Fatal Love

by Michael Patterson

  Tom had ‘acquired’ DS David Milner at the time of his career low. Then he was just a young and raw detective constable who had still to get his hands dirty in any real policing. But that was soon to change as his career shadowed the improved fortunes of Tom’s own career revival, and it wasn’t long before they had developed a strong relationship of their own.

  It was a relationship which, despite Tom feeling uncomfortable about it, had gradually extended outside work-related matters. Tom came from the old school where work and private matters did not mix well. Notwithstanding this natural wariness, he had become very fond of Milner. In fact, he sometimes felt that perhaps he was starting to see Milner as a substitute son, especially given his lack of contact with his own one.

  Mary had none of Tom’s reticence. She had an outgoing personality by nature and was never embarrassed to show her true feelings and emotions. She had instantly taken to Milner and these feelings had become stronger in the immediate aftermath of Tom’s shooting, when Milner had provided emotional as well as practical support to her.

  ‘Threatened David?’ she repeated with genuine concern. ‘I didn’t know he would be involved in the arrest.’

  ‘Well, that was never my intention, but he insisted,’ answered Tom. ‘In fact, I’m glad he was there. I was proud of him. He wasn’t fazed at all – or at least he didn’t show it – when he served the arrest warrant.’ There was a very brief silence before he added, with a slight laugh, ‘But don’t tell him I said that.’

  ‘So what happened then?’ she asked, declining to respond in a similar jocular vein.

  ‘We arrested him and took him down to the station, where he was formally charged. At the same time Charles Cope was also being arrested. By now, though, I would imagine both have been released on bail. No doubt there will be a lot of legal toing and froing between the prosecutor’s office and their defence teams before they are formally charged. I’m not now convinced, though, it will get that far.’

  ‘Why on earth wouldn’t they be charged?’ asked a genuinely shocked Mary. ‘After all, the evidence is very clear.’

  Tom briefly told Mary about his meeting with Sir Peter, DCS Small and DS Birch. ‘They are right about the unauthorised use of the wiretap. Even though there is a clear admission by Commander Jenkins, it’s highly unlikely that it will be used. If I’m being totally honest with myself, I knew that at the time but couldn’t think of any other way to get a conviction.’ After a brief pause, he continued. ‘Perhaps that’s the problem. I just wasn’t thinking straight at all.’

  ‘But, if it does go to trial, will you be involved?’

  ‘As I was the lead officer, accumulated all of the evidence and coordinated the arrests, I think that’s an absolute certainty. In fact, I would be very upset if I wasn’t.’ A brief silence followed as Mary took in what she had been told and the possible implications for both of them. Before she could say anything else, though, Tom spoke again. ‘But, if that happens at all, it’s not likely to be for a while yet. In the meantime it’s been suggested to me I should take some leave. So that’s what I intend to do.’

  Mary’s face immediately lit up. ‘That’s wonderful. Given what you have been through the past few weeks, I think you’ve earned it.’ Tom could sense that her mind was now in overdrive, and this was confirmed when she added, ‘Perhaps we could go away somewhere. It seems ages since we were able to completely get away just by ourselves. I’ll ask Sharon if she could look after the shop whilst we are away. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.’

  For a few years now, since her husband had died, Mary had owned and run her own florist’s business in Bagshot. It was something which she enjoyed, not least because it enabled her to have her own independence. She also liked to be in the company of other people, and this provided a perfect opportunity. Tom, on the other hand, was not naturally a mixer, much preferring his own company. So far, in their relationship, with one or two exceptions, this had not been a problem, although both were increasingly aware that this might not be the case in the future.

  Tom, hearing Mary’s suggestion, immediately realised, notwithstanding his dislike of holidays, that it would be churlish in the extreme to disappoint her. ‘That’s a good idea,’ he said, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

  Mary smiled, moved forward and took hold of his hand. ‘You look tired and a bit tense. Why don’t we see if we can relieve some of that tension?’

