Dead Reckoning: The Freeman Files Series: Book 14

by Ted Tayler

  “Let’s get back to Friday night, Dave. What did Guthrie say after Jim queried the fact Ellison was selling up?”

  “Guthrie told us he’d submitted bids for five farms the MoD no longer needed. He named them and admitted he wouldn’t get all five. Then he switched back to the Ellison farm. Guthrie already controlled the farms on either side. Even if he only got two of the five that the MoD were keen to shift, Bob’s farm interested him most. Alf had enough by then and asked Kendal to leave. He told him he never wanted him back in the pub. Alf called time. Guthrie was still shouting the odds. He warned Alf he’d turn Jim’s cottage into a pub if he bought Bob Ellison's farm. Guthrie had the money to run it in such a way it would force Alf out of business. Guthrie reckoned two farms he hoped to buy would be perfectly placed for housing estates. The Army was pulling out of Germany, and the troops and their families needed married quarters for people stationed at Larkhill, Tilshead and Bulford camps. Guthrie left us in the pub and went outside laughing.”

  “This was between five and ten past ten, wasn’t it?” said Gus.

  “That’s right. We discussed what Guthrie said for maybe five minutes. Jim was ready to go but hung around for Oscar and me. He didn’t want to bump into Guthrie in the car park.”

  “I imagine Guthrie and his Bentley were long gone?”

  “After I took my empty glass to the bar, I needed the loo, and Rosie went into the Ladies ahead of me. When I came out, she was behind the bar washing up with Alf. Jim and Oscar had waited for me. Guthrie had waited for us when we got outside, and he sat in his car with the engine idling. He gave us the finger, laughed, and then drove away. Jim and Oscar dashed to their cars in the rain while I donned my wet weather gear and started the long cycle ride home. Rosie passed me just beyond Tilshead village.”

  “Did you catch Jim or Oscar?” asked Gus.

  “Not likely, was it? It was tough work cycling in the wind.”

  “Perhaps they weren’t delayed by the traffic lights,” said Gus.

  “They were green when I cycled through,” said Dave.

  “Any idea what timing delay they had? Where were they situated?”

  “The streets are windy through the village, Mr Freeman. Wessex Water had dug up the left-hand side of the street for two hundred yards. You couldn’t see the other traffic light around the corner. I reckon it must have been forty-five seconds at least that I waited for them to change from red when I was cycling to the pub earlier. Why?”

  “Timings, locations, and distances felt important to me when I started reading the background to this case, Dave. Just a gut feeling we coppers get. Before I spoke with you, I thought I was on the wrong track. Now I’m not so sure. Always go with your gut, Dave.”

  “Is that everything?” asked Dave. “I made it home that night in the end, but it was one of the last times I made the trip. Rosie decided to quit, and you know what happened next. My heart wasn’t in it anymore. I still cycle everywhere, but if I want a drink, I can pick up a few cans at the garage and bring them home.”

  “Do you want a lift, Dave?” asked Gus, looking at the time.

  “Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. It’s a tidy walk, and I can cycle it in ten minutes.”

  “Well, best of luck, Dave,” said Gus. “Thanks for your help. My next appointment is in just over an hour, with no chance of driving back to the office. I’ll grab a bite to eat in the village.”

  “Kath’s place is warm and friendly,” said Dave.

  “I had coffee and a chat with Kath before I came here,” said Gus. “Time to taste her snacks.”

  Dave showed Gus to the door, and they said their goodbyes. Gus drove the Focus back towards the café and wondered whether he had time to update the team on what he’d learned.

  In the Old Police Station office, Alex took charge when they arrived at nine o’clock.

  Neil got tasked with speaking to WPC Sarah Saunders and PC Zak Drake. Alex thought it essential to confirm the timings the emergency services people provided.

  Luke agreed to revisit interviews with farmers from the original investigation. Alex wanted to be sure they weren’t overlooking someone who could have been gunning for Guthrie. Luke needed help from the forensic accountants at the Hub. He left for Devizes at a quarter past nine.

  At half-past nine, Geoff Mercer called Gus. Alex answered and told Geoff that Gus was in Durrington. Geoff wanted to pass on the message that a trip to Portugal didn’t appear justified. Alf Collett’s wife would have known if he wasn’t in bed next to her. The original reports in the murder file didn’t point to Alf Collett as being a suspect.

