Page 180

Chapter 100

‘TheCPS say nothing has changed,’ Tai-young Lee said. ‘Not enough for them to support your judge in chambers application.’

‘We have overwhelming evidence that the killer hid in the strong room,’ Poe said, exasperated. ‘What more could they possibly want?’

‘Your judge in chambers application says it was Frederick Beck who killed Elcid, not Professor Doyle.’

‘It does.’

‘The CPS won’t support bail until they have irrefutable evidence that the person hiding in the strong room was Frederick Beck. And the DNA results won’t be back for thirty-six hours. Their new position is, Professor Doyle took advantage of a burglary, not realising the burglar was still on the premises. She killed her father assuming the thief would take the blame.’

‘That’s insane.’

‘It is,’ Lee agreed, ‘but that’s not the issue.’

‘It isn’t?’

‘The real issue is the positive firearms discharge residue test. The CPS can’t support bail until that’s explained. Otherwise they risk contradicting themselves in front of the judge. They secured Miss Doyle’s remand on a series of facts. To support bail now is to admit they knew the FDR test was irrelevant.’

‘So it’s about saving face?’

‘No, it’s about anticipating what the judge will say tomorrow.’

‘And they won’t accept it’s a false positive? That she probably got it when she touched the brake pads when she changed her flat tyre?’

‘But we know she didn’t get it from her brake pads, Poe,’ she replied. ‘We had them analysed and the chemical composition doesn’t match.’

‘Those tests are open to interpretation.’

‘Which is an argument for a jury, it’s not new evidence for a JiC.’

Poe sighed.

‘I don’t believe Professor Doyle killed her father any more than you do now,’ Lee said, ‘but she didn’t get FDR on her hands from her car’s brake pads.’

‘What are you saying? That she didn’t murder her father, but shedidfire the gun that killed him? That makes no sense at all.’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ she said, ‘but if you want Professor Doyle released tomorrow, you have eighteen hours to find an alternative explanation.’

Poe looked her in the eye. ‘Then that’s what we’ll do,’ he said.