Losing Ground

by Catherine Aird

  ‘Hadn’t done his homework, had he?’ said Leeyes.

  ‘He’d tried to find out but he hadn’t been able to find the family anywhere and then when he realised that Ned had found him first, he knew the young man could have him over a barrel.’

  ‘So in effect Phillips owned a ransom strip,’ mused Leeyes. ‘Nice work, if you can get it.’

  ‘It’s been done before,’ murmured Sloan. It was called leverage but there were uglier names for the practice. ‘Time and again, I would say.’

  ‘There are other ways of keeping people quiet,’ said Leeyes.

  Detective Inspector Sloan said, ‘I don’t think Ned Phillips was going to keep quiet, no matter what. But the real danger was from somewhere else entirely.’

  ‘Are you going to tell me, Sloan, or do I have to ask?’

  ‘All the while the project was delayed Lionel Perry could keep quiet about the Muster Green and hope to come to terms with the real owner when he found him. After all, you don’t need to own land to put in for permission to build on it.’ Sloan had just had a crash course in planning law from Jeremy Stratton at the council offices. Why he should have cited the London Fire Acts of 1701 as splendid examples of good planning law Sloan still wasn’t quite sure, except that they, too, had concerned burning buildings.

  ‘And?’

  ‘And then Calleford Construction came on the scene looking for a takeover. Their Due Diligence team would have spotted the discrepancy straightaway and with Ned Phillips around Lionel would have had no chance of talking his way out of it or pleading adverse possession…’ Sloan caught sight of his superior officer’s expression and added hastily, ‘As you know, sir, that means that people who have been occupying it for so many years without challenge can claim it as theirs.’

  ‘That sounds a most unsatisfactory procedure,’ said Leeyes, momentarily diverted and condemning it out of hand.

  ‘Lionel Perry’s personal stake in Berebury Homes would have lost a lot of value the minute Calleford Construction found his firm didn’t own the Muster Green after all.’

  He didn’t want to go into the ethics of adverse possession. Not with knowing what he did about the superintendent’s views on squatters.

  ‘So why didn’t he sell out to that singer person?’ The superintendent couldn’t bring himself to use Jason Burke’s professional name and the words Kevin Cowlick were destined never to cross his lips.

  ‘Because Burke’s solicitors would have spotted the discrepancy in the same way Calleford Construction’s would have done, and without proper access Perry would have had to sell the land at a loss. Hs only hope was to forge ahead and hope he could either get away with it or silence the present owner of the Muster Green.’

  ‘I said all along that money came into this somewhere, Sloan,’ said Leeyes grandly.

  ‘So you did, sir,’ said Sloan, sycophancy being nearly as good as flattery in getting you anywhere.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  That money came into the situation had never been in doubt at the offices of Berebury Homes Ltd.

  Robert Selby was taking the lead and being long-winded about it into the bargain. ‘I may be being over-optimistic but I think the danger of a takeover from Calleford Construction may have receded somewhat.’

  There was a chorus of reassurance.

  ‘They’re not going to touch us with a bargepole if there’s a criminal case in the offing,’ said Derek Hitchin. ‘That sort of aggro spells nothing but trouble to an outfit like theirs. They’ve always been people in it for a quick kill and this pretty kettle of fish’ll all take an age to sort out.’

  ‘I don’t think that their architect would be able to draw up a scheme without using the Muster Green access any more than I could,’ put in Randolph Mansfield, frowning.

  Auriole Allen said, ‘Tell me, folks, if I’ve got this all wrong but if they couldn’t do it, how could we?’

  ‘Lionel was counting on our not needing to,’ said Mansfield.

  Robert Selby allowed a thin smile to play along his lips. ‘They let me into the hospital to see young Ned Phillips this afternoon – Edward Filligree, I suppose I should call him now.’

  ‘I heard he was out of danger,’ said Auriole Allen, adding automatically, ‘I’ve sent a card and flowers.’

  ‘So has Jason Burke,’ said Selby. ‘I’m afraid Calleford Construction is not the only interested party.’

  ‘Go on,’ said Derek Hitchin, his eyes still on the financial controller.

  ‘I raised with him the possibility of a management buyout in certain circumstances – certain favourable circumstances, of course,’ said Selby.

  ‘Without Lionel, you mean?’ said Randolph Mansfield.

  ‘Without either Lionel or Calleford Construction.’ The financial controller let the sentence hang in the air before he said, ‘Ned seemed quite interested in coming in with us if we make a bid for it. Said he’d seen the books, anyway, while he was working for me.’

  Hitchin slapped his thigh. ‘Bringing the Muster Green with him, of course. I like it.’

  ‘What he said to me,’ said Robert Selby, staid as always, ‘was that the Filligrees of Tolmie had always had a gambling streak but he didn’t know if his father would be willing to follow in the family tradition and take a punt on it.’ He paused and then said, ‘Or whether his father would want to take Jason Burke’s money and run. He said we’d just have to wait and see.’