‘He could have dumped the body.’
‘Oh, he’s involved somehow, but the impression he gives me is that he’s just low-level muscle. Bruises and fractures, maybe, but not whack jobs, to use the correct parlance. I hope not, anyway. We had to cut him loose today.’
‘Why?’
‘Cassandra Wakefield.’
‘Bloody hell! Is that gloriously shaggable bitch still putting criminals back on the streets?’
‘Indeed she is.’
‘Talking about shaggable, that DI MacDonald you’ve got up north on Operation Hawk is quite tasty, isn’t she?’
‘You know her?’
‘We’ve met at a couple of meetings. Bit frosty at first acquaintance, but those types often turn out to be the loudest screamers. I’m not treading on your toes, am I, Banksy? She did mention your name. But I heard you’d got a bit of young Italian crumpet on the go.’
Banks smiled. He hadn’t heard the word ‘crumpet’ for years. Trust Burgess. ‘I have a girlfriend, yes, and her family’s Italian. I worked with Joanna MacDonald when she was Inspector Joanna Passero, that’s all. Before her divorce. She was in Professional Standards then.’
‘Bloody hell. Now you come to mention it, I can just see her doing that job.’
‘She didn’t like it. She’s happier now.’
‘A happy divorcee. Just friends, then?’
‘Just friends.’
‘Even after that dirty weekend in Tallinn?’
Banks gave him a look. Burgess held up his hands and responded with the closest he could get to feigning innocence. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘I’ll be in touch on the names and anything I can find out about your John Beddoes. And remember what I said. Adios amigo, and be careful out there.’
Banks finished his pint and stood up. ‘I will.’
It was just after dark when Alex decided to nip to the mini supermarket down the street. She was out of milk for the breakfast cereal, needed bread for toast, and there was no white wine left. Ian was playing a video game crossed-legged on the armchair with his console, and he didn’t want to stop while he was ahead. As the two of them, and their flat, were being watched over by the police, Alex knew there was nothing to worry about. They had said she was free to come and go as she pleased, to carry on as normal. She wouldn’t see them, but they would be watching her. Even so, she felt a bit nervous leaving Ian alone when she put her leather jacket on and picked up her handbag. It was the first time she had been out after dark since her visit from the man they had identified as Ronald Tanner. And she had seen on the local news just an hour ago that he had been released from police custody that morning, despite the fingerprint and her identification from the VIPER screen. Alex couldn’t really get her head around that. She knew criminals were always getting off, but this Tanner had so obviously done it. She guessed that the police were looking for more evidence, and she imagined they would be watching him very closely. He certainly wouldn’t want to give them any reason to put him back in jail by coming to visit her flat again.
Alex could hear hip hop coming from one of the flats on the floor above as she walked along the balcony towards the lifts. She had never been able to understand hip hop, though several friends and neighbours had tried to explain its virtues to her. She’d been to raves when she was a teenager, danced all night to pulsating, repetitive electro-pop, even popped Ecstasy on one or two occasions; she was open-minded, but she had never taken to hip hop, even when it wasn’t grime, or using ugly words to describe women and the things men should do to them. Still, she knew the kids up there and they were OK. It was probably just a matter of taste. She liked Beyoncé and Rihanna; they liked Tinie Tempah and Dizzee Rascal.
The lift was working, thank God, though the smell of piss was as bad as ever. It was just as likely down to the incontinent old geezer on the tenth floor as it was to kids. He’d been told often enough but he said he couldn’t help himself. It was quiet out on the street, the lamps giving out that eerie late twilight glow, just a few people walking about, heads down, the smell of someone’s cigarette drifting on the damp night air, mingling with the hot grease and acrid hint of vinegar from the fish and chip shop. She glanced around but could see no signs of her police watchers. They were being very discreet. She stuck her hands deep in her jacket pocket, bag slung over her shoulder bumping against her hip. She could see the lights of the supermarket about fifty yards ahead, just across the street, see people coming and going. She passed a woman who lived on the same floor as her, and they said hello. The night was still and cold. Cold enough to freeze the puddles, Alex thought, with a shiver.
