Page 175 of Murder in the Family

(shaking his head)

Didn’t happen. Back in ’03 I didn’t even know that ‘Eric Fulton’ and ‘Luke Ryder’ were the same person. That came much later – after I left the job.

ALAN CANNING

So you say—

BILL SERAFINI

And if that’s not enough for you, I was in the US the whole of that October.

ALAN CANNING

How convenient. I’m assuming you can prove that?

BILL SERAFINI

(staring him out)

If I have to.

ALAN CANNING

That’s very interesting. Because something’s been bugging me ever since I saw you listed on Nick’s kick-off email.

‘Serafini’. It’s a pretty distinctive name, isn’t it? I knew I’d heard it somewhere before. And then I remembered. It was on a delegate list for a joint Met/NYPD conference I went to, years back.

(holds up a sheet of A4)

‘Urban Policing in the 21st Century’, The Eden Park Hotel, Windsor, 1st-4th October—

(he pauses)

2003.

BILL SERAFINI

I never made it.

ALAN CANNING

Oh, really?

BILL SERAFINI

(visibly struggling to keep his temper)

Really.There was a last-minute crisis at work. I had to pull out. Feel free to check if you want.

ALAN CANNING

I think I’ll do that.

They’re staring at each other, openly hostile. There’s an awkward silence, then Laila clears her throat and looks round the table.

LAILA FURNESS

So in the meantime, where does that leave the rest of us, apart from majorly pissed off at Bill?

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