Line of Duty Page #11

DRYDEN:

No.

KATE:

It’s a mobile phone registered to

Lindsay Denton.

(CONTINUED)

LINE OF DUTY #2.5 Tan Revisions 19/7/13 64.

556 CONTINUED:

DRYDEN:

I made that call.

STEVE:

What was said in that call?

DRYDEN:

It was a long time ago.

STEVE:

According to Denton’s statement,

you sounded distressed. Why were

you distressed?

DRYDEN:

(Sudden fury.)

I’m sick of her bullshit!

(Calms himself down.)

I called Lindsay because she’d been

following me. Just when I think

she’s got the message, there she is

again. Could be a week, could be a

month. But she turns up and it

starts all over again.

KATE:

You’re alleging she’s a stalker,

sir?

DRYDEN:

That’s exactly what I’m “alleging”.

She knows she can get away with it

because no way am I going to let

her have her say about us. My wife

having to listen to that.

KATE:

In what way was she allegedly

stalking you that night?

DRYDEN:

(Beat. Shifty.)

I’m not saying she was there that

particular night. Just that she had

a habit of turning up and hassling

me.

STEVE:

You sure about that?

DRYDEN:

Yes.

STEVE:

Witnesses?

(CONTINUED)

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(2)

DRYDEN:

Let me tell you about Lindsay

Denton. She’s too smart to let

there be witnesses. She gets your

phone records, DC Fleming.

Superintendent Hastings, she gets

his financial records. DS Arnott,

she followed you, took compromising

photos. Did you see her, were there

any witnesses?

Steve doesn’t answer but the answer’s obviously No.

DRYDEN:

You want to watch her. She’s

manipulative and conniving. You

can’t trust a word she says.

Dryden appears to have them on the back foot. He stares

glassily at them both.

STEVE:

Can we be clear:
you accept the

phone record is accurate?

DRYDEN:

As I’ve said.

STEVE:

I’d be grateful, sir, if you’d

refer to Document 8 in your folder.

KATE:

(To Solicitor.)

Document 8 is a transcript of part

of a previous interview your client

gave us under a Regulation 15

Notice. A complaint was made

regarding an SP-30: a vehicle

registered to Mrs. Helen Dryden was

flashed by a speed camera and a

week later Traffic received notice

you were driving.

STEVE:

From the transcript: “DCC DRYDEN:

I was driving. Helen was home. I

drove back towards town to buy some

beer and wine from the off-licence.

I changed my mind and went home.”

KATE:

Said offence took place on the

night of 16th August. Your phone

record places you miles away from

the speed camera, making a call to

Lindsay Denton.

(CONTINUED)

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(3)

STEVE:

You weren’t driving that car.

KATE:

(Taps phone records.)

It says so --here.

Suddenly the tables have turned. Dryden is staring down the

gun barrel. He looks to his solicitor. The solicitor can’t

help. Tense beats. Dryden softens, shows real emotion as he

opens up.

DRYDEN:

Virtually my whole marriage, I’ve

worked long hours. It’s taken a

toll. That night Helen was at an AA

meeting. She was worried it might

come out, if the speeding charge

was taken further. She made out I

was driving and posted the form. By

the time she told me, it was too

late. I hoped no one would ever

know. Instead some arsehole got it

all over the papers. She was

ashamed she was attending those

meetings. But I’m the one who

should be ashamed.

KATE:

We have information that your wife

had confided her driving offence to

friends. She had a clean licence,

no chance of being banned. We don’t

think there was a strong enough

reason for her to lie.

STEVE:

The only reason would be to provide

you with an alibi -- or for you to

seize the opportunity to create

one.

DRYDEN:

I didn’t fill in that form. If I

happened to know that it was my

wife who did so, I’ve got no

intention of testifying against

her. The lawyers’ll have a field

day. The real villain in all this

is whatever toe rag leaked the

story. To bring me down. Because

the politicians and the PCC don’t

like me telling the truth about

service cutbacks.

(CONTINUED)

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STEVE:

Why are you talking about service

cutbacks, sir?

DRYDEN:

I’m trying to get you to open your

eyes, son.

STEVE:

They’re open. If you weren’t

driving your wife’s car, what were

you doing that night?

DRYDEN:

I’ve answered your questions. We’re

done here.

STEVE:

We’re not. Where were you that

night?

DRYDEN:

No comment.

KATE:

Document 10.

(Shoves document.)

Here’s a map showing the mobile

phone cell from which your call

originated on 16th August. Please

specify your location.

DRYDEN:

No comment.

STEVE:

You were out in the Edge Park area.

Why?

DRYDEN:

No comment.

KATE:

(Shoves photos.)

DS Manish Prasad and DC Jeremy

Cole. These two men carried out the

ambush on 5th of September.

STEVE:

Were you meeting with them?

DRYDEN:

What the hell is this? Are you

insane?

(CONTINUED)

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(5)

STEVE:

Look in your folder. Document 11.

Evidence log from DCS Hargreaves’

team re the vehicle used by DS

Jayne Akers during the ambush. Item

14. Mobile magnetic radio tracking

device. There was a lump on Akers’

vehicle that allowed the gunmen to

track her. This evidence was

withheld from AC-12. You knew about

this but you let us make a case

against Lindsay Denton regardless.

KATE:

Why did you withhold the evidence?

DRYDEN:

The two investigations were

separate, it felt like the right

way to go at the time, I didn’t

keep track of every little piece of

evidence myself -

STEVE:

You were happy for your alleged

stalker to be charged and remanded.

You were happy for her to take the

blame for something she didn’t do.

You set her up.

DRYDEN:

She’s the one out for revenge!

She’s the one out to get me! She’s

using you all and you’ve fallen for

it!

STEVE:

Where were you that night?

Dryden maintains a defiant posture.

DRYDEN:

Don’t go down this road, son. It

doesn’t end well. You got the balls

to charge me? Tick, tock.

STEVE:

As you know, sir, you can be held

in custody for a maximum of 36

hours after which you’ll either be

charged or released. We thank you

for your cooperation and we intend

to continue. Document 13.

Kate shoves another set of copies to Dryden and his

solicitor.

(CONTINUED)

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KATE:

A transcript of a statement you

made to the press on August 9th. In

it you expressed disapproval for --

in your words -- “repugnant

offenders” who should have their

immunity from prosecution taken

away.

STEVE:

One such offender being John Thomas

Hunter aka Tommy Hunter, the

protected witness. We have Hunter

on tape stating his intention to

blackmail you.

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