by Linda Regan
Neither Georgia or Stephanie answered, both waited for him to say more.
‘Did she mention that she’s been importing machetes, over from Europe, in these conversations you had with her?’ He glared at Georgia.
Georgia felt the chill down the back of her spine, but was careful to keep her face impartial.
‘No I thought not.’ He shook his head and his face became very serious. ‘That’s why you turned my place upside down, innit? She told you it was me bringing in weapons, didn’t she.’ He shook his head. ‘No, see, it’s her that’s doing all of that, she is trying to confuse you.’
There was a few silent seconds while Georgia digested that, then she said, ‘Who is Alysha Achter?’
His tone changed to angry. ‘See, that proves I’m right and you’re the lying bitch. Every fed in the country knows that little skank. She’s got a record longer than her arsehole, or at least she should have, with the stuff she does. ’Cept she gets off all the time.’ He leaned forward accusingly. ‘An’ I think that is because she informs for you. I am right’ ain’t I?’
Again Georgia fought to keep her face indifferent.
Harisha raised his voice. ‘Trouble is … she tells fucking great whoppers.’ His voice dropped in volume and he leaned on one elbow, tilted his head onto his hand, and winked at Georgia. ‘You’ve been had over, darling.’
Georgia was fuming, but fought not to show it. She held his eyes.
He leaned back in his chair. ‘Now, if you were very, very nice to me, and I mean very, very nice, then I might tell you where she has a lock-up. Bet you didn’t know that she has a lock-up, did you?’
Georgia didn’t answer.
‘No I thought not. And a crew, a gang of real,’ he adopted a pretend, scary voice and indicated inverted brackets, with his two fingers, ‘dangerous girls, call themselves Alley Cats?’ He brought his hand to his mouth and tilted his chin enjoying the sudden power he was wielding as the two detectives pinned their eyes on him and gave him their full attention. He lifted his forefinger. ‘No, see, I can tell you know nothing about that. Well, you wanna start looking at that bitch, cos,’ he raised his voice and slammed his hand on the desk, ‘she has been importing machetes, and she has been using the bastards to hurt people, and someone is gonna get her for it.’
‘I need to remind you, you are being recorded,’ Georgia said to him. ‘Can you prove your accusations?
‘Put it this way. There is a lock-up, edge of Lark and Sparrow block on the Aviary, and I have heard that those tarts go in and out there quite some bit.’ He winked at her. ‘Bit of a clue there for you.’
‘Number?’
‘Number what?’
‘Number of the block?’
‘Dunno. S’got a skull in green graffiti over the door handle, and peeling dark red paint on it. Can I go now?’
There was a silence during which Georgia thought of the cock-up she had made if all this proved to be true. Alysha Achter had never let her down before, and this lowlife sitting in front of her was known for lying. She really hoped Alysha hadn’t started down the wrong road, for all their sakes. Georgia knew she had to look into this. If there was a lock-up with enough machetes and firearms in it to cause havoc across the whole of South London, she had to find it and get the weapons off the streets, whoever was responsible. She also believed that would lead her to Burak Kaya’s killer, and possibly to Zana Ghaziani’s too. The thought that Alysha might be involved in any of it would be a real kick in the gut.
‘So, can I go now?’
‘Yes, you can go,’ she said. ‘But don’t go far. We are watching you.’
‘Fuck me, I’m pissing myself.’
‘Am I supposed to have someone with me?’ Melek Yismaz asked looking curiously as Banham followed Alison into interview room B, pulled out a chair and settled beside Alison, opposite Melek.
‘You don’t have to, as you are eighteen, but if you would feel more comfortable then I can get you a legal representative,’ Alison offered helpfully. ‘This is just for me to take a statement from you. I will record, and write down, all you tell me, and then you can sign the statement at the end. Are you OK with that?’
Melek frowned nervously, and then nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘You are not under arrest,’ Banham assured her, in his usual calm and friendly tone. ‘You are helping us with our enquiries into the death of your friend.’
Her eyes suddenly filled with fearful tears. ‘Harisha would go mad if he found out. He mustn’t know about this.’
