Ru
mour has it that Randolph Mabry is actually Rupert Carmichael’s son. He runs the drugs, silver, immigration and commodities.’
‘You’re saying that Randolph Mabry, the Home Secretary, is his illegitimate son and also a criminal?’
‘More than that; he’s half-brother to Michael Carmichael.’
Sarah was looking at me and I could see the wheels turning. ‘So, Phillips and Munro kill Michael Carmichael, they get off, Antony Bray, Carmichael’s cousin, cooks the books, there’s a retrial and Phillips goes to prison. Munro shoots Bray and is shot by the police at the scene. Sir Nicolas Ross, Keith and you are going to challenge the case against Phillips and that will open a whole can of worms so Phillips is killed here.’ She stopped and was thinking again. ‘Sir Barrow Jones; you work for him?’
‘I do.’
‘So you’re undercover here?’
‘Yes.’
‘I thought so, the way Keith talks about you. And The Family tried to kill you? Is it Mabry who ordered that?’
‘No, not Mabry, he owes me some favours.’
‘Christ, Jake, what for? No, I don’t want to know.’
‘I’m just giving you an overview so you understand the depth of stuff we’re into, okay. You have the message. The Family man in here is Peter Jackson. He intimated that Carmichael was not killed to save the platoon. Well, he was but that was just an opportunity for Jase Phillips. Jase wanted to kill Carmichael for some other reason, but I don’t yet know what.’
‘Got it. Can I ask some other things?’
‘You can ask.’
‘You said that Mabry owes you some favours.’
‘Yes.’
‘Can I ask what for?’
‘I’ll tell you but if you ever leak what I tell you I’ll have to kill you.’
‘You’re not joking are you?’
‘It may sound like that, but no.’
‘Keith said I would be the key liaison to Sir Barrow, so I best find out.’
‘Are you sure?’
She nodded. ‘I know you were the one that actually killed Bray; Munro couldn’t. This can’t be worse than knowing that.’
‘Okay. I rescued Mabry’s daughter in Bolivia.’
‘But he’s not married.’
‘True.’
‘So he has an illegitimate daughter.’
‘Right.’
‘That’s not so bad.’ She stopped and said, ‘That isn’t it. Was it rape then?’
Staying Alive Page 17
