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Chapters (70)
  1. Cover
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  3. Map of Rutland
  4. Map of Oakham
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
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  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. On Borrowed Time
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. Adam Croft

Although she could see the sense in what Aidan was saying, Caroline had been sure since the moment she set eyes on Patrick Walsh that he was her man. So far, nothing had dissuaded her from that notion. On the contrary, every time they unpicked another piece of information, it seemed to lead them one step closer to him. There was nothing conclusive, but to Caroline that was only a sign that Patrick Walsh had covered his footprints well. To get any closer, they needed to put him in the spotlight, find the holes in his defence and pick it apart until he had no choice but to tell them what had happened.

‘I hear what you’re saying, Aidan, but I’ve made a decision. Arrest Walsh on suspicion of murder. Bring him in.’

40

Although there were many questions Caroline wanted to ask Patrick Walsh, some of them would have to wait.

The process of the formal police interview under caution was always much the same, regardless of the suspect. The first interview was designed to elicit the basic facts, regardless of what they already knew to be true. The idea was to give the suspect enough rope to hang themselves with. Even if they knew damn well where they’d been at the moment the crime was committed, it was far more advantageous to ask them where they were than to tell them. The second interview could then be used to reveal the evidence which would prove they’d lied in their first interview. At this point, the pressure would be applied in the hope of the suspect admitting the truth under the pressure of growing and overwhelming evidence.

She chose to conduct the interview herself, with Dexter sitting alongside her. Walsh had opted to attend the interview on his own, without a solicitor or legal representation. This was something many suspects did, presumably in an attempt to give the impression that they had nothing to hide. In reality, it did the complete opposite. An innocent person arrested for murder doesn’t try to wriggle out of it on their own; they immediately call a solicitor and seek the best legal advice possible to clear their name. Walsh’s approach smacked of arrogance, and Caroline didn’t like it one bit.

Walsh sailed through the first interview, claiming he was at home at the time Roger Clifton was murdered — something they now knew to be untrue. He also claimed he had no intimate connection with Alice Clifton, and knew the family only through their involvement with Empingham Methodist Church. Caroline had seen with her own eyes that this was also a lie.