Fatal Love

by Michael Patterson

  ‘And that’s not all,’ said DC Bennett. ‘I’ve just taken a look at the CCTV coverage, which shows him leaving the building where his office is located at 4.32 pm. If you remember, he said he was there for a few hours and arrived back home around 7 pm.’ He sounded as though he were enjoying himself. ‘I’ve checked to see how long it would take to drive from his office to his home. Even accounting for a few delays, it wouldn’t have taken more than forty minutes. That would mean, then, that he would have left past six, whereas the CCTV shows him leaving at 4.32 pm. So, where was he between that time and 7 pm? And that’s not all,’ he said, an almost triumphant air now in his voice. ‘I also checked to see if the timings would allow him to leave the office, meet with Mr Burton, murder him, dispose of the body and then arrive back home for 7pm.’

  ‘And do they?’ asked Milner.

  ‘It’s tight but possible,’ he answered.

  Milner didn’t immediately respond, as he considered what he’d just heard, and so DC Bennett carried on.

  ‘I think we should bring him in again. There are so many holes in his alibi that he’s got to be our main suspect now.’

  ‘We can’t keep bringing him in without formally charging him. If we do then we will need a lot more than what we’ve got at the moment. Let’s review what we do have. We know he took a call from Mr Burton on the Sunday. His explanation for that call is perfectly logical. You told me earlier he did have a business meeting with Mr Wilton the day after Mr Burton disappeared. It’s reasonable, therefore, for them to have a discussion about that meeting. He then says that he was in his office most of the Sunday afternoon, preparing for the meeting. Again, all very logical. He did leave earlier than he said, but he could claim that he just got the times wrong. There are no forensics at all to link him with the murder. As far as I can see, it’s all just circumstantial. As DCI Stone would say . . . his defence lawyer would have a field day.’

  ‘But he’s lied all through this,’ replied DC Bennett, trying to maintain his earlier enthusiasm. ‘And you are forgetting the cash he drew out. I just don’t buy his explanation that he needed the money for a new car.’

  ‘You might be right, but, again, we can’t charge him solely on the basis that he’s spending his own money. No, what we need is at least some evidence placing him near the scene of the crime. It’s a bit of a long shot, but why don’t you see if any CCTV has his car close to where the body was found?’ He looked at the A4 sheet again. ‘These other numbers. Have you been able to trace them yet? They might give us another lead.’

  ‘I’m on it already, sir,’ DC Bennett answered, albeit now with considerably less enthusiasm.

  ‘Good. Let’s see what comes back and then we’ll review again,’ Milner said, handing the sheet to DC Bennett.

  ‘Why don’t I just go and talk to him about the timings and see how he reacts?’ DC Bennett asked. ‘You never know; it just might throw him enough that he lets something else slip.’

  Milner looked directly at DC Bennett. Although DC Bennett had far more experience as a police officer, the reality was that Milner was the senior officer in the relationship. Even so, he didn’t want to totally dismiss DC Bennett’s theory. ‘Gary,’ he said. ‘I know you feel strongly about this and, I agree, there’s something not quite right about all his explanations, but let’s do this by the book. If it is him who murdered Mr Burton, then we are only ever going to get one chance to charge him. So let’s make sure that, when we do, the charge sticks. We need hard evidence, not circumstantial evidence. Agreed?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ answered DC Bennett.

  ‘Why don’t you go home? We’ll review things again in the morning. A good night’s sleep for both of us might help.’

  *

  After his meeting with Milner, DC Bennett began to review the existing CCTV footage. This time, though, he was looking to see if Craig Blackwell’s car had been anywhere near the quarry where Glyn Burton’s body had been discovered.

  After a while, and as he’d had no success so far, he decided to continue with it in the morning and leave for home.

  As he got into his car, and started the engine, he suddenly had a thought. If he was to prove Craig Blackwell’s guilt, then he had to take decisive action, and he now knew what he should do. It was a decision which would prove to have totally unforeseen and ultimately fatal consequences.

  Chapter 39

  ‘Thank you for a lovely day yesterday,’ said Mary.

