GuvI took what you said hard last night, but I woke up
early this morning knowing I can still help you, anyway I thought‘
‘Hold on, hold on, what you trying to do get me Moody suspended as welll’. Howcroft took a sip of his coffee, ‘Just got to go and get some tablets for my head’. Williams nodded while still taking huge mouthfuls of his sandwich.
Howcroft shouted back from the kitchen as he rummaged through one of the drawers looking for some tablets. ‘I’ve got to be out of here in twenty minutes, otherwise Hothi is going to skin me alive’.
‘Say hello from me’ Williams sarcastically responded.
Howcroft reappeared from the Kitchen grasping his tablets as if they were a mirace cure. He threw two tablets into his mouth and downed them with some coffee. ‘Look John I appreciate what you are trying to do but my arse wouldn’t touch the ground, anyway make yourself at home I’ve got to get ready’. Howcroft finished off his coffee and returned upstairs, a few minutes later Williams heard the shower being run.
Williams finished his breakfast and walked into the adjoining lounge, he was no stranger to being in Howcroft’s house and duly settled himsel into the settee and flicked the morning news on the TV.
The news reader reported: ‘ A major new development has occurred in the murder investigation of Susan Kenyon-Lloyd whose body wasfound in parkland nearly two weeks ago. An arrest was made last night in connection with the murder and we will update you on developments as soon as we have them. A press conference has been arranged for eleven o’clock this morning.
Following on from the arrest in a separate inddent one oo the senior officers who was investigating the case has been suspended for gross misconduct.
Williams gulped with embarrassment and hal turned his head away from the screen expecting to see his
picture come up. It didn’t, but thenthe newsreader
continued: ‘Detective Sergeant Williams was believed to be involved in a brawl with afellow officer at the Anglers Retreat, afull story on this and the developments on the arrest wiil continue throughout this morning’.
Williams turned off the TV, he knew the press would be outside his flat like a pack of wolves all trying to get a bit of their prey. He would phone Nikki and get her to stay at her mums for a few days, he was pleased he was at Howcroft’s. He would be safe here for a while at least before the hounds sniffed him out.
Howcroft breezed into the lounge ‘ I’ve been thinking, I’m going to get Sandra to copy the files and bring them over to you’.
Williams nodded ‘Could I work from here?’
Howcroft agreed ‘Of course and I want you to go through the files and see if we’ve missed anything as trivial as it might seem. Also the Judge, is there anything that can connect him to the murder?’
Williams raised his eyebrows ‘You still think he’s involved?’.
‘I’m not sure…the evidence would suggest Tarling , but he’s sticking to his story ‘ was the deliberated
response, ‘Anyway John I’m offcall me if you find
anything’.
Chief Inspector Howcroft darted in to see Sandra to collect and copy the files, but they had already gone up to Chief Superintendent Hothi. Howcroft cursed his luck and made his way to her office to take another telling off no doubt. He knocked on the door, there was no response, he slowly opened the door to see the office was empty. Howcroft walked in and noticed the files on her desk, he urgently gathered them up and made his way hurriedly back to Sandra.
He took Sandra into the privacy of his office, his eyes shifting about to see who was noticing. Why he thought? What was unusual about that? ‘Sandra copy these for me and deliver them to Williams’.
‘What?’ was the cry of surprise from Sandra.
‘I know, he’s at my house I just need him to look into something for me, but obviously I can’t let anyone know apart from you, otherwise Ill be for the highjump’.
Sandra nodded ‘You owe me George’.
‘Anything .anything now where is Hothi’ he said anxiously trying to make up for lost time.
‘Calm down, you’ll give yourself a heart attack, she is in the interview room with Harris’.
Howcroft turned his eyebrows inwards ‘Harris’ he sounded ‘hmm, anyway Sandra thanks for doing that’. Howcroft gave Sandra a peck on the cheek and rushed off to the interview room.
Howcroft knocked twice on the door loudly and opened. He walked in and saw Tarling being questioned by Hothi and Harris. Tarling looked tired but still hadn’t requested a lawyer to be present on the basis ‘he was innocent’.
‘Chief Inspector Howcroft has entered the room 9.43am’ Hothi said for the record.
Howcroft nodded and cosed the door softly behind him. ‘Chief Superintendent Hothi and Chief Inspector Howcroft leaving interview 9.44am’ and switched off the recorder.
They both went outside leaving Harris behind who was asking Tarling if he wanted a coffee or cigarette.
‘Where the hell have you been!’ Chief Superintendent Hothi was incensed, ‘I’ve a good mind to hand over the case to Harris’.
Howcroft stood there red faced, embarrassed and angry but deep down he knew she wouldn’t kick his butt off the investigation, he was the best and most experienced copper she had. Inside he was smiling.
‘We have a press conference at eleven, I’m giving you one hour with Tarling to get a confession for the murder otherwise we release him on bail pending serious allegations relating to the crime. Which I will take up immediately with his senior officer, understood?’
‘Yes Ma’am’ Howcroft responded humbly.
‘Good. Now get your arse in there’ Hothi ordered.
