‘And we’re not?’
Hall laughed. ‘You’re much too young for that kind of cynicism, love.’
‘Not that young, Andy. Not that young at all.’
He let the comment pass, as she knew he would.
‘So how are we looking on the video analysis?’ he asked.
‘Fine. I talked to the external consultants, and they seem to know what they’re doing. They certainly should, for the rates they charge.’
‘Reassuringly expensive, eh? Not sure I’ve ever bought into that particular marketing man’s concept. Anyway, how long will they need?’
‘A few days, and they may well need to come back to us several times.’
‘But you told them we need the audio cleaned up as a priority?’
‘Yes. They said that they can’t promise that every second will be audible, but they reckon that there’s a lot that they can do with it. Alex Baker was using really good gear apparently, so that’s a big help.’
‘That’s good. But we mustn’t lose momentum here. The ACC agrees too, somewhat to my surprise. So can you go and talk to Bill Iredale as soon as, and tell him that we’re on? One of the senior CPS staff from out of area is going to be in touch with him, just to confirm the deal he’s getting. Subject to a few conditions that’s full immunity, and he doesn’t have to testify against either Hayton, any of his people, or against any serving or retired police officers.’
‘Lucky bloke.’
‘He is. But in fairness to him he did more or less ask us to slap the cuffs on him, didn’t he? And for what it’s worth I still believe him. His whole story, I mean. I think he got suckered in, and George Hayton is turning out to be a rather more subtle character than we might have expected.’
‘Or maybe he’s just got good people around him.’
‘Lee Bell? Maybe, but he’s not been around anything like long enough to have set up the move on Bill Iredale. It was very clever, getting him to do that PNC in advance of a serious offence taking place. Tell the truth, I’m almost starting to enjoy this case.’
Jane laughed, and Hall, sitting on the bed at home, smiled too.
‘Bollocks, Andy. There’s not a moment of this that you don’t enjoy. And if a con uses his brain as well as his fists, then all the better as far as you’re concerned. Anyhow, you want me to get straight round to Iredale now? Get him on with it?’
‘There’s no time like the present. Just tell him to make sure that doesn’t come over as too needy, too keen. I’ve persuaded Val that if Hayton doesn’t bite then Bill still gets his free pass anyway, so long as we don’t find out that he’s lied to us about the nature of his relationship with Hayton. So he mustn’t over-press, and he mustn’t rush it.’
‘Got you. I’ll tell him that. And you take care of yourself. I’ll be home tomorrow night.’
‘I can’t wait.’
It didn’t take DC Iredale very long to find his brother-in-law, and even less time for DS Mann to persuade Gambles that he really did need to come with them to the station.
‘What’s this all about, Keith?’ he asked as they drove.
‘You’ll find out soon enough. Just try to behave like a grown-up, for once. DS Mann will be conducting the interview. Do you want me to call Tina, and let her know where you are?’
‘Christ, no. It’ll only help prove your old man right about me.’
The folder with Gambles’ previous was waiting for Mann at reception. It didn’t tell him anything that Iredale hadn’t already laid out for him. He’d been antisocial as a youth, and dishonest as a young man. But nothing in his record suggested any organised crime connection at all.
‘How well do you know George Hayton?’ asked Mann, when the tape was running.
‘I know who he is like. Everyone does round the town, like.’
‘But you’ve never met him?’
‘No. Don’t think so, anyway.’
‘And you’ve never done any work for him?’
‘What kind of work?’
‘Any kind of work.’
‘No. Not that I remember.’
‘And you’re a builder. That’s right, isn’t it?’
‘Aye. Why, do you need something doing, like?’
‘Now, you listen to me, son. We are investigating the death of a young man, who was beaten and drowned in Cloffocks beck on Good Friday. You may think that’s a laughing matter, but I don’t. Is that clear?’
‘Aye. Sorry.’
‘Good. Now, you’re also a fly-tipper. Isn’t that right?’
‘No. Keith, what have you been saying? You’re bloody obsessed you are, mate.’
Mann put the evidence bag down on the table.
‘Do you recognise this label?’
‘No. It’s off a kitchen cabinet. It could be anyone’s.’
‘The range is called Wensleydale. Isn’t it the type of kitchen that you’re fitting at present?’
‘Aye, it is. Popular range is that, though. Solid wood doors you see.’
‘It also has your fingerprints on it, Mr. Gambles.’
‘Really? Bugger me. Well, I don’t know where you got it from, but we chucked all the stuff from that job in a skip that I hired. You can check, if you like.’
‘We will. What’s the name of the company you use, and the address and date of the hire?’
Gambles told them.
‘You check, go on. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ve got a half-installed bathroom and a half-arsed plumber to get back to.’
‘No, I’m not finished yet. Do you always use a skip to clear away the rubbish from jobs?’
‘Usually, aye. But if there’s not much we just take it away in the van.’
‘And what do you do with it?’
‘You know, take it to the tip. Get rid of it, like.’
‘When we phone up your skip supplier how many times will they tell us that you’ve hired from them?’
‘This was the first time, as a matter of fact.’
