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“Ridiculous,” said Bristow breathlessly “You ought to give up detecting and try fantasy writing, Strike You haven’t got a shred of proof for anything you’re saying—”
“Yes I have” Strike cut across hi ilooe”
“That footage shows Jonah Agye, as you’ve just acknowledged!”
“There was another ht on camera”
“So he had an accomplice—a lookout”
“I wonder what defending counsel will say is wrong with you, John?” asked Strike softly “Narcissism? Some kind of God coenius whofrom the scene wasn’t Jonah’s accomplice, or his lookout, or a car thief He wasn’t even black He was a white loves He was you”
“No,” said Bristow The one word throbbed with panic; but then, with an almost visible effort, he hitched a contemptuous smile back on to his face “How can it be me? I was in Chelsea with my mother She told you so Tony saw me there I was in Chelsea”
“Your mother is a Valium-addicted invalid as asleep et back to Chelsea until after you’d killed Lula I think you went into your mother’s room in the s it was dinnertienius, John, but that’s been done a h rarely with such an easy mark Your mother hardly knohat day it is, the aot in her system”
“I was in Chelsea all day,” repeated Bristow, his knee jiggling up and down “All day, except for when I nipped into the office for files”
“You took a hoodie and gloves out of the flat beneath Lula’s You’re wearing the the interruption, “and that was a big mistake That hoodie was unique There was only one of them in the world; it had been customized for Deeby Macc by Guy Somé It could only have come out of the flat beneath Lula’s, so we know that’s where you’d been”
“You have absolutely no proof,” said Bristow “I a for proof”
“Of course you are,” said Strike, si to ot proof”
“You can’t have,” said Bristow hoarsely
“Motive, means and opportunity, John You had the lot
“Let’s start at the beginning You don’t deny that you went to Lula’s first thing in the …”
“No, of course not”
“…because people saw you there But I don’t think Lula ever gave you the contract with Soet upstairs to see her I think you’d swiped that at some point previously Wilson waved you up, andmatch with Lula on her doorstep You couldn’t pretend that didn’t happen, because the cleaner overheard it Fortunately for you, Lechsinka’s English is so bad that she confirmed your version of the row: that you were furious that Lula had reunited with her freeloading druggie boyfriend
“But I think that roas really about Lula’s refusal to give you money All her sharper friends have toldher fortune, but you must have been particularly desperate for a handout that day, to force your way in and start shouting like that Had Tony noticed a lack of funds in Conway Oates’s account? Did you need to replace it urgently?”
“Baseless speculation,” said Bristow, his knee still jerking up and down
“We’ll see whether it’s baseless or not once we get to court,” said Strike
“I’ve never denied that Lula and I argued”
“After she refused to hand over a check, and slammed the door in your face, you went back down the stairs, and there was the door to Flat Two standing open Wilson and the alar at the keypad, and Lechsinka was so, because that would have helpedinto the hall behind the two men
“It wasn’t that much of a risk, really If they’d turned and seen you, you could have pretended you’d co you up You crossed the hall while they were busy with the alar flat There’s loads of space Empty cupboards Under the bed”
Bristoas shaking his head in silent denial Strike continued in the same matter-of-fact tone:
“YouLechsinka to set the alaruy left, and you had sole possession of the flat Unfortunately for you, however, Lula had now left the building, so you couldn’t go back upstairs and try and bully her into coughing up”
“Total fantasy,” said the lawyer “I never set foot in Flat Two in my life I left Lula’s and went in to the office to pick up files—”
“From Alison, isn’t that what you said, the first tih your movements that day?” asked Strike
Patches of pink blossoy neck After a small hesitation, he cleared his throat and said:
“I don’t remeet back to my mother”
“What effect do you think it’s going to have in court, John, when Alison takes the stand and tells the jury how you asked her to lie for you? You played the devastated bereaved brother in front of her, and then asked her out to dinner, and the poor bitch was so delighted to have a chance to look like a desirable fereed A couple of dates later, you persuaded her to say she saw you at the office on the ht you were just overanxious and paranoid, didn’t she? She believed that you already had a cast-iron alibi from her adored Tony, later in the day She didn’t think it mattered if she told a little white lie to calm you down
“But Alison wasn’t there that day, John, to give you any files Cyprian sent her off to Oxford the ot to work, to look for Tony You became a bit nervous, after Rochelle’s funeral, when you realized I knew all about that, didn’t you?”
“Alison isn’t very bright,” said Bristoly, his hands washing the up and down “She must have confused the days She clearly misunderstood me I never asked her to say she saw ainst e herself on me, because we’ve split up”
Strike laughed
“Oh, you’re definitely du to lure you to Rye—”
“Your assistant?”
“Yeah, of course; I didn’t want you around while I searched your mother’s flat, did I? Alison helped us out with the na, including the fact that I’ve got proof that Tony’s sleeping with Ursula May, and that you’re about to be arrested for ht to look for a new boyfriend and a new job I hope she’s gone to her mother’s place in Sussex—that’s what I told her to do You’ve been keeping Alison close because you thought she was your fail-safe alibi, and because she’s a conduit to knohat Tony, who worried that shehigh”
Bristow tried for another scathing laugh, but the sound was artificial and hollow
“So it turns out that nobody saw you nip into your office for files thatout in the ern Gardens”
“I wasn’t there I was in Chelsea, at my mother’s,” said Bristow