Beyond Reach (29 page)

‘Because, like I say, they’re bound to find out. Faraday’s no fool and if he’s working with a bloke called Jimmy Suttle there’s no way they won’t put the deal together.’

‘So we just own up? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Yeah. You and Ez negotiated the deal. You took Garfield at face value. Then you realised it was dirty money and you pulled out. You’re horrified, Baz. You feel betrayed, but thank God you’ve got the bollocks to do the right thing. You’re a businessman. You depend on your reputation. The last thing you can afford is to lose it.’

‘I
tell
them all that?’

‘Word for word, Baz. You grit your teeth and you do it.’

‘They’ll piss themselves laughing, mush. They know me. They know what I’m like.’ He rescued the toast and left it on the worktop. ‘What about the lawyer you smacked around? The luggage you nicked?’

‘That too. That was how much pressure we were under. That was how much we
cared
.’

Mackenzie sat down again. He wasn’t convinced. Winter put more bread in the toaster and binned the first lot. Mackenzie watched his every move.

‘You really think this is all down to Garfield? Nicking my fucking grandson? Just to get even?’

‘It’s more than possible, Baz. The guy’s minted, he’s well connected, and being inside won’t make any difference. On remand you can have all kinds of visits, make phone calls, the lot, plus that missus of his might turn out to wear the trousers. Maybe there’s something going on between her and the toy-boy lawyer. Whichever way you cut it, the woman was humiliated.’

‘Yeah. By you, mush.’

‘By me. Too right. To save your bacon.’

‘Yeah. And look where we are now.’

Winter was sorting out some plates for the toast. He stopped. Turned round.

‘Are you serious? Am I hearing what I think I’m hearing? Only if I am you can stick your fucking job up your arse. Who sent me out there in the first place? Who never bothered to check out Garfield’s money?’

Mackenzie stared at him. In the spill of early sunshine through the window he looked suddenly exhausted.

‘Sorry, mush.’ He shook his head. ‘That was totally out of order. You know what? I think I’m fucking losing it. What we really need to do is sort this cunt out, big time.’

‘Which cunt?’

‘Garfield. A stroke like that? Un-fucking-forgivable.’

‘Forget it, Baz. Sorting Garfield out is down to the Bill. That’s their job. That’s why you pay your taxes.’

‘Yeah … but it doesn’t feel right, none of it. A
kid
for Chrissakes, a game little nipper like Guy. If anyone lifts a finger to him, I swear to God …’ He left the sentence unfinished, staring into nowhere.

There was a long silence. Winter could hear footsteps descending the stairs. Then Marie appeared at the open kitchen door. She gazed at them both. Winter knew she’d been crying.

‘They’re asleep, poor lambs,’ she said. ‘Is anyone going to tell me what happens next?’

TUESDAY, 27 MAY 2008. 09.33

The FLO’s name was Helen Christian. She was a local girl, early forties, Pompey born and bred, slightly overweight. She, more than anyone on the
Causeway
squad, knew exactly the kind of challenge that lay ahead.

‘You won’t believe this, Jimmy, but I went out with him once. He won’t remember but it’s true.’

‘Who?’ Suttle was sitting at Faraday’s desk waiting for his boss to return.

‘Mackenzie. He was an estate agent in the early days, Jack the Lad, really funny, really good company. We used to go to those all-nighters out in the country. He always got the best drugs, even then.’

‘You knew his missus too? The lovely Marie?’ Suttle was looking impressed.

‘Yeah, she was a High School girl. Posh but a bit of a wild child. If I remember right, her dad was an architect. Mackenzie was all over her until she fell pregnant.’

‘And then?’

‘He ran a mile, took up with loads of other women.’

‘Including you?’

‘Yeah. I really liked him, to tell you the truth. He was different to the other layabouts. He knew what he wanted. He was going places, you could tell.’

‘Sure … and look where it took him.’

‘Trillionaire? Nice car? Pretty wife? Big house? Am I missing something here, Jimmy?’

