by P. F. Ford
‘Right,’ she said. ‘Yes, I suppose it wasn’t very discreet, was it?’
‘Well, I’m guessing you’re not calling the bad guys,’ continued Slater, ‘so my guess is Bradshaw. You’re going to have to get out of the habit of running to him every time things get a bit sticky. He’ll think you’ve got no faith in me.’
She had reached her desk now and she fidgeted nervously; her cheeks were reddening, but it didn’t seem to be embarrassment that was causing her face to flush.
‘It’s all right,’ said Norman. ‘You can sit down, we don’t bite – or at least we don’t bite those on our side. You are on our side, right?’
‘Of course,’ she said, angrily, ‘but this isn’t about running to him because I don’t have faith in anyone here. As I said before, he’s still my boss, and we still have a case to close. You two seem to have forgotten the fire is almost certainly related to the case. I think the prime suspect has to be the Scanlons or one of their employees. I just thought Mr Bradshaw should know the local DCI has just thrown a huge spanner in the works.’ She looked challengingly at them. ‘Well, her investigation doesn’t look as if it’s designed to help us, does it?’
The boys were slightly stunned by her outburst. This was the first time she had been anything other than cool and calm.
‘I’ll admit it doesn’t look very helpful,’ said Slater. ‘But if we can persuade Goodnews it wasn’t Jenny who set the fire and they do a proper investigation, it could be a big help.’
‘And you think you can do that, do you?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘Have you never heard the expression “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”? Because that’s exactly how DCI Goodnews sees herself. There’s only one thing on her mind right now, and it’s called revenge. She doesn’t give a damn about who started that fire, she’s just trying to hurt you. I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t succeed!’
Watson slammed her bag down on her desk for emphasis, dragged out her chair, and dropped into it. She folded her arms and crossed her legs, her right foot twitching angrily. It was clear she was fuming.
A tense, deathly hush had descended on the room. Slater felt himself blushing. He shouldn’t be getting at Watson; this situation certainly wasn’t her fault.
‘Well, yeah, I suppose that’s probably true,’ he admitted, sheepishly. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it like that.’
‘I’m a woman,’ she said. ‘I know how other women think. I’ve seen it before.’
‘What I mean,’ he said, quietly, ‘is right now, all I care about is making sure Jenny doesn’t get accused of starting that fire.’
‘I know it wasn’t her,’ she said.
‘What do you mean, you know it wasn’t her? Are you telling me you know who started it?’
Watson looked horrified. ‘If I knew who had attempted to murder Jenny, do you really think I’d keep quiet about it?’
‘Hey!’ said Norman. ‘Listen to you two! Come on, let’s lighten up a bit. Aren’t we all supposed to be on the same side here?’
Slater sighed. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I guess I’m a bit personally involved here . . .’
‘No, I’m sorry,’ said Watson. ‘Of course you care about Jenny first. I do understand that, but I care about closing this case too. If we mess this up now I could end up back on the shelf.’
‘I thought you said they’d just find someone else if Dave didn’t fit in,’ said Norman.
‘Yes, but that could take months,’ said Watson. ‘And I’m not sure I can take much more of being a PA. It’s driving me mad. I want to be doing the job I was trained to do.’
‘You sound just like Jenny talking about being trapped in my house,’ said Slater. ‘She said exactly the same about it doing her head in. Because of her, I think I understand where you’re coming from.’
‘Sounds to me like you two have got good reason to work together and stop arguing,’ said Norman. ‘So let’s get back to it, shall we?’
They both murmured their assent.
‘Okay then, Watson,’ continued Norman. ‘You were saying you know it wasn’t Jenny. How come you’re so sure?’
‘Because the boss told me so, and I’m not in the habit of questioning what he tells me.’
‘But how can he be so sure?’ asked Slater.
She looked at her watch before she answered him. ‘He didn’t tell me that, but you can ask him yourself in about an hour and a half. He’s on his way here, and I can promise you he’s not a happy bunny.’
