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Back False Witness
Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

Byford got to his feet as they walked up.

‘Maggie, this is DC Byford. Or do you prefer Jamie?’

‘Byford’s fine. You must be DC Neville. Good to meet you.’ He had a deep, sonorous voice with no discernible accent and no trace of a smile on his lips as they shook hands.

‘Call me Maggie. Good to meet you too,’ she said.

‘There’s a briefing now,’ said Renshaw. ‘Maggie will show you where to go.’

‘Once it’s done, I’ll bring you up to speed on where I am with the victimology,’ said Maggie. ‘Do you want tea or coffee before we go in?’

‘Water’s fine.’

The briefing was to the point, with the most significant new information being what Maggie had to report about the fight between Poppy and Benji at school and the comment left on Facebook that implied violence within the Hepworth household.

‘Imogen Tyler thought the children were close, but the fight suggests that might not be the case,’ Renshaw extrapolated. ‘I want every single one of their classmates interviewed to find out if the fight between them was an isolated incident or not. Let’s also ask if Poppy Hepworth has form for lamping other kids. Teachers can’t see everything that goes on in the playground but kids might. Nath, that’s your job for today.’

‘How am I going to interview twenty-eight kids if the school’s still shut?’ Nathan asked grumpily. ‘I can’t go round their houses, it’ll take ages.’

‘Talk to the headteacher and see if she can get the parents to bring their kids into school today at timed intervals,’ said Renshaw. ‘You can whittle it down to seven interviews if you speak to them in batches of four. If any of the kids say anything of significance, we can do a one-to-one follow-up interview.’

Nathan pretended he couldn’t work out Renshaw’s mathematics and made a show of counting the sum on his fingers. The rest of them laughed, but Byford sat stony-faced and Maggie hoped his lack of response wasn’t an indication of dour things to come.

His wasn’t the only unfamiliar face in the incident room that morning – DC Karl Burton had also joined them, seconded overnight from another division by the Superintendent.

‘The Hepworths are bringing Poppy back in for questioning this morning, so I’ll raise the fight at school and see how she reacts,’ Renshaw added.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ piped up Byford suddenly. ‘Even if the kids say there was a history of bullying, what does it matter if our only eyewitness is saying the death was an accident? It’s irrelevant.’