‘I have no idea. I haven’t given it any thought. He drove it on the day in question, that much I do know.’
‘That’s as I suspected. So another indicator that this was neither a suicide nor an accident, otherwise someone would have found his car parked nearby.’
‘And yet I can’t possibly imagine why anyone would want to murder Simon, either.’ Emily’s hands were shaking, so much so that she had to set her cup down on the table.
‘Emily, you’re an intelligent, savvy woman, so I’m going to rule out all of the usual things we’d normally go through at this stage, such as a jealous husband of someone he was seeing, or some crank you were seeing, and the usual gambling or debt problems. I’m sure you have already wandered through those little mental minefields and come out the other side. If there was anything there you would have told me by now, I’m sure. So let’s look elsewhere.’
‘That sounds fine. Thank you for not putting me through that particular ordeal, as I have already been there and back with the police who visited me. I’m not sure I would cope with revisiting any of those subjects again quite so soon. So, where do we begin, Jimmy?’
Bliss had given this plenty of thought on his drive over. He believed there was an obvious starting point. ‘Your husband was a photographer. You told me he specialised in real events, and had also regularly travelled abroad. Did he ever mention encountering something whilst working that concerned him, frightened him perhaps? Anything that had made him wary, or extra cautious lately?’
Emily smiled. It radiated out of her, in spite of her grief and the solemn topic of conversation. ‘If you had known Simon even briefly you would be aware of my husband’s demeanour. I wouldn’t say he was bottled up, exactly, but he held himself together very well. No matter what the subject, no matter where in the world he found himself, irrespective of conflict, Simon rose above it. He’d recently been to Syria, and experienced traumatic incidents first hand. Yet he seemed to take it all in his stride.’
‘Okay. As a freelancer he would pick his topics, go where he felt it was necessary to document photographically, and then sell on his photos, right?’
‘Yes. As I understand it he would occasionally be asked directly by an editor if he would be willing to take on an assignment, but for the most part he went through his own internal selection process.’
‘Can you recall who his editors were?’
‘No.’ The word seemed to carry with it an extra emphasis. Bliss wondered about that. ‘Simon and I agreed that his work was out of bounds, other than the shots he felt he wanted to share with me. I got the impression that he thought if I knew how dangerous some of his work was I might worry all the more when he went away. Perhaps even to the point where I attempted to compel him to stop. Neither of us wanted to stray into that sort of territory in our relationship.’
‘I imagine you worried plenty, nonetheless,’ Bliss said gently. If he knew Emily at all, he was as certain as he could be that she was a woman who felt deep concern, yet never once complained.
‘Of course.’ Again that radiant smile. ‘I knew the kind of work he did, but not the specifics. That was to protect me, I’m sure. Mostly it didn’t, but I suspect I may have feared for him more had I known precisely where he was and what he was doing at any given moment.’
‘Which leads me neatly to whether you knew what he was currently working on.’
Emily took a breath. Something small and sad passed across her face. ‘That’s just it, Jimmy… Simon wasn’t working on anything. Not that I knew of. He was on a break, taking time for the business side of his business. Meetings, working on ideas, research for future stories.’
‘Okay, but that’s not a dead end. It gives me two more avenues to explore. Am I right in thinking that you don’t know what he worked on last, nor what possibilities he was researching?’
‘Partially. Prior to Syria, his last job was in Myanmar. He was unable to get anywhere near the conflict zones, so I do know he diverted to Bangladesh. He was untroubled when he came home, and believe me I knew whenever a story had affected him badly. As for his current research, no, I have no idea, I’m afraid.’
There was a slight lull in the conversation while Bliss put it all together. Curtis had not exactly left him any breadcrumbs to follow. He felt that whatever had happened was tied up with the man’s work somehow, but he had yet to find a way to prise open the door leading into that aspect of Curtis’s life.
‘Did your husband have a portfolio of work?’ Bliss asked. For some reason he was still uncomfortable thinking of Emily as having been married. The word ‘husband’ was like vinegar on his tongue. ‘A website, perhaps?’
Emily’s eyes flashed as she drained her cup. She nodded and said, ‘Yes, he did. It was little more than a gallery for some of his shots, plus his contact details. It seemed to do the trick.’
‘Good. I’ll check that out later. When he worked at home did he do so from an office?’
‘Yes. We shared a space.’
‘So would it be possible for you to access his notes, his computer. We could assess his browsing history.’
There was no answer right away. Bliss assumed Emily was concerned about the pair of them stomping all over her husband’s privacy. He understood, if so. On the other hand, the man was dead and she wanted answers.
‘If you think that’s the only way we can make progress on this, then fine,’ she said eventually. Her voice was thick with reluctance.
‘I’d like to do more, but as I’ve explained my hands are tied when it comes to doing anything official, and if my bosses caught on to my involvement when I am already heading up a high-priority case, I think I’d be for the high jump.’
Bliss felt bad that he was unable to offer greater comfort. He was already stretching himself because it was Emily who had asked. The husband’s notes and computer files and history now appeared to be the only way to find out more about Simon Curtis’s recent state of mind.
