Call to Arms by Rachel Amphlett

Author:Rachel Amphlett
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648235514
Publisher: Saxon Publishing

Twenty-Six

Carys looked up from her desk as Kay returned to the incident room.

After leaving Barnes to arrange to have Carl Ashton moved to the holding cells, she’d been summoned to headquarters to participate in a three-hour management workshop.

She and the other delegates had spent the afternoon fighting off lethargy and boredom while they feigned interest in an overly-enthusiastic presentation on how to manage their workloads, and wondering when they could return to their desks to do exactly that.

‘I managed to get hold of someone from the Crown Prosecution Service to come over here,’ said Carys as she approached. ‘She’s in Sharp’s office.’

‘That’s great, thanks. Gavin – anything on that lead Glenn Boyd gave us about the bloke he reckoned was helping Jamie at this end?’

The young DC swivelled round on his chair to face her.

‘I spoke to the man’s wife. She confirmed he died of a massive stroke two years ago. Completely unexpected, apparently – he wasn’t unhealthy, and had kept up a fitness regime since leaving the army. I’m waiting on a phone call from the tax office to see what his financial situation was like before he died, in case he was receiving money from the drug dealing.’

‘Okay. Let me know if you find out anything that’ll help us.’

‘Will do. How did you get on with Carl Ashton?’

Kay gestured towards Sharp’s office as Barnes appeared, loosening his jacket. ‘We’re about to find out if we have enough evidence to charge him, so I’ll let you know.’

Kay closed the door as she entered the room after Barnes, and was relieved to find Jude Martin reclining in the visitor’s chair next to Sharp’s desk.

The CPS advisor worked closely with the officers in Kent Police to ensure cases that were brought before a court were properly managed from the moment a suspect was charged.

Dressed in a light blue suit and a cream blouse, her light blonde hair fashionably short, the woman exuded confidence and authority.

‘Jude – good to see you. Thanks for coming over.’

Jude rose to shake hands with them both before retaking her seat next to Sharp’s desk. ‘All right, Kay. Carys said you had an interesting one for me. Let’s have it.’

‘We’ve got a suspect downstairs in relation to a cold case from ten years ago we’ve been tasked with investigating, but it’s not straightforward and I could use your advice.’

Kay proceeded to give the CPS officer an overview of the investigation to date, and the outcome of the interview she and Barnes had conducted with Carl Ashton. ‘What are our options?’

‘Well, there’s no evidence to suggest that Ashton is currently dealing in drugs to keep his business afloat. However, we’ve certainly got enough to work with to speak to the Inland Revenue regarding the financing and ongoing accounts reporting for the business. They’ll be interested to hear about the cash payments, for a start.’

‘So, no prosecution for the historical smuggling?’

‘I didn’t say that. Ashton admits to taking his share of the profits from the importation of those drugs and using it to kick-start his business.

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