The automatic doors slid open and she was bathed in the warmth and bright fluorescent lights of the supermarket. She picked up a basket and started wandering the aisles. There were a few other customers in, a mother trying to control two unruly children, a young couple loading up on beer and crisps, an old man in woolly cardigan and a flat cap browsing the magazines.
Alex had just turned at the end of the aisle, opposite the frozen goods section, when a hand came from behind, covered her mouth and pulled her back round the corner.
Banks drove out to see Beddoes as soon as he got back to Swainsdale. The farmyard was frozen and rutted, and he wished he’d taken a car from the pool instead of the Porsche, though it managed the bumps well enough.
Inside the farmhouse was as neat and nicely appointed as before: only the best furniture and antique porcelain in shelves on the wall. The Bang & Olufsen was silent, and Beddoes himself was relaxing in an armchair drinking coffee and reading a book about economics, a subject Banks had never understood, as Patricia Beddoes led him in. He hadn’t seen her before and noted that she was an attractive woman, a good decade or more younger than her husband, with a few sharp angles and a slightly hard, businesslike manner. It was hard to imagine her and AC Gervaise discussing Jonathan Franzen or Kiran Desai over a glass of wine and a plate of cheese and crackers.
‘DCI Banks,’ said Beddoes, putting down his book and coffee and standing up to shake hands. ‘Nice to see you again. I hope you come bearing good news.’
‘We’ve found your tractor, if that’s what you mean.’
Beddoes’ jaw dropped. His wife grabbed his arm. ‘John! That’s wonderful news.’
‘You have?’ said Beddoes. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘You might like to ask where we found it.’
‘I would have imagined it in some Eastern European country by now.’
‘Dover.’
‘You mean it never left England?’
‘Apparently not.’
‘Isn’t that unusual?’
‘Very.’
‘So what do you think happened?’
‘We don’t know yet. Clearly something went wrong with their plans.’
‘Lucky for me. I never thought I’d see the blessed thing again. When can I have it back?’
‘Not for a while yet,’ said Banks. ‘There’s a lot of tests we have to do.’
‘You mean fingerprints and stuff like that?’
‘Yes. Stuff like that. On first inspection, however, it appears to have been wiped clean.’
‘Oh? Well, wouldn’t you expect that, if the thieves had to abandon it and scarper? They wouldn’t want to risk leaving their fingerprints behind.’
‘They can’t have been in much of a hurry then, can they?’
‘I suppose not. It’s a real puzzle.’
‘Yes, but I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it. Our fingerprints experts are very good.’
‘Do have any idea when I might get it back, how long your tests will take?’
‘Do you need it now?’
‘I am a farmer. If this damn weather clears up there’ll be a lot of field work to do.’
‘Yes, of course. I forgot.’ Banks leaned forward. ‘Could be a while. You see, the problem is that technically it’s evidence in a murder investigation, perhaps two murder investigations, and we’re also examining it in conjunction with t
he lorry it was transported in and the motorcycle that accompanied it. Morgan Spencer’s lorry and motorcycle, as it happens. And Morgan Spencer was murdered last Sunday morning near Drewick, as I’m sure you’ve heard.’
‘Yes . . . I . . . I didn’t know there was any connection. I already told you I don’t know this Spencer person. Do you think he could be the one who stole it?’
‘We think he might have been part of the gang that took it, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s still an awful lot to sort out.’
‘Yes, I suppose there is. Well . . . Pat, darling, do you think you might fetch a cup of coffee for DCI Banks. I think there’s some left. It ought to be fresh.’
‘Of course.’ Mrs Beddoes went into the kitchen and brought back a tray with coffee, milk and sugar. Banks took his black, so he simply picked up the cup and thanked her. It was good coffee. Rich but not bitter, strong but not nerve-jangling. Probably cost an arm and a leg, he thought.
‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’ said Beddoes.
‘Perhaps. Do you know a man called Montague Havers?’
