‘Let’s have a crack at him first,’ said Erika. Moss and Crane remained in the observation suite, as Erika left with Peterson. They met Igor’s solicitor in the corridor, who was a thin, greying man with a neat little moustache. He started to protest as to why his client was being held.
‘I will be recommending that my client answers none of your questions until you have credible . . .’
They moved past the solicitor and entered interview room four. Igor stayed slouched back in his chair. His black eyes looked Erika up and down as she filed in with Peterson. There was a long tone as the recording equipment kicked in.
‘It’s five minutes past eleven on the morning of January the twenty-fourth. I’m Detective Chief Inspector Foster, and with me is Detective Inspector Peterson. Also present is solicitor John Stephens.’
Erika and Peterson took a seat opposite Igor and his solicitor. She spent a few moments checking over her paperwork, and then looked up at Igor.
‘Okay, Mr Kucerov. Or should I call you George Mitchell?’
‘Call me what you want, darling.’ He grinned. His voice was deep, with a trace of a Russian accent.
‘Could you explain why you use two names?’
He shrugged.
‘Do you work for MI5 or MI6? Or are you a secret agent involved in espionage? Perhaps you’ve signed the Official Secrets Act?’
Igor gave her a lopsided grin, and rubbed at his chin. ‘No,’ he said, finally.
‘I’m sorry, but these are absurd questions,’ said the solicitor.
‘No, these are valid questions. Were you aware, Mr Stephens, that your client was tried for the murder of a young woman called Nadia Greco? Her decomposing body was found dumped in a quarry, zipped up in a hold-all.’
Erika pushed a photo of Nadia across the table. Her bloated, blackened body could be seen through the open folds of the hold-all.
‘The hold-all was traced back to Mr Kucerov’s then-girlfriend, Barbora Kardosova. Nadia Greco had been beaten to death at Barbora’s house. Igor’s DNA was found at the scene, and Barbora testified against him at his subsequent trial. However, the jury failed to reach a verdict, and the trial collapsed.’
The solicitor glanced to one side at Igor.
‘Prove it,’ said Igor, shrugging.
‘That’s the problem, Igor. The records and transcripts from your trial are now marked as CMP: closed material procedures. This classification is only reserved for criminal trials involving matters that could damage national security. Are you aware of this, Mr Stephens?’
‘I’m aware of what closed material procedures are, yes,’ said the solicitor, flustered.
‘So you’ll understand how unusual this is, that this restriction was imposed on your client’s murder trial, when he has nothing to do with the secret service,’ finished Erika. Igor stretched his arms above his head, then moved his neck from side to side with a crack of his joints.
‘Maybe I look a bit like James Bond,’ said Igor.
‘No, we don’t see that when we look at you,’ said Peterson, coldly.
‘Don’t look so sour, mate. Aren’t they always talking about having a black James Bond? You could still be in with a chance,’ replied Igor.
Peterson paused, and slid the photo of Nadia Greco’s body closer.
‘Please look at the photo, do you recognise this girl?’ he asked.
‘I’m advising my client not to answer that,’ said Stephens.
‘Okay. How about this photo? This is you and Andrea Douglas-Brown. Are you aware of the Douglas-Brown murder? This photo was taken four days before she died, and this and this . . .’
Peterson pushed the series of photos across the table, starting with Igor and Andrea standing together outside the Horniman Museum grounds, and moving to the sexually explicit pictures. Igor pursed his lips and sat back.
‘This is the same Andrea Douglas-Brown who was found murdered.’
‘Yes, we’re all aware of who she is,’ snapped the solicitor. ‘Are you charging my client with her murder?’
Erika ignored him. ‘You were seen with Andrea just hours before she died, at The Glue Pot pub in Forest Hill . . .’
‘I don’t have to answer your questions. I want to leave,’ said Igor, getting up from his chair.
‘Sit down,’ said Erika. He pursed his lips and folded his arms, still standing. ‘And you do have to answer my questions. As I said, you were seen with Andrea.’
‘No. I wasn’t seen anywhere, because I wasn’t in the UK the night Andrea went missing. I was in Romania from the 31st December to the 15th of January. I have tickets, and you can check my passport records.’