‘And?’

‘Well, that’s almost three weeks after you first received the evidence. After you first received the police summary that named Darren O’Driscoll, and which therefore allowed you to finally tell the truth.’

‘What?’ Colliver’s anger seemed to have dissipated. Exhausted by Michael’s relentless reasoning.

‘I want to know why it took you so long? Once you knew you could justifiably give a statement naming Darren O’Driscoll? Because the police already suspected him. Why, then, did it take you so long to do so? Why did it take you three weeks?’

Colliver looked towards Epstein for guidance. The prosecutor’s eyes were cast downwards. There was no one else there to help.

‘Are you going to answer the question, Mr Colliver?’

Colliver directed a gaze of pure hatred at Michael.

‘I just did. OK? I just did.’

‘Really? That’s the best you’re going to do?’

Epstein began to rise to his feet. Slowly. The prosecutor clearly had little enthusiasm left. Michael waved Epstein down before he was fully up.

‘I’ll move on,’ Michael promised. He returned his attention to Colliver. ‘The fact is, Mr Colliver, you couldn’t put the blame on Darren O’Driscoll immediately because Darren O’Driscoll didn’t act alone, did he?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Darren O’Driscoll acted with you. Exactly as the police suspected in their summary, but exactly as they couldn’t prove.’

‘Darren O’Driscoll did this with Simon Kash.’ The clarity of Colliver’s words were overshadowed by his aggressive tone.

‘But you knew how badly the police wanted Darren, didn’t you?’

‘It was Darren.’

‘You knew that they wanted him so badly that it could be your ticket out if you gave him to them.’

‘That ain’t right. That’s a lie.’

‘But the police knew it was two men, didn’t they? So to get yourself off the hook someone else had to be that second man. You needed a patsy.’

‘All I did was tell the truth.’

‘So you took three weeks and you studied the evidence. You looked at everything the police had – all presented to you in the case papers – and you used it to find someone else you could put in your place.’

‘That’s not true. I’ve told the truth.’ Colliver was sounding increasingly desperate.

‘And you found Simon Kash. The bullied kid who did exactly what you later claimed to have done yourself.’

‘Kash? Bullied? Are you ’aving a laugh?’

‘You found that the telephone evidence could be interpreted as placing Simon Kash nearby, and you used it to put him in your place.’

‘I didn’t put Kash in anyone’s place. He’s a fuckin’ lunatic. I, I—’

‘And in turn you put yourself in Simon Kash’s place.’

‘No. Kash did it. Kash n’ Darren, but if anything Kash was—’

‘You and Darren O’Driscoll killed the Galloway brothers, didn’t you?’

‘Are you fuckin’ mad? Why won’t you listen to me?’

‘Because you’re lying, Mr Colliver,’ Michael replied. He was genuinely surprised that Colliver was now trying to make Simon Kash seem so enthusiastic a partner to O’Driscoll. It seemed desperate. ‘Because it was the two of you. Big, violent young men. And then when it was done Darren O’Driscoll called Simon Kash – a kid used to being bullied by you all – and ordered him to collect you both from the scene. Isn’t that right?’