  Mary had collected Paul, Kerry, Sam and Emily from Egham station and then driven back to her home in Bagshot. Tom had stayed behind, not least because Mary’s car could only fit five people into it. Even so, it had apparently been a bit of a squeeze, but, fortunately, the journey back had been a relatively short one. They were now all seated in Mary’s front room.

  ‘You don’t have to thank us,’ answered Paul. ‘We also had a great day, didn’t we, kids?’

  ‘It was mega,’ said Sam. ‘I’ve only seen Buckingham Palace and Big Ben in photos. I can’t wait to tell all my mates about it, and especially that I now know a real-life London detective.’

  Tom laughed. ‘As long as they aren’t expecting Sherlock Holmes.’

  ‘I thought, after we’ve finished our drinks, we could set off to see the house where you used to live,’ Mary said. ‘After that, perhaps we could have a pub lunch and then maybe walk around Virginia Water. But it’s really up to you. You are the ones on holiday.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ said Kerry. ‘A British pub lunch will be another first for Sam and Emily.’

  ‘We’ll also take Tom’s car. Perhaps all the boys could go with him and the girls with me?’

  Tom could see that Mary was really enjoying herself making the arrangements. He had quickly realised, not long after they had first met, that organising things like this was something she was actually not only very good at but, perhaps more importantly, had fun doing.

  ‘Are you sure?’ asked Paul. ‘We don’t want you to go to a lot of trouble.’

  ‘It’s no trouble at all,’ said Tom. ‘And anyway, I wouldn’t dare to go against what Mary suggests.’

  About thirty minutes later they had parked their cars and were standing immediately outside a small house, close to the middle of a row of terraced houses.

  ‘I don’t expect you can remember it, can you, Paul?’ asked Kerry.

  ‘Not really. I was only about two years old when we emigrated. Mum did, though, have an old photo of all of us standing outside.’ He pointed to the front door. ‘We were all standing just there.’

  ‘Do you still have the photo?’ asked Mary.

  ‘Yes, I do, somewhere back at home. I suppose I should have tried to find it so that I could bring it with me.’

  ‘Actually, if it’s the photo I’m thinking of,’ said Tom, ‘it was taken when you had just started to walk. So you must have been just over a year old. I think one of our neighbours took it.’

  ‘It’s really small,’ Emily suddenly said, far from impressed. ‘Did you really live in such a tiny house, Daddy?’

  ‘I really did, yes,’ he replied. ‘When I was young, we didn’t have all of the things you have today.’

  ‘You’re starting to sound like Tom,’ said Mary. ‘Sometimes I think he’s at his happiest when he’s telling me about all of the things he didn’t have when he was young. Why don’t I take a photo of you standing outside the house?’

  ‘That’s a good idea,’ replied Paul. ‘But the owners might not like a group of strangers standing at their front door, having their photo taken.’

  ‘I’ll go and talk to them,’ suggested Tom, before walking down the short path and knocking on the door. Almost immediately the door was opened by a young woman. Although the others couldn’t quite hear what was being said, they did see Tom pointing towards them. He then walked back and rejoined them. ‘Yes, she’s fine with that. In fact, she said that she would take the photos if we liked.’

  They all headed towards the front door and sto
od there whilst she took a number of different photos of them in various combinations, including one just of Tom and Paul where Paul, as he was taller, had his arm around Tom’s shoulder.

  They had the promised early pub lunch afterwards, and then spent a couple of hours walking around Virginia Water. Although it was beginning to get quite chilly, Sam and Emily seemed immune to this. Once again, their walk gave Tom and Paul the opportunity to spend some time together. What was becoming obvious to Tom was the fact that, as they spent more time together, he was finding himself less and less on edge in Paul’s company. By the time they had returned to the car park, the tension he had felt the previous day, when they had first met at the hotel, had all but disappeared, to be replaced, to his relief, by something more natural and relaxed.

  ‘Why don’t you come back to our house?’ suggested Mary. ‘I’m sure you need a hot drink after being outside for all of that time.’