Faraday stepped back into the office with a tray of coffees. He’d been in conference with Parsons. Word from the scene so far offered nothing in the way of a decent lead.

‘The guy forced an entry through the front door. He must have left his shoes outside because they can’t raise any soil samples or prints from the carpet, and the girl says he was wandering around in socks. He was wearing gloves too, so prints are another no-no.’

‘Alarm?’

‘It didn’t work. No one knows why.’

‘You think he might have disabled it?’

‘It’s possible.’

‘Tyre marks?’

‘It’s a gravel drive. No chance.’

‘Neat job, then.’

‘Very.’

‘Skin colour?’

‘IC1 as far as she could make out. He was wearing a balaclava.’ IC1 meant white male.

‘Accent?’

‘He never said a word until he got outside. The au pair’s not great on regional accents and all she heard were murmurs. But there were definitely two of them, maybe more.’

‘This mobile of hers, the one he nicked. It wasn’t on by any chance?’

‘She says not. We’ve got the number. That’s something you might chase.’

Suttle made a note. Cell site analysis, providing the phone was live, could track its whereabouts.

Faraday handed Christian a coffee. Suttle mentioned her fling with Mackenzie. Faraday turned to the FLO.

‘Does DCI Parsons know about that?’

‘Yeah …’ Christian nodded. ‘I gather she phoned Mr Willard just to check whether it was appropriate. He must have said yes.’

Faraday nodded, amused. ‘He’ll think it might play to our advantage. He’s probably right too. Mackenzie’s going to be vulnerable, his missus as well. The tighter you get … You know the way it goes.’

‘Of course, boss.’

‘There’s something else I ought to mention. The daughter’s been over the side recently. With Perry Madison.’

Suttle’s head came up. Like more or less everyone else, he loathed the DCI.

‘Madison? You have to be joking.’

‘Far from it.’

‘But why him? Why beat yourself up with someone like that? The man’s an arsehole.’

‘Sure.’ It was Helen Christian. ‘But he’s
her
arsehole. Some women can’t wait to get themselves abused. Don’t ask me why.’

Suttle was still getting to grips with this latest news. From Esme’s point of view, he said, it seemed an inexplicable choice. From Madison’s too. Any kind of involvement with the Mackenzie brood was a kamikaze move. As Suttle himself knew only too well.

‘How come?’ Christian was intrigued.

‘I got it on with a girl called Trudy a while ago. She wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the box but we had a good time. Then it turned out that her mum was Mackenzie’s long-term shag and when the Man found out I got a toeing. Couple of heavies outside Tiger Tiger one night. Fucking painful if you’re asking.’ Tiger Tiger was a nightclub in Gunwharf. The attack had put Suttle in hospital for a couple of days.

‘Nasty.’ Christian was looking at Faraday. ‘So that’s two of us with previous as far as Mackenzie’s concerned.’

 

It was gone ten by the time Faraday and Christian made it to 13 Sandown Road. Marie opened the front door. Faraday could smell fresh coffee and the lingering scent of burned toast. Two tiny faces peered out at him from the depths of the hall.

Mackenzie and Winter were sitting at the kitchen table. There was an exchange of nods. Faraday said yes to coffee. Christian declined.

‘Old times, eh?’ Winter was looking up at Faraday, then Christian. ‘Who’d have guessed?’

Christian was explaining her role to Marie. She and her husband were to treat her as part of the family. It was important that she won the confidence of the kids.

‘Part of the family?’ Mackenzie’s head came up, immediately suspicious, staring at Faraday. ‘How does that work?’ He rounded on Christian, provoked by the very thought. Then he took another look at her, harder this time. ‘What’s your first name again?’

‘Helen’

‘Helen?’ He was frowning now, trying to match the face to some long-ago memory. ‘Do I know you?’

‘Maybe.’

‘How?’

‘We went out a couple of times. Ages ago.’