  Chapter 4

  It was eight in the morning and Tom was seated at his desk, back at the station. Immediately in front of him were DS Milner and DC Gary Bennett.

  ‘Welcome back, sir,’ said Milner. ‘Did you have a good holiday?’

  ‘Wonderful,’ replied Tom, confusing Milner, who wasn’t used to such obvious positivity from DCI Stone. ‘And thank you for asking, Milner.’

  He and Mary had returned from their holiday a couple of days previously. Mary’s son had an apartment in the Algarve and, as it wasn’t being used, had offered it to them. The weather had been sunny, but not too hot, and they had even spent some time walking together. To Tom’s surprise he had actually enjoyed it. Well, at least the first week. He had a notoriously low boredom threshold, and two weeks away was about as much as he could endure without his boredom turning into something that he might regret.

  ‘So tell me what has been happening whilst I’ve been away,’ Tom said, making it clear that the discussion of his holiday had now finished.

  Given their involvement in the arrests, Milner assumed that this was what DCI Stone would be most interested in. ‘Well, it’s more about what hasn’t happened,’ he said. ‘It looks as though both Commander Jenkins and Charles Cope were released very quickly, and since then it’s all gone very quiet. Nobody is saying anything.’ Milner looked in the direction of his colleague. ‘And both DC Bennett and I were asked to sign a notice which prevented us from speaking to anyone about their arrests.’

  Tom interrupted before he could carry on. ‘You say asked. Were you given any choice?’

  ‘Not really, sir,’ Milner replied. ‘It was made very clear that we didn’t have any other option.’

  Tom remained silent for a while before asking, ‘And have you mentioned it to anyone else?’

  ‘Of course not, sir,’ answered Milner, slightly aggrieved that DCI Stone even had to ask the question.

  Tom gave him a searching look. ‘But you’ve just mentioned it to me.’

  He could see the immediate shift in how Milner held himself, clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable. Before Milner could respond, Tom spoke again, in a much more conciliatory tone. ‘It’s just that I want you both to one hundred percent comply with the order. These things are taken very seriously, and it could be a career-ending situation if you don’t stick to it religiously. No one knows – least of all me – what the final outcome will be, so let’s not worsen things by shooting ourselves in the foot.’

  It was DC Bennett who next spoke. Gary and Tom went back a long way, allowing him to ask questions which DS Milner, even though Milner was Bennett’s superior, perhaps couldn’t. ‘Sir? Have you also signed it?’

  ‘No, I haven’t,’ Tom replied, ‘although I suspect it will only be, now that I’m back, a matter of time before I’m asked to.’

  There was an uneasy silence as each of them considered where all of this was leading. After a while Tom said, ‘Okay, let’s all park this. In the meantime, tell me what has been happening. What are you both currently working on? I’m sure that our local villains haven’t all been on holiday as well.’

  Milner, obviously having anticipated this question, turned to face DC Bennett. ‘Why don’t you update DCI Stone on what’s been happening?’

  Although DC Bennett had known Tom for many years, it was only recently that he had joined Tom’s team. Like Tom, Gary Bennett was from the old school and, based upon his experience and years of service, would have expected to have made Detective Sergeant by now. That he hadn’t was due to a combination of factors, not least
the fact that he had recently suffered from debilitating work-related mental pressure and stress, which had affected both his professional career and his private life. It was Tom who had helped him through this difficult period and brought him into the team, working directly under DS Milner.

  Under normal circumstances this would have proved to be an untenable situation. After all, Bennett was a lot older than Milner and had vastly more experience, ingredients which were likely to cause resentment. The fact it had succeeded was partly due to Milner’s awareness and sensitivity to the situation, but mainly due to DC Bennett’s obvious gratitude that he had been given another chance and was back working as part of a team.

  ‘Nothing too exciting, sir,’ said DC Bennett. ‘Well, nothing compared to the Aphron case. Just the usual assortment of burglaries, drug offences and miscellaneous alcohol-related incidents.’ He paused momentarily. When Tom gave no response, he carried on. ‘We also had a missing person called in.’