‘Really?’ Now Mann was smiling. ‘And who did you hire from before?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘You must have paperwork. For your books.’
‘Tina takes care of all that. My wife, Keith’s sister that is.’
‘I know who she is. So you’re going to pop back, later today, with a sheaf of invoices relating to all your previous skip hires? Just ask your wife to go back 12 months.’
‘Aye, I’ll try.’
‘You’re really going to have to do much better than that. I also need to know how many jobs you’ve done in the last year. Ones where stuff was coming out of a house or which generated spoil, rubbish, anything like that.’
‘It’s been quiet, like.’
‘You’ll give me a list? We’ll need the names and addresses of everyone you’ve worked for.’
Gambles nodded, and glanced at Iredale.
‘Look, this isn’t my business, but isn’t this all a bit strong? Just for a bit of tipping, like?’
‘As I explained, we’re interested in you in connection with another investigation. A very serious one. But you could make it all very much easier for us, and yourself, if you decided to tell the truth.’
‘But I already have, honest.’
‘If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard that I wouldn’t have to be sitting here now. I don’t think you’re telling the truth, and I don’t think you’re going to be able to provide any evidence to back-up your claims. Shall I tell you what I think?’
‘I expect you’re going to anyway.’
Mann smiled again, and looked across at Iredale, sitting alongside him.
‘I’m starting to like your brother-in-law, Keith. He’s very, what’s the word? Perceptive. Aye, that’s the one.’ He turned back to Gambles, and every trace of the smile had vanished. ‘So here’s what I think happened. You fly-tip lots of your waste, always have done, and you only ordered the skip for this job because you knew that Keith here was well and truly on to you. That’s right, i
sn’t it?’
‘No. Like I told you. I don’t fly-tip.’
Mann sat back.
‘Look, son. If you tell us the truth now we’ll nick you for the fly-tipping. You’ll go to court, get a fine, and we can all get on with our lives. But if you don’t, and we find out you’re lying, then you go right to the top of a list that you really don’t want to be top off. It’s our list of murder suspects.’
‘I haven’t killed anyone.’
‘But you have been fly-tipping.’
‘No. Like I told you, I haven’t.’
‘All right. We’re almost done, for now anyway. But a couple more questions before you go. When was the skip delivered to your current job, and when was it uplifted?’
‘It was dropped off on Monday, I think, and it was collected this morning. Soon after we turned up at the job, actually.’
‘And when did you put this wrapping in the skip?’
Gambles looked at it again.
‘Yesterday, afternoon sometime.’
‘You’re sure of that?’
‘Aye, I’m sure.’
When Gambles had gone, having promised to return with the paperwork that had been requested, Mann and Iredale sat in the interview room and supped their tea.
‘What do you reckon?’ said Mann. ‘You know the lad.’
‘He’s lying, isn’t he?’ Of course he’s been fly-tipping.’
‘Oh aye, no doubt about that. But Andy Hall’s theory looks favourite, doesn’t it? One of Hayton’s lads took something identifiable out of that skip and put it in with their load. It’s right clever, is that, because it confuses the issue and weakens the connection we were making between that phone and Hayton.’
‘Maybe, but Mike Gambles wants nicking for the fly-tipping he’s done anyway. You know as well as I do that he’s not got a bloody shred of paperwork to show us. It’s all bollocks, is that.’
‘So you want us to charge him, when he doesn’t deliver, like?’
‘Aye, of course.’
‘Have you thought that through, lad? You know he’ll get a big fine, as much as five grand maybe? Can he afford it?’
‘That’s not our problem.’
‘That’s not quite true though, is it? What about your sister, Tina?’
‘Aye, Tina. Sorry, Ian, but I’m not sure what you’re suggesting here.’
‘All I’m saying is that if Andy’s right, and Gambles isn’t involved in Chris Brown’s death in any way, then we’re under no obligation to nick him. He hasn’t confessed, and without evidence I’m not required to submit a file to the CPS. I’m sure Andy would agree to that, if we wanted him to, like.’
Iredale nodded, and sipped his tea.
‘Let me think about it, marrer. But thanks for the offer, it’s appreciated. At times like these I always ask myself what my old man would have done. In this situation, like.’
DS Jane Francis parked her car down by the harbour in Maryport, where Bill Iredale had suggested they meet, got out, and looked around for him. She was five minutes early, and it was turning into a lovely afternoon, so she didn’t mind that he wasn’t visible. She leaned back, against the car door, and felt the sun on her face. She didn’t need to think about the conversation with Iredale, because she was fully prepared, so she let her mind wander. She thought about family holidays when she was a child, from Cornwall to Cumbria, and of all the fishing ports that her dad had dragged her round. Even at the time his fascination with the sea seemed strange to her, because he was a local government accountant with a sense of adventure to match.