‘I can’t say as I do, no.’
Surely Havers had rung Beddoes up as soon as Banks had left the London office? Probably told him to admit to knowing him but to play their relationship down. ‘You might have known him as Malcolm Hackett.’
‘Yes, of course. Malcolm. We worked together in the City years ago. Why has he changed his name?’
‘He thought Montague Havers sounded a bit more upmarket for the kind of work he does.’
‘That’s typical Malcolm. Always was a bit of a snob. What’s he up to these days?’
‘Haven’t you spoken with him recently?’
‘We haven’t been in touch in years. Not since the late eighties’
‘I see. He’s in investment banking. Specialising in international investment. That’s his profession, at any rate. Personally, he’s also interested in property development.’
‘But what has Malcolm got to do with my tractor?’
Banks leaned forward in his chair. ‘I was coming to that,’ he went on. ‘Leaving the various thefts, threats and murders aside for the time being, I found out an interesting thing about Mr Havers.’
‘You have my attention.’
‘Havers has invested in the abandoned airfield near Drewick, where Morgan Spencer was murdered. You may have heard it’s slated for redevelopment as a shopping centre. Should be quite lucrative, I’d think, in the long run.’
‘I’ve heard of it.’
‘Well, we think – I’d say we’re pretty much convinced, thanks to the forensics buffs – that the hangar was used as an exchange point for stolen farm equipment on its way from North Yorkshire, and perhaps points north, to Eastern Europe.’
‘I see. Including my tractor?’
‘We think so.’
‘That is quite a coincidence.’
‘Yes, it is. And this Montague Havers – Malcolm Hackett as was – claims that he and you were best buddies in the eighties. You worked for the same firm of stockbrokers, drank in the same pubs, maybe even shared the same women, for all I know. They were heady times, and you were young lads on the way up fast.’
‘I’d hardly say we were best mates, and it was a long time ago. We did have some good times together, though.’
‘Funny, that,’ said Banks. ‘He didn’t appear to remember you at all until I jogged his memory.’
‘Well, as I said, we weren’t that close.’
Banks sat back in his chair and made a note in his notebook. Beddoes didn’t seem to like the look of that. ‘When he did remember, he said he used to call you “Bedder” Beddoes. Is that right?’
Beddoes blushed and coughed. ‘Please, Chief Inspector.’
‘It’s all right,’ said Patricia, in a voice like tempered steel. ‘That was long before John and I met. I never imagined he was a monk. I’m sure he had many romantic exploits.’ She paused. ‘I know I did.’
‘Look,’ said Beddoes. ‘What does this have to do with anything? You come here making remarks about my personal life, raking up the past. I haven’t seen or heard from Malcolm Hackett in years.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
‘Of course I am. Do you think I’m lying?’
‘I’m not sure,’ said Banks. ‘There are too many coincidences, and we detectives don’t like coincidences.’
‘Then you’ll just have to learn to live with them like the rest of us.’ Beddoes stood up. ‘And now, if you don’t mind, it’s late. I think it’s time you left.’
‘Of course.’ Banks got out of his armchair. ‘Do you know Caleb Ross?’’
‘Know him, no. But I know who he is. Was. You already know that. All the local farmers were acquainted with him. Look, you said leaving aside the thefts, threats and murder. A while ago, you said that. What do you mean? What has any of it got to do with me?’
‘Nothing, I shouldn’t think,’ said Banks. ‘Has it?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Just a few more names to conjure with before I go, Mr Beddoes. Kieran Welles, Ronald Tanner and Carl Utley. Ring any bells?’
‘None at all.’
‘Thought not. But if you should suddenly remember that you did know one of them, no matter how long ago, or how well, do let me know. Thanks for your time, Mr Beddoes, and thanks for the coffee, Mrs Beddoes. Good evening.’
And Banks left, smiling. That cat was well and truly among the pigeons now. As he turned out of sight of the farm, he pulled up next to a car parked in a lay-by and rolled down his window. ‘Keep an eye on them, Doug,’ he said, to DC Doug Wilson, who was sitting behind the wheel. ‘But don’t get too close.’
