He is Watching You

by Charlie Gallagher

  ‘Were they Leon’s men?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘The two that came after him — after Eddie.’

  ‘I’ve no idea what was going on with him. Leon’s never shared his thoughts on a solution to that particular problem.’

  Maddie smirked. She knew what solution meant. She picked up the previous night’s clothes from a chair. She needed to get back to her own room for a shower and a clean set.

  ‘You don’t have to get dressed just yet, do you?’ Adam said.

  Maddie pulled on her underwear, then some trousers. She looked up at Adam. He patted the bed where she had just got out. ‘Only I have to go back today. For at least a few days.’

  ‘Where does this end, Adam?’

  ‘Who says it has to end?’

  ‘You know what they say . . . all good things . . .’

  ‘This is a good thing then?’ Adam said.

  ‘This is a . . . thing.’ Maddie was being a little more careful than the night before. She had been angry and tired then, but now . . . now she remembered that this was not a man who always reacted well to being told things straight — not things that he didn’t agree with. And sleeping with him again had certainly not been the right way to build up to it either. Once again she was back to damage limitation.

  ‘So let’s just leave it as that for now then and see where this goes,’ Adam said.

  ‘This isn’t good, though. Not for you and not for me or my career.’

  ‘You talk like they’re the same thing!’

  ‘Well, aren’t they? What else can I do?’

  ‘I think I already answered that last night. You can walk away any day you want. I earn more than enough to keep you in the manner you’re accustomed to. I’ve been considering a move out to Spain. I’ve got opportunities out there. It would be a clean break — and think of the life we could have!’

  ‘Spain! You have some plastering out there do you?’

  ‘You don’t like how I earn my living and I don’t like how you earn yours. At least I don’t pretend like I’m righteous when I cash my cheques.’ Adam threw back the duvet and strode naked to the bathroom. The door closed roughly behind him.

  ‘Neither do I,’ she said out loud but to herself. She heard the shower start up. She finished getting dressed and moved to the door. She pulled it open enough to be able to see out. The corridor was empty. Not that anyone knew or cared what she was doing or with whom. The fact that she skulked back to her room was a demonstration of how much of a mistake she considered last night to have been.

  * * *

  Maddie couldn’t be sure if Harry was immediately disapproving when he looked at her or if that was just his normal frown and she was being hypersensitive. Her hangover was pretty much gone, drowned by three bottles of water and a handful of paracetamols. He was sitting at his desk. It was just after seven thirty in the morning and the office was quiet.

  She had called out too early, a sign of nerves, Harry stopped what he was typing but he didn’t reply.

  ‘Morning. We still heading out to McCall’s first thing?’

  ‘We leave in half an hour.’ He returned pointedly to his work. Maddie didn’t have the energy to try and push for more of a conversation.

  ‘Well, okay then. I tell you what, I’m going to walk to that coffee place to get a takeout. I’ll leave you to it for half an hour. You want one?’

  Harry stopped again and seemed to be considering it. ‘Sure. Black.’

  ‘Of course.’ Maddie left hurriedly. Going out for a coffee suddenly seemed like a good idea to her. She didn’t want to bump into the DCI and be reminded of the meeting he had planned for her — not yet anyway. She was going to go out with Harry first. And a coffee might be just the thing to move her on from last night. Physically at least.

  * * *

  The reaction when they walked back into the plush reception area of McCall’s was instantly different from their visit the day before.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry!’ The receptionist’s smile was obviously forced. ‘That door isn’t supposed to be open yet. We’re not open for visitors until nine!’

  ‘It was open, though,’ Harry growled. He stood directly in front of her and leaned on the desk with both hands.

  ‘Yes, someone must have left it open.’

  ‘Lucky they did. I didn’t bring a jacket.’

  Maddie stifled a chuckle. Outside, the heat wave was showing no signs of abating.

  ‘Well, yes. Can I ask you to take a seat, please?’

  ‘Don’t you need to know who we are here to see?’ Harry pressed.

