“Thank you.” Alex gave a fragile smile.
“We don’t have enough to charge Tyler with yet, but we still have the testimony from you and Mick, and we’re in possession of all his data. We’ll keep looking.”
“But Reed said there’s nothing obvious in the data to suggest where the blackmail files are.”
“Nothing obvious, no, but they’re still busy sifting through it all. Who knows what they’ll find?”
“Tyler is too clever to make it easy,” Alex said, gazing blankly into space. “It’s not as if he’s never thought through this scenario, is it? You won’t find the blackmail footage in any of the data you took from him, Joe. That skull was all we had.”
“I’m not giving up that easily,” Josiah told him firmly.
Alex brought his gaze back to him as if by some great effort. “Thank you. I appreciate that, but I really do think it’s over.”
Josiah put his hands on Alex’s shoulders to get his full attention. “Not necessarily. I wasn’t sure whether to mention this, because I don’t want to get your hopes up, but we know Tyler was blackmailing Martin Bagshaw. Now, Bagshaw used to run a handful of high-profile accounts at the IS agency, Tyler’s among them, but as of a couple of years ago, he was promoted, and he’s now the director of the entire agency.”
“So, he has access to all the files? Do you think he’s tampered with Solange’s DNA?” There was a gleam of hope in Alex’s eyes.
“It’s possible, but I have no way of proving it unless…”
“Unless you can prove Tyler was blackmailing Bagshaw, and for that you need the smartwall footage.” Alex sighed.
“We’ll find it,” Josiah insisted. “I won’t give up, Alex. I’ll keep looking until I find what I’m looking for.”
“I believe you.” Alex began pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair until it stuck up in clumps. Josiah watched him warily, wondering if another meltdown was imminent.
“I know it’s a lot to take in. This is quite the rollercoaster you’re on, and?—”
“Stop it!Stop making excuses for me.” Alex turned suddenly, and Josiah took a step back, startled. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to sound so angry. I’m not. Sorry, sorry.” He looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
“Alex – what’s going on?” Josiah asked quietly. “Has something happened?”
“Yes – no – but yes, in a way. You’re being so diligent, so helpful, and I’m not reciprocating, am I? It’s been playing on my mind for ages.”
“You’re looking after Sem, which is a great help. What else can you do?”
“I still haven’t told you the information I have about Elliot’s murder,” Alex said unexpectedly.
“Oh.” He watched him continue to pace, clearly having an internal argument with himself.
“I’m ashamed of myself,” Alex said, finally coming to a halt in front of him. “I’ve held on to this for far too long. I’m so used to having to hold my tongue that it’s become a compulsion. I’ve been thinking about it all day, and God knows you’ve held up your side of the bargain, regardless of whether Tyler goes downor not. So, I should reciprocate and tell you what I know. I’m not sure it’s much use, because I honestly don’t know who killed Elliot, but itisa lead. A possible place to start looking.”
Josiah felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The trail on Dacre’s murder had long since gone cold. If Alex knew something – anything – then he’d love to get stuck in again. “Are you sure?” he asked quietly. “I know that giving up this information will make you feel vulnerable.”
“Yes, I’m sure. You want Tyler behind bars as much as I do. Whether that happens or not, Idowant you to find out who killed Elliot. He was a harmless old fool who didn’t deserve what happened to him. I want justice for him, too.”
“Very well.” He set his holopad to record Alex’s statement. “Fire away.”
Alex gave a determined nod. “Okay, well, like I said, I’m not sure how much use this will be, but I have two specific pieces of information - although they’re related to the same person. As you know, two different people offered to buy my contract from Elliot, and he turned them both down. We now know that he had to, because Tyler still legally owned me. But the people bidding on me didn’t know that. I assumed that one of them was Charles. I was stupid enough to think that he’d somehow save up enough money to at least put in an offer for me as soon as my legal sentence was up. So, I have no idea who one of the bidders was, but I do know the identity of the other.” He paused, then grimaced. “It gives me no pleasure to tell you this. I hope he didn’t kill Elliot, but who knows?”
“Who is it?” Josiah asked, leaning forward eagerly.
“That’s where the second piece of information comes in. Remember when you first arrested me? I was covered in bites, scratches, and bruises from that show.”
“I remember. Are you saying that the man who inflicted those wounds on you is a possible suspect? Was he someone you knew?”
“Yes.” Alex gave a twisted smile. “Someone who was always obsessed with me, who’d gone to that show as a way of getting his hands on me again. Someone who felt he had unfinished business with me.”
“Neil Grant,” Josiah guessed. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
