Contents (83)
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- Acknowledgements
- OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK
Finally Elton spoke.
‘OK, go after this Hirst guy. Find out everything you can about him and about his crime. And track down anyone else involved in that case. Any other lawyers, prosecutors, witnesses, the lot. Never hurts to speculate in this game, and if he turns out to be our guy then that’s a hell of a story.’
Sarah nodded in agreement.
‘But I want you working with Kendal and Cross on this,’ Elton continued, referring to two of the younger reporters on his roster. ‘Have them chase down Longman’s other cases, concentrating on all live ex-cons who appeared before him and who have any record of serious violence.’
‘So basically the police search criteria?’ Sarah asked.
‘Exactly. If they’re doing that while you investigate Hirst they might just come across a suspect who better fits the bill.’
‘OK. But where will they get Longman’s case files?’
‘Not my job to bring the horse to the water, Sarah. Tell them to use their initiative.’
‘Right.’
‘And one more thing. Remember what I told you yesterday. No more sharing with the police. At least not until I say so. I don’t want any mention of Hirst or the “Blunt as a cop” angle to MIT. Understood?’
Sarah hesitated for just a moment. She knew what she wanted to say: that Elton’s order disgusted her, and that in respect of the ‘Blunt as a cop’ angle it was already too late. She had left that message for Levy moments before this very meeting.
Sarah also wanted to say that she would share whatever she had to – including the name Karl Hirst – if it would save lives. It was a fight she was willing to have. But for now it was unnecessary. For now Hirst was nothing more than a hunch, with a host of factors pointing away from him, and she would not risk sending MIT One on another wild goose chase. Until he was more – if he ever was more – she would keep Hirst’s name to herself.
It allowed her to give the answer Elton wanted:
‘Understood.’
FIFTY-ONE
Michael listened intently as Matthew Cole QC continued his cross-examination.
So far Cole had been effective. No more than that. But Michael knew what it was that Cole needed to prove for O’Driscoll to stand a chance with the jury. He also knew how exceptional a barrister Cole could be.
And so he knew that the best was yet to come.
The witness was Jay Price. An old friend of the defendants. At least according to him. Darren O’Driscoll said otherwise, Michael knew. So did Simon Kash. It was one of the few things Kash had been willing to tell them.
Michael had not known what to expect of Price. Nothing in the man’s witness statement said anything significant about its maker. It made Price a blank slate. Someone to be analysed, his strengths and his weaknesses identified.
Michael had spotted them quickly. He did not doubt that Cole would have seen them, too.