  There was something in DC Bennett’s tone which caught Tom’s attention. ‘That’s not unusual. What’s so different about this one?’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ replied DC Bennett. ‘But when I started to look into it there was something which just didn’t . . . well, seem right. Just an intuition, really.’

  ‘Well, intuition is sometimes the most important part of police work,’ said Tom. Over the years he had come to trust his own intuition, or antennae, as he preferred to call it. It was not included in any police manual, but, with increasing experience, it had always stood him in good stead. ‘So what is your intuition telling you?’

  DC Bennett referred to his notebook. ‘Glyn Burton was reported missing about a week ago. So far, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to make any real progress in finding out what happened to him.’ He looked up at Tom. ‘By now you would have thought that we would have had some clues as to his whereabouts. But there’s nothing. It’s as though he’s vanished off the face of the earth.’

  ‘But, as you say, it’s only been a week,’ Tom said. ‘Is there anything unusual in his background which has caused your antennae to start buzzing? What, for example, do we know about Mr Burton?’

  ‘Forty-six years old. Married, with two children. Lives in Richmond. Clearly very well off. I went to visit his wife myself. Not the sort of house any of us could afford, unless we won the lottery.’

  ‘I’m assuming you have checked hospitals.’

  ‘First thing we did, sir. No record of any unidentified man of his age and description having been admitted to any local hospital. So we have extended the search further afield. We are still looking for his car, and there is also no trace of his phone.’ DC Bennett glanced at his notebook again. ‘He rented a flat in the City. We went round there almost straight away. But there’s no sign of him being there since his disappearance. I spoke to a few people who lived in some of the nearby flats, who all confirmed that they hadn’t seen him recently. One of them did, however, mention how he would sometimes come back with a woman.’

  ‘What? The same woman?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Recently, yes. Quite well-to-do, according to the neighbour, but apparently there were one or two different ones prior to that.’ DC Bennett gave a slight laugh. ‘When he told me I couldn’t work out whether he was being judgemental or just envious.’

  ‘What did Mr Burton do for a living?’ asked Tom.

  ‘This is where it gets interesting,’ DC Bennett replied. ‘He is something to do with the City. He has his own company. Well, a partnership actually. Financial advice, wealth management, pensions. That type of thing.’

  ‘Is there any chance of suicide? Did he leave a note or anything similar?’

  ‘Nothing, sir. I asked around, but the people I’ve spoken to all say that he would be the last person to kill himself. It seems like he was a larger-than-life character. He clearly enjoyed the socialising part of his job. Nothing I’ve heard about him would suggest a suicide. But, of course, you never know.’

  Both Milner and DC Bennett remained silent, waiting for a response from Tom. After what seemed like an age Tom finally spoke.

  ‘So that means he’s missing either because he wants to disappear or because someone or something has made him disappear.’ Another pause followed; this time, though, it was mercifully brief. ‘Let’s assume, for the time being, at least, that he intended to disappear. It could be, of course, that he has just left his wife and gone off with someone else. Perhaps the woman he has been seeing recently. Or it could be that, alternatively, his business was not as successful as he would like people to think. After all, his particular profession can often be as much about image as substance. No one would want to hand over their money for investment to a person who looks as though they are just about to go bankrupt. You mentioned a business partner. Have you spoken with them?’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ replied DC Bennett, once again referring to his notebook. ‘Craig Blackwell. Forty-two years old and living in Hampstead. I haven’t been there but looked it up. Again, it’s quite an expensive area. They’ve been partners for about ten years. Apparently, they both worked at the same company – again, something to do with the City – and decided to leave and start out on their own. They have an office in the east of the City and it was there that I met Blackwell.’

  ‘How did he seem? Did he give you any indication that there were any issues between them or any business problems?’

  It was suddenly clear to both Milner and DC Bennett that DCI Stone was taking a real interest in this case.