  “That doesn’t stop you calling him if you think he can add fresh evidence, DS Hardy,” said Geoff.

  Alex looked at Lydia and Blessing. They were playing with numbers. Blessing had a bee in her bonnet over something. Alex made the call himself.

  “Take me through it again, Blessing,” said Lydia.

  “I read Maxine’s report on the interview with Alf Collett again,” she said. “It was something Maxine said about Rosie Ritchens. The murder took place on the thirteenth of February, right? Maxine persuaded Keith Porter to go for the public appeal after they’d worked the case for three weeks. By my reckoning, that means they issued the appeal over the weekend of the sixth to the ninth of March. Wade Pinnock came back to them straightaway. They interviewed him on Tuesday the tenth. The date and time are recorded at the top of the sheet. This text is from the recording made at the time. They drove to the Traveller’s Rest and spoke to Alf Collett the same day. They wanted to know who else had been in the bar that night.”

  “What did Maxine say about Rosie?” asked Lydia.

  “Let me find it,” said Blessing, “here we are. Alf told Keith and Maxine he’d closed early to let poor Rosie get home to Salisbury. Keith asked him why he said poor Rosie. Maxine said she was the young girl who died in Majorca ten days ago, on her first foreign holiday. Police believed Rosie was drunk and walked in front of a car.”

  Lydia picked up Blessing’s train of thought and continued:

  “Alf Collett told them Rosie stopped working at the pub two weeks after the murder. Hang on. That can’t be right. If Rosie died ten days before Alf’s interview, she was in Majorca on the last day of February. What does that mean?”

  Blessing saw Alex was on the phone. He saw her waving her arm in the air and put his hand over the mouthpiece.

  “I’m trying to get hold of Alf Collett,” he said, “but he must have booked an early round of golf.”

  “Leave a message and ask him to ring back,” said Blessing.

  They took Alex through the logic.

  “I wonder if I can get hold of Gus,” he said. “He’s seeing Dave Vickers later and Oscar Wallington this afternoon. We need to check whether Rosie left her job at the pub earlier than Alf told the police. Why would he lie?”

  “I’ve checked the report of her death in Majorca on the internet,” said Lydia. “Rosie got knocked down at twelve thirty-eight. Technically, it was the first of March. Rosie landed in Palma at lunchtime on the twenty-eighth of February. Alf spoke to Rosie just before she flew out to Palma. Rosie had booked a fortnight’s holiday before starting work in a Salisbury pub.”

  “When Alf Collett spoke to the detectives, they queried why he rang an ex-employee, didn’t they?” said Alex. “He said he hadn’t wanted her to leave. She was a good worker.”

  “The distracted look Wade Pinnock mentioned to Gus yesterday becomes more telling now,” said Lydia. “Was Alf concerned Rosie might say something from Friday night that could point the finger at the killer?”

  “We don’t believe Alf was responsible for the murder. Who could Alf be shielding? Jim Thornton, who might have been facing eviction? Guthrie didn’t have as much to say to Vickers and Wallington. It was unpleasant, perhaps, but hardly grounds for either of them to commit murder.”

  Alex checked his watch. Gus would be at Durrington now with Helen Guthrie. Gus would turn off his phone until
he returned to the car. Their best bet was to catch him between ten forty-five and eleven o’clock when he wasn’t driving. Gus didn’t understand Bluetooth.

  “Can we do something else?” asked Blessing.

  “What did you have in mind?” asked Alex.

  “Gus was adamant times, places, and distances were important,” said Blessing. “Can we make the adjustments we know of to re-calculate how long it would take for Kendal Guthrie to drive from the pub to Glenhead Farm?”

  Lydia sighed.

  “What if Gus brings back more minor alterations from Vickers and Wallington? It will be a waste of time. When Alf Collett calls back, we could get a different lead to follow altogether.”

  “You’re probably right,” said Blessing. “Alex, can you ask Gus if it would help to make those journeys ourselves?”

  “That is the thing Gus loves,” said Neil. “He walks around the murder scene to get a feel for the area, doesn’t he? He took me to the nature reserve a few weeks back. Lydia went with him to Churchfields Industrial Estate. We could do worse than take a drive over to Tilshead and spend half a day checking the layout. It’s not the same looking on Google Maps.”