‘Well he won’t, not from us,’ Alison said with a reassuring smile.
‘Why are you so afraid of him?’ Banham asked her, in his gentle tone.
She shook her head.
Has Harisha hurt you before?’ he pushed.
She shook her head and looked down at the table. ‘No.’
‘Well if he ever does, just pick up the phone and ring me,’ Alison said, passing her a card with her mobile number on it.
She looked up. ‘Might be a bit difficult, if I’m dead.’
‘Has he threatened you?’ Banham asked with concern.
Again she shook her head and looked back at the desk.
‘So what is there to be afraid of?’
‘He’s possessive with me. Doesn’t like me talking to the feds. He’s nervous of them.’
‘Has he reason to be?’
‘No.’
‘You said earlier that Zana and you hung out together,’ Alison reminded her.
‘Yes, we were good friends, very close, we have been … were since we started school.’ She glanced nervously at Banham. He gave her a reassuring smile.
‘You told us too, that you had witnessed beatings that her brother and family had given her?’
Melek swallowed and nodded. ‘Yes, I have. I took photos a few times, when Wajdi marked her face.’
‘She told you her brother did it?’
Melek nodded. ‘She had a burn on her back, too, from when her mother burned her with an iron because she caught her without her hijab.’ She took an intake of breath to fight down her emotions. ‘That was awful, poor Zana could hardly move with the pain.’
Banham and Alison made eye contact.
‘You also told me she was friendly with Burak Kaya?’
‘Yes.’ She looked up, then squeezed her lips together, and then nodded her head. ‘Yes, she was.’
‘Were they lovers?’
She nodded again. ‘Yes.’
‘Had she had other lovers?’ Banham asked.
‘Oh yes, many.’
‘That would have made her family angry,’ Alison said. ‘If they knew she had many lovers. Do you know if they knew specifically about Burak?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m not a hundred per cent sure on that. They knew she wasn’t a virgin, because they found a Durex in her bag and were always calling her a whore.’ She blinked a tear, and then flicked it with the back of her hand, smudging her heavy eye-make-up and making the bruise on the side of her face more prominent.
Alison passed her a tissue. Melek took it, held it under her eye and then wiped, smudging the black make-up across her cheek, making it look even worse. Alison said nothing.
‘Did you ever hear her parents threaten her?’
‘I never spoke to her parents. I was banned from their house. They think I’m beneath them, I’m the reason Zana’s a rebel.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s them, they allowed her no freedom.’
‘Do you know her brother Wajdi well?’
‘Yes. He was always looking for her, and often found her with me, and then he’d drag her home.’
‘Did you ever hear him threaten her?’
‘Yes, and me, he threatened me many times.’
‘What did he say?’ Banham asked.
‘Things like, if I didn’t stay away from his sister, I would get a lesson taught me, things like that.’
‘Did he ever show any violence to you?’
She shook her head. ‘He would know t
hat Harisha is my boyfriend, and if anyone hurt me, Harisha would kill them.’
‘Did Burak feel the same about Zana? Would he have killed anyone who hurt her, or who she slept with, perhaps?’ Banham asked.
‘I don’t think so, but I don’t know that for sure,’ she said.
Alison looked up. ‘Was Zana sleeping with anyone, other than Burak, currently?’ she asked.
Melek shook her head. ‘I don’t know about anyone, and I think Zana would have confided in me if she was.’
‘She confided in you about everything?’
‘Most things.’
‘Did she mention being afraid of anyone, apart from her family?’
Melek shook her head. ‘She was afraid of her parents, for sure. She was always saying that. They were very strict.’
‘Were they particularly angry with her currently, did she say?’
Melek shook her head. ‘Not that I know of, but she was always in trouble.’
‘Has Harisha been violent with anyone who frightened you?’ Banham asked her.
‘No, but he would, if anyone hurt me.’
They sat in silence, while Banham and Alison were taking all that in. A few seconds later Banham said, ‘Have you had many lovers, Melek? He must have noticed the reaction on her face, as he quickly added, ‘I’m sorry if this sounds personal, but I do think it is relevant.’
‘No. I haven’t,’ she sounded a bit indignant. ‘Harisha wasn’t the first, but then I am eighteen.’
