‘Tess doesn’t know you were in prison?’ asked Erika, sitting back in surprise.
‘She knows I was inside, just not, why, exactly.’
‘Why did she think you were inside?’ asked Peterson.
‘Tax fraud,’ he said, after a beat.
Jesus, thought Erika. Tess had no idea who she was married to, and I put Vicky in that house.
‘No. We haven’t told her,’ said Erika. Jasper sat back and seemed to sag in his chair.
‘Very good. We are now all aware of my client’s previous offences,’ said the solicitor. There was a tone to his voice that indicated he wanted to move on from this. Erika turned to the pinstripe suit, the upper-class accent, and saw the obvious disdain he had for the police.
‘What’s your name again?’ she asked him.
‘Martin Semple,’ he said.
Erika opened the file in front of her.
‘Mr Semple. On the 14th August 2004 the first woman, eighteen-year-old Kelly Chalk, was walking home from a night out in Brixton. Your client followed her home, and into the communal hallway where she lived. He pushed her into her flat, where he raped her. The second woman, Tina Rogers, was luckier. Your client broke in through the open window of her ground floor flat and found his way to her bedroom, but then her flatmate scared him off.’
The solicitor blustered a little and fiddled with his pen, looking down at the table.
‘As I said, we are all aware.’
‘Do you have a daughter, Mr Semple?’
‘I really don’t think this is appropriate… Detective Inspector.’
‘It’s Detective Chief Inspector,’ said Erika. ‘And I am bringing this up for a reason.’
He tilted his head in acknowledgement, but didn’t correct himself.
‘Addressing me personally is unprofessional and at worst distasteful. And I will remind you that my client is here voluntarily.’
‘Distasteful,’ repeated Erika. ‘You might want to check what side of the table you’re sitting on.’
‘Is that what this is? A game of sides?’
Jasper was now looking between Erika and his solicitor with a morbid fascination.
‘Erika. Can I have a word. Outside?’ asked Peterson. She saw the look of concern on his face. She nodded.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked when they were out in the corridor. Erika leant against the wall, and folded her arms.
‘Have you read the case file?’
‘Not all of it. It’s been a very busy day,’ said Peterson, on the defensive.
‘Okay, well, Kelly Chalk, the young woman he raped, was just eighteen. A student. She’d only left home three weeks before… The second woman, Tina Rogers, had grown up in care. She had no family there to support her at the time or afterwards. Jasper was educated at a very good fee-paying school, he has a family, people who care about him. His psych report mentions that he had – has – sadistic tendencies. James, I brought Vicky back to London to answer questions, I promised she would be safe, and then I go and stick her in a house with a fucking convicted rapist!’
‘You didn’t know he was a convicted rapist. And he’s telling us that he didn’t stay at the house.’
‘Come on, James! That’s pending the results of some crappy CCTV cameras at Goose. I should have checked the family out sooner. What if Vicky was close to finding out who this serial attacker was in the student halls, or she found out it was Jasper?’
‘That’s a big leap without any other evidence.’
‘But it’s a question we should ask.’
‘Yes, but he’s also one question away from walking out. Erika, he’s here voluntarily with a fancy schmancy solicitor,’ said Peterson. He put his hand on her arm. ‘I hope I’m not talking out of turn here.’
Erika put her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes.
‘No, of course not. You’re right, I need more evidence. It just burns that his solicitor thought I didn’t have the right to bring up Jasper’s past convictions for violence against women!’
‘It’s relevant, but Jasper’s done his time for that,’ said Peterson. He put his hands up in the air. ‘I’m not making excuses, I’m just saying, he didn’t get away with it.’
‘He got six years! That’s nothing in a seventy-five-year life expectancy. It’s taken me longer to save up for a bloody deposit to buy my house,’ said Erika.
‘And what’s your point?’
‘Surely saving up for a mortgage deposit shouldn’t take longer than a prison sentence for rape.’