‘He’s not happy?’ said Slater. ‘Well, I hope he realises I didn’t ask someone to set fire to my bloody house, because, to be perfectly honest, I’m not very happy either.’
‘I’m pretty sure he’s not coming down here because he’s angry with any of us,’ she said. ‘All he said was to tell you he’s on his way and to stay put until he gets here.’
There was a sudden, brief, tension in the room, but Norman was determined nothing was going to spoil the harmony of their little team.
‘Can I ask a question?’ he asked, looking at Watson.
‘Sir?’
‘Where’s the walking stick?’
‘Ah. I see. I felt I was in danger of relying on it, when I really don’t need it, so I’ve left the damned thing at home. I know I’m fit and ready for real work, even if I’ve yet to be given the all clear.’
Chapter Thirty-Two
It was almost midday. Jenny had been whisked away by Jane Jolly a couple of hours previously, and Norman had spent the intervening time coaching Slater about what he was going to tell the police. Watson, meanwhile, had been carrying out one more check on William Harding’s background to add to their case notes.
‘Well,’ she announced. ‘As far as I can see, William Harding was squeaky clean. We know from earlier that he went to Windsor Grammar School, and from there he went to university. He wasn’t exactly a star graduate, but in 1975 he left with a good enough degree to get him a job with a High Street bank. He spent the next twenty years at Richmond, and then in 1995 he moved to Tinton, where he spent the next thirteen years as assistant manager. He was made redundant in 2008 with a generous payoff and good enough pension to be able to retire aged fifty-five.’
‘Didn’t Harding move into that house in 2008?’ asked Slater.
‘That’s right. He bought it with cash, which came from his parents’ estate when they died.’
‘So where was he living before that?’
‘Apparently he never married, and he lived with his parents in Windsor,’ she said.
‘What, all his life?’
‘Perhaps he was a devoted son. It does happen, you know. I think it’s quite sad to think he spent his entire working life commuting, and then when his parents died, he finally moved to the town where he worked, and no sooner had he done that than he was made redundant.’
‘Now that’s real irony,’ observed Norman. ‘Is there any mention of his brother getting a share of the estate?’
‘No, he was estranged from the family. It looks as though he’d been cut out of the will. Maybe his parents didn’t approve of his criminal lifestyle.’
‘So William inherited everything when his parents died?’
‘Can’t say for sure,’ she said, ‘but it looks that way, and if he looked after his parents and his brother was the black sheep, it would explain why he had so much money. Unless, of course, he robbed a bank.’
‘Well, that would explain his hurried disappearance,’ said Slater.
‘There’s nothing to suggest he’s ever so much as been given a parking ticket,’ said Watson.
‘An older brother looking for his share of the inheritance could be a better explanation for his disappearance,’ said Norman.
‘No one ever suggested there was any foul play,’ countered Slater.
‘Yeah, but did anyone ever look?’ asked Norman. ‘It all seems to tie in with your theory. And it would certainly explain one of the bodies under the patio. And if Kenny Wingate is the oth
er, that just about wraps it all up.’
Slater nodded his head in acknowledgement.
‘It was a lucky guess,’ he said. ‘When you think about it, it’s surprising how much we rely on luck. We think we solve these things with detective work, but half the time it’s a bit of luck that leads to the breakthrough.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Watson, ‘that’s true, but I think you make your own luck, don’t you? If you don’t keep looking, you never actually have that lucky break, do you?’
Not for the first time, Slater noted Watson’s positive attitude, and he thought he would probably enjoy working with her – and if her bionic knee didn’t make the grade, he thought he’d be happy to have her as his backroom staff; that was if he hadn’t already put her off.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rap on the door, and Chief Superintendent Robin Bradshaw pulled open the door and strode into the room.
‘Good afternoon, everyone,’ he said, taking in the three faces turned towards him. Then he focused on Slater. ‘Are you okay?’
Slater nodded. ‘A bit stressed at having my house incinerated,’ he said, ‘and now I’ve got the local police hassling me for a statement.’