‘But Harisha is your only current lover?’
‘Yes, he is.’
‘Where do you go to make love?’ Banham asked her.
‘Pardon?’
‘You must have somewhere where you can be private together? He lives with his brother. Do you have a private place for just the two of you,’ Banham pushed. ‘His lock-up, for instance, do you go there to have privacy?’
She looked embarrassed. ‘I didn’t know he had a lock-up. He has a flat. I go there.’
‘He shares his flat?’ Alison said.
‘With his brother, yes, but we get privacy.’ She looked at Alison. ‘Is this anything to do with anything? Is it relevant? I only agreed to come here to help you find who did that to my friend. I’m answering questions about my own sex life now. I am over sixteen, I can sleep with who I like, can’t I?’
‘Yes, of course you can, and yes, it is relevant,’ Banham answered quickly. He smiled and held her gaze. ‘I’m really sorry to ask you, because I agree, it is very personal. We are trying to find who murdered Zana, and her boyfriend Burak Kaya, and it is relevant.’
Melek looked down at the desk shaking her head. ‘If Harisha finds out I’ve been talking like this, he will be furious, he’ll …’
‘He’ll what?’ Banham raised his voice.
She didn’t answer, so Banham pushed, ‘Is there something you aren’t telling us, Melek? Is Harisha involved in some way and you are trying to protect him?’
‘No,’ she protested. ‘No, no, he isn’t.’
‘If he is, then don’t protect him, for your own sake, tell us what you know; withholding evidence is a criminal offence and could carry a custodial sentence.’
She was crying now. ‘No, I don’t think Harisha is involved at all. He wouldn’t kill Zana, or his cousin. I’ve told you all that I know. Can I please go now?’
Banham nodded, ‘Yes, of course you can. Please sign your witness statement, and I am so sorry that we upset you. You have very helpful.’
She nodded, hurriedly read the statement that Alison handed her, and then signed it.
‘And don’t forget you can call us at any time,’ Alison said as she was signing. ‘Or if there is anything else you think of that may help us.’
Alison accompanied her up the one floor, and towards the exit. As they approached the sergeant’s desk on their way to the street door, Melek stopped in her tracks.
Harisha was standing at the sergeant’s desk with DI Georgia Johnson. He was signing for the personal belongings that had been taken from him before they took him to be interviewed. When he turned and saw Melek, his face took on a look of thunder.
‘What are you doing here?’ he shouted down the corridor at her.
Melek was suddenly flustered. ‘They brought me in to answer some questions. I’ve not …’
‘Shut it. Tell me later.’
Immediately, she became silent.
Alison steered her towards the exit.
When they were out of his earshot, Alison said, ‘You’ve not what? What were you going to say then, to Harisha? “I’ve not”, you said, and then you stopped.’
‘Nothing. I was just going to tell him I hadn’t said anything about him, which I haven’t.’ The girl was clearly terrified, she was nearly stuttering as she spoke. ‘Because there was no need, because he hasn’t done anything wrong, as far as I know. If Wajdi has gone too far, then he deserves to be in trouble, that’s all I’ve said, him or that evil mother of his, but I haven’t said anything else.’ She turned and hurried towards the street door.
Alison followed. ‘I’ll get someone to drop you home,’ she told her.
‘God, no, don’t do that. If I turn up in a fed’s car, someone else will kill me before he gets the chance.’
The girl was shaking. ‘OK, no problem,’ Alison said. ‘I’ll drop you off myself. I’ll just get my keys. Wait here.’
On the way to get her car keys, Alison walked into the station reception and over to Georgia, who was still with Harisha Celik.
‘Hold Celik back for another half an hour before releasing him,’ she said quietly to Georgia. ‘That girl is terrified of him, and we don’t want another murder.’
‘Is she still here?’
‘I’m dropping her home. I just need to get my keys.’
As Alison went back for her keys, Georgia hurried to the door where Melek was nervously waiting.
‘Hello, I’m DI Johnson,’ Georgia said offering her hand. Melek looked back at her but didn’t take her hand. ‘A friend of Alison Grainger. Do you know an Alysha Achter?’
