The hearing had scheduled a full hour for Christine Gillespie so there was a considerable gap between her premature departure and the next witness. Unexpectedly the council members declared that they needed time to consult and left the room, but they did not call a recess, so the rest of us had to stay and twiddle our thumbs. The clerk went outside for a smoke, and the stenographer did her nails. I spent some time going over what I had already written. The time passed quickly enough. I have no idea what the three council members were discussing. What I do know is that when they returned, García López was a changed man. Where earlier, as in the previous two sessions, he had fiddled and fidgeted, ever nervous, he now seemed placid and calm, so calm that he never uttered another word. Pérez Molino, on the other hand, displayed an air of defeat from that moment. It seemed that every time he spoke, the others silently demanded he retract. And then on to the stand came the next witness, our penultimate testimony as far as the Cottees were concerned, at any rate. It was a gentleman called Squibb, Johnny Squibb. He was accompanied by his wife, Millicent - millipede would have been more appropriate since I’ve never seen a human being crawl so effectively - and a lawyer, no less. This was to be the first testimony to be delivered via a lawyer. Now we knew what they needed to talk about. It took another five minutes to find two extra chairs that would comfortably fit on the stand.
MdM Good morning, Mr Squibb.
Now you might have thought that was a fairly innocuous remark. It took a good minute and a half, however, before an answering comment emerged. Mr Squibb is a very large man. In his youth he must have been both impressive and imposing. He is tall, around one metre ninety, and even now well proportioned and muscular. He has a vast presence, apparently still towering over others when seated. His wife, on the other hand, is like a stringy, bent pipe-cleaner. She is exactly as Donald Cottee described, as is her husband’s voice, which sounds like a cross between Donald Duck, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Pie. But, as Donald Cottee also said, when presented with a frame like that, you resist the temptation to laugh. Johnny squeaked into Millicent’s ear; she whispered to the lawyer and he spoke. He was completely nondescript, small, dark, dark-suited, wore glasses and delivered as matter of fact as any postman. His name was Juan Coltello and it was consistently he who delivered Mr Squibb’s second-order words that on each occasion seemed to reduce by half between their generation on the left of the stand to their utterance on the right, Milly in the middle apparently applying some filter in between. The lawyer also had briefing papers spread across his lap. Throughout the testimony, the entire process seemed to happen in slow motion. From the start, those of us listening felt we could almost predict what the answers would be. How wrong we were!
JC Good morning.
MdM Thank you for attending, Mr Squibb.
JC Thank you for inviting me.
MdM I hope it was not too disruptive...
JC No, not at all.
MdM Mr Squibb, could you please relate to the hearing how you became acquainted with Donald and Susan Cottee, Philip Mathews, Karen McEvoy, Michael Watson and Olga Markov?
The reply was forthcoming. By the time it was issued, it was in its third edition.
JC As you obviously know, Mr Squibb is now a junior partner and board member of VI. The company has multiple interests and employs more than fifty people. It is highly unfortunate and deeply regretted that the company has just lost four employees as a result of circumstances unknown. Mr Squibb, as head of personnel, however, is in a position to answer your question in more detail.
The silence that followed was comical. Johnny and Milly Squibb sat next to their lawyer facing the bench. The three council members stared back. It was like a stand-off in the ape house at the zoo. The bench was waiting for the stand, believing its question was still pending, whereas the stand was waiting for the bench, clearly expecting further cues. Eventually, they came.
MdM Olga Markov and Michael Watson?
JC Miss Markov arrived some five years ago. She was recruited to take over the eastern European side of the business where a vacancy had developed. Until recently she has been a responsible and trusted member of the company. Her contribution to the business in this area is greatly missed. Michael Watson has been involved with the company in some way or other for almost as long as its founder. Mr Squibb has known Michael Watson since he himself joined. Unfortunately, because of serious chronic illness, Mr Watson was unable to continue in his role and had been semi-retired for some months. He was, however, still on the company’s payroll when he disappeared.
MdM Philip Mathews and Karen McEvoy?
JC They were employed just over two years ago as photographers and information technology operatives. Their base was at The Castle in Benidorm, but they did work for all arms of the company.
MdM Susan Cottee?
JC Susan Cottee was the most recent appointee and strictly speaking not on the company payroll. She was covering for Michael Watson on a temporary basis.
MdM This fact, of course, is not mentioned anywhere in the text of the document that was circulated.
JC That is correct. It is a major omission. The sections of the document allegedly produced by Susan Cottee suggest that she thought she had full managerial control of The Castle. In fact this was never the case. Michael Watson maintained this position throughout, right up to the day he disappeared.
MdM And Donald Cottee?
JC Donald Cottee was not associated with VI. My client can offer no comment relating to Mr Cottee.
PM What about Donald’s observation that you ...
JC Señor Pérez...
It was fascinating to watch. For the first time, Juan Coltello did not consult with Johnny or Milly. He just spoke. It was clearly rehearsed.
JC Señor Pérez. The material that was circulated, specifically that which seemed to be authored by Donald Cottee, was pure make-believe. My client does not employ people to threaten others with violence. Mr Cottee and my client met only a handful of times, and always on social occasions at the Watsons’ house. They often attended a regular social gathering on Wednesdays.