‘No problem, guv,’ said Wilson, and wound up his window. Banks drove off.
Alex’s heart leaped into her throat and waves of panic swept through her. She was in a brightly lit supermarket, for crying out loud. There were people around. Why did no one come to her aid? This couldn’t be happening. And where were the police? She tried to bite down on the hand over her mouth but she couldn’t open it wide enough to engage her teeth. Finally he let go slowly, grasped her shoulder so hard it hurt and turned her round to face him. The hoodie confused her at first, but the eyes gave him away. It was Michael. She was looking at Michael. Her immediate desire was to hold him to her and never let him go, but her survival instinct took over. The young couple reached the end of the aisle and passed by them on the way to the next, hardly giving them a passing glance. She rubbed her shoulder. ‘That hurt.’
‘I’m sorry for the drama, love,’ Michael said in a quiet voice. ‘You never know how someone’s going to react to a shock.’
‘Michael, you have to go. Right now. It’s not safe.’
‘They can’t look everywhere for me. And this is probably the last place they’d expect to find me. I’ve been careful. I’ve been watching, just waiting for a moment like this.’ They moved to the far back corner, by a rack of crisps. ‘I had to see you. I’ve missed you so much.’
Alex ran her hands over his cheeks, tears in her eyes, and kissed him hard on the lips. ‘And I’ve missed you, too. More than I can say. I love you, Michael. But you really must hurry. You don’t understand.’
Michael smiled that heart-melting smile of his, but Alex noticed the hint of puzzlement and fear in his eyes. ‘I don’t understand what?’
‘It’s not you they’re watching.’
The smile disappeared. ‘I don’t—’
It all seemed to happen at once. A loud voice shouted for everyone to leave the shop as two armed police officers in protective gear appeared round the end of the nearest aisle. ‘Armed police!’ a stern voice shouted. ‘Don’t move. Stay where you are.’
Alex cowered in the corner, knocking over the rack of crisps. It acted as a signal for Michael to dash off down the aisle past the checkout. Alex couldn’t move; her muscles were locked with fear. She wanted to shout after him, but she couldn’t find her voice. The police officers d
idn’t seem overly concerned about Michael running off. They put away their guns. One of them approached Alex and took her arm firmly, saying in a gentle voice, ‘Come on, love. Come with us. You’ll be all right now.’
She wanted to tell them she was already all right. That all she wanted to do was stay with Michael and go back to Ian, and the rest of the world could leave them alone. Slowly, she let herself be led, surprised that she could even walk. She heard a commotion at the front of the store, more racks being knocked over, crashes, loud voices.
When she got to the checkout area she could see flashing lights outside, through the windows. Then she saw Michael, his hands cuffed behind his back, being shoved into the back of a police car, one of the officers pushing his head down, just like they do on television. The supermarket doors slid open. She called his name, and he looked over his shoulder at her, such a desolate, lost expression, she thought. She just wanted to take him in her arms again, but the next moment he was gone, and the stern young policeman who had her in his grasp was talking about taking her home. She realised as she walked limply by his side, still in his friendly but firm grip, that she hadn’t even had a chance to buy anything. She had no milk, no bread, no wine, and she hadn’t the heart to go back. Next to Michael and Ian, she realised, she wanted to see Annie Cabbot. Wanted to rage at her, blame her, and to ask her for comfort and help, ask her to explain what was happening.
Chapter 14
Winsome and Gerry Masterson were the only ones left in the squad room that Saturday morning. Annie Cabbot was with Alex Preston and her son, and Doug Wilson was back watching the Beddoes’ farm after being relieved by a PC overnight. Gerry had her hair tied back in a ponytail, her neck craned towards the computer screen and her fingers on the keyboard. Whatever it was she was up to, Winsome thought, it was certainly engaging her attention
Abattoir Blues: The 22nd DCI Banks Mystery (Inspector Banks 22) Page 30