  ‘Are you sure, Mary?’ asked Kerry. ‘We don’t want to put you out. I’m sure you have other things you could be doing.’

  ‘It really isn’t a problem,’ she answered. ‘I can run you back to the station a bit later.’

  ‘Wasn’t that the Wentworth Golf Club I saw on the way here?’ Paul asked as he got into Tom’s car, alongside him. ‘It’s a course I’ve always wanted to play. I didn’t realise it was so close to where you live.’

  ‘Why don’t we drive in, so that you can at least take a look at it?’ suggested Tom.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘Have we got time? It’s starting to get a bit dark. But it would be great if we could.’

  Tom then got out of the car and walked towards Mary’s to speak to her.

  ‘That’s sorted, then,’ he said when he returned. ‘Mary will go straight back home whilst we go there.’

  Just a few minutes later they had turned off the A30 and down the long drive which led to the clubhouse. Tom parked the car and they took the short walk towards the final hole, where a group of four golfers, despite the fading light, were just finishing their round.

  ‘I can’t believe anyone would want to play at this time of year,’ said Tom. ‘I thought you only played golf when the weather was nice and warm.’

  ‘Committed golfers will play in any weather,’ Paul replied, with a slight laugh. ‘You can see that they’re all still wearing caps, probably in the hope that the sun would appear.’

  Tom continued to study the golfers as they walked past him, each of them pushing their trolley.

  ‘So I couldn’t encourage you to take up the game, then?’ asked Paul, when they had returned to Tom’s car.

  ‘I think it will need more than encouragement to get me to play. It looks like an expensive hobby,’ he answered.

  ‘It can be, but you don’t need to spend a lot of money and, anyway, golf is a great way to make lots of new friends.’

  As he heard this, Tom immediately thought of Mr Burton and the less-than-welcoming reception he had received when he’d joined his own golf club.

  *

  Later that evening Tom and Mary were alone again, each with a glass of wine in hand.

  ‘I think it’s been a really enjoyable couple of days,’ she said. ‘You must be really pleased.’

  ‘Relieved, really,’ he answered. ‘But you’re right; it all went off far better than I expected and, I have to say, it was great to be able to spend time with Paul and Kerry. It was also fantastic seeing Sam and Emily enjoying themselves so much. They are really nice kids.’

  ‘They are,’ she said. ‘Did you agree when we would see them again?’

  ‘Yes, the day after tomorrow. I thought it would be good, tomorrow, to let them have some time together, as a family. Paul will call me tomorrow night so that we can arrange something.’

  Mary squeezed his hand. ‘I told you it would all work out well, didn’t I?’

  ‘You did, yes. As ever, you were right,’ he replied, with a slight chuckle. ‘I should listen to you more in future.’

  ‘It will be a bit of a blow when they return home,’ she said, this time in a more serious tone. ‘How do you think you will handle that?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve been asking myself that question as well. The honest answer is that I really don’t know. Let’s face it; I’ve never been in this position before.’

  ‘By the way,’ said Mary, ‘Paul has already emailed me the photos of us standing outside your old house. I’ll print them off tomorrow.’ She paused. ‘I think I’ll get the one of Sam and Emily put into a nice frame. What do you think?’

  ‘That’s a good idea. We can put it alongside the one of your grandchildren, over there,’ he suggested.

  Mary finished the last of her wine and said, ‘I feel really tired. I think the last couple of days have suddenly caught up with me. I think I’ll go up.’

  ‘I’m feeling tired as well,’ he replied. ‘You go up, then. I’ll just drink this and then I’ll be up.’

  After Mary had left, he poured what was left of the wine into his glass. Instinctively, he then looked at his phone, half-expecting there to be a message from Milner. When he saw there wasn’t any message, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of disappointment. Even so, his thoughts returned, once again, to the murder investigation.

  Suddenly, he leant back. He’d always thought that the answer was within touching distance. What he hadn’t expected, though, was just how close it had actually been.

  He immediately picked up his phone and made a call. It rang a few times and then was answered.