‘What about Miss Radstock?’
‘She’s okay. She’s made of tough stuff.’
‘So, have you worked out who you’ve upset yet?’
‘We think there are three possibilities,’ said Slater.
‘Go on,’ said Bradshaw.
‘Well, not so long ago we crossed paths with this Serbian gangster. He sent some Russian thug to set fire to Norman’s flat to warn us off. Now we know we haven’t been anywhere near them, but if someone else has been stirring them up, they might think it was us.’
‘You’re definitely barking up the wrong tree, there,’ said Bradshaw. ‘I can tell you for a fact the Russian hasn’t been over here since, and there’s no reason to think anyone else from that organisation has been here either.’
Slater was surprised Bradshaw knew all this apparently off the top of his head. Bradshaw smiled at Slater’s confusion, and winked at Norman, who had kept quiet so far.
‘I told you we’re not your normal, everyday police squad,’ said Bradshaw. ‘I have access to such information, and I make it my business to keep up to date with certain people.’
‘Okay,’ said Slater. ‘In that case, it’s probably someone working on behalf of the Scanlons.’
‘That’s a better idea, but it’s not that either,’ said Bradshaw, quite definitely.
‘How can you be so sure?’ asked Slater, irritably. ‘I’m beginning to think we’ve only got half the story.’
‘Why do you think that?’
‘Well, for a start, I thought you were the guy who had suggested Rosie came to see us.’
‘That was your own assumption,’ said Bradshaw. ‘I didn’t mislead you about that. If you recall, you never raised the subject when we first spoke.’
Slater felt a retort on the tip of his tongue, but swallowed it back as he realised Bradshaw was right. He had just assumed.
‘All right,’ said Slater. ‘I admit I did make an assumption there, but if you’re so sure the fire has nothing to do with the Joe Dalgetty case and the Scanlons, that means you know a lot more than you’ve told us so far. So what haven’t you told us?’
Bradshaw studied Slater for a few seconds, then his face broke into a broad smile. ‘Are we all on the same page here? Everyone trusts everyone?’
‘Yes,’ said Slater, ‘we’re all on the same side, but it would have been a lot easier to solve this case if we’d had all the information to start with. I get the impression you knew what had happened before we started.’
‘I didn’t have all the answers,’ said Bradshaw. ‘If I had, I wouldn’t have needed you to solve this case for me – I would have already done it myself.’
‘And how can you be so sure the Scanlons have nothing to do with the fire?’ asked Slater.
‘Because I know none of their associates have been near your house.’
‘Wait a minute,’ said Slater. ‘Are you telling me you’ve been watching my house?’
‘Please don’t be such a drama queen,’ said Bradshaw. ‘I told you I’d been keeping an eye on Miss Radstock. It’s one thing to know who caused her all that grief, but it’s quite another thing to prove it. I was rather hoping someone might come to your house and lead us back to the ringleaders.’
‘You mean you’ve been using her as bait?’ asked Slater.
‘I wouldn’t put it like that,’ said Bradshaw. ‘It was unlikely it would happen, so the risk was minimal.’
‘You can’t have someone sitting there watching, so you must have a camera set up somewhere.’
‘It was just a precaution, I never expected anyone to do anything. If I’d thought there was a serious threat I would have told you, and I would have had someone there.’
Somewhere in Slater’s head a penny dropped. ‘You know who started that fire, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do,’ said Bradshaw.
‘Well, tell me who it is!’ demanded Slater. ‘And tell the bloody police. They think Jenny did it. They’ll arrest her if they find her.’
‘I can promise you that won’t happen,’ said Bradshaw.
‘How can you be so sure?’
Bradshaw looked at his watch. ‘You’ll just have to trust me on that one. You do trust me, don’t you?’
‘Quite frankly I’m beginning to wonder if I should,’ said Slater. ‘You don’t make it easy when you’re spying on me and keeping us in the dark.’
‘What about you, Watson? Do you think you can trust me?’