Howcroft smiled to himself and re-entered the interview room and sat down next to Harris. Howcroft nodded at the recorder and Harris duly switched it on. ‘9.51 am Howcroft and Harris interviewing. Now Mr Tarling you put yourself at the scene of the crime, you have even admitted to moving the body, so why not the murder?’
Tarling put both hands on his face and then through his hair in a gesture of despair ‘ Look I’ve already told your boss, I didn’t bleeding do it!…how many more times’ Tarling was animated.
‘Okay’ Howcroft changed tact ‘What is your relationship with Judge Lloyd?’
‘What has that got to do with anything’.
‘The fact you were banging his wife, was at their house the night of the murder and had the nerve to move her body ..I would say has a bloody lot to do with it’.
Harris smirked. Tarling glared at Harris ‘What’s your problem?’
Howcroft scraped his chair backwards and stood over the table looking directly into Tarlings face, look I don’t know who you think you are. But you are in this up to your neck, at worst you are going down for a very long time at best you’re a disgrace, career in ruins and possibly slopping out for a few years. So if I was you I would stop messing around and come cean!’. Howcroft leaned back and walked across to the other side of the room.
Tarling looked down at the table. He said nothing for minutes. He then piped up ‘The Judge and me are friends’.
‘I would put a ‘were friends’ if I was you’ Harris quipped.
Tarling continued, ignoring Harris ‘ We got to know each other through the system and the social circe where you saw the same old faces, he even presided over some cases I worked on. We just got to know each other and obviously I got to know his wife at the same time. We entered some personal business deals together and deeping with Susan was something thatjust happened. As far as I know Francis didn’t know about Susan and
mebut I would never have harmed Susan and I
definitely didn’t kill her’.
Howcroft seemed to nod in defeat, Tarling was never going to admit to murder and Howcroft was beginning to believe
him. He looked at Harris for support, who just shrugged his shoulders. ‘Alright Tarling one
more question and you can gofor now, we found this
note in a safety deposit box’.
Tarling’s face for the first time changed, colour fell from his cheeks and a tinge of guilt crept across the hard exterior he had portrayed. ‘What note….I don’t know about any note in a deposit box’.
Howcroft frowned noticing this change in appearance and tone ‘ how do you know, I haven’t told you what was on it’.
Tarling pouted his bottom lip and shook his head ‘No sorry, I can’t help you regardless of what was written on it’.
Howcroft wasn’t convinced but let it go ‘ Okay Tarling we’ve done with you for now’.
‘About bloody time’ Tarling snarled.
Harris switched the recording off and conceded at 10.27am.
‘Oh by the way’ Howcroft pointed his finger in the air and stepped across Tarlings path so he couldn’t reach the door. ‘Mac^od is he one of yours?’
Tarling looked surprised and nodded.
‘Well he’s a fucking psycho who has just got one of my men suspended’.
Tarling pulled a facial expression of contempt ‘He is a very good officer, so what would you have me do, put him in a cage?shoot him?’
‘Either is fine by me’ Howcroft said stepping aside and letting Tarling through.
Howcroft now had to go and see ‘the hard nosed bitch’ and then they had to face the music with the press. The hope of announcing an arrest and conviction was now out of the window. Howcroft shook his head with frustration and hoped Williams, remote as it may be, might find something they had missed?
Williams thanked Sandra for bringing the files, and now it was time for some ratiocination.
He opened up the case file with copies of Doc’s reports, photographs of the crime scene and Howcroft’s notes. In the peace and quiet he meticulously went through every shred of evidence that the file contained. He remembered George asked him to look at the Judge more c^sely, he read the surveillance notes and then he looked for the notes when they first met the Judge to inform him of his wife’s death.
Williams looked at the notes and smiled at what George had written, ‘the all time doubting Thomas’ he thought.
Upset his wife had been killed?-reasonably, an act maybe?
Felt unwelll-phoned wife 10.38pm-didn’t travel
home.
Was wife having an affair?-reaction didn’t want to know ? He knew (Howcroft had scribbled in).
Who had he met in London-Tarling ?
Tarling and Judge-worked together on Colombian money laundering case.
Williams started to walk around thinking to himself’ the three hundred thousand pound in cash, the deposit box, the private deals he mentioned, it was all fitting together they were running a money laundering operation’. He quickly grabbed his mobile phone and punched in the number for New Scotland Yard’.
‘Yes hello, Zara Norton Special Operations, pease’. Williams carried on pacing around the dining room eager and anxious to find out the answer to his question. ‘Zara
hi, DS Williams herecan I ask you where Tarling flew
to on that Sunday, I think the seventh?’
‘Yes he flew out to Colombia..erm, Bogota , helping on an FBI investigation into a drug cartel’ Zara answered.
‘Thanks Zara, that’s all I need to know’ Williams said and pushed the stop call button on his mobile. ‘George was right the old codger was bloody right’ he shouted to himself.
He sat back down at the dining room table scanning the notes again. ‘So why Mrs Lloyd, why did you have to be bumped off? The reason must be staring me in the face’. Williams pieced the evidence together again and again in his head. She must have known something or
seen something she wasn’t supposed to?why why He
kept racking his brain. Then something twigged, maybe it was just the obvious. Tarling was seeing his wife and he didn’t like it? He had seen the body language between them around the Judge’s house? Maybe he had even followed them, saw them together? He killed her?
