Chapter 20

"Rosemary Bateman," a Police officer said as he approached a small desk in the clinical custody suite. "Arrested for using forged money to pay a debt to a gymnasium."

Rosie shook her head and looked at the stout man behind the desk. "But I didn't know it was forged. He didn't tell me it wasn't real. I didn't do anything."

He looked at the two arresting officers and they shrugged. "She's been like this since we turned up. Swore blind there was a guy upstairs who had given her the money but there was no-one and no sign of anyone."

"There was," Rosie screamed and the man frowned and pointed a finger at her.

"Ssshhhh, save it for the interview and the judge. Now, name?"

"What?" A tearful Rosie asked.

"Name? What's ya name, love?"

Rosie sobbed and rubbed her eyes before giving all the details the Custody Sergeant needed to book her into a cell. She rang her boss, Sammy Reynolds, but there was no answer and she cried as she left a message on his mobile phone. She howled as she was thrown into Cell 7 – a cold, eerie room containing a raised mattress, a toilet and a small sink and she slouched down on the mattress and burst into tears.

Just what had Ian got her involved in? He had said he was running away from his angry father and had managed to get her arrested: all she had done was to offer him sanctuary, a hot dinner and a night of uncomplicated sex, was that so wrong?

Rosie sobbed for two hours, frequently wiping her eyes as the cell door opened and a young suited man came in. He held out his hand and she looked up to see him smile. "Sorry I'm a little late, your family sent us. Martin Wheeler from Parkin, Fox and Carver." She looked blankly at him and he cleared his throat. "Solicitors."

Rosie gave a relieved sigh. "Oh sorry."

"It's OK," the young man soothed. "It's fine, we need to go through with you what happened."

Rosie took a deep breath and began to explain about Jamie coming over the wall, the story and the money he had given her, although she told the young Martin Wheeler that she had been lent the money not given. He nodded, and slid his finger through his short black hair, nodding as she spoke and taking notes.

"Well I reckon the Police won't want to prosecute," he told her. "There is no evidence you knew anything about the forgery of the money and they will want to know a name if you have one."

"Ian," she cried. "Ian Richards. I told them this and they have a description"

Martin licked his lips and took a deep breath. "You see, I've been thinking. I reckon you were found by a guy on the run. Someone running from someone."

"Yeah, his Dad."

"Right, well I have had a look at people in the age range," he said and showed her a dozen pages of photos printed from a desktop printer. "Sorry about the quality."

"He had blonde hair," Rosie told him and he interrupted her. "And was running away from his Dad 'cos he split up with a girl. Oh, and he had never had asparagus."

Martin sighed and then pursed his lips. "Don't think I have any files on when was the first time someone had asparagus." Rosie gave a nervous giggle and then he looked at her. "These come from the Missing Persons Database and Crimestoppers but ignore the hair, you can cut or die hair. Look at the faces, the eyes and the ears and the like."

Rosie shrieked. "Crimestoppers?" Rosie returned to the first couple of pages and she called out excitedly. "Him, that's him."

"What?"

"There. He has blonde hair now, but that's him."

"You sure?"

"I had sex with him," Rosie replied and then apologised for being crude. "Yes that is definitely him."

Martin adjusted his tie and looked at her. "James Prutton," he read. "Wonder what he did."

Rosie looked at Martin. "You mean to say I let a dangerous criminal into the house and, oh my God, into my bed. I'm so stupid."

Martin touched the emotional girl on the arm. "Well I can sort out this. They will want a formal interview with you but I will be in with you and we will just explain what happened with the money and the guy and they should let you go. On bail at least."

"Bail?" Rosie shrieked and he squeezed her hand. "Sorry. You must think I am really stupid."

Martin smiled. "We all make mistakes," he cooed and then looked into her eyes. "We all do silly things. You trusted a stranger, it's not the worst mistake to make, is it?"

He got up as the door was opened and looked to see the Custody Sergeant in the doorway. "They are ready for you."