‘Absolutely,’ said Watson. ‘But, to be fair, I have known you longer.’
‘What about you, Norman?’
‘Yeah,’ said Norman. ‘But I gotta say – this new way you have of building trust doesn’t do you any favours. If I didn’t know you already, I’d be finding it pretty hard. And I’d be pissed off if you’d been spying on me. Why didn’t you just tell him?’
‘I had to make sure I could trust him,’ said Bradshaw.
Norman shook his head. ‘Jeez, you have some weird ways of doing things, that’s all I can say.’
‘I’ll take your comments on board. Maybe you’re right, and I can understand why you think I haven’t exactly covered myself in glory, but hopefully, in a little while, you’ll see things differently and you’ll understand why I’ve done what I’ve done. You might even think, like me, that it was the best thing to do.’
He looked at his watch again. ‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave now,’ he said. ‘Watson? Would you walk me out to my car?’
‘Yes, sir, of course,’ she said, and followed him out of the office.
‘What the hell was that all about?’ asked Slater. ‘Was he taking the piss or what? “Hopefully you’ll see things differently.” Cheeky bugger. He knows who set fire to my bloody house and he won’t tell me who it is. Why does he think I’ll agree it was the best thing to do?’
‘I know you’re pissed off at him,’ said Norman, ‘but he really is a good guy. Trust me, whatever he’s up to, he’ll have his reasons.’
Watson came back into the room. She was carrying an envelope. ‘He says I have to give this to you at one o’ clock,’ she said mysteriously.
Slater looked at his watch. ‘It’s ten to,’ he said. ‘You might as well give it to me now. Ten minutes won’t make any difference.’
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘I can’t do that. Trust me, it’s for your own good.’
‘Jesus!’ said Slater. ‘Why does everyone think they know what’s best for me? If we’re going to work together, you’re going to have to sort out where your loyalty lies.’
‘That won’t be a problem if we’re working together,’ she assured him. ‘But at the moment, Mr Bradshaw is my boss, and you’re just two ordinary blokes, I think that’s what you told me when we first met, wasn’t it?’
‘Well, yeah,’ admitted Slater,
reluctantly.
‘So, there you are then. My loyalty has to be to my boss,’ she said, firmly.
Norman grinned at Slater. ‘Ha! Checkmate,’ he said. ‘I tell you what, this here is one smart cookie. I wish I was being offered a chance to work with her.’
‘All right,’ said Slater, sounding far more patient than he was feeling. ‘I’ll wait, but I’m telling you it won’t make any difference.’
‘We’ll see,’ said Watson, triumphantly.
‘I have to say, I am seriously impressed with this new Dave Slater,’ said Norman.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, if the events of the past few days had happened a year ago, you would have been climbing the walls by now. I’m sure I would have been holding you back from doing something really stupid, and yet here you are, keeping remarkably calm in the circumstances.’
‘I’ve always been calm,’ protested Slater.
‘Yeah, right. Of course you have.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘You know exactly what I mean,’ said Norman. ‘Before, you would have been throwing all your toys out of the pram and storming off in a huff. But look at you now!’
Slater felt his face redden. ‘Yeah, well, I told you I see things from a different perspective these days.’
Norman winked at Watson. ‘This thing with Jenny is obviously having beneficial side effects on you.’
‘You seem to be forgetting all the other things that have happened recently.’
‘No,’ said Norman. ‘I’m not forgetting any of that. Your values have changed, I get that, but the way I see it, if your new values are the cake, Jenny provides the icing.’
Slater looked at Norman and nodded towards Watson.
‘What? You think we shouldn’t talk about this now?’ asked Norman. ‘I disagree. Watson needs to know who she’s going to be working for, right? Well, she’s read up on all the old stuff, I’m just making sure she’s got the latest update. I figure she’ll appreciate the fact you’re a bit more considered and not quite so headstrong, these days. Am I right, Watson?’
Watson looked mortified to be drawn into this conversation, which Slater was beginning to find excruciatingly embarrassing.
