by Graham Smith
‘What about any employees you had to dismiss? Were there many of those?’
‘None actually.’ A proud look overtook Forster. ‘My hiring process was extremely rigorous and the people I hired were all good workers.’
‘What about people who left your company to go and work elsewhere? Is it possible they felt they were forced out?’
‘I only had one such employee and she only left because she wanted to start up her own company. She calls me from time to time to pick my brain, and where I can, I help her out. She was always more interested in the workings of the PMS systems than the integration, so that’s what her company does. As her business and mine were complementary, we’d recommend each other to our customers. Check them out if you have time; EdenData is growing nicely and she’s won awards for her entrepreneurship.’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Donna Waddington.’ Forster checked his phone then reeled off her number.
Beth added the details to the list Forster had provided as she thought about how best to deal with the elephant in the room. Not finding a subtle way, she opted for being direct.
‘These five people, they’re all programmers, are they?’
‘Yes, that’s right. What of it?’
‘Forgive my terminology, they’re all programmers, computer geeks if you like. To my mind, that means they’d all have the skills or abilities to hack into your computer and leave some incriminating evidence. Say, a thousand images of child pornography.’ Beth gave a self-deprecating shrug. ‘I’m fairly tech savvy when it comes to using systems others have built, but I wouldn’t know where to start with regards to hacking into your computer. To my mind, they would be able to do it with ease. I’m sure the same thought has already crossed your mind. I mean, according to Digital Forensics, your computer was loaded with the best malware and antivirus software available. That means whomever put those images on your computer was no ordinary person who was a bit tech savvy; in my book it means they were a major computer geek. And lo and behold, you used to employ five such people.’
When Beth looked into Forster’s eyes she could see that he was battling the news. From his point of view he’d been betrayed by someone he trusted. Knifed in the back by someone he probably counted as a friend.
There was little doubt in her mind that’s how he thought of his ex-employees: gifting them a share of his windfall had proved that he thought highly of them. That one of them may be a serial rapist and murderer would make their betrayal even worse for him.
Forster shook his head as he tried to get his brain round the idea. To Beth it had been an obvious leap, but he’d been unable to see the possibility because of his closeness to the employees.
There was also the fact that a lot of people who were as clever as Forster, had a deficit of common sense. They might be super-smart when it came to writing reams of computer code, but they’d be unaware of what was going on around them; they’d be the last person to spot danger, recognise a charged atmosphere or understand the frailties of human nature, and comprehend all the duplicity that came with it. To have succeeded in political office, Forster must have had good instincts and awareness, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t given someone trust when they didn’t deserve it.
‘I can see what you’re getting at, but you’re wrong; none of them would try and frame me like this. They wouldn’t do it. I might not have been close friends with them, but we got on as well as any tight-knit team could be expected to. Besides, if what you’re saying is true, one of them is a serial killer. You’re wrong, wrong I tell you. Wrong.’
Beth didn’t respond; she just let Forster carry on thinking. It wasn’t her he was trying to convince, it was himself.
The colour hadn’t yet returned to his face, and there was a tremble to his voice that hadn’t been there earlier. As far as Beth was concerned, she was seeing another hidden part of Forster: she was seeing him weakened and distraught as he came to terms with thoughts he found unthinkable.
Throughout her life, Beth had encountered the usual mix of people that everyone does. Some she’d liked and some she hadn’t, and she couldn’t get away from the feeling that she really did not trust Derek Forster. Surely anyone who’d hurt someone enough for them to frame him in this way couldn’t be a wholly good person?
‘Mr Mayor.’ Beth only used his title to remind him of how far from grace he could fall. ‘If what you say is true and it’s not one of your former employees, who do you think it could be?’
‘It’s not them, I tell you, they wouldn’t do that to me. By all means, check them out, but I’m telling you, you’ll be wasting your time.’
Beth lifted a hand from her knee. ‘Please, Mr Mayor, calm down. It wasn’t my intention to upset you. I’m just a police officer who’s been trained to think a certain way.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Forster dragged a hand down his face as he tried to pull himself together. ‘I just find the accusations against me reprehensible and the thought that it might have been one of the SimpleBooker guys has sickened me.’
‘I know this can’t be easy for you.’ Beth didn’t intend to make it easy. What she intended to do was ally herself to him by making it hard and then presenting a solution by solving the case. ‘But if we’re to identify your persecutor, then all of this will go away. Please, think about who could have enough of a grudge to do this to you. Have you had any threats made against you? Any damage to your property?’
Forster’s face crumpled a little then twisted in anger. ‘My car had a tyre slashed a few weeks ago. Before that it was scratched while in a car park.’ A shrug. ‘I put it down to someone who didn’t agree with my politics or someone damaging a nice car just because they could.’
‘I see. Did you report either of these incidents?’
‘I didn’t bother. Like I said, I thought it was someone jealous of my success or someone who held a different political stance. The acts were small and petty and I didn’t want to waste the police’s time, as I know how stretched you all are.’
‘Were there any other incidents?’
‘None that I can recall.’
