Death on Account (The Lakeland Murders)

by Salkeld, J J

  ‘What have you got in mind, boss? You don’t want me to investigate Robinson, do you?’

  ‘All you’d find there is the whiff of piety and starch. No, there are a couple of things that might be worth a proper look. First, friend Williams had a guest the night before he died, there were prints on a glass. They’re not on the database, so have another look at that. And since the Williams file isn’t confidential any more go and ask Robinson’s pet dragon for it.’

  ‘Why, boss? I think we’ve got copies of everything that’s in it.’

  ‘It’s the file I’m interested in, Ray, not what’s in it. Slip it in an evidence bag and take it to the lab at HQ. I assume you’ve got a mate or two there? Ask them to run it against the database, let’s see who from our station has touched it. Everything, from the cover onwards. And maybe have a chat with Ian as well, but this is strictly unofficial. Find out what he told Gorham and the Super. Basically we can do this one of two ways, either get Ian out of the frame, or get someone else in it. I’d prefer the latter, but I’d settle for the former. OK?’

  ‘Yes, boss. You want me to stop looking at the CCTV?’

  ‘No, because we still need to establish that Sanchez was driving that X5. We know he was, and I’m not expecting him to stand trial here even if he gets caught sometime in the future, but we do need a clean view of him in that car. We want everyone to be certain that he’s our killer.’

  ‘We’ve got nowt so far, boss, and we’ve looked at all the best stuff. I don’t think we’re going to get anything either.’

  ‘OK, so leave it then, and try a different but connected line.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Well, what if he stopped for fuel? Call Tony Sheridan and ask him to contact the owner of that X5 and find out roughly how much fuel was in it when it was nicked, if they don’t already know. If there wasn’t much then get the CCTV on the northbound motorway services checked, just work backwards from the time he arrived in Kendal to get a likely ETA at each one.’

  ‘Blimey, boss, that’s a long shot.’

  ‘That’s the deal, Ray. Bust a gut to help confirm that Sanchez was behind the wheel of that Beemer and you’ll have enough Brownie points in the bank to earn some time helping Ian. Deal?’

  ‘Deal, boss. Can I borrow Jane’s Specials to help on all that bloody CCTV though?’

  ‘Since you ask so nicely, you can. Ask Jane to pop in, and I’ll give her the good news. And get hold of that file ASAP would you, Ray? You never know, there might be an unexpected print on it.’

  While Jane Francis was still with him Hall called Charlie Coward, and asked him to scale back the house-to-house.

  ‘Aren’t you bothered about putting Sanchez near Williams’ house, on Gooseholme, or where we know he parked up? I haven’t given up you know, Andy.’

  ‘Of course I am, but your people have already canvassed twice, and we’ve got the media interested because we’re after a foreign hit-man now. So his picture’s been all over the TV and press for the last day or two. Let’s hope that the media helps us do a bit of the heavy lifting for once. If anyone remembers anything they’ll come forward off their own bat. And I’m under pressure on the budget like you wouldn’t believe, Charlie. I might even have to make my batman redundant.’

  ‘Even though Williams’ death is going to result in young Cafferty’s re-trial collapsing?’

  ‘That’s a done deal anyway, mate. The chance of us being able to stop it are already nil, and the CPS is going to throw in the towel any second now. That ship has sailed, and is pretty much over the horizon and in to the pale blue yonder. Best case from here is that we manage to connect the older brother to the Williams killing somehow, and that’s the focus now.’

  Hall rang off, and for a moment he thought about telling Jane what he’d asked Ray to do, but he didn’t. Two months ago he might have, probably would have, but she seemed distant, unhappy even. He hoped that it wouldn’t affect the quality of her work.

  ‘So you want me to keep at it on the Williams background stuff?’ she asked.

  ‘You bet. I’ve asked Ray to keep on with trying to connect Sanchez with that X5 absolutely definitively, and obviously Merseyside is doing its bit as well, but we need to try to firm-up Williams’ timeline for last Tuesday, and get anything else we can about him. If he was the author of his own misfortune then we need to know about it.’

