Page 132 of The Killer’s Mark

Chapter 109

Towler drove. Poe sat in the back with Océane. He put in his AirPods and called Bradshaw to discuss their options. The evidence Océane had taken with her from New York was compelling, but he’d been a cop long enough to know that when its chain of custody, its veracity, and the witness herself were challenged by two-grand-an-hour lawyers, it wouldn’t see the inside of a courtroom. It would be hearsay, fruit of the poisoned tree. The desperate lies of a murderer. He thought their best bet was to put a package together, make it as damning as they could, then show it to the Red Chamber and call their bluff. Tell them they were going public. And if that didn’t work, it should at least get them close enough for Towler to send in his boys.

Bradshaw was uncharacteristically non-responsive.

‘What is it, Tilly?’

‘I don’t think your plan will work, Poe.’

‘It’ll work. I’ll make it work.’

‘But what if it doesn’t?’

‘Then we give Matt the green light.’

Towler whooped from the driver’s seat. Banged the steering wheel in excitement.

‘That’s a short-term solution, Poe,’ Bradshaw said. ‘You know that. You said that.’

Poe had. It didn’t matter. Going public was plan A, Towler was plan B. He didn’t have a plan C. ‘It’s all we have at the moment,’ he said. ‘But we’ll keep thinking.’

But it turned out thinking was all Bradshaw had been doing for the last seven hours. Thinking and planning. Planning and thinking. And she’d had an idea. She said his plan and Towler’s plan sucked, but she had one that didn’t. She said it was audacious and it wasn’t a short-term fix. It was a permanent solution.

But she wouldn’t tell Poe what it was.

He asked why. She said it was morally bankrupt. That it had implications far beyond their own predicament. He said she should tell him anyway. He reminded her that Estelle had said there were no rules when it came to getting Esmerée back. Nothing was off limits. But still she wouldn’t say what it was. Didn’t matter how he asked.

Eventually he lost his temper, something he rarely did with Bradshaw. ‘Tilly, tell me what your bloody idea is!’

Bradshaw was silent for a moment. ‘OK, Poe,’ she said. ‘But don’t be disappointed with me. I would hate that.’

Which was oil on his water. Calmed him down immediately. ‘I won’t be disappointed with you, Tilly. Ever.’

‘Do you promise?’

‘Cross my heart.’

‘OK then,’ she said. ‘But please remember that although this is a bad thing, it comes from a good place.’

‘Nothing’s off limits, Tilly.’

‘You might change your mind when you hear my idea.’

Poe almost changed his mind. Almost. When Bradshaw finished explaining what she wanted to do, his only response was ‘Crikey’. She’d said her plan was audacious, but he thought another word fitted it better. And that word was ‘horrific’. He said, ‘Crikey’ again.

‘What?’ Towler said.

‘Tilly’s had an idea. It’s … different.’

‘Good different or bad different?’

Poe didn’t answer. He handed Towler one of his AirPods.

‘Tell Matt, Tilly. He has the morals of an alley cat. If he thinks it’s too much, we can have a rethink.’

Bradshaw explained her idea again. It sounded much worse the second time Poe heard it.

‘You can do that?’ Towler asked when she’d finished.