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
‘Because the police arrested Terry Colliver, didn’t they? They nicked the wrong fella.’
‘You mean you couldn’t stand to see that happen? You couldn’t stand idly by while an innocent man was tried for murder?’
‘Yeah. That’s right.’
‘So you came forward. Despite Mr O’Driscoll and Mr Kash being your friends, and Mr Colliver being a man you hardly knew?’
‘Yeah, I did. Don’t make no difference, friends or not. I wasn’t gonna let Colliver go to prison for what those bastards done.’
‘Are you sure Colliver wasn’t a friend of yours, Mr Price?’ The smile returned to Cole’s face. ‘Was he not in reality your great close friend, and Mr O’Driscoll and Mr Kash just people you knew?’
‘No.’
Michael could tell from his body language that Price had expected this new line of questions. That he had prepared for it. His indignation was practised.
‘I bloody knew you’d say that, didn’t I?’ Price continued. ‘Well it’s bullshit. Colliver’s no mate of mine. Never ’as been. Never will be. They were my friends.’ Price pointed at the dock. ‘Right ’til I realised what a pair of psychos they are.’
‘OK.’ Cole was utterly unfazed. ‘We’ll come back to that in a moment. First though, let’s go back to your change of heart.’
‘To my what?’
‘To the thing that overcame your fear. To Terry Colliver’s arrest for a murder you knew he had not committed.’
‘What about it?’
‘Well, you say that it was his arrest that made you change your mind. That made you go to the police.’
‘Yeah.’
‘And that arrest was on the 29th of December, wasn’t it?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And you heard about it very soon after that, didn’t you?’
‘Who says I did?’
‘You did, Mr Price. In a manner of speaking. Remember earlier? When I asked when you’d heard about the murder? What did you say? According to my notes you said, “It was all over the bloody news. Everyone had heard about it. In my area, anyway.” That is what you said, isn’t it?’
No answer.
‘We can have the tape of your evidence played back if you’d like, Mr Price.’
‘Yeah, it’s what I said,’ Price hissed, his anger once again simmering under the surface. Only Levitt’s threat of a cell was keeping him in check.
‘Which must mean that just ten days later the murders were still big news. Especially since someone you knew – albeit you say you didn’t know him very well – was arrested for them. Correct?’
‘Yes.’
‘Which means that you knew about Terry Colliver’s arrest two months before you gave your statement.’
‘So what?’
‘So I’d like to know why there was such a delay. Colliver’s arrest made you overcome your fears, Mr Price. It made you come forward. Made you cooperate with the police. That’s what you’ve told us. But when we look at the timeline we see that it took two whole months to have that incredible effect. Why, Mr Price? Why did it take so long?’