  ‘Can Ray give me a hand?’

  ‘Maybe, but only after he and your Specials have been through all that CCTV. What you’re doing needs a detective’s instinct, and you’ve certainly got that, Jane. Incidentally, how are they shaping up, your hobby-bobbies?’

  ‘They’re both good. Alison is quiet, but thorough, and Gill seems keen and bright. I haven’t used the others, because those were the two with the skills I needed. Why do you ask?’

  ‘I’ve got to see the Super in a minute, and I was wondering if we should try to get both of them part-time PCSO contracts, just temporary ones. I know that Gill would be happy to give us a few hours a week until this is sorted, and they both seem to have the right skills. What do you think? It just seems unfair that they’re not getting paid for helping us out.’

  Jane took her time before answering. She wanted not to care, but she couldn’t quite manage it.

  ‘Good idea, boss. Why not?’

  Hall wasn’t remotely surprised to see that Val Gorham was in with Robinson, and both listened as Hall brought them up to date on the enquiry.

  ‘So, as I understand it, your plan is to try to connect Sanchez to the BMW via CCTV outwith Kendal, and to rely on the media appeal to generate any further eye witnesses in Kendal’ said Robinson.

  ‘That’s right, sir. That seems like the most cost-effective and appropriate strategy from here.’

  ‘I wonder if it’s too cost-effective’ said Val Gorham. There was a crack as Robinson broke the lead in his silver propelling pencil. ‘I mean, I wonder if we’re down-scaling this aspect of the enquiry too quickly.’

  ‘It’s a question of priorities, Val’ said Hall, ‘and now our focus should be elsewhere.’

  ‘You mean in trying to prove that Ian Mann wasn’t the source of the leak.’

  ‘Absolutely not. My priority, and I hope it’s one that we all share, is connecting Sanchez to Cafferty if we possibly can, and at the same time to find out how Sanchez knew where to come. They’re simply two sides of the same investigative coin. We’re sure that Sanchez drove straight to Williams’ house, so we do know that his information was good. And that means that the investigation into the leak is an absolutely central part of seeking to prove a conspiracy.’

  ‘Is that why you had DC Dixon collect the Williams file just now?’ asked Robinson. ‘My secretary asked me to OK it.’

  ‘Yes, sir. I think we need to know exactly who has handled that file.’

  ‘I didn’t know that was your intention. You should have discussed this with me first’ said Robinson.

  ‘Really, sir? I’m SIO and that was just a logical step. To be honest I’m surprised that you or Val hadn’t already done it, since you’ve questioned Ian Mann on a couple of occasions now. And on that subject, would it be possible for me to have the transcript of those interviews, since I do need to eliminate Ian from this enquiry?’

  There was silence in the room. Hall would have stayed that way all day if he had to, with the same calm expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something mildly pleasant. A walk in a spring wood perhaps.

  ‘I think that we should bring in an outside force to investigate the source of the information about Williams’ identity’ said Val Gorham eventually. ‘DI Hall is conflicted, seriously conflicted.’

  ‘I have to disagree’ said Hall calmly. ‘Although I do quite understand the reasons for referral the disadvantages are considerable. I’m sure I don’t need to spell them out.’ The look on Robinson’s face told him that he didn’t. ‘So my suggestion would be to allow us to continue the investigation in the normal wa
y, with the investigation of any leak being part of the wider conspiracy investigation, at least until we either make arrests or it’s clear that a fairly quick resolution is unlikely. And then we could review at that point.’

  ‘How long would that be?’ said Gorham quickly.

  ‘Six months’ replied Hall, who’d already played this conversation through in his head, ‘bearing in mind the complexity of the case, its international dimension, and the undoubted sophistication of those involved.’

  ‘How about three?’ said Gorham.

  ‘Done’ said Hall, since that was the number he was aiming for, ‘if Superintendent Robinson is happy with that.’

  ‘I feel like I’ve just watched one of those livestock auctions where the bidding is so fast you’ve no idea who bought what. But yes, that sounds like a fair compromise. And of course we have made very real progress already.’