Georgia could tell by the nervous look that came to Melek’s face that she knew exactly who Alysha was. Melek took her time answering. ‘Yes, everyone knows her. Why?’
‘What do you know about her?’
‘Not much,’ Melek said, but not confidently enough for Georgia to believe her.
‘Does she hang about in a gang?’
‘Everyone does, it’s the only way to survive around our way, but you wouldn’t understand that.’
‘Yes, I would, actually. What gang does she hang around with?’
Again, Melek took a thoughtful pause. ‘I’ve no idea. I don’t know her that well.’
Georgia held her gaze, lifting her eyebrows minutely to let Melek know she didn’t believe her.
‘Where’s Alison Grainger?’ Melek said quickly. ‘I want to go now.’
‘On her way,’ Georgia told her handing her a card. ‘That’s my personal mobile,’ she told her. ‘If you can find out any more about Alysha Achter, I would be very grateful.’
Melek snatched the card nervously and pushed it in her bag.
The lunchtime meeting was in full swing when Alison got back from dropping Melek at the corner of her road. Georgia and Banham were at the front of the room by the whiteboard. A photo of the charred body of Zana had been newly attached to the board with the aid of Blu-Tac. There were pictures of the Ghaziani family on there, and their names in red marker pen under their pictures. Photos of the butchered Burak Kaya were at the top of the board on the left side, his name written underneath in large red marker pen. There were close-up photos of his wounds next to it: his leg, his shoulder, his forearm, his hands, and his chest. Underneath were photos of the gang members from SLR that were known to the police: Harisha at the top, and Melek, Bilaboo, and Trent.
‘OK, so we’re trying to piece together a picture of the current gang feuding around that area at the moment,’ Georgia said, pointing to the variou
s people and reminding the team of their relationships with each other. ‘The blood pattern from Kaya takes us back to the side of the Aviary Estate. Harisha Celik’s territory is two hundred yards further down the road, and we have good information,’ she paused as she spoke, hoping that that was the case, ‘that the territory of the Aviary is causing new gang rivalry, although which gangs are vying for it, we have yet to fathom. We need to find that out, so keep digging, interview possible gang members from a little further afield, see if you can get them to talk.’
‘You said you thought Burak Kaya had tried his hand at taking the territory, and paid with his life,’ Hank Peacock said.
‘It’s a possibility,’ Georgia said cautiously.
‘But by who?’ Peacock asked.
‘So, question is,’ Banham interrupted, ‘who is currently running the drug and street trade around the Aviary? We have information that the SLR are moving in. Burak Kaya was one of them, and if Celik had his cousin killed, it would mean there was rivalry within that gang. There’s another possibility. So work on that, keep asking around. We’re all very aware of the wall of silence around that estate towards the police, but DI Grainger,’ he looked over at Alison and beamed as he spoke. ‘has befriended Harisha Celik’s girlfriend, Melek, who has given us a statement. Melek has said that Zana was terrified of her parents and, in particular, her brother.’ He pointed to the picture of Wajdi Ghaziani pinned to the whiteboard. ‘It’s highly possible therefore that Zana’s death was an honour killing, and we’re waiting on more info from Zana’s laptop which is with TIU as we speak. Meanwhile, there’s a family liaison officer with the Ghazianis 24/7. There is also a link with the SLR, as Zana was the girlfriend of Burak Kaya. We need to work with that. We need you all on the streets talking to whoever will talk around that estate.’
Georgia butted in. ‘Forensics have told us that the wounds on Burak Kaya match a machete. We know that a batch of them came in recently from Europe, and we’ve been told by Harisha Celik that they are being kept in a lock-up near the Aviary. We suspect Celik is behind this consignment, so his information may not be sound. But check it out. It could be the vital piece of the puzzle.’
Banham flicked a glance at Georgia. ‘This morning our boys, along with a CO19 firearms team, turned Celik’s flat upside down. We found nothing. No key, no contract, nothing on his phone connecting him to a garage, a lock-up, or a dealer in Europe. His solicitor is threatening us with harassment, so we need to be very sure from now on.’
