Thomas Murdoch can ‘no comment’ all he likes; he has an extensive criminal record and a bag full of heroin, and he will be going to prison for a long time.
As for the five pensioners, Jill doesn’t imagine Thomas Murdoch will be volunteering that information in court.
Jill, out of professional duty, had asked Donna what the real story was, and Donna had told her that Thomas Murdoch was a romance fraudster who stole money from lonely old people, and that was a good enough answer to ensure that Jill had no further questions.
She has her heroin back; her job is saved. She also has her coat and gloves on, because she is sharing a bottle of wine with Chris and Donna in the freezing Portakabin.
‘It wasn’t Mitch Maxwell or Dom Holt,’ she says. ‘They were both being followed throughout. Including the night of Kuldesh’s murder.’
‘Luca Buttaci?’ Donna asks.
‘It wasn’t Luca Buttaci,’ Jill replies, knocking back her wine.
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘Certain,’ says Jill. ‘He was at my place.’
‘Jesus,’ says Donna.
‘Jesus,’ says Jill.
‘I can sort of see it though,’ says Donna, and Jill manages a small smile.
‘So you’ve broken into a warehouse,’ says Jill, gesturing with her wine glass in gloved hand. ‘You’ve aided and abetted tampering with a crime scene and withheld evidence in a criminal investigation, and I’ve been shagging a key witness, which makes us all about even, I’d say.’
‘How do you feel about him being thrown off a car park?’ asks Donna.
‘I suspect I’ll move on,’ says Jill. ‘Thank you both for saving my job.’
‘Ma’am,’ says Donna with a tiny salute.
‘And you’ll help us?’ says Chris.
‘I think that’s fair,’ says Jill.
‘You must have looked into rival dealers?’ says Chris. ‘Someone who’d like to get their hands on the drugs?’
‘Mitch and Luca have got no rivals down here,’ says Jill. ‘Not for heroin anyway.’
‘Someone new trying to muscle in?’ says Chris.
‘I just don’t know who else would have been aware of the shipment,’ says Jill.
‘And the Afghans are on the hunt too?’ says Donna.
‘Honestly no idea why,’ says Jill. ‘Maybe worried the police are on to them?’
‘It’s been responsible for a lot of deaths,’ says Chris. ‘Kuldesh, Dom Holt. Luca thrown off the car park, Samantha Barnes pushed downstairs. Someone killed them all. And all for that little bag of heroin. Ridiculous.’
It is fair to say that Garth has the attention of the room. He puts down his gun and takes a seat.
‘Sit down, Mitch,’ he says. ‘Let me ask all of you a question.’
Mitch takes a seat.
‘I asked Mitch earlier,’ says Garth, ‘did no one think it was odd? That everyone was running around after this heroin?’
‘Don’t people run around after heroin?’ asks Joyce.
‘A hundred grand though,’ says Garth. ‘That’s worth all this effort, all these deaths?’
‘I needed –’ starts Mitch.
‘I know why
‘I just figured … greed? I don’t know,’ says Mitch. ‘I didn’t really think about it.’
‘So why were you chasing it?’ asks Ron. ‘Like blue-arsed flies, the lot of you.’
‘Can anyone guess?’ Garth asks, looking around the room.
Elizabeth looks up. ‘I can guess.’
‘Go on,’ says Garth.
‘There was one big thing I honestly couldn’t understand,’ says Elizabeth. ‘Why on earth did Stephen agree to help Kuldesh? To sell heroin? Kuldesh wouldn’t ask, and Stephen wouldn’t agree. And when did Kuldesh suddenly decide he knew how to organize a drug deal? That was another thing that bothered me.’
‘I bet it did,’ says Garth.
‘That little box of heroin, coming into the country,’ says Elizabeth, ‘destroyed everything and everyone in its path. People were so desperate to find it, and Kuldesh was so desperate to hide it, and I can see only one reason. It wasn’t about the heroin at all.’
Garth nods, and lets her finish.
‘It was about the box.’
‘By George, I think she’s got it,’ says Garth.
‘The box?’ asks Ron.
‘You must have seen it at our lunch, Garth,’ says Elizabeth. ‘On Mitch’s phone?’
‘We nearly didn’t come to the lunch,’ says Garth, ‘but Samantha had a feeling about you all, and she was kinda interested in heroin. But the second we saw that box, we forgot all about the heroin. It’s the most beautiful thing I ever saw. I’m glad Samantha saw it before she died. Six thousand years old, can you believe that? Made from bone, not terracotta. And carved with the eye of the devil.’
‘I did notice some markings,’ says Joyce. ‘Now you mention it.’
‘Pull the other one, Joyce,’ says Ron.
‘These things were looted,’ says Garth. ‘Hundreds of years ago. From Egypt –’
‘Ooh,’ says Ibrahim.
