Troubled Waters

by Trevor Burton

  ‘And those two people are…?’ I ask.

  ‘Phil Biggins and Sophia Peroni,’ Sammy states.

  ‘And what do those two people have to say about it?’ Amelia challenges.

  ‘They both admit going outside, but insist they came back inside well before nine o’clock,’ Sammy confirms. ‘And, I would add, both originally denied the fact until confronted with the witness statements from those members of staff who were absent at the time of first interviews. I only obtained their statements second time around.’

  ‘What do they say was their reason for going outside?’ I ask.

  ‘To go for a smoke,’ Sammy replies.

  Amelia appears in shock. ‘As far as I know, Sophia doesn’t smoke,’ she insists.

  ‘Why would she lie about it? That’s pretty damning, isn’t it?’ Evans observes.

  Amelia and I exchange glances. Neither of us is convinced that Sophia was the perpetrator, and while it does seem that Phil Biggins had the means and opportunity, what could be his motive? I feel I have a theory developing, and wonder if something has been overlooked.

  ‘May I hypothesise for a moment?’ I ask the assembled policemen. ‘You say both Biggins and Sophia were defensive at first, and only confessed to being outside when confronted with a witness statement?’

  ‘That’s correct,’ Sammy reiterates.

  ‘Did she state that she had been outside for a smoke, or was she prompted? I can’t remember what you said last time.’

  There is a pause whilst Sammy flicks back through his notes. ‘She was severely stressed, and yes, I did suggest that maybe she had ventured out for a smoke. Thinking back, she grabbed at it.’

  ‘Because there was another reason for her being outside, that she couldn’t reveal,’ Amelia postulates.

  ‘That could well be,’ Sammy admits, drawing nods of acceptance from Lambert and Evans.

  My mind is running overtime now as the pieces of the jigsaw begin to fit together. ‘So,’ I say, ‘could it be that they were out together?’

  There is a stunned silence, and glances all around as the possible reasons for this are assimilated. I decide to cement my theory.

  ‘What we have tried to determine so far is who was, or may have been, outside the bar, and therefore in a position to be the perpetrator.’ I let this sink in for a moment before continuing. ‘What is necessary now, then, is to try and determine who was not inside the bar when Marian Clowes left. Is there CCTV footage of the bar area?’

  ‘Of course, there must be, but we were originally looking for Barry Milton, and of course he was still there at nine o’clock,’ Sammy answers.

  Lambert takes control at this point. ‘Evans, would we have a copy of the footage?’

  ‘I would expect so, sir.’

  ‘Right, get on to the station, then. It shouldn’t take five minutes to see if Phil Biggins and Sophia Peroni were there at nine pm.’

  Evans moves away from the table to the end of the office to complete his task.

  Lambert turns to me. ‘Are you prepared to stick your neck out on this theory now, as to what we’ll find on the CCTV footage?’

  With my fingers crossed, I go for broke. ‘My guess is that Sophia Peroni will be there, inside the bar, but Phil Biggins will not.’

  ‘And your reason?’

  ‘I believe Phil Biggins to be the perpetrator, and that he and Sophia were outside prior to nine pm in order to discuss something.’

  Evans returns to the table. ‘It’s true that Sophia is on the tape, but Biggins is not.’

  Amelia is quickest off the mark. ‘So Marian Clowes was going to blow the whistle?’

  ‘Yes,’ I begin, ‘but not to expose either fraud or fracking. I believe Sophia was having an affair with Biggins, and Marian found out and was going to tell his wife. I believe Marian also had an affair with Biggins, and he broke it off for Sophia. Biggins went out to confront her, but lost control and over she went. I believe the phone call she received was from Sophia, warning her that Biggins was on his way out.’

  Everyone is now staring at me. After a minute Lambert speaks.

  ‘Umm, that shouldn’t take us long to check out, eh, boys?’ He gestures at Evans and Wang. ‘Let’s get cracking.’

  Two days later, in the bar at Forest View golf club, I ask Chief Inspector Bill Lambert about the arrest of Phil Biggins.

  ‘How did it go, then?’

  ‘Confessed immediately. We knocked on his door, and he said that Sophia’s own stress was affecting him and he couldn’t handle it anymore. He said that when he saw Marian stop on the river bank to answer her mobile phone, he saw his opportunity, and in a moment of rage and panic he grabbed her scarf and over she went into the river. It wasn’t premeditated, therefore manslaughter not murder.’

  ‘Good result, then,’ I say.

  ‘Yes. I’d say so. Crime of passion, so he’ll only serve half his time. Bombay Sapphire and tonic, is it?’

  About the Author

  Trevor was born in Manchester and now divides his time between Cheshire and the Algarve, Portugal. He began writing after a career in finance

  Sports activities include golf, running, swimming, and cycling.

  Trevor’s books are available on Amazon.

  If you enjoyed reading this book, you might also enjoy:

  Tangled Roots

  Countdown to Terror

  www.trevorburt.wordpress.com