O’Duncie grabbed a corner of the sheet and wiped his nose before pulling on a pair of black Cuban-heeled boots and lastly an ankle-length brown-suede trench coat. Gibbs then put the handcuffs on and led him downstairs.
As O’Duncie was led out to the police car Jane could see how swollen and bloody his nose was, but she didn’t dare ask what happened, she was just relieved that she wasn’t in the bedroom when it did. Bradfield spoke with Jane who informed him that the young girl who’d been in bed with O’Duncie was adamant she was eighteen.
‘I think she’s lying, and she’s given me a stupid name, Flower Summer, so do we take her in?’
‘No grounds. She may be full of bullshit, not to mention drugs, but we can check her description and see if she’s been reported missing by her parents. When we get back to the station inform Social Services about the squat and that there may be underage girls and runaways dossing down here.’
O’Duncie sat in subdued silence the entire way back to the station. Gibbs was handcuffed to him on one side and Bradfield sat on the other having told Jane to sit in the front of the patrol car. O’Duncie wore some kind of musk oil which permeated the car and Bradfield opened a window.
At the station Gibbs and Jane took O’Duncie to the custody area to be booked in. He was asked if he wanted to make a phone call but declined stating that it was pointless as he’d been ‘done up like a kipper’ and quipped that he couldn’t afford a solicitor as they had all his money.
Just before they were to interrogate O’Duncie, DS Gibbs received a phone call that took the wind out of him. He caught Bradfield about to head into his office.
‘Need a word, guv – it’s urgent – before we have a go at him.’
‘Listen, Spence, I don’t want to waste any more time. What for Chrissake is so important?’
‘I just got a call from Manchester CID – I’d sent a telex asking them to check all the aliases I had for the name Josh against drug dealers and anyone known as Big Daddy.’
There was an instant look of concern on Bradfield’s face as he glared at Gibbs who licked his lips and continued.
‘A Joshua Richards was arrested in Moss Side two weeks ago for GBH. He’s six foot five, built like a stallion and well known locally as Big Daddy, not just because of his size: he has six kids all by different women. He’s also a big-time drug dealer who runs between Manchester and London.’
‘So Richards was probably supplying Julie Ann.’
‘Yes, and probably Terry O’Duncie, but not for the last two weeks.’
‘What?’
‘Richards didn’t get bail from the Manchester Court as they found a fuckin’ Kalashnikov in the boot of his car along with LSD tabs. It means he’s in the clear for Julie Ann’s and Eddie’s murders-’
‘And Terry isn’t Big Daddy.’ Bradfield sighed shaking his head, and then shrugged before continuing.
‘Richards is in the clear, and so by the looks of it is Dwayne Clark, so the positive side is Terry O’Duncie is now our strongest and most likely suspect for murder… so let’s go and put the pressure on him.’
The custody sergeant took O’Duncie up to Bradfield’s office for an interview, but kept his hands cuffed just in case he played up, though he seemed reasonably relaxed and asked if he could have a coffee.
Bradfield was standing by his office window looking out onto Lower Clapton Road as Gibbs waited for the sergeant to leave the room. O’Duncie was sipping a beaker of coffee, his eyes flicking from one officer to the other.
‘You gonna take these cuffs off me?’ He raised his handcuffed wrists, and Gibbs got the nod from Bradfield to unlock them.
‘You’re bang to rights for the drugs, but I want you to tell me what you know about these two kids,’ Bradfield said as he dropped Julie Ann’s and Eddie Phillips’ photographs in front of O’Duncie who looked at them briefly.
‘Who are they?’
‘Don’t play games, we know your sister Anjali sent them to Dwayne Clark’s address and he brought them to meet you at Primrose Hill.’
‘My sister is a fuckin’ nutter. If she has put me in trouble then I am not gonna take it. The bitch is just wanting money, she’s a hypochondriac, sick in the head, so whatever she’s told you will be a pack of lies cos I wouldn’t give her any cash. I dunno a Dwayne or how many kids hang out at the house, they come and go all the time… maybe I seen these two, but I dunno for sure. You should ask the others.’
‘We did but it seems they have dodgy memories like you, so start thinking hard, Terry, because these two were murdered and I reckon you were involved.’
‘On my life I dunno anything about any murders. I wasn’t even at the squat when they were killed.’
Bradfield and Gibbs looked at each other with a wry smile and Gibbs leaned forward close to O’Duncie.
‘For someone who wears all the flash gear and tries to look and act the part of a big man you’re actually pretty dumb. Neither me nor the guv mentioned when the murders happened. With Dwayne Clark, were you?’
‘I told ya I dunno him.’