"Excellent," Martin said and held out his hand to the young Rosie. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Martin guided the young girl through the Police interview and let her explain about the man jumping over the wall and who they thought he was. The Police officers looked surprised when she claimed he was one of the most wanted men in England and had been in her bedroom only three hours previous but they suspended the interview and left to phone an Inspector Williamson 200 miles away.

An hour later, Rosie was back at the house with it being dusted for fingerprints and Martin was squeezing her hand. "See, I told you," he told her and she bit her lip. "Told you it would all work out in the end."

"Thank you," she muttered back and looked at his deep blue eyes and smiling face. "You are so clever."

He pursed his lips. "Well it helps if your client isn't guilty," he told her and gave a sigh. "Even trainees like me can cope with clients who are clearly innocent."

Rosie laughed and they watched the final crime of scene officer finish and remove a fingerprint. Rosie looked back at Martin who rubbed his nose nervously. "Well as you have no further need for me, if you want me I'll leave you my card."

Rosie took a deep breath and nodded as he slid a business card from his wallet. "I don't want to be left alone in this house," she muttered. "I think he will come back."

Martin squeezed her hand and looked into her gaze. "He scarpered when the Police came. He won't come back to the scene of his crime."

"He might," Rosie said mournfully and Martin checked his watch. "If you don't have anything to do I'd like you to stay the night." She cocked her head and she raised her eyebrows. "In the spare room."

"Well I was going to see the Vagina Monologues," he told her and she rubbed her hands. "My brother and this girl he is chasing want to see it and didn't want to go alone so I have been roped in."

"Oh that's my favourite," Rosie said instantly. "It's so funny and well, could I come too?"

Martin tried hard not to smile. "Of course. I don't suppose a meal at the pub is out of the question then?" Martin asked and the tired girl smiled for the first time that day.

"No," she grinned. "It most definitely is not."

"I still don't get it Sir," the Sergeant muttered as he swirled his tea around the mug. "I mean the statue was fake so did Doszak buy fakes or did he have copies made."

Richard sighed and looked out over the court gallery. "I've been wondering about that. I mean the guys reckoned it was one of the best copies they'd ever seen. Probably good enough to fool most auction houses. But I don't know. I can't see Doszak buying a fake and he did buy it at auction. I guess we'll know eventually."

"So is that it for the robbery investigation?" He asked. "I see you're running the other one."

The Inspector shrugged. "You know, I just don't know. I can't help feeling that, along with DI Hargreaves' undercover operation that they trampled on, Oliver and his friends may have hindered something Jaroslav wanted to do and he is going to punish 'em for it. We can't chase them forever and we got one of the little blighters. All credit to 'em though, they got in and got out again, and got free, even with us chasing them."

The Sergeant licked his lips and took a deep breath. "Sort of makes you wonder if they would have done it if they knew we were watching the 'ouse."

"Yeah, well, we weren't watching the gate were we? If they had come through the front we would have 'ad 'em."

"And if we knew the statues were fake we wouldn't have put loads of officers on it, would we? Probably would have got away with it."

"Probably not," the Inspector said idly. "But we caught him," he said, pointing towards Oliver and then rubbed his nose. "And the other two are on a wanted list but there's no point going for 'em. They could come back and as long as they don't get arrested they'd never get caught."

The Sergeant looked around the mostly empty Gallery. "No Doszak here then?"

"No. But then Doszak will be trying to catch up with them and I am not sure that is better. They dropped him in it."

The Sergeant smiled. "Yeah, 'cos thanks to them, Alice got to call us, we got to snoop around Doszak's house while Doszak was flying back from the Ukraine," the Sergeant replied. "Wonder if the young lad knows what a favour he did for us?"

"Probably not," chuckled the Inspector. "Nice having new people up here wasn't it?"

The Sergeant smiled. "Yeah, how is old Alice?"

"Back in Devon now. I spoke to her last week. Walking the beat in her little village again. She didn't like being undercover at the Manor, being housekeeper for a Ukrainian gangster, said it scared her. But she did a good job for us."