  ‘I did ask him about their business, but he didn’t give any indication that things were difficult either personally or professionally.’ DC Bennett paused. ‘But you can never tell with these types of people. I would imagine that putting a positive spin on everything is second nature to them.’

  ‘I’m guessing that you didn’t like him, then,’ suggested Tom. When DC Bennett answered it was with a surprising amount of emotion. ‘Not really. Personally, I wouldn’t trust his type as far as I could throw him. As far as I’m concerned, encouraging people to stash away their money in dodgy tax-saving schemes should be banned and anyone found guilty of doing that sent down for a long time.’

  Tom let out a slight laugh. ‘Well, at least we now know where you stand on this issue. Perhaps if we were wealthy we would also use these schemes. Anyway, as long as it’s legal, everyone has a perfect right to do whatever they want with their own money.’

  ‘I understand that,’ answered DC Bennett. ‘But that doesn’t mean that I have to like him.’

  Milner then decided to join in the conversation, partly to take it in a different direction. ‘And what if he didn’t intentionally disappear?’

  ‘Well, then, Milner,’ replied Tom, ‘we are talking about some sort of accident or worse. Do we know who the last person was to see him?’

  It was DC Bennett who answered, this time without his previous emotion. ‘As far as we know it was his wife Jane. Apparently he regularly plays golf on a Sunday morning. She said he left as usual, but returned earlier than normal. He then spent some time in his office and, when he came out, according to her, he seemed to be very angry, saying that he would soon have to go out again. When he did leave, that was the last time she saw him.’

  ‘Do we have any idea what had brought on his anger or where he later went?’ asked Tom, more in hope than expectation.

  ‘I’m afraid we don’t,’ replied DC Bennett, ‘although we do know that his wife received a text from him, at about 4.30 pm that same afternoon, to say he still had to meet someone else and he might not get back that night.’

  Whilst Tom was thinking through what he’d just been told, Milner suddenly spoke. ‘Do you really need to get involved with this, sir? As you said, it’s possible he’s just run off with another woman. I’m sure DC Bennett and I can handle it. You must have lots of other things to do. I suspect you have hundreds of emails to go through.’

  Tom’s initial expression suggested a degree of annoyance, but
this was quickly replaced by an ever-widening smile. ‘I’ve only been away for a couple of weeks and you are now telling me what I should be doing. Just as well that it wasn’t any longer, otherwise you might have moved into my office.’

  In a strange way, Tom was actually pleased that Milner could now say such things to him. It was another sign of his increasing confidence. But he wasn’t about to admit as much to Milner.

  In any case, he wasn’t worried about catching up on his email. His approach to emails was very simple: ignore them as most were ‘just for information’, usually so the sender could cover their own back. If there were any which needed action, then he’d soon find out via the old-fashioned way, i.e. a phone call or face-to-face conversation. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred this strategy worked. On the one occasion it didn’t, well, he would just have to handle the consequences.

  ‘It actually seems just the type of investigation which would ease me back into things,’ Tom said. ‘And anyway, I agree with DC Bennett about it being unusual. I can’t quite say why, but it’s just one of those feelings that I occasionally get. But, if you feel that it’s not, then, of course, I will defer to your vast experience.’ Tom was now clearly enjoying himself and, as he glanced towards DC Bennett, he could see a thin smile appearing on his face.

  Milner’s response surprised both of them. He simply shrugged and said, ‘Well, it would be foolish to ignore your feeling. That’s agreed, then. I’m sure both DC Bennett and I will appreciate your involvement.’

  Tom couldn’t work out if Milner was playing him at his own game but decided that this was probably the appropriate time to end it. Milner was getting too good at giving as good as he got. ‘Right. Why don’t you and I start by going to see Mrs Burton? Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes works wonders.’

  ‘When do you want to go?’ asked Milner.

  ‘Let’s go now. The sooner I get back into proper policing, the better,’ he answered. ‘Give Mrs Burton a call and see if we can meet with her. I’m sure all of those emails can wait a bit longer.’