Her dad had died when she was small, but suddenly she could see him, and feel her hand in his, as he told her to watch out for the mooring ropes. Even at well over thirty years’ distance she could feel his love, as real and as warm as the sun on her face, and she found herself thinking about what kind of parent she’d turn out to be, if it ever happened. She’d allowed herself to think about it a lot over the last few days, and she knew exactly why that was. Because she’d banned herself from following that train of thought for years, and now there was the possibility that in a year or so she’d be manhandling a buggy from the boot of the car and checking the contents of a changing bag, rather than being on the job. She knew there’d be frustrations, and tiredness, and worry too. But she also knew there’d be joy. She could almost feel it.
Jane heard her name being called, and opened her eyes.
‘Sorry, I was just…’
‘Don’t worry, lass. I remember what it’s like, in the middle of a case, like. Can’t think about anything else, can you?’
Jane smiled, and walked to the front of her car.
‘Which way?’
‘I thought a stroll round the harbour. I like looking at the fishing boats.’
‘Of course you do. I mean, yes, I do too.’
They strolled round the harbour side. There were quite a few people about. Some were fishermen, or fishermen’s friends, while some were people just out for a stroll. Iredale nodded and said ‘hello’ to a couple of them.
‘You’re not worried about being recognised?’ she asked.
‘I’d be recognised anywhere, love. But none of them know who you are, do they? It’s not like you’ve got a blue light on your head, now is it?’
Jane laughed.
‘So the CPS has been in touch?’
‘Aye, that’s all sorted. I know where I stand. Say thanks to your boss for me too, would you?’
‘I will. So you’re happy to go ahead?’
‘Absolutely. I would have done it even if you were going to nick me after. I’ve lived here all my life you know. I was born in a house on Fleming Square, just up there, in the town, and I’ve never lived more than a mile from that spot. I tried to help people, when I was in the job, and this feels like my last chance to do a bit of good. If we do this right we could get justice for young Chris Brown, and bring Georgie Hayton down in the process.’
‘We may be able to do that anyway, even without your help. You do understand that?’
Iredale stopped, turned, and looked at Jane.
‘Are you saying that you don’t need me?’
‘No, not that. If we’re to expose any current connections between the job and organised crime then you’re our only hope. I’m just saying that we have got other viable leads on the Brown case. In fact, Andy wanted me to talk to you about that.’
‘Oh, aye? And you trust me enough to tell me, like?’ The old man looked pleased.
‘Of course we do, Bill. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if Andy Hall, and the ACC Crime come to that, didn’t believe your version of events. You were coerced and blackmailed by George Hayton, because that’s what people like him do. We believe that you never sought to benefit from your association.’
The old man was still smiling.
‘And you’re all sure of that, are you?’
‘Andy Hall is never entirely sure that the sun will rise in the morning, so let’s leave him out of it. But yes, we’re sure enough. We wouldn’t be talking now, if not.’
‘So what’s this lead? You want me to use it as some kind of bait?’
‘Pretty much, yes. Andy reckons that you need to prove that you’re useful right from the off, so you need to give Hayton something that no-one else knows.’
‘No-one?’
‘Yes. In fact, you’re going to tell him something that even we don’t know yet.’
‘Sorry, love, but you’ve lost me.’
‘You’re going to tell him something that we don’t know to be true, I mean. You’re going to tell him that Keith has told you that we’re getting very excited about something we found on the videotape, now that it’s gone for specialist analysis.’
‘Is that true?’
‘It’s gone for analysis, yes, but we don’t know what will be found. But we have reason to believe that Hayton is already worried about it.’
‘Because he had that lad mugged?’
‘And his hotel room
burgled, yes.’
‘And you want me to see Hayton soon?’
‘Yes, just as soon as you can.’
‘I’ll contact him today.’ Iredale turned away, but Jane caught his arm.
‘We’re not quite finished yet, Bill. There are a couple of things we need to talk about and get sorted before you can do that. You may not be too happy about them.’
‘Oh, aye?’
‘First, there’s a question I have to ask you, and before you answer you need to remember that your safety, and that of your son, could both be at stake.’
The old man nodded. ‘You want to be certain that Keith’s not Hayton’s inside man, like?’
‘Exactly.’
‘Not a chance, love. Not one in a million.’
‘But wouldn’t he say the same about you?’
The old man stopped, and Jane instantly regretted what she’d said.
‘Aye, he would. But that’s not the point. My boy is clean, and I’d bet my life on it. His too, come to that.’
Jane nodded, and they walked on in silence for a while.
‘There was something else?’
‘I’m afraid so. It’s about your wife.’
‘Jean? What about her? I told you before, she knows nowt about all this. Never has, neither.’
‘We know that, but we need her to be admitted to hospital, before you see Hayton.’
‘Hospital? But she’s fine. She takes those tablets for her heart, but that’s it.’
‘I know, but we need to give you an urgent reason for wanting money right now, and we need to be able to keep an eye on your wife for you. This is the best way.’
‘And it’s DCI Hall’s bright idea, I expect?’
‘As a matter of fact it was, yes. Your wife will be taken away from the house by ambulance in the middle of the night, and there’ll be the blues and twos going, the whole thing. She’ll be taken to Carlisle. You’ll be able to see her the next day, and so will Keith.’
‘But that means I’m going to have to tell her about all this.’
Hail and Farewell (The Lakeland Murders) Page 20