  ‘I will take those details from you at nine o’clock, sir. I have other matters to attend to before I can arrange visitors.’

  ‘I need to speak to Mr McCall. He works here, right? I think if you call him and tell him that the police are here investigating a murder and they would like to speak to him, he might be able to fit me in outside of office hours, don’t you?’

  The woman’s eyes burst wide. ‘I . . . murder . . .’ she muttered. ‘Mr McCall arrives at 9 a.m. and even then he has a very full—’

  ‘That shiny Jaguar outside . . . the registration ends JMC. Your company website lists him as James McCall. Now, you have to appreciate that an old detective like me already knows that he is in the building and you’ve just told me that you pack his diary from 9 a.m. onwards. So, we both know that right now he is here and he has a half-hour slot. That’s right, isn’t it?’

  ‘I . . . well, I mean . . .’ She was more flustered this time. Harry let her off the hook.

  ‘I tell you what. You phone your boss and tell him the situation . . . that you have some pain in the ass down in reception asking to speak to him and we’ll see if he’ll fit me in. If not, let him know that I’ll drop back later, during office hours, with a warrant to close the business while a search takes place for the evidence that I need. I’ll wait over there, okay?’ Harry moved to the seat before she had a chance to answer. Maddie watched her hurriedly pick up the phone.

  Predictably someone was down within five minutes. It was a man in an expensive-looking suit and grey hair that was in a neat side-parting. Even his walk carried authority.

  ‘You must be the detective inspector?’ the man said, before the receptionist could find her tongue.

  ‘Harry Blaker. And you are James McCall?’

  ‘I am. I understand you wanted to speak to me. Did you want to come up to my office?’

  Maddie stretched as she stood up. Mr McCall led them through a different corridor to their previous visit. This one seemed to run through the centre of the building. A lift took them two floors up. The plush surroundings continued on this floor. Maddie wasn’t expecting a dusty, plastic chair this time and she wasn’t disappointed. She ended up in a slim-backed, leather seat that flexed as she sat. McCall sat opposite. Harry didn’t sit at all.

  ‘So, how can we help?’

  ‘Leonard’s Farm. Do you know it?’ Harry said.

  ‘Leonard’s Farm? I mean, no. Can you give me some sort of context?’

  ‘I believe you are negotiating to buy it.’

  ‘Ah! Okay, that makes sense. We are in the market for a few rural locations at the moment. We’ve always had good experiences with converting farm buildings. They have a certain charm to them, don’t you think?’

  ‘And how do you secure this charm?’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘I had a brief chat with your man who runs your vehicle fleet. I got some information but I need a better understanding. So you have surveyors that you send out to available sites to scope out if they might be something you can build on? Is that about it?’

  ‘What is this about? I thought you were assisting with the theft of one of our vehicles?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘Okay. And yet you are asking questions about sites of interest. We don’t normally discuss such things, you understand. I’m running a business where revealing too much of our future plans can ruin them comple
tely.’

  ‘I’m not a competitor, Mr McCall.’

  ‘You’re speaking like one.’

  ‘I’m speaking like a man investigating a murder. Maybe those two things can be similar in the right circumstances?’

  ‘I’m not sure what you’re implying.’

  ‘This is a competitive market. I’ve been involved with other cases where this level of competition has led to physical disputes. This wouldn’t be the first.’

  ‘And what makes you think that’s what’s happened here?’

  ‘Nothing yet. That’s why I’m here. I need to learn a bit more about your surveyors. So, like I said, you send surveyors out to potential places and they come back with a projected value to your company. Is that about right?’

  McCall sat back in his seat. He brought his hands together in front of him and took a moment before he replied. ‘Do I need a solicitor, Detective Inspector?’

  ‘I can’t advise you about solicitors, not about whether you need one or not. In my experience, the people who need solicitors are those who have something to hide. So, it’s a little difficult for me to say.’