‘So, there weren’t any altercations? Nobody gave you a piece of their mind, shouted abuse at you for something they thought you’d done?’
Forster shook his head.
‘Okay.’ Beth used the blunt end of her pen to scratch an itch at the back of her neck. ‘That’s that part of your life dealt with. Still a long way to go though.’
Forster slumped back into his seat. ‘What else do you want to know?’
‘We’ve covered the business side of your life, so we need to look at the political side, and that will leave just one part of your life to discuss.’
‘What’s that? I’m a businessman turned politician. What else is there to discuss?’
Beth managed to not smile at Forster’s unwitting naivety. ‘The personal side. By your own admission you’re one of Cumbria’s most eligible bachelors and it’s no secret that you enjoy, shall we say, female companionship?’
Forster gave a terse nod to say that he was up for the discussion, but to Beth he looked weakened and vulnerable.
Twenty-Four
Forster’s political life had yielded no obvious suspects as to who might want to frame him. He claimed to have good relationships with his opponents and that there was no deep-seated animosity despite opposing political opinions.
That left his love life to discuss.
It was clear that Forster was reluctant to speak about his sex life, and it wasn’t a subject Beth wanted to get too far into, but she knew that it was a credible line of enquiry and, as such, it would have to be pursued regardless of how uncomfortable either party may feel.
‘Okay. Now you need to tell me about your relationships. I’m talking about the women you’ve dated, courted or even had a one-night stand with. I suggest you start at the present day and work backwards.’
‘I thought a gentleman should never tell.’ The wan smile that accompan
ied Forster’s words never got close to his eyes.
Beth couldn’t stop herself adding a harder edge to her voice. Even as he was being questioned about his persecutor, there was a charm to the mayor’s words. ‘That applies to locker rooms and bars, not police investigations. Who are you currently seeing?’
‘Do you really need to do this?’
‘Yes, we do. If you want us to find the person who’s framing you. Someone who, I might remind you, in addition to being a rapist and murderer, would have paid child abusers for images of children, just to incriminate you. There are reasons for doing this. So, if we can just focus for a moment on your love life that would be good. I guess it could also be someone who was rejected in favour of you, or a boyfriend or husband of someone you’ve dated?’
‘Come on now, I’m not in the habit of dating people who’re in relationships. I make a point of only seeing people who’re single.’
‘And how do you know they’re single? Wedding rings can be taken off, the existence of partners can be denied.’ Beth looked up from her notes at him. ‘Take me for example, say we met at a civic function and there’s no obvious man on my arm, do you think I’m single, married or in a relationship?’
Forster gazed at her. Let his eyes jump to her left hand and then back to her face. Beth could tell he was focussing on the scar adorning her left cheek.
He hesitated a moment before answering and scratched at his chin. ‘Based on what I’ve seen of you, both today and back on Monday when you arrested and interviewed me, I’d say you’re too driven to be in a relationship, that you put your work above everything else. It’s not that you don’t want to have someone in your life, it’s more that at this moment, you don’t have the time or mental energy to cope with everything a serious relationship entails. Having said that, you’re a very attractive woman and you’ll probably have plenty of offers. I think you’ll see someone for a short period of time and then break it off once it starts to get serious. Where you are in that cycle just now is anyone’s guess.’
‘Okay, so you’ve got me pegged. For the record I’m currently single. But you had previously met me. If I had met you at a party you wouldn’t have had that experience to draw on. You would have had to have trusted me, or researched me through mutual acquaintances. Do you research the women you date or take them at face value?’
‘Face value.’
Beth was pleased with his admission, although disappointed with the answer. If Forster had done his research, it would have meant that there would be a lot less chance of him attracting the ire of a husband or boyfriend, thereby cutting down the amount of work she’d have to do.
While the mayor’s assessment of her had been rather damning and had made her come across as a commitment-phobe, she was pleased her current dating status had remained mysterious. Her mind drifted to Ethan. She’d only been on one date with him so far, but she enjoyed his company and it was obvious he enjoyed hers. The fact he wanted to see her again two days after their first date boded well. She knew that one date didn’t make for a relationship, but as far as she was concerned, until she or Ethan suggested they no longer liked each other, she wasn’t interested in anyone else. Beth’s moral code didn’t allow her to see more than one person at a time, regardless of how often or how long they’d dated.
Although the date with Ethan had come about by little more than chance, she was looking forward to seeing him again. He was good company, funny and best of all, he’d accepted her for the person she was. He’d looked at her face and had had the decency not to mention her scarred cheek. Other men she’d dated had asked about it, had wanted to know its origins and had continually looked at the scar or referred to it to the point where she’d cut the date short.
She couldn’t begin to imagine Ethan being so crass; conversely, she now found herself wanting to tell him about it.
‘Okay, Mr Mayor. So who are you seeing just now?’
‘Nobody. I split with my last lady friend around two months ago.’ He gave a rueful gesture. ‘We saw each other a couple of times a week for about three months. After a while it became obvious that we had little in common beyond physical attraction. When she ended the relationship, she told me that she wanted a husband not a boyfriend.’ A shrug. ‘I wasn’t looking for a wife, so we said our goodbyes and moved on with our lives. There were no tears or shouting, just an acceptance that we wanted different things.’