PM He never followed you home?
JC That material in particular was pure invention, as was any reference made to a secret room underneath the Watsons’ house in Montesinos. Allegations have been made in the document - the Cottee blog, as it is called - that are patently untrue. In addition, the Watsons’ house is company property and VI is delighted to invite the police or representatives of this hearing into the property to carry out an inspection. In the opinion of my client, Mr Cottee had an over-vivid imagination.
PM And the circumstances of their disappearance? Do you have an official company position on that?
JC VI is unwilling to speculate. What we can say is that the people concerned did meet regularly on Wednesday afternoons. This was intended as a business meeting, but an informal one, to allow all those directly involved with the management of The Castle to review the week and plan for the next. It is company policy to keep such meetings as informal as possible. Hence we never raised any objection to Donald Cottee’s regular attendance, though strictly speaking he was not involved in the business.
Pérez Molino tried to interrupt but Juan Coltello held up a hand to enforce his silence.
JC I would like to complete the company’s statement if I can. It is the understanding of my client that the regular Wednesday meeting was scheduled for the week of the disappearance. You are aware that Miss Markov had not been attending for some weeks because she had been transferred to other duties.
PM But she did attend that day, didn’t she?
JC Please, let me finish. It is my client’s understanding that no meeting took place because Mr Watson was too ill to attend. We believe that those concerned simply went about their own independent business that afternoon.
PM I repeat. Olga Markov was th
ere, wasn’t she.
JC I refer you, Sir, to my statement.
MdM I must intervene...
She held up a hand to stop further contribution from Pérez Molino.
MdM The purpose of this hearing is to review evidence that might assist in identifying the whereabouts of missing persons, not to conduct an inquiry into a company’s business. May I confirm, Señor Coltello, that you have said all that is currently known within the company about the events of that Wednesday?
JC That is correct.
MdM Could you please clarify what happened to Miss Markov?
JC She was initially transferred to different duties. She did arrange to meet with Mr Watson on that Wednesday. That meeting may have taken place, though we have no means of confirming the fact. We understand that the official meeting involving all six people did not take place. None of the six has been heard of since then.
MdM Thank you. Can I also ask you to confirm for the benefit of our records that this statement from the company carries the authority of all the partners?
JC It does. I have it here.
He held up a single sheet of paper with barely eight lines of typed text. There were three large signatures in blue beneath.
JC It is signed by the owner and the two other remaining partners, Mr Squibb and Mr Jones. Mayor Onsoda, of course, is no longer with us.
MdM And can you clarify the position with Mr Jones?
JC Indeed. He will not be testifying. He is away on urgent company business and will not return until it is complete. His testimony, by definition, is contained within the company statement, which is a joint position.
MdM And Mr Squibb’s background?
JC Mr Squibb has worked for Mrs Watson for seven years.
Coltello paused here. His brief probably included the act as a stage direction. I watched the three of them on the stand. Johnny and Millicent looked long and hard straight at Pérez Molino. They were clearly expecting something. I was expecting something. Incredibly, he stayed silent. He never even raised his head which was angled down as he made apparently meticulously drawn notes on his pad.
JC Mrs Watson’s business was expanding and she needed a head of security. Mr Squibb has been in that line of business for several years in London and was taking an early, semi-retirement in Spain. The arrangement they made suited both parties.
MdM And that early retirement was for health reasons?
JC Indeed. Mr Squibb had suffered a laryngectomy. He finds it hard to speak.
MdM We are aware of his difficulties and we thank him again for coming to testify.
JC Thank you. My client is only too willing to be of assistance.
MdM Thank you again.
JC Mr Squibb was interviewed at Mrs Watson’s house in Montesinos and has worked for her ever since.
MdM And would you please clarify the nature of Mrs Watson’s business interests?
JC She has a very successful website that she developed in partnership with Mr Jones. It was a very simple idea and came to fruition when restrictions on the travel of people from eastern Europe were lifted approximately twenty years ago. This coincided with the birth of the internet, of course.
MdM Mrs Watson, Mrs Voros, or course, speaks Hungarian, doesn’t she?
JC Indeed she does. She also at the time had a partnership with an old friend, a contact in Russia, so between them they could handle most inquiries.
PM It’s a dating agency, isn’t it?
JC My client prefers the term ‘introduction agency’.
PM And why would an introduction agency on the internet need a head of security based in Spain?
JC Mrs Watson’s business interests have expanded considerably, especially since she dissolved the relationship between herself and her Russian partners and entered a strengthened agreement with Mr Jones. There are significant interests here in Spain - bars, clubs, property, real estate.
PM And a little vice?
JC All the businesses submit regular accounts, pay tax, comply with all registration requirements and are regularly inspected by the relevant authorities.