Having settled the bill, Bliss assured Emily that he would find time to pursue the matter as far as he could, after which he would call to arrange a visit in order to search the office at their house in Holme. This time when they said goodbye they shook hands less like strangers, but still crushingly awkward.
Afterwards, Bliss headed straight back to HQ. The team had returned from the crime scene, and a small group of people awaited him in the incident room. The first to speak was Hilton, the CTU Inspector who had accompanied the team to the location.
‘First of all, DI Bliss, I’d like to thank you for your co-operation in this matter. I’ve now had the opportunity to reflect upon the video footage, the scene itself, and the views of yourself and your team members. I have to admit that I am swayed by your instincts on this. Your colleagues were able to discover that the camera in question is actually recording footage for the owners of the land opposite the chemical plant. They pay a small fee for having it positioned on the pole within the grounds, as well as an annual sum to the same security company. My understanding is that it was set up to monitor access following an attempt by travellers to move onto the property. Secondly, the local authority is responsible for the trees and hedgerow along that road and they trim back only whatever overhangs the road itself. That, allied to the fact that the pruning is clearly recent, suggests it may have been done in order for that specific footage to be witnessed.’
‘Whilst acknowledging that, however,’ Edwards jumped in, gathered closely with her new friends from CTU, ‘it is conceivable that what we see is what we were meant to see. Terrorists showing themselves to have carried out an act of terror.’
‘Then why not do it more publicly?’ Bliss argued. ‘I’m not suggesting they would have done it in full view of the general public in broad daylight, putting themselves at risk. I am asking why they would not make it more apparent. There are many more appropriate locations where this could have taken place if this was genuine.’
‘That’s a valid argument, Bliss. And it has been duly n
oted. On the other hand, it is open to debate. The fact of the matter is we do not know for sure, and because of that we have to act accordingly.’
‘So you’re going to go with it? Announce it as terrorist attack?’
‘We’re not quite that gung-ho,’ Garner said, smiling easily. Her green eyes glittered beneath the shielded ceiling lights. ‘We are in agreement that this is described as a possible terrorist attack, and that the investigation is both ongoing and far-reaching, and will assess several other possible reasons behind the attack.’
Bliss was stunned. He felt his stomach give way as if trapped in a lift that suddenly dropped several floors. The ever-present whistle in his ears became a clarion call. ‘You reached an agreement without my being present,’ he said. His hands clenched and unclenched, and he felt a vein pulsing in his neck. He wanted something to punch. Or better still, someone. ‘How nice for you all. Thank you for waiting to discuss that agreement with me.’
‘Bliss!’ Edwards snapped, a stark warning in her voice. ‘It wasn’t like that at all.’
‘Well, exactly what was it like, Chief Inspector? I’m not suggesting you deliberately waited until I was elsewhere to reach this agreement, but I do wonder how it came to be reached without the lead investigator’s input being taken into consideration.’
‘Perhaps you and I should discuss this in private, Bliss.’ Edwards was now hugging herself, signalling to Bliss that she was reining in her own temper.
‘Oh, I have no doubt we’ll do that. Discussing things in private seems to be all the rage.’
Inspector Garner attempted to intervene at that point. ‘Look, our intention was not to cause any issues between you, nor to tread on your toes, Inspector. The fact is, we were all aware of your views on the matter, and we did take them into consideration. We spoke at length with our contact at MI5, and indeed your own Superintendent. This is not a slight against you. In point of fact, it was your influence that led to us settling on an announcement that merely hinted at the possibility of a terror atrocity.’
It was appeasement. Bliss was angry, not stupid. He recognised the statement for what it was. Yet at the same time it was impossible for him to ignore it without calling the woman a liar. Frustration raged within him. He was not disputing the call they had made – not entirely. Only that they had done so without him. Once again he wondered where Fletcher was, as she had yet to show her face.
About to say more, Bliss was interrupted by his mobile. He answered without looking at the screen. ‘Bliss!’ he said, his feelings spilling out in that single utterance.
‘Jimmy? I’m sorry… is this a bad time?’
It was Emily. Bliss turned his back and lowered his voice. ‘No. Just work stuff. Can this wait?’
‘Of course. I apologise.’
Bliss heard something in her voice that told him this was not the case. That it could not wait. ‘No, I’m the one who should apologise. I snapped at you when I’m angry at others. Tell me why you called.’
‘Someone broke into my home, Jimmy. While you and I were together. They broke into the office. They took Simon’s notes, his files, his laptop. They took everything.’
Bliss closed his eyes and cursed silently as Emily broke down. She sobbed, crushed by this turn of events. Without so much as a glance in the direction of his boss or the CTU officers, Bliss walked out of the room and into the corridor, which was thankfully empty.
‘Listen to me,’ he said. ‘Get out of there now, Emily. Dial triple-nine and report the break-in. Don’t discuss anything that you and I have talked about. I can’t get away from here right now, but as soon as I’m free I’ll be over. Text your address to me. And Emily, tread carefully, because this just ratcheted up a notch.’
