“Thank you very much, Mr. Dillane. We really appreciate you agreeing to help our inquiry. We would also appreciate it if you would agree to come back should we need to verify a few things.”
Dillane left the station at ten-fifteen. Langton was satisfied that he was not involved and gave the go-ahead to the eagerly waiting team. He wanted John Smiley arrested and brought down to the station that night. There was a unanimous cheer from everyone.
As they packed up, ready to leave, Langton asked Anna if she’d like to have a celebratory drink. She refused, saying she was tired and wanted to be fresh for the following morning.
He gave her a light tap on her cheek. “Okay. Well done this evening.”
“It’s been a long wait.”
“It has, but we’ve got him. We’ve bloody got the bastard.”
Chapter Sixteen
With the assistance of Manchester Constabulary, John Smiley was arrested at four-fifteen the following morning. He gave no resistance, but his wife, Sonja, became abusive and tried to stop officers from beginning their search of the premises. The van sold to him by Michael Dillane was discovered in a garage three streets away from his home. This was put on a loader and driven to London for the forensic team to begin work on. Hidden in a tool bag in the garage and neatly folded into a John Lewis carrier bag were a black jacket with lapels, a white shirt, and a security guard’s hat. They also removed the delivery van used by Smiley from the Swell Blinds offices early the same morning.
The search teams worked through the last of the night and into the following morning, removing bags of possible evidence. Within the bags were receipts, a log of private customers, and a paper bag containing over two thousand pounds in cash. They also removed from the garage some stacked blinds, all neatly covered in bubble wrap, with the sizes and shades carefully printed on a card on the front of each item.
The team in London began to assimilate all of the new evidence in readiness to begin the interrogation of John Smiley. His lawyer, James Gregson, was contacted, and he was soon closeted in an interview room with his client. John Smiley was to be charged with four counts of murder. His fingerprints were taken on arrival and went directly to the forensic lab.
It became clear that they would not get to interrogate John Smiley that day. His lawyer insisted that he would not allow his client to be interviewed until he was satisfied that full consultation with him concerning the disclosure was completed. He talked to Langton in Mike Lewis’s office, saying that as there were likely to be four murder charges, he must be allowed more time with Smiley. Langton agreed that he could continue his disclosure discussions and that they would conduct the interview the following morning.
It was infuriating, as the team was eager to gain a result after such an extensive investigation, and none of them, especially Anna, had expected to be released for the evening. They would reconvene at eight the following morning, Langton said, and stressed that they should use the time to prepare for the interrogation. He and Travis would handle the interview.
After he had left, Barolli insinuated that it was Langton who needed the time to get up to speed on all their accumulated evidence.
Anna ignored his snide remark; she was pleased that Langton had insisted she interrogate John Smiley with him, and she was confident they would gain a result, if not a confession.
Anna rang Ken as soon as she got back, but his mobile phone was turned off. She called his flat and left a message to say that she was at home. She showered and did a review of the case file until quite late. She didn’t want to go to sleep until she’d had the opportunity to talk to him.
It was almost midnight when Ken finally rang. He apologized immediately for not returning her calls but said that it had been a hard day.
“What’s happened?” she asked.
“You first. Tell me what you’ve been working on.”
“We’ve got enough to charge John Smiley.” She didn’t go into detail.
“That’s a positive result?” He sounded pleased for her.
“It will be if we get him to confess. We’ve got him a lawyer who is young and wants to prove himself, so he’s crossing all the T’s and insisting on lengthy discussions about the disclosures.”
“But you’re certain you’ve got the right guy?”
“Yes.”
Ken was keen to talk about their future rather than work, and they happily began discussing wedding dates. Anna wanted to know where they should have the ceremony and reception. Ken laughed when he found out that she wanted it to be the full monty: he was to wear a morning suit and, if possible, to get his brother back from Australia to be best man. Ken said he’d try but wasn’t certain Robin would make the trip back for a wedding. He was thinking of asking Lizzie’s husband, Ian, or an officer he was pals with at the prison.
“It’s your choice,” Anna said. “I won’t be having any bridesmaids, but I’d like your nephews as pageboys.”
“They’d love it, but no velvet, please. They’re real boys.”
She laughed, saying that she knew that, but she’d like them to be in suits, and one would carry the ring cushion.
Ken said he’d talk to Lizzie and that maybe he could swing a weekend leave, but after the nightmare day he’d had, it might not be in the cards.
“Why, what’s happened?”
“Cameron Welsh, that’s what. First he appeared to be getting himself straightened out and asked if he could make himself an omelette. As he’d been refusing to eat for days, we were only too pleased to allow him into the kitchen. He was very friendly — now that I think about it, too much so. He asked if he could brew up a pot of tea for the officers, and it was fortunate that Brian — he’s the guy I want for my best man if Rob can’t make it — went into the kitchen to check up on him.”
Anna was shocked when Ken said that Brian had found Welsh using a one-inch nail file to shave a shard of glass into the bowl of eggs; he had also put some into the teapot.
“We couldn’t be sure if he was trying to make himself so ill that he’d be hospitalized, or whether we were his targets.”
“Why would he do that?”
“For one, if we’d all drunk the tea, we’d have been hurt or maybe even dead — likewise himself, if he’d eaten the omelette — but I think he was paying us back. Again, if he’d been taken to the hospital, he might have been planning an escape.”
“Paying you back?”
“Yeah. He may have been in the kitchen and overheard.”
“Overheard what?”
“Brian congratulating me about our engagement. I told you that Welsh has this fixation with you, didn’t I?”
“So it was you he was targeting?”
“That’s what I think, but if we’d all drunk his tea, we’d have all been hurt. Anyway, he’s been locked up round the clock, and we’ve taken all his privileges, so he’s not a very happy camper.”
“How did he get the nail file into his cell?”
“Christ only knows. It was only about an inch long, so he could have had it hidden for years. As he’s had no visitors, it was doubtful anyone could have brought it in. You’d be surprised what they can smuggle in or buy off another inmate.”
They continued talking for another half hour before Anna said she should get some sleep, as she wanted to be fresh for the morning.
“Listen, due to the situation here, we’re working round the clock, and I’m due some time off this week,” Ken said. “How about if I ride down?”
Anna said she could think of nothing she’d like better. For one thing, it would mean they could work out the wedding date and invitation list. After they hung up, she slept soundly, she had done so ever since being with Ken. She no longer felt that restlessness and obsession with mulling over the case files in her head.