  McCall gave a smile. It didn’t look to Maddie like the good-humoured kind. ‘With regard to our surveyors, that’s about right — apart from the bit where we send them out. I mean we can do, but far more often now we get the surveyors coming back to us with proposals. They actively hunt properties that might be viable for maximising.’

  ‘Maximising?’

  ‘Yes. It’s what we do. You get some property companies who specialise in securing land and then building from scratch. You will have seen all of the new-build sites and estates appearing across the country. We, however, specialise in purchasing an old rural estate, for example, or a disused factory in a city location. We then maximise what is already there. We renovate it and often convert it to a multi-occupancy site. It’s higher-end development, our clients are typically in the high net worth bracket of the housing market. They have different needs to the clients who are buying off-plan in the new-build estates.’

  ‘I’m sure they do. So I was right about it being a competitive business?’

  ‘What business isn’t these days, Inspector?’

  ‘And your surveyors are paid for finding these sites, are they?’

  ‘After a fashion.’

  ‘After a fashion? What does that mean?’

  ‘They are self-employed. We don’t have full-time surveyors anymore. We only require their services when we are looking for new sites. We found we were regularly getting to the point where we were working a number of sites at the same time, at absolute capacity and no longer in the market for new opportunities. You could be left with surveyors sitting on their hands for twelve months. So now we just use them when we need them.’

  ‘Which is now?’

  ‘Which is for now.’

  ‘So they’re on commission?’

  ‘They get paid set amounts for set tasks but, yes, if they come to us with an opportunity they will receive a percentage of any profit made on that site when the project is complete and the properties have been sold. It’s a long process.’

  ‘So these surveyors work for other companies?’

  ‘They are free to. Now I’ve answered everything you’ve asked, perhaps you could give me some more information about just what is going on here? I’m told there has been a tragic incident involving one of our vehicles. I believe it was stolen at the time.’

  ‘It wasn’t reported stolen at the time. And neither has anyone been able to provide a scrap of evidence that that was actually the case.’

  ‘I see. Well, I guess the evidence is very much your domain. I instructed our fleet manager to provide all the information that you requested. Is there something else you need from us?’

  ‘He was going to provide me with names and details of your surveyors. I haven’t had that yet. And of anyone who has access to those vehicles. I’m sure you can appreciate that’s a significant line of enquiry.’

  ‘I can indeed. That may be a significant number of individuals, however. I will be sure to chivvy him up.’

  ‘Also, in relation to Leonard’s Farm, can you confirm your interest in that site? Only you haven’t as yet.’

  Maddie was watching McCall closely. His lips flinched as if he was going to speak. He didn’t, and he took another moment. ‘I can tell you that we don’t own that site. All the sites that we have acquired for past, present or future development are readily available on our website or other publicly available resources on the internet.’

  ‘I’m not interested in past building. Are you in for that site?’

  ‘We don’t divulge locations that we have not yet secured. You said the word yourself: competitive. Knowledge is power, of course. This has never been truer than for this kind of business.’

  ‘Like I said, I’m not a competitor. I need to see any documentation you have around that site. I also need details of any other sites that you’re currently involved in negotiations for—’

  ‘Why on earth would you need that? You’re certainly acting more and more like a competitor.’

  ‘Some of these sites may have security — manned — or CCTV at least. Say your man did a couple of visits on the same day, or ten minutes after that vehicle ran someone down. That’s good evidence that he was driving it on that day. Unlikely perhaps, but you’d be surprised how often I’ve got a result from unlikely.’

  ‘I can get you addresses. That’s about it.’

  ‘Addresses are fine for the list of sites. But for Leonard’s Farm that won’t do. I am particularly interested in who brought it to you as a proposal, as you call it. I also need to know who has visited the site and when and what they were doing there. Also any records you have of the current owners, their contact details and if you have had any interaction on that site with anyone who might be looking after it. Does that all make sense?’

  ‘We are not obliged to provide that information, Inspector, and some of it will fall within data protection laws.’