  “You and Luke have got enough to keep you busy today,” said Alex. “When Gus updates us on his meeting, I’ll tell him of the discrepancy Blessing found. He’ll be back in the office mid-afternoon at the earliest. No doubt, he’ll want to be there when we venture onto the Plain.”

  That sounds as if we’re waiting until tomorrow, thought Blessing. She knew something tied the map Gus was so keen on with a fact they’d learned in the past twenty-four hours. Blessing’s gut instinct told her it would lead to the name of the person who murdered Kendal Guthrie. What she needed to do was prove it. She couldn’t do that sat at her desk.

  Gus left the café at a quarter to two. He’d enjoyed a pleasant lunch and was ready for his interview with Oscar Wallington.

  Kath was right. The foot traffic ebbed and flowed, but everyone who visited Kath’s went away with a smile on their face. The food and drink played their part, but it was the owner who provided the magic.

  As Gus reached the Focus in the car park, he could hear the faint sound of his phone ringing. He sat in the driver’s seat, rescued the phone from the glove compartment, and looked to see who was calling.

  “Alex, how can I help?”

  Alex told Gus what Blessing and Lydia had found. Alex added that Alf Collett hadn’t returned their call, and Geoff Mercer wouldn’t sanction a flight to the Algarve.

  “Phone Geoff,” said Gus. “Ask him to contact the Portuguese police, get Collett in custody, and you can arrange one of these Magnum calls, or whatever they are. Tell the girls it was good work.”

  “Zoom, guv,” said Alex. “Leave that to us. What did you learn this morning?”

  Gus told Alex about the frosty reception chez Helen Guthrie. He added that Dave Vickers believed Guthrie Holdings now banked overseas.

  “I didn’t get to ask whether they intended selling out to developers or venture capitalists. Dave Vickers changed the timings somewhat for our journeys, with roadworks in Tilshead and Kendal Guthrie not leaving the pub car park until he had a final opportunity to take the rise out of the others. One comment Guthrie made seemed to fluster Wallington. Neither Alf Collett nor Wallington mentioned that when interviewed. I’m ten minutes from the Lodge House; thanks for the update. I hope to be back by four. It will take me the rest of the afternoon to get my files in order when I return. First thing tomorrow, we’ll review where we are and decide on a course of action. Bye for now.”

  No sooner had Alex started looking at the next job on his list, his phone rang.

  “Alex, it’s me again,” said Gus. “Do me a favour. Call Geoff Mercer and ask whether he’s got a name for us to contact in SIB yet. If we decide to explore in the morning, I don’t want someone getting shot at.”

  “I’ll get on to that straight away, guv. Anything else?”

  “Bob Ellison?” said Gus. “Has anyone spoken to him yet? If not, get Luke or Neil to find out whether Guthrie was pulling Jim Thornton’s leg. I can’t recall in the murder file when Keith Porter spoke to Ellison, except when the farmer told him Jim’s wife had died.”

  “We’ll find out, guv,” said Alex. “I’ll double-check the murder file first.”

  Gus was gone. Alex sensed the pace of this investigation was quickening, and it was only day three.

  “Do either of you remember reading a report of an interview with Bob Ellison?” he asked.

  “Ellison wasn’t one of the farmers on the list of people with an axe to grind with Kendal Guthrie,” said Neil. “Why would they have interviewed him at all?”

  “Bob Ellison was Jim Thornton’s landlord,” said Alex. “His late father was Jim’s boss for decades. Fred and Jim were friends rather than employer and employee. Guthrie’s attack on Jim Thornton centred on the sale of the farm. Was Guthrie winding him up?”

  “When they interviewed Alf Collett three weeks into the investigation, he was vague about what Guthrie said to Jim Thornton and the others,” said Neil. “Porter didn’t press him for details. Instead, he was interested in the names of the other customers.”

  “Remind me what Dave Vickers said,” said Alex.

  “He reckoned Guthrie teased Jim over the potential farm sale,” said Neil. “Although, Vickers advised Jim to get a solicitor, in case there was a threat of eviction in the offing.”