  ‘Yes, sir?’ said Milner. ‘I wasn’t expecting a call from you, especially at this time of the day.’ Tom suspected he didn’t entirely mean what he was saying. ‘I thought you were taking a few days off.’

  ‘Never mind that,’ answered Tom, in a characteristically brusque tone. ‘I want you and DC Bennett in the office at seven thirty, tomorrow morning.’

  Milner, recognising the urgency of what he had just said, now replied in a similar vein. ‘What is it, sir? What’s happened?’

  ‘I’ll tell you tomorrow,’ he answered.

  Chapter 40

  After his meeting with Milner, instead of driving back to his home in Feltham, DC Bennett headed towards the home of Craig Blackwell, in Hampstead, North London. He knew it was a long shot, but experience had taught him that, sometimes, long shots did come off.

  In truth, he didn’t really know what to expect or even what he was looking for. All he knew was that he had to do something. Whilst he had to admit that any evidence they had was circumstantial, he remained convinced it was Craig Blackwell who had murdered his business partner. And he was going to provide the evidence that would prove this.

  The journey from the station in West London to Craig Blackwell’s home in Hampstead was never a straightforward one, and it was almost 8.30 pm before he got there. Mr Blackwell’s house, just like Mr and Mrs Burton’s in Richmond, was both impressive and expensive, once again confirming the fact that their business was an extremely successful one.

  Although the house was slightly set back from the road, DC Bennett managed to find somewhere reasonably close by, which still gave him full sight of the driveway, and then switched off his engine. He suddenly felt much better, sensing that he had made the correct decision. Just being able to see for himself where Craig Blackwell lived somehow made him feel as though he was now doing something positive and was, as a result, just that bit closer to getting to the truth.

  An hour later, though, and his enthusiasm and positivity had started to wane. A little earlier, having received a text from his wife, Julie, he had texted her back to let her know he would be home by about eleven,and so had told himself he would stay until 9.45 pm before heading back home. It had been a long day and, in the warmth of the car, he had found himself feeling quite tired, and so opened the driver’s window to let in some fresh air.

  It was almost at the time he had set himself when, suddenly, a car – Craig Blackwell’s car – emerged from the driveway. DC Bennett immediately st
arted the engine, closed the window, pulled out into the road and began to follow him. At this time of night there wasn’t a lot of traffic about, and so he took care not to get too close, in case he raised his target’s suspicions. He knew it was highly unlikely that Mr Blackwell expected to be followed but, nonetheless, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  After a while Mr Blackwell turned on to a road which took him immediately due east of the heath, and so it looked as though he might be heading northwards. DC Bennett continued to follow, at a distance. At the northern end of the heath, Mr Blackwell indicated left for a road which, DC Bennett could see on his sat nav, would eventually lead onto the A1. This road was only partly lit, made darker by a line of trees on either side of it. Some distance before it joined the A1, Craig Blackwell indicated right and turned into an adjoining road.

  DC Bennett could see from the sat nav that the road was not very long and eventually came to a dead end. He decided, because of this, not to directly follow him. Instead, he slowed down so he could get a better view as he passed by.

  In that short time, he could make out that Craig Blackwell’s car had stopped, about one hundred metres along the road. He could also make out another car, and Mr Blackwell’s car was now alongside it. On the opposite side were a couple of properties, both set well back from the road.

  Fortunately, a short distance beyond the cul de sac was a lay-by. DC Bennett pulled into it, switched off the engine, quickly got out of his car and then started to walk back towards where the two cars were parked. He realised he needed to get as close as possible to them but without revealing himself. So, rather than try to walk down the short road, he went into the wooded area immediately before the road and worked his way carefully to a spot which, despite the darkness, was close enough for him to see what was happening but not so close that he would be spotted.

  He quietly settled himself behind a gorse bush, which gave him some extra cover. Here he could clearly spot Mr Blackwell, who appeared to be in animated discussion with two other men. DC Bennett took out his phone and began to video their meeting. Although he could only make out the odd word, their body language suggested it was now becoming more heated.