Page 53 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘They’ve charged him?’ Freya asked, incredulously.

‘They had to. He admitted it.’

‘What?’

Freya opened the door to the main part of the station and stormed down the corridor to the CID incident room. She was halfway down when her name was called. She turned and saw DC Chris Tyler coming out of the toilets.

‘Chris, please tell me it’s wrong,’ she said, a hopeful look on her face.

He shook his head. He looked physically ill. ‘Freya, it was a mess, a complete car crash. I had to leave the interview room. Bishop was promising him all sorts to get him to admit to killing Alice.’

‘What happened?’

Chris pulled Freya into an empty side room and closed the door behind them, so they’d have a modicum of privacy.

‘At first, Bishop was telling him, if he admitted it, he’d let him go to the toilet and have something to eat, but Anthony wasn’t having any of it. He was adamant he didn’t kill Alice. The thing is, Anthony’s mother’s been in reception for hours and Bishop used that against him. He said that, if he said he killed Alice, he’d let him see his mum and they could all have a nice cup of tea. You should have seen Anthony’s face, Freya. He honestly thought he’d be able to go home if he admitted it.’

‘So, what did Anthony say?’

‘Bishop was putting all kinds of words into his mouth. He kept saying things like, you were turned on after watching the prostitutes have sex and saw Alice in the woods sheltering from the storm and you took advantage. Anthony just went along with everything Bishop said. Osborne’s taking it all down word for word then Anthony signs it.’

‘Couldn’t you have stopped them?’

‘You are joking! I’m a DC. I’ve only been here a few months. There was nothing I could do.’

Freya was about to ask another question when the sound of screaming from out in the corridor stopped her. She opened the door and they both stepped out to see what was happening.

At the far end of the corridor, Anthony Winstanley was being manhandled by four uniformed officers. Anthony was screaming and crying.

‘You promised me I could see my mum! You said you’d let me see my mum!’ he screamed.

Anthony slammed his feet on the floor, refusing to move. A police officer grabbed each of his arms and began to drag him along the floor. He was dead weight, and he was kicking out.

‘I want my mum. You promised me! You promised me I’d be able to see her when I signed.’

‘Jesus Christ, look at that. He’s fucking pissed himself,’ one of the officers said. The other three laughed.

‘I can’t watch this,’ Freya said, turning away.

‘They wouldn’t let him go to the toilet,’ Chris added.

‘This is wrong. This is completely wrong.’

‘You promised me a cup of tea and said I’d be able to see my mum!’ Anthony screamed. ‘Where are you taking me? I want to go home. You said I could go home.’

Freya closed her eyes tight and leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face. Chris went over to her and put his arm around her.

‘I can’t say one hundred per cent that he didn’t do it. I don’t know. I wasn’t there. But from talking to his colleagues, and in my own heart, I feel he’s innocent, Chris,’ she said.

‘If it’s any consolation, I think he’s innocent, too.’

‘We can’t let Bishop get away with this. What he’s doing to that man is wrong.’

Further up the corridor, DI Bishop stepped out of the CID suite with DS Osborne and DC Ritter in tow.

‘Sir. DI Bishop, can I have a word?’ Freya asked, running up to him.

‘What is it?’