  ‘Thanks to Merseyside finding Sanchez’s phone’ said Gorham.

  ‘Actually’ said Robinson, ‘it was DI Hall who suggested that approach. Tony Sheridan’s boss was on the phone for a chat about how things were going earlier today, and he mentioned it. It seems that Inspector Hall here is an unusually modest officer. So that’s one for the home team, I think.’

  ‘It’s very much a game of two halves’ said Hall, ‘and realistically this case is only just beginning. As things stand Tom Cafferty is going to walk out of jail a free man, having cost the taxpayer a fortune and with a double murder still unpunished. We may not be able to get him back inside, but we might be able to get his brother for organising this killing. That’s the real trophy here. Find a weak link in his organisation, and that might be the person who leaked the information about Williams, and we might get to Billy Cafferty yet.’

  ‘I agree’ said Robinson, ‘just because the Caffertys aren’t absolutely our problem here in Cumbria it’s clearly in the public interest to help put Billy away if we can.’

  ‘That’s very public spirited of you, Eric’ said Gorham sharply, and Hall assumed that they’d both been shortlisted for the strategy Deputy’s role at HQ. And may the best man win Hall thought, as he gathered his papers.

  ‘There is one other thing’ Hall said, when Gorham had gone. ‘I wondered if it might be possible to get a couple of our Specials put on temporary PCSO contracts, just ten hours a week each. We’ve got a couple of bright ones, and we really could use the extra eyeballs on all the CCTV we need to go through to try to get a proper look at Sanchez outside that car. It’s potentially tens of man days I’m afraid.’

  ‘I don’t see why not. Which two did you have in mind?’

  ‘Gill McGrath and Alison Thornton.’

  ‘Good choice. I just knew that Alison would be right for us. Proves I haven’t lost my nose for a good copper, eh Andy? And, by the way, nice work on identifying Sanchez. I know the job’s not done, not by a long chalk, but you and Tony Sheridan have done me a fair bit of good already. The Chief has stopped phoning me every hour, on the hour, about the Williams case anyway.’

  ‘Long may it continue, sir. So will you be letting me have the transcripts of the interviews with Ian Mann? If we need to speak to him again I’ll let you know, obviously.’

  ‘All right, Andy, I will. But keep me informed, every step of the way. You were right to have that file checked, and you’re also right, I should have thought of it. But talk to me next time you’re looking at a possible leak from this station, or you’ll never get rid of me.’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind, sir’ said Hall, and made for the door.

  Wednesday, 1st May

  Ian Mann spent the morning helping his dad with the gardening. Mann cut his lawn, then those of three elderly neighbours, and then set to trimming back some of their shrubs as well. Maybe it was his military background, but he enjoyed bringing neatness and order to the chaotic spring growth. He’d soon filled all of their garden waste bins, and his dad asked him if he’d take the rest to the tip in his car. Mann was glad he’d walked to his dad’s, otherwise he’d have had to use his own immaculate Focus. And it had never, ever been on the tip run.

  By lunchtime it was getting really hot, and Mann could feel the skin on the back of his neck getting dry and itchy, so he sat in the shade of his dad’s house while they had their lunch. He tried some salad cream on his lettuce and tomatoes, and it immediately reminded him of Sunday teas at his grandparents’ house in Windermere, before his mum died. He didn’t finish his salad.

  ‘You’re a good lad, Ian’ said his dad, as he was leaving.

  ‘You take on too much, dad, you’re not able to do all this. And those old biddies are just taking advantage. They can all afford to pay someone to do their gardening. But I was thinking, if I do get chucked out of the cops I might set myself up with a little gardening business.’

  ‘But you don’t know one plant from the next.’

  ‘That’s true, but I know when they’re untidy and need a good haircut.’

  ‘Spoken like a Marine.’

  ‘I’m not that any more, dad, and quite soon I won’t be a copper either. The powers that be want my head on a stick, and they’ll get it. I should probably start learning about the gardening job. So what’s that one with the white flowers on, over there?’

  ‘That’s a flowering cherry, son. It was your mum’s favourite, that was.’

