Page 187
Chapter 106
Thejudge in chambers bail application hearing was a formality. The judge asked some searching questions of Poe and Ania Kierczynska, but his most barbed ones were aimed at Tai-young Lee and the CPS solicitor. He asked why the murder charge wasn’t being dropped, but the CPS solicitor stood his ground and said they would wait until the DNA found in the strong room was confirmed as Frederick Beck’s. Lee glared at him, not wanting to be any part of some bullshit face-saving exercise.
‘I am ordering Professor Doyle’s immediate release on bail,’ the judge said. ‘I understand she has a property in Newcastle?’
‘Yes, your honour,’ Ania replied.
‘I will bail her to that address then and, in light of the CPS refusing to drop the murder charge, I will require her to be electronically monitored.’
‘I’m sure she won’t mind wearing a tag, your honour.’
‘No,’ Poe said. The judge peered over his reading glasses. ‘Your honour,’ Poe added.
‘This is a generous offer, Sergeant Poe. She is only required to be at this address from nine p.m. to six a.m. She can continue with her work, take a walk, eat at a restaurant.’
‘It’s a death sentence, your honour.’
Poe spent five minutes outlining how Frederick Beck had circumnavigated every security measure they had taken so far.
‘Do you have an alternative suggestion?’
‘Actually, I do,’ he said.
Ania Kierczynska was the only one allowed into HMP Low Newton when they collected Doyle. There had been some paperwork to sortout, but Poe had shouted at the governor until he’d promised to expedite it. Immediately after the judge’s ruling, Poe and Bradshaw drove into Newcastle city centre to buy Doyle some clothes, toiletries and a new mobile. Poe didn’t want her going back to her flat in case Beck had been there, and nothing Bradshaw owned was suitable. It wasn’t a straightforward shopping trip. Poe hadn’t realised women’s clothing came in sizes more sophisticated than small, medium and large, and Bradshaw bought all her clothes online. In the end, he had sent Bradshaw into a boutique shop that had a mannequin dressed in fishnet stockings and a red corset in the window, and told her to buy five hundred pounds worth of clothes.
Poe had handed Ania a pair of navy-blue jeans, a black T-shirt with a brightly coloured sugar skull design on the front, a pair of Converse trainers, socks and underwear. He hoped it would all fit.
They had a journey to make.
At Poe’s suggestion, the judge had bailed Doyle into his care. Until the CPS officially dropped the charges, wherever Poe was, Doyle would have to be as well.
‘And she will agree to this?’ the judge had asked.
‘I think so,’ Poe had replied.
‘She definitely will,’ Bradshaw had said.
‘Very well. I hereby bail Professor Doyle to Sergeant Poe’s care. You are to let the local police force know the address you’re staying at and you must accept planned and unplanned checks. Is this acceptable?’
‘It is, your honour,’ Poe had said.
It was ten past three when Ania and Doyle finally walked out of the prison gates. Poe was relieved to see the clothes they’d picked for her fitted. The trousers were a bit baggy, and the T-shirt was a bit tight, but he thought they’d done OK.
Ania walked Doyle to Poe’s car, hugged her goodbye, then headed back into the prison. She had another client to see. Poe got out and opened the back door for Doyle. She got in without catching his eye. She looked tired, like her battery had been leaching energy.Poe doubted she’d slept more than two hours a night since being remanded.
He started the engine then adjusted the rear-view mirror so he could see her.
‘Ania’s explained you’ve been bailed to my care, Estelle?’
Doyle nodded.
‘We need to go back to London,’ he continued. ‘That case I was telling you about, it’s linked to the murder of your father somehow.’
‘Ania told me,’ she said, her voice low and flat.
She looked down and began to sob.
Poe and Bradshaw glanced at each other, unsure what to do. Poe passed his handkerchief over his shoulder.
‘It’s clean,’ he said. ‘Well, cleanish.’
‘Thank you, Poe.’
She wiped her eyes and, although they were still wet, Poe saw the defiance he had expected. Prison hadn’t broken her. He passed her a brown paper bag.
‘You must be hungry,’ he said. ‘Tilly and I stopped off at that Italian restaurant in Newcastle that you like. There’s crostini and some of those rock-hard biscuits. We told the manager it was for you and he refused to let us pay. Said everyone there is missing you.’
She peered into the bag. ‘I can’t thank you enough,’ she said quietly.
But this time she didn’t cry.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187 (Reading here)
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231