Beth heard the same kind of story from Forster three more times, before she’d covered the past two years.
It seemed to her that Forster was content with his life. He’d date for a while, tire of that person and then move on to someone else. What he’d guessed about her love life was actually a reflection of his own. Beth figured that he didn’t want to settle down; he was happy to always have the early days of a relationship when everything was about exploring each other’s bodies at every given opportunity. He’d forsaken real love for the artificial infatuation that is driven by hormones.
His life wouldn’t be lonely as his ego was large enough to keep him company. He’d know that he could have his pick of women if he put his mind to it, his looks, charm and money would ensure that he’d always be able to find a companion when he wanted one.
To Beth, this seemed like an empty and soulless existence. She had no idea where things would go between her and Ethan, but she’d known when she’d agreed to have a drink with him, that she would let the relationship run its natural course. Whether that one day led to two point four kids and a people carrier in the drive, or two months of unbridled passion wasn’t the issue, she liked Ethan, and while Forster had been right that she was driven with regards to her career, she didn’t envisage spending her whole life as a singleton. One of the best things about Ethan was that he worked as a paramedic; therefore he got the shift work and understood the vagaries of the job in a way that lots of others didn’t. His easy smile and bluest of blue eyes drew her to him along with his jocular nature and the way he made her feel like the only person he could see.
‘Thanks.’ Beth laid down her pen. ‘We’ve covered your relationships. Did you have any one-night stands during the last two years?’
Forster let his gaze dance around the room before he brought it back to her. ‘I had three.’ He gave a half scowl, half smile. ‘Two were with ladies I know. From time to time, one or other of us will call the other for some company. If we’re single at the time, we meet up.’
‘Lots of people have fuck buddies. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.’ Beth wasn’t trying to be kind. She was aiming for the shock value of using the term. ‘What about the other one, who was she?’
A look of distaste overtook the mayor’s face. ‘I’m afraid that wasn’t my finest moment. I met a lady at a civic function over at Workington. We chatted and, as I was leaving, she asked me if I’d like to join her for a drink. It was just before Christmas and I thought sharing a drink with a beautiful lady was a better way to spend the rest of the evening than sitting in front of the telly.’
‘What was her name?’
‘Lorraine.’ A pause to grimace. ‘I think that on reflection it might not have been her real name.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘When I used her name she didn’t always answer first time. It was like she was using a false name and then remembering that she had to answer to it.’
Beth gave a rueful smile. ‘It’s all part of the games people play. So, you had a drink with Lorraine, what happened then?’
‘We had the drink in the bar of the Wall Park and then we went up to her room. I left a few hours later and I haven’t seen her since.’
Rather than give a trite reply, Beth maintained a silence. For two people to hook up in this way wasn’t unusual. Both would have their needs satisfied and so long as nobody expected more from the encounter, no feelings would be hurt.
A one-night stand wasn’t something she’d ever done herself, but there had been times when she had definitely fancied a no-strings night of
passion. More than anything else, the main reason she’d never done it was the fact that whenever the desire was strong in her, the only available candidates were either drunk or married, and she thought too much of herself to hook up with a drunken stranger or a cheater.
That the woman had potentially used a false name spoke of a desire for anonymity. This, in turn, suggested that she was maybe married or in a long-term relationship, which also suggested there could be an aggrieved party.
Beth questioned Forster about the event for a while and then, with her hand aching from all the notes she’d taken, she got up to leave.
‘Before you go, there’s something I’d like to ask you.’
Beth stopped moving for the door and rested a hand on the back of the chair she’d just risen from. ‘What is it?’
‘When I spoke about setting up a charity for rape victims I was serious. It’s something I want to do and I’d like to have you on board in an advisory capacity. Together we could potentially help hundreds of women. As a man I admittedly don’t know a lot about how women might feel talking to counsellors, how many women bury the experience and never talk about it. That it’s happening is bad enough, but I’m sure that many cases go unreported and, as a police officer, you’ll have a better handle on that than me.’
‘Why me? You’re a well-connected and influential man, you can probably pick up the phone and speak to any councillor or the chief constable. The force has rape counsellors who’re way more qualified than I am to help you.’
‘You may well be right, but all those counsellors are tainted by the existing system. What I plan to create is something different. Something that puts the victim first and the rapist in jail. I’m talking about getting these women justice as well as help. It won’t be easy, and I’m aware that a lot of the women will be terrified of appearing in court, but one of the things I plan to do is negotiate a rate with a specialist lawyer which means the victims can have a representative who’s smart enough to not let the defence lawyer blacken their character. It’ll take money to set it up, but I have money and I have a team of people who can get this kind of stuff done. I want you on board because you’re passionate, honest and, if I may be frank without causing offence, the scar on your cheek lends you an air of toughness. That’s what I want to have fronting my campaign: a passionate woman who looks tough enough to handle anything. That’s the dream I want to sell these women. That times may be hard for them just now, but that there is a bright future out there if they can only find the strength to grasp it.’