  ‘Did she like gardening?’

  ‘She liked watching me do it, and you and your brothers playing in the paddling pool in the summer. Do you remember that?’

  ‘Not really, dad. I can’t really remember much now, just the odd picture, like snapshots in my head. I’m not even sure which ones are real, to tell the truth.’

  ‘Well she’d be proud of you, son. She’d be proud of your brother too of course, but you were always her favourite.’

  ‘I never knew that.’

  ‘Aye, you were. She always knew you’d do well. And you have.’

  Mann left his father in the early afternoon, and was looking forward to a cool shower when he got home. He could feel the heat radiating back from the front wall of his dad’s house as he said goodbye. He’d barely settled into his stride when he saw Eleanor passing by, pushing Gemma’s wheelchair.

  ‘Can I give you a hand, Eleanor? I’m Ian Mann.’

  ‘I know who you are, Ian, but I’m all right.’

  ‘I’ll stroll along with you then.’

  ‘Well, if we’re both going the same way.’

  Eleanor stopped, and Mann took over. He was surprised at how heavy the chair was to move, but he said nothing.

  ‘Does Gemma like this weather?’

  ‘I think so. I hope so. I don’t really know, not for certain.’

  ‘I bumped into Nobby the other day. He said he was a worried about you.’

  ‘Worried? That’s nice of him to say, but I don’t think so, not really. If anyone was worried about us they’d have got Terry Walker and his dreadful kids moved, or put away or something. He’s an animal. I don’t say that lightly, but he is. He’s completely without compassion, and that’s not human, is it, Ian?’

  ‘I heard about him and his mates chucking lumps of charcoal at Gemma.’

  ‘Can you believe it? To begin with I didn’t know what they were. One of them hit her wheelchair, but it could have been her face. I know social services say I’m depressed and hysterical and all that, but it happened, I promise you.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it. Nobby said he found lumps of the stuff in your garden.’

  ‘So why didn’t he arrest Terry and his drunken mates?’

  ‘He wanted to, but they were really stretched because of the killing on Gooseholme last week. They just couldn’t spare anyone to come out and give him a hand. Knowing Terry it would have turned into some sort of trouble, so Nobby needed help.’

  ‘So do I. It just sends the message to Terry that he can just do what he likes. He’s just laughing at me, at us.’

  ‘I see that, Eleanor, but he really can’t do what he likes. Terry Wa
lker most certainly isn’t above the law.’

  ‘Before we moved down here I’d have agreed with that, but not now. Because if Nobby isn’t able, then who is going to stop him?’

  They’d reached Eleanor’s house, and she opened the gate for Mann. He was being careful not to hit the gateposts with the sides of the wheelchair when the adjoining front door opened and Terry came out. He was drunk, and didn’t seem to recognise Ian Mann.

  ‘She’s not worth it, mate’ said Terry, pointing at Eleanor. ‘Unless you’re some sort of pervert. And I don’t like perverts. I fucking hate them in fact. Are you a pervert?’

  Mann ignored him and pushed the chair slowly towards the door. It was a tight fit. Walker was only a foot or two away, because there was just a low chain between the two adjoining paths, and Mann could smell the sharp, acidic lager on his breath. He had a half finished beer bottle in his left hand, which he raised to his lips and took a swig. Then he slammed the door behind him, and started for the street. Mann thought that maybe Terry had recognised him, and decided not to pick a fight.

  He had finished getting the chair into the hall, and had just pulled the front door closed when he heard the bottle smash outside. It sounded very close.

  ‘Stay here, and call the Police. Don’t come out’ he said to Eleanor. As he opened the door Mann was completely calm. He’d dealt with the likes of Walker many times in his Police career, and not having a Warrant card would make absolutely no difference.

  Walker was standing at the end of the path. His face was very red, from the sun, the booze and the anger. ‘Yeah’ he said, ‘now fuck off, you perv.’

  ‘Go in to your house and get a dustpan and brush. And then clean this up.’

  ‘Clean what up?’

  ‘This broken glass. Gemma’s wheelchair could get a puncture.’