  ‘You’re probably right. This is an informal request. I can have a formal request made via Legal Services, but that will mean bringing my own search team down, which will require the closure of this building and the seizure of your computers. All of them. I’m sure you can do without the disruption.’ Harry leaned on the desk so that he was looking down over the seated man. ‘And that’s just the start.’

  James sniffed. He stood up and straightened out his suit jacket. He proffered his hand.

  ‘I can assure you, Inspector, I will do what I can to help — no less.’

  ‘And no more,’ Harry said as he took up the handshake. ‘I’ll put our search team off for now, then.’

  Maddie followed Harry out. They didn’t talk until they got back to the car.

  ‘Those surveyors . . . they’re the lifeblood of that place,’ Harry said.

  ‘They are. The incentives for bringing new projects must be pretty sizeable.’

  ‘They must be, yeah. There’s a link somewhere in all this. I just can’t see it yet.’

  ‘Was Ron causing some delay with the sale maybe?’ Maddie said.

  ‘I don’t know. But I’ve got nothing better for a motive. I need to go and see someone from the Leonard estate. Someone who knows a bit more about what offers might be on the table and Ron Beasle’s part in it all.’

  ‘Leonard’s wife? Let’s go.’ Maddie was aware that Harry had started the car but it wasn’t moving off. She turned to see him looking at her.

  ‘Sorry, kid. I’m under strict orders to bring you back in. The boss made me promise. He called me first thing. I don’t have an address for the Leonards yet anyway.’

  ‘Goddammit!’ Maddie cussed.

  ‘It might be for the best. Maybe you can get to focus on your missing girl? You should at least get to check in with my team and get an update.’

  ‘I wish it were something like that. I have a good idea what it is.’

  ‘What’s that?�
�

  ‘A complete waste of my time.’

  Chapter 28

  As she walked back into the police station, Maddie still clung to the faint hope that maybe there had been some breakthrough with her missing girl and she might be required to lead that investigation while Harry was tucked up with his hit and run. She sucked in a breath on the threshold of Julian Lowe’s office. She let it out in an involuntary raspberry the second she saw a uniformed community support officer sat in the corner of Lowe’s office. The woman looked stern.

  ‘Ah, DS Ives,’ Lowe greeted her as she walked in. ‘This is Janet Warren. She’s the PCSO for Canterbury Central and the college comes under her remit. You got my email, I assume?’

  ‘I did, sir. I was hoping to talk to you about it. There’s a lot going on at the moment as you know and I was hoping to continue to look—’

  ‘You remember our conversation around your remit here, DS Ives? Your role is not to be out looking for our missing people. You are more the conductor of the orchestra. You work with those who are doing the looking. I know I asked you to assist, but right now you are needed elsewhere. Major Crime has good resources. The search is in very good hands.’

  ‘I see. There is also the hit-and-run incident, sir. Harry is running that by himself as it stands, but I have been out with—’

  ‘Harry Blaker is a man who likes to work alone. You will see that for yourself when you have been at this station for more than just a few days.’

  Maddie bit down hard on her tongue. She didn’t like being cut off and talked over, she didn’t like being patronised and she didn’t like the way Julian Lowe was now smiling at her. She wanted to wipe that smile off his face, to tell him that she wasn’t some new girl with nothing to offer. Instead she took a second and then had one more try. ‘He seems to have been quite willing for me to assist over the last couple of days. I think we are getting somewhere.’

  ‘This hit-and-run incident is not something that needs any more resources. Right now, from the briefing I have received, we have a man hit by a speeding vehicle and the only reason we are considering any kind of murderous intention is because of a tied-up dog. DI Blaker is very sensitive around road traffic affairs and I am quite happy to lose him to that investigation while it is bottomed out. I cannot justify losing our misper liaison too. Not when a meeting is scheduled of the type that will become your bread and butter once your feet are under the table. You will learn a lot today, DS Ives, I can assure you of that. Janet here is very experienced in the world of schools liaison and missing persons. You will attend a meeting with the school and then meet one of our regular mispers. Unless you feel that this sort of task is not relevant to your new role? Or perhaps it is beneath you entirely?’