Free Did Not Finish by Simon Wood Page A

through a slot in the Plexiglas. It had all I needed, an office number and an all important mobile number. I thanked the officer and left.
    In my car, I dialled Brennan’s number on my mobile. The call was going unanswered and I expected it to go to voicemail when the rasping voice of a serious smoker came on the line.
    ‘Brennan.’
    ‘You’re in charge of the Alex Fanning case?’
    ‘I was. That case is closed.’
    At least Myles hadn’t lied to me about the police involvement. ‘Would the case be reopened if you received new information?’
    ‘Yes, but let’s dispense with the hypothetical and stay with the facts. Let’s start with your name.’
    I told him my name. I wanted the police to know it. It put me under their umbrella of protection. If Derek went after me, he’d play straight into their hands. It was scary to think in those terms, but my refusal to let Alex’s murder go put me in this position.
    ‘OK, Mr Westlake, what is it you know?’
    ‘Derek Deacon threatened to kill Alex Fanning the night before the race. He didn’t make a secret of it. He told plenty of people.’
    ‘I see,’ Brennan said.
    It wasn’t quite the reaction I was expecting, but then again, I hadn’t been that fired up by Derek’s threat when he made it.
    ‘Why did Mr Deacon make this threat?’
    ‘Alex was going to win the championship if Derek didn’t stop him. He hadn’t been able to beat him straight, so he had to do it crooked.’
    Brennan was silent for a moment. ‘That’s a pretty weak reason to kill a person.’
    ‘Is there ever a good one?’
    ‘Good point. OK, Mr Deacon says he’s going to kill Mr Fanning. How could he do it? The statements I have say Mr Fanning’s crash was an accident.’
    I explained to Brennan how it’s possible to interlock wheels to force an opponent out of a race while making most people swear they’d seen a simple accident.
    ‘You were in the race?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘So with your trained eye, you witnessed this wheel locking manoeuvre, yes?’
    I winced. I’d hoped Brennan wouldn’t ask this question. ‘No, I didn’t have a clear view.’
    ‘But you think you know better than the people who were actually witnesses?’
    I saw where Brennan was going, but I’d be damned if I’d let him dismiss me. ‘The race was filmed for TV. Have you seen the footage?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘The actual crash?’
    ‘Yes.’
    That was music to my ears. Brennan had seen the uncut video, which meant he could get his hands on it.
    ‘If we watch it together, I can show you what I mean. It’ll make total sense.’
    Brennan cut me off. ‘I’ve seen the crash and it was what it was. An accident. Plain and simple.’
    ‘Yes, that’s how it looks to the uninformed person. If I were to go over it with you, then you’d be able to see.’
    ‘See what? Your version of events? I might be an uninformed person, but I’m not stupid.’
    ‘I didn’t say that you were.’
    ‘Didn’t you?’
    Shit. This was all going wrong. ‘No.’
    ‘Look, let me explain a few things to you, someone who is uninformed about the ways of law enforcement. I investigated Mr Fanning’s death. I spoke to witnesses. I viewed the TV footage. And guess what? None of it matches your accusation, not one bit.’
    I should have conceded defeat. My attempt to reopen Alex’s case had been shot to pieces, but I wanted an answer to one more question.
    ‘Did you speak to Derek about what he said the night before the race?’
    Brennan let out a frustrated sigh. ‘Yes, I did. He even volunteered the information.’
    ‘And you didn’t think that was worth pursuing?’
    ‘Excuse me?’
    I’d burnt my bridges with Brennan. Being rude to him now made no difference. ‘A person threatens to kill someone and when that someone dies, you don’t take it seriously?’
    ‘Let me ask you this. If you heard Mr Deacon make the threat, as did dozens of others, why didn’t you come forward until now?’
    I didn’t say anything. Brennan