22
Bliss found it hard to concentrate on the meeting. The phone call from Emily was vexing him. What had started off as a heartfelt request for help, and initially had all the appearances of a suicide, had now become something else entirely – a potentially much darker beast altogether. Also rattling around inside his head was a titbit he had learned earlier. He could not stop himself from wondering whether there was any connection between the travellers seeking entry onto the land adjacent to the crime scene, and Karen Bailey, the barmaid whom Duncan Livingston had been keen on. It would be interesting to discover whether her family and those looking to take up temporary residence in those woods were one and the same.
Realising he had missed some of the conversation going on around the table, Bliss pulled his mind back to the present. As an attempt at moving forward on a single agreed-upon course, it was a joke. In addition to himself, DCI Edwards and now Superintendent Fletcher, seated around the large oval table in the conference room were the CTU pair, the MP and Muslim council leader, and one other man whom Bliss did not recognise. Fletcher, so Bliss had discovered to his chagrin, had been in a separate meeting all morning with MI5 down in Cambridge. When she entered the room, she did so with the newcomer. He was introduced as ‘Munday from Five’ with no further explanation or details provided.
Whilst Fletcher led the following proceedings, Bliss could not help thinking she was the marionette whose strings were being manipulated by the man from the Security Service.
‘Thank you for your opening thoughts,’ Fletcher said, taking everyone in with one practiced sweep of her gaze. Her hands were clasped together on the table before her, next to a sheaf of papers clipped together to form a single briefing document. ‘I have called each of you here so that by the time we make any form of announcement we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. First, then, let me explain what we are about to do. I have arranged a media briefing for later this afternoon, during which I will reveal that one of the strands of our investigation will assess whether the murder of RAF officer Livingston could have been an act of terror. I will confirm that we have security footage, whose content and circumstances surrounding it led us to that conclusion. I will, however, also stress that this is only one of several strands, and that we are not yet declaring it to be an act of terrorism at this point due to doubts over the efficacy of that same evidence.’
Fletcher paused for breath, looked around the table. ‘Any questions so far? I will be continuing on with how I envisage this investigation moving forward, and intend to cover each of our roles within it.’
All eyes were fixed upon her, but no one spoke up. Bliss kept his tongue. For the time being.
‘Good. It has been agreed that the investigative strand looking at the terrorism angle will be headed up by MI5, as is their jurisdictional duty. The Security Service will be ably assisted by the CTU as well as senior police officers. They will of course liaise closely with our own major crimes team, as whatever the reason behind the attack, the murder itself remains a crime. I will be the direct point of contact, and will liaise with both my DCI and DI in order to secure necessary personnel and resources.
‘Meanwhile, DI Bliss, with DCI Edwards as overall SIO, will follow up on any other strand. For instance, I know that Inspector Bliss was particularly interested in a possible drug-related angle initially. I should also make it clear at this point that there is a swell of feeling that we are only being led to believe in this terrorism angle, and that it is in fact not an overly credible possibility. I realise, Ms Haverstock and Doctor Kirmani, that you have not had access to the evidence we have all spent time with, but I can assure you that whilst initially an act of terror was made obvious, DI Bliss was right to raise his concerns over its authenticity.’
Smiling and breaking long enough to take a sip of water, the Superintendent continued without seeking responses on this occasion.
‘And so we come back to our MP and leader of the local Muslim council. We discussed this the other night, and in many ways your potential roles have not changed. I think you can both best serve the community in this city by standing firm with me, and together we will do our level best to ensure that this does not get out of hand, especially before any firm evidence is provided one way or
the other. We must stamp down quickly on any incitement to conflict. We address the community as a whole, but we also seek out those who may wish to profit from any uncertainty. Now, please if you have something to say, this is the time to find your voice.’
Bliss was impressed yet again with his Super. The announcements were deftly handled, making it seem almost as if everybody in the room had taken part in agreeing to these arrangements. He had to admit that even he found nothing to argue with – the roles had been divided up precisely as he would have sliced them. At least he still had an investigation to keep his teeth firmly wedged into. He was more than happy with the terrorist strand being picked up by MI5.
Several issues were subsequently raised and discussed. The priority was to keep rabble-rousers on different sides of the community from agitating and stirring up ill-feeling ahead of any confirmation relating to the motive for the murder. It was then suggested that a joint statement could be put together, and this was latched upon as a positive step forward.
‘Then we are agreed,’ Fletcher said as soon as the language of the statement had been decided upon. ‘Inspector, please have either DS Bishop or Short sent to my office at the end of this meeting. I will coordinate with everybody whilst you get back to your team and run your angles. By the way, am I right to assume that one of your theories is that the far-right may be attempting to spark tension in the area?’
‘Yes, ma’am. Of course, if we rule out terrorism as a motive, then there are so many alternatives to choose from. We have no evidence that points us in any other direction, so it’s down to best guesses for the time being.’
‘Fair enough. We’re counting on you to make progress, Bliss, because we’d all rather not contemplate where this may yet take us. Report directly to DCI Edwards as per usual.’
‘I wonder,’ Edwards said, ‘whether this would be an ideal opportunity to bring in DC Ansari. I think it would help to have a visible presence – a young detective from the very community she is here to serve.’
If Fear Wins (DI Bliss Book 3) Page 16
