Dead Ringer: A gripping crime thriller with a killer twist (DI Chilcott Book 1) by James D Mortain

Author:James D Mortain [Mortain, James D]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781916008458
Publisher: Manvers Publishing
Published: 2020-02-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Two hours later, and they were all back in the interview room. The delay in proceedings had given Chilcott a chance to grab some food and a hot brew. Kershaw’s meals were a given – morning, noon and night, but the detectives had to snack and go – that was just the nature of the beast. Chilcott resumed the interview, his fingers entwined, thumb tips gently bouncing off one another as he waited for the other side to speak.

‘My client has reviewed his position and is now prepared to answer questions in relation to this investigation,’ Bishop announced.

‘Sounds like the sensible option,’ Chilcott said, his eyes hooded with hatred towards the man sat opposite him.

An awkward silence followed.

Chilcott offered his subject an open palm. ‘After you.’

Kershaw sniffed and positioned himself firmly in the seat.

‘My client’s position hasn’t altered,’ Bishop said in a low voice. ‘He will be maintaining a not guilty plea in relation to all allegations except possessing the prohibited weapon.’

Chilcott sank against the hard metal back of his seat. Well, that was a waste of two hours of my life.

Kershaw then spoke. ‘However, I am prepared to give details of my whereabouts at the alleged dates and times of the most recent crime to prove my innocence.’

Chilcott leaned forwards onto the desk and raised both eyebrows to their limits. ‘We’re listening.’

‘I was in Berkshire when the latest murder took place.’

‘Berkshire?’

‘Berkshire.’

Kershaw’s solicitor was scribing everything that was being said verbatim onto his notepad.

‘Well then, I suggest you’d better tell us about Berkshire,’ Chilcott said with a simple open-ended question designed to encourage Kershaw to provide an unprompted account. He would also predict from the detail in the answer whether or not Kershaw was going to be as willing a participant as he was suggesting.

‘I was in Windsor between Thursday the twentieth and Saturday the twenty-second of February. As I’m led to believe, this incident took place on Friday the twenty-first of February at around eighteen-fifty hours.’ He looked across at the officers for confirmation of this, for which he got two separate nods.

Chilcott was encouraged by what he’d heard so far. He gestured for Kershaw to continue.

‘My train returned to Chepstow Station at eighteen twenty-six hours on Saturday the twenty-second. It was delayed by approximately ten minutes. From there, a taxi cab returned me home shortly before nineteen hundred, where I remained for the remainder of the night.’

‘Windsor?’ Chilcott asked, circling the word in his day-book. That was a fairly substantial topic to pick apart, but the more detail he could get Kershaw to describe, the more Chilcott could rubbish it and prove his involvement in the murder.

‘Yes, Windsor.’

Free recall had shut down as soon as it had begun. Chilcott needed to adopt a different tactic.

‘Doing what exactly?’ he asked.

‘Visiting.’

‘Who?’

‘The Queen.’

‘You were visiting the Queen?’

‘Not exactly the Queen, but I knew she was in residence and I wanted to be nearby.’

Chilcott’s eyes narrowed to thin slits. ‘Why did you want to be nearby the Queen?’ Red flags began

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