Williams sat back in his chair contemplating his thoughts and the confirmation from Zara of the Colombian link. His head was spinning. He should phone Howcroft. Williams scrambled through the notes again, called from mobile 10.38pm. ‘That’s it’, he reasoned, ‘These high society apartments in London have security camera’s, so lets see if you left the building Judge Lloyd?’
Howcroft fell very uncomfortable as he took his seat in front of the awaiting press and cameras. Howcroft turned and looked at Hothi who was calm and looked sternly ahead obviously relishing the limelight.
‘Okay people settle down’ Hothi ordered. ‘I will give a statement updating you on where we are at in the investigation and Chief Inspector Howcroft will answer any questions you may have’.
Hothi looked at Howcroft who nodded, she could tell he was nervous. ‘You all know this high profile investigation will be two weeks old this Wednesday. Due to the sensitivity of the case a lot of man-hours have been given in following up all leads and extra police have been drafted in and holiday has been cancelled. As you would appreciate some leads are a dead end, others are time wasters, but we have to check them all out. We have today released someone helping with our enquiries with no charge, although the information they have given has been very useful and will hopefully concede with a speedy end to this investigation’.
‘We are also releasing two new photographs of Mrs Kenyon-Lloyd as shown behind us on the white board. On a separate issue an unfortunate incident took place with one of our senior investigators, DS Williams, who was involved in a brawl at a nearby public house. I would like to point out this incident has nothing to do with the investigation and DS Williams has been suspended following a full investigation. Ill now pass you over to Chief Inspector Howcroft for any questions you may have’.
There were camera’s snapping and questions coming in all at once. ‘Hold on, hold on one at a time’ Hothi commanded.
‘Thank you Chief Superintendent Hothi’ he then turned his head back to face the press. ‘I you could put your hands up Ill get through as many as I can’.
‘Matthews, Evening Tribunecan you divulge the
name of the person who was helping you with your enquiries?’.
Howcroft looked at Matthews, grubby little man , unshaven always looked like he had three hour liquid lunch breaks. ‘No, the person involved has a high position within our society and due to the nature of this investigation will remain anonymous, rather than have you dogs track him downyes you, next question’.
‘Berry, Daily Echocan you confirm that DS
Williams did in fact have a fight with a flow police officer?’.
‘Sorry but I’m refusing to answer any question relating to a completely separate incident. I will only answer questions relating to the murder investigation’ Howcroft responded ascetically.’ Yes Harry’.
It was Harry Morley well known journalist to the police in the Bournemouth area, also well known to the bookies. Liked a gamble did our Harry, was well into his fifties thick mop of grey hair that looked like it had been glued on.
‘Yes.erm Morley Dorset News, erm George’. Which bought ripples of laughter from the other journalists and a smile from Howcroft. ‘I understand you have made enquiries at local establishments, does this mean you believe the killer to be local’.
‘We have to follow up all leads, and find out what Mrs Kenyon-Lloyds last movements were. At this stage I cannot confirm whether the killer is local or not. We will explore all avenues and see where that takes us’.
Williams heard the lunch time bulletin on his car radio as he headed into Knightsbridge and was fascinated with the questions, especially from the BBC reporter who had obvio
usly been leaked the name of MaCleod and had investigated the fact he was in ‘Special Operations’.
It was a grey overcast day, but mild as Williams pulled up into the ‘Cheval Apartments’ car park. His car alarm beeped as he made his way to the front entrance. He noticed the CCTV camera and then the security system as he got to the door.
Williams buzzed through on the intercom ‘DS Williams’ he announced and held up his ID to the camera. He turned the handle and walked into the wide-open reception with what looked like two security guards fifty yards away. He was surprised with the expanse but not with the décor ‘very classy’ he said to himself. As he approached the desk one of the security guards came out from behind the reception area and met him.
‘Yes DS Williams, what can we do for you sir?’
He was an imposing man Williams thought, square chin, scar on forehead, but spoke with an air of dignity and respect.
‘Yes hello, how many CCTV’s do you have and what is the length of recording for each camera?
The security guard tilted his head and frowned at the question ‘Any specific reason?’
‘Yes it’s in connection with the Susan Kenyon-Lloyd murder investigation, which no doubt you are weh aware. Just wanted to confirm Judge Lloyd’s movements on that night. Wednesday 3rd December, do your recordings go back that far?’ Williams hoped.
‘The tapes run for 14 days and then are reused and re-recorded over, so you’re in luck. Follow me’. He led Williams over to a door on the left next to the stairs and devator, he swiped a card which swung the door open. Inside were monitors and tapes recording and monitoring. ‘The tape you want is still being used so Ill put a new one in’.
Williams sighed and now fell tense, he wanted his hunch to come right.
‘Okay lets see’, the security guard placed the tape in the video player ‘third of December you said’.
Williams nodded as he watched the screen fast forwarding images coming and going at lightning speed through hazy white lines. Suddenly the picture stopped showing just a view of the front door entrance.
The Chess Player Page 12