  “I’ve found those reports in the murder file,” said Lydia. “Wallington was vague about what was said. As for Jim Thornton, he dismissed the notion Ellison was keen to sell. He believed Bob Ellison would keep him in the loop. Jim said it was irrelevant anyway now that Guthrie was dead.”

  “That wasn’t the case, though, was it?” said Alex. “The firm’s solicitors continued with the submissions for the MoD package of farm releases. The business didn’t close because Kendal Guthrie died, so if Kendal had approached Ellison, there would be a record of that meeting and any progress noted in a company document. Can you talk to Bob Ellison, Neil? Let’s fill in the blanks. Guthrie Holdings don’t own Ellison’s farm today, but was there ever a time when they could have struck a deal?”

  “On it, Alex,” said Neil.

  “If you need to call Geoff Mercer,” asked Lydia. “Do you want me to try Alf Collett again?”

  Alex gave her a thumbs up and rang London Road. Geoff Mercer was in a meeting, but Vera Butler was preparing to call Gus to pass on the information.

  “Geoff spoke to the senior officer at Campion Lines, Bulford Camp,” said Vera. “Second Lieutenant Jamie Barnes-Trewick is the man you want. I’ll e-mail you his contact details.”

  “Many thanks, Vera,” said Alex. “It will be my first time liaising with the Royal Military Police. I assume they have Scene of Crime Officers the same as we do in their SIB?”

  “The set-up is much the same,” said Vera. “I don’t know whether you know, but retired CID officers are used to investigate Territorial Army cases handled by SIB.”

  “Gus could have got himself a job with them,” said Alex. “I’m glad he didn’t.”

  Vera laughed and ended the call.

  Alex looked over his shoulder and spotted Lydia, deep in conversation. With luck, Alf Collett was back from the golf course. Beside Lydia, Blessing Umeh had a frown on her face. Alex hoped her father’s threats weren’t affecting her ability to do her job. Neil was still talking on the phone, and Luke wouldn’t return from the Hub for several hours. What else could they push ahead with until Gus returned from seeing Oscar Wallington?

  “Another concern to scratch from the list,” said Neil after he ended his call. “Bob Ellison just confirmed he never spoke to the police after seeing them on Jim’s doorstep. Yes, Kendal Guthrie wanted to buy the farm, but Bob refused to sell. His family has been there as long as a Guthrie had farmed at Glenhead. Bob still has no plans to get out. He told me if there had been anything that affected Jim Thornton and his wife, they would have
been the first to know.”

  “Thanks, Neil,” said Alex.

  “Alf Collett’s a miserable so-and-so,” said Lydia. “We won’t get to speak with him face-to-face, so I fired a list of questions at him. I thought just querying when Rosie left might put him on his guard.”

  “Good thinking, Lydia,” said Neil. “You hid the question we needed the answer to among standard questions relating to his original statement.”

  “I’m learning from the best, Neil,” said Lydia.

  “You’re very kind,” said Neil.

  “I meant Gus,” said Lydia. “Anyhow, Alf Collett said the story about the barmaid, Imogen, was a total fabrication. He fired her for petty theft. Guthrie might have overheard Imogen saying something else lay behind it, and Kendal twisted the story to suit his ends. Alf’s version of what was said to Dave Vickers and Jim Thornton didn’t differ from what they told the police. He never believed Guthrie would follow through with the threat to open a pub in competition to the Traveller’s Rest. Alf’s wife, Joan, was fading away, as was the passing trade for the pub. Alf said he would have gone out of business before the ink was dry on any contract signed between Bob Ellison and Kendal Guthrie, anyway. He sounded an unhappy man. I asked about the days following the murder. He told me Rosie rang him on Sunday to tell him she was thinking of leaving. Alf tried to get her to change her mind. He suggested she had a few days off. Rosie didn’t work again until Thursday evening. That was the nineteenth of February. She told him she’d decided not to return. Alf called her on Friday, the twenty-seventh, for one last attempt to get her to change her mind. Rosie told him she was off on holiday and she’d found a job in Salisbury.”

  “Was that it?” asked Alex. “Didn’t you ask him why he told the police she’d quit two weeks after the murder?”

  “Of course, I did,” said Lydia. “The twenty-seventh was two weeks after the murder. Alf always wanted to believe Rosie would come back if he gave her time. But, once he heard she was off to Majorca and returning to a new job, he had to accept she’d quit for good.”