What had just happened took a lot of explaining. I have spent hours thinking this one through, Joe, and I’ll give you the full version when I see you, but basically Pérez Molino had overstepped some agreed mark. Mr Squibb glared at him while Millicent whispered into their lawyer’s ear. García López wrote a note on his pad and shoved it forcefully under Pérez Molino’s nose. Meanwhile María del Mar offered the kind of smile an American doctor must learn to use just before offering a lethal injection at a death sentence. It was directed at Pérez Molino. What was amazing was that he chose to ignore all of these far from subtle prompts.
PM And Mrs Watson’s Russian partner, was she called Tatiana by any chance? And was she shut out of the business without a cent in compensation just after Mr Jones arrived on the scene?
There was tremendous commotion for several minutes. Johnny Squibb, led by Millicent, made a theatrical and angry exit from the room, ignoring all verbal and even physical attempts to dissuade them. Juan Coltello stayed behind. Again he read from a prepared statement.
JC Voros International has cooperated with this inquiry. Its status is that of an exploratory hearing. No charges have been laid and no allegations made. The company has done precisely as requested. It will not make any statement about any other issue, case or hearing whether in progress, pending or heard, unless specifically called before a formal, judicial session. Thank you.
PM Thank you, indeed.
His words bore a long-suffering air. García López, apparently and newly at one with the world, maintained a serene silence. María del Mar merely smiled. It was a statement of victory, confidence solidified. There followed a couple of minutes of winding down, while the witnesses vacated the room and audibly made their way toward the building’s exit. There were no other scheduled testimonies.
PM Well, have we learned anything from these sessions?
GL There is no place for speculation...
MdM I agree. We should not comment. There is not enough evidence.
PM But I would like each of us, off the record, of course...
At this point he paused to look at each of the clerks in turn. He did not continue until he had mumbled a few words I could not hear. He was clearly requesting that the session’s verbatim record should be paused until he indicated it should start again. Joe, how you handle this in the reports is up to you. I suggest a ‘sources say...’ or ‘contacts close to...’ as an opener would be enough. Everyone will know it has reached you via me, but - as usual - please try to avoid referring to me directly in any way.
PM I would like each of us to sum up where we stand individually on what we have heard. I have certainly learned a lot about these people, but I would ask the two of you to comment first, remembering that nothing you say will be on the official record. What we do need, however, is some pointer as to how to proceed. Señor García López, would you please start?
He looked uncomfortable. He took several seconds to begin, time he spent shuffling papers, pausing to read one or two here and there. I feared he was simply not going to comply with the request, but then he spoke.
GL It is clear, from my point of view, that these six disappearances are not the result of a single act. I believe that Olga Markov was not present at all, and thus should no longer be an object of our interest. Wherever she is, she is doing what she wants to do. I see no reason to pursue her further, since she is connected to these events and others - being the fate of Mayor Onsoda - only via the Cottee blog, a document I believe is not trustworthy. I further assert that neither Philip Matthews not Karen McEvoy were present. They have been revealed as common criminals and have fled with what they have stolen. A separate case of theft should be opened to deal with them. As for the three British, two
were terminally ill and the third was clearly sufficiently unbalanced not to be able to distinguish fantasy from fact. They each had a motive. They had suffered mutual rejection and humiliation, so perhaps it was vengeance that provided the motive. Frankly, there was enough history here to have provoked any combination of attacker and victim, whether that be one person against two or two against one. Take your pick. The possibility that the still physically fit Donald Cottee committed what he saw as a mercy killing of the other two is perhaps the more likely, but then Susan Cottee might have wanted to obtain some retribution for her treatment by the two men over the years. Michael Watson, it seems, was always a bully, so perhaps he did not even need a motive. As I say, take your pick.
PM Señora del Mar...?
MdM I am satisfied, like Señor García López, though he did specifically say it, that the company Voros International played no part in any of this. I too think that the Cottee blog is make-believe. I do not, for instance, think that Donald Cottee ever broke into a cavern at the base of the Montesinos house owned by Señora Voros, and - even if he did, even if it ever existed - he certainly did not meet the people he described, except, of course, for Señora Voros herself who, after all, lived there. And she, clearly, was playing a joke on him at the time, probably because he was the kind of person no-one ever took seriously. His descriptions of passports and illegal immigrants were pure invention, aimed at discrediting Mr Watson, a man against whom he was perfectly justified in bearing a grudge. I regard the Cottee blog as nothing more than an attempt to implicate Mr Watson and to place the blame for everything on his shoulders. I believe that Donald Cottee’s obsession with Miss Markov was also calculated. He knew that she was Susan Cottee’s daughter, but also assumed that Mr Watson was the father. His pursuing of the young woman was merely his way of hurting his wife. And, like Señor García López, I believe that the Matthews-McEvoy couple were simple criminals, mere opportunists. I differ in my interpretation, however, in believing that they would not have left with their pickings without eliminating those people who knew a great deal about them. The house contents, the equipment from The Castle were no more than diversions. Their real motive was the cash that disappeared from the Paradise safe. But they would surely have covered their tracks, so I think they remain prime suspects in the disappearance of the others. But also like Señor García López, I believe that Olga Markov was not present on that Wednesday. She had left much earlier and Donald Cottee´s sighting of her driving Mayor Onsoda’s car is not to be trusted.
A Search for Donald Cottee Page 62
