Page 63 of Maybe Tomorrow
‘Can I see my mum?’
‘I’ll try and get her to come and see you at some point. Leave it with me. I’m going to do everything I can to get you out of here today.’ Jennifer leaned forward and placed a hand on top of his. ‘I’ll be with you every step of the way, Ant. Trust me.’
He smiled at her. ‘I trust you.’
ChapterTwenty-Five
Jennifer requested to meet with DI Henry Bishop and was given a copy of Anthony’s signed confession to read while she waited in the interview room. She’d only met with Anthony for a few minutes, but on the basis of the first meeting and her chat with Pauline earlier this morning, she knew this statement was a complete fabrication. It used language Anthony would never use, words he wouldn’t know the meaning of, and it was a total contrast to what he, and his mother, had told her of the night of the storm.
‘Miss Ripley,’ DI Bishop entered.
‘Mrs.’
‘Sorry. How can I help you?’
He pulled out a chair and sat down with his legs stretched wide.
‘Do you expect me to believe this?’ She held up the statement.
‘It’s the truth, so, yes, I expect you and a jury to believe this.’
‘“I was excited by the storm. The sky was as black as ink and the waves were wild as they crashed onto the coastline.” Are you really expecting me to believe these are Anthony’s words?’
‘The perils of a university education. My DC was rather poetic with his notetaking. However, the statement was read back to Anthony twice and he agreed to everything in it.’
‘Why wasn’t he allowed to see his mother?’
‘He’s twenty-eight, for Christ’s sake. He doesn’t need his mummy to hold his hand.’
‘He takes medication. Why wasn’t he allowed access to it?’
‘We weren’t informed he takes medication.’
‘Why wasn’t a solicitor called?’
‘He didn’t request one.’
‘Did you offer him one?’
‘He wasn’t under arrest. He was merely helping us with our enquiries. As soon as he sat down, he began talking.’
‘Really? Then why did it take from eleven o’clock in the morning until six o’clock in the evening for you to charge him?’
‘Unfortunately, we’re very short-staffed at the moment, and we’re working on more than one case. There was a lot of waiting around.’
‘You have an answer for everything, don’t you, DI Bishop?’
‘It’s difficult not to when the questions are so easy,’ he said with a smile.
‘My client says he was coerced into making this statement.’
‘Well, he would.’
‘He says he was offered food and a chance to see his mum if he admitted to killing Alice Patterson.’
‘Why would we do that?’
‘I’ll tell you why,’ Jennifer said, slapping the statement down on the desk and folding her arms. ‘Because you’ve got nothing. I’ve been keeping up to date with this case and I’ve seen how it’s been run. A botched crime scene, no evidence, no witnesses, and the weight of the national press on your shoulders. You need to make an arrest on this one or it’ll ruin your reputation. Who better than a member of society who doesn’t quite fit in with the norm?’
