Lynda Plante - Tennison

‘Shut up and stop moaning,’ Gibbs said and dragged him across the room by the collar before banging him down onto the chair.

Bradfield stood over him. ‘Right, you piece of scum, I want some answers, and by that I mean the truth... no lies. Do I make myself clear?’

Eddie pointed at DS Gibbs. ‘He’s just given me a hard time in an interview and I don’t know nothing more than I already told ya. I wanna speak to a solicitor. I know my—’

Eddie’s head flew forward from the unexpected slap Bradfield gave him to the back of his head.

‘Don’t start quoting Judge’s Rules and arrest rights to me or next time it’ll be more than a gentle tap I give you. Do you understand me?’

Eddie was rubbing his whiplashed neck. ‘Yes, all right.’

‘That man in the suit who just left, you know him?’

‘No.’

‘He acted as if he’d seen you before.’

‘I’ve never seen him in me fuckin’ life.’

Gibbs, who was taking notes, leant over to Bradfield and whispered that the detectives who visited Mr Collins yesterday for a statement had shown him a picture of Eddie.

‘Why the fuck didn’t they tell me in the meeting so I didn’t waste my time!’ Bradfield snarled.

Eddie was still rubbing his neck. ‘This is all makin’ me grandmother sick, you lot showing up in yer patrol cars is frightnin’ the life out of her — she’s seventy-eight years old and got angina... it’s doin’ her head in.’

‘That the same granny that told my detectives to fuck off, is it? Taking in a junkie like you must be what’s doing her head in. Did she also take in Julie Ann, did she stay with you at your grandma’s?’

‘No. Me gran don’t like drugs and I respect that so I never does them in her flat. I also don’t take other addicts in cos I know they’ll try and nick stuff.’

Gibbs laughed. ‘Yeah, like you never have, Eddie.’

Gibbs explained to Bradfield that Eddie had told him Julie Ann either used squats or slept rough, and that the squat on the Pembridge was where he’d ‘shoot up’ heroin and had first met Julie Ann. He had only known her for a few months and never seen her around Hackney before that. Bradfield asked Eddie if he knew where she’d been staying before he met her and he said that he didn’t know, but from what she did say he thought she had run away from home.

‘Did she speak about her parents?’

‘Her mum sometimes. She said she missed her but didn’t want to go home.’

‘Why not?’

‘I don’t know and I didn’t ask.’

‘Did she ever talk about her dad?’ Bradfield asked and Eddie shook his head.

‘Who did she call from the doctor’s office on the last day you saw her?’

‘I don’t know.’

Bradfield nodded to Gibbs who slapped the back of Eddie’s head. ‘That’s a lie — you were keeping lookout while she was in the office and got caught,’ Gibbs said.

Eddie squealed. ‘OK, OK, lay off with the slaps as I can’t think straight.’

He admitted that he was keeping watch, walking up and down and checking round the corner that no one was coming, so he didn’t hear who she called or what was said, and then O’Duncie the tea lady had caught them.

Bradfield asked if Julie Ann had ever mentioned anyone called Paddy who she wanted money from.

Eddie said the name wasn’t familiar and Bradfield asked if it could be a drug dealer or pimp she was using.

Eddie paused and looked nervously at Bradfield who could sense he was hiding something.

‘Cough it up, Eddie.’

Eddie picked at his spots, refusing to look up. ‘I can’t.’

‘Then I’ll charge you for withholding evidence in a murder investigation, you’ll be remanded in custody and do cold turkey in prison. I’ll also make sure your cell mates think you’re a grass and use you as a punchbag.’

Eddie was shaking like a leaf and couldn’t look them in the eye.

‘Not to mention some inmates like to shag young boys,’ Gibbs added.

Eddie looked up at Bradfield. ‘There was a dealer she spoke about called Big Daddy, but I don’t know if it was him she called. Sometimes she paid him cash and other times she let him have sex for drugs.’

‘What’s he look like and where can I find him?’

‘Honestly I don’t know... I’ve never met or seen him. She said he had a mate called Dwayne and Big Daddy made her do sex with them both at the same time. I’m being honest — that’s all Julie Ann told me.’

‘Did Big Daddy or Dwayne drive a red Jag like the one you saw her get into?’

Gibbs interjected and said that Eddie had been looking through the Jag brochures just before he brought him into the office. Bradfield asked if the car was like the XJ6 or 12.

‘Shit, I only saw it for a few seconds. I dunno now for sure if it was a Jag, but it was definitely red and as I’ve said over and over I didn’t see the driver and I’ve never seen Big Daddy or Dwayne. It’s not like me and Julie Ann was together all the fuckin’ time.’

Bradfield rocked back in his chair, lit two cigarettes and handed one to Eddie who thanked him and took a long slow drag.

Bradfield stood up and indicated for Gibbs to join him in the far corner of the room. Eddie puffed on the cigarette, hunching his shoulders and staring at their backs, but he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

‘What you reckon, Spence? Is Big Daddy real or a name he’s made up to appease us?’

‘Probably real, but I think he knows more about him, and understandably he’s scared shitless... especially if Big D murdered our victim. We could slap him round the room all day but for fear of his life I doubt he’ll give us more.’

‘Well, let’s call his bluff, make him think we know more and see what reaction we get.’

They returned to their seats and Bradfield stubbed out his cigarette and lit another for Eddie before continuing.

‘Come on, Eddie, what kind of boyfriend are you that just watches his girl get into a car and doesn’t even look to see who she’s with? What kind of prick are you that knows she’s missing for two weeks and does nothing about it?’

‘Listen, I was just her friend, right, I never shagged her.’

‘So you’re a little poofter who likes it up the arse then,’ Gibbs interjected.

‘No I’m not, but she was pickin’ up blokes to pay for drugs.’

‘Smack for you as well, obviously,’ Bradfield said. He deliberately paused and stared at Eddie.

‘Yeah, she gave me some — so what?’

‘So you’re her pimp and living off immoral earnings.’

‘Jesus Christ, I didn’t force her to do anything... it was me that took her to the clinic to get her off the hard stuff.’

Bradfield leaned across the table and dragged Phillips’ arm towards him, rolling up his denim-jacket cuff.

‘That looks like a fresh track to me... you back using, are you?’

‘Only cos you bastards are houndin’ and harassin’ me and it ain’t right at all.’

‘Let me tell you what is right, Eddie. We know Julie Ann was shagging a darkie and three months up the duff. You were with her when she made that phone call — she was overheard asking for money. How long after that call did you see her get into the red Jaguar?’

‘I dunno — an hour or so, maybe more.’

‘She was pregnant with Big Daddy’s baby, wasn’t she?’

Eddie didn’t look up, his hands and body shaking as he inhaled the smoke from the cigarette.

‘This Big Daddy, describe him to me. Is he black, white, big, small—’

‘Black and big.’

‘Tell me more about him or I’ll rip your grandma’s flat apart on a drugs search and leave her to clean up the mess.’

‘You bastards leave her alone... I only seen him a few times... he’s huge and a flashy dresser, two-tone shoes an’ a big felt hat, and he’s always wearing shades. You can slap me all you want but I don’t know nuffink else.’