Josiah sighed. “Not,” he said quietly. “I’m not necessarily looking for anyone else, but I want some time to think all this through.”
“Fine. Moving on then to an update on the Tyler case.” She leaned forward to look at him keenly. “I’ve read Mr Burgis’s statement and studied the new DNA evidence.”
“Yes?” Josiah held his breath.
“And I believe we now have enough evidence to charge Tyler.”
“Hallelujah!” Josiah punched his fist into the air. Maybe this would help jolt Alex out of his depression.
“But nailing him for it won’t be easy,” she warned. “The jury will have to decide whether Solange’s DNA profile on the IS database has been tampered with, and whether Mr Burgis is telling the truth about the lock of hair he provided. Tyler’s lawyers are the best in the country. If there’s any dirt to dig on Burgis they’ll find it, and you have no proof that the IS database has been altered.”
“We’re working on it.”
“I know, but without evidence that Tyler was blackmailing Bagshaw, our chances of a successful prosecution aren’t great. All the same, I’m convinced we have enough to charge him. I’ll prepare the charge sheet today – we can serve it tomorrow. I’ll come with you.”
Josiah sat back in his chair, feeling triumphant. Yes, there was still long way to go, but this was progress – and after the strain of the past couple of days, he was grateful for some good news.
“Now, I suggest you go home and get some rest,” she advised. “Tomorrow will be a big day.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The room swam a little as he stood, so he held on to the edge of her desk until it stopped, then began walking – gingerly – towards the door.
“One more thing… how’s Sem Baumann doing?” she asked when he was almost there.
It took him a moment to understand. He stood still for a long time, his back to her, and then, slowly, turned.
“How long have you known?” he asked quietly.
“About Sem? Since the night Alex was abducted. The first thing you did was call Baumann – why? Then you waited until she arrived before going after Alex – again, why? Then there was the fact you and she were locking horns regularly to the point where I had her in here begging me to assign her elsewhere so she wouldn’t have to work with you, a request I denied, obviously. Yet within a day of Sem disappearing, she became your best friend, always visiting your house for dinner. I’ve known you for years and haven’t once had a dinner invitation.”
“My apologies. If it’s any consolation, I’m a terrible cook.” He stood there stiffly, uncertain what to do.
“I’m an investigator. I might mostly have a management job these days, but I do remember how to investigate still,” she told him tartly.
“I would have told you, but I didn’t want you – or Inquisitus – implicated.”
“Oh, I know that.” Esther waved her hand. “Where is Sem now? Not still at your house, I hope? It was foolish of you to keep him there as long as you did, given the situation with Tyler.”
“I know, but he was badly injured, and I didn’t want him moved until he was stronger.”
“So, Baumann visited every night to check on him, and I’m guessing that Alex stayed at your house during the day to nurse him, when it would have been safer – much safer as it turned out – for you to bring him to Inquisitus while you worked.”
“Yes.” Josiah bowed his head. He could see how, from her point of view, he’d made a series of extremely questionable decisions. “Sem is safe. He’s not at my house. I got him out the night Alex was abducted. It was because he identified Neil that I knew where to look.”
“Hmm.” She gazed at him thoughtfully, and he forced himself to meet her stern gaze. Was he out of a job? Or worse? She could have him arrested, and they both knew it.
“I had to raise it with you because when we charge Tyler, the gloves will be off. I tried to warn you about this before, Joe, but now I feel I must confront it head on. You’ve been helping escaped indentured servants to leave the country for a long time, haven’t you? Many years.”
“Yes,” he said quietly. Walking back to the desk, he sat down, feeling dizzy again. “How did you know?”
“I closed the file on Peter’s murder, but it was clear that you were lying. All that nonsense about cups of tea.” She snorted. “I’ve thought about it a lot, and the only thing that makes sense is if you and Peter were involved in some kind of illegal activity. But what on earth could justify you covering up any aspect of the murder of your own husband? Lars Driessen was an escaped IS. We never found the frightened young man who made the call to the emergency services – why not? I’m assuming because he, also, was an escaped IS, and you and Peter were intending to help both him and Driessen out of the country when something went very wrong.”
“Yes.” Josiah folded his hands in his lap to stop them shaking. He’d nursed this secret for so long that it almost seemed impossible that anyone would ever find out. But firstSofie Baumann had, and now, it seemed that Esther had known for a long time. “It was clear the moment Driessen turned up that he was mentally ill and extremely paranoid. He saw my Inquisitus ID – a stupid mistake on my part and one I’ve had to live with ever since – and decided I was there to arrest him, not save him. He waited until I left the car to buy drinks and then attacked Peter. He intended to steal the car and drive away. He might have got away with it, too, if not for…” He hesitated.
“If not for what?”
He steeled himself. “There was another indie in the car – a young man calling himself Ben – and we were waiting for a third, who never showed up. Ben fought Driessen and shouted for help. I ran across the road to find Ben struggling with Driessen, trying to stop him. We fought Driessen together, and only when he’d run off did I realise how badly injured Peter was. It was Ben who made the emergency call.”