‘We did?’ He was fighting hard to keep focus. Last night’s events didn’t help. ‘Like when?’

‘Back in the 80s. 83? 84? I can’t remember.’

Mackenzie stared at her a moment or two longer. She was on the point of giving him another clue when his hand closed on hers.

‘Iron Maiden T-shirt? Big fucking poster on that bedroom wall of yours?’

‘Yes.’

‘We went to the Reading festival, right?’

‘Right.’

‘Black Sabbath? The Stranglers?’

‘Yeah.’

‘So what are you doing with this lot?’

Christian glanced at Marie. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea. Mackenzie hadn’t finished. Curiosity had given way to bewilderment. First someone nicks his favourite grandchild, then an old shag turns out to be working with the Filth. Faraday was watching him carefully. He almost felt sorry for the man.

‘She’s a copper, Mr Mackenzie,’ he said. ‘She’s come to lend a hand.’

Marie left the room without a word. Helen went after her, leaving the three men at the table. Mackenzie was still trying to make sense of it all. He looked sideways at Winter.

‘This is totally out of order, isn’t it? This is taking the fucking piss.’

‘Ignore it, Baz. She’s a lovely girl.’

‘You’re right, mush, but what’s lovely got to do with it? This is a kidnap not an 80s fucking reunion. Am I right Mr F?’

Faraday ignored the question, aware of the sudden force of Mackenzie’s anger. Putting Helen Christian into play had been a deliberately provocative ploy. Best now to move on. He outlined some of the steps Operation
Causeway
had already taken. When he got to the Sexual Offenders Register, Mackenzie interrupted. He seemed to have forgotten about Helen Christian.

‘You think the boy might have been nonced?’

‘I doubt it. The MO’s all wrong. Nonces don’t break into houses like Esme’s.’

‘But you think it might be possible?’

‘We have to bear it in mind.’

There was a silence around the table. Then Faraday assured Mackenzie that everything possible was being done to progress the investigation. For the time being they were imposing a media blackout but this decision might change later. Mackenzie wanted to know why.

‘Because it might be in our interests to make some kind of appeal. They’ll be expecting that. They’ll be tuned in.’

‘But these cunts will get in touch, won’t they? Isn’t that the way it works? Gimme the moolah? Or fucking else?’

‘It’s possible,’ Faraday admitted, ‘but we try and plan for every eventuality.’

He asked about Esme. It was important to talk to her. When was she coming back?

‘I’ve been trying to phone her all morning. Silly cow’s got her mobile switched off. I’ve left a message at the hotel too. She’ll get in touch in the end.’

‘And her husband? Stuart?’

‘He’s on the way down. He should be here in an hour or so.’

‘Good. So how are the kids?’

‘Upset. Guy’s always been the big brother. Big brothers don’t just fuck off like that.’

Faraday nodded, turning his attention to Winter.

‘Perry Madison?’ he enquired.

‘Haven’t got a clue, boss.’ The ‘boss’ was deliberate, Faraday knew it. Winter’s role here was to muddy the waters. Faraday looked at Mackenzie again.

‘Is Madison still with your daughter, Mr Mackenzie?’

‘No idea. I’ve never discussed it with her, to tell you the truth. No offence, mate, but how could she pull a stroke like that? With the Filth?’

Faraday, unsmiling, made a note. When he asked whether either of them could think of any possible reason why anyone would want to kidnap young Guy, Mackenzie was the first to answer.

‘Money,’ he said. ‘Stands to reason.’

‘Nothing else?’

‘No.’

‘No vendettas? No one you’ve upset recently? No one trying to settle a debt?’

‘No way.’ Mackenzie shook his head. ‘I’m a businessman, mush. I watch my manners. Reputation’s everything in my game, especially in a city like this.’

‘I don’t doubt it.’ Faraday turned to Winter. ‘How about you?’

‘I work for Mr Mackenzie.’

‘I know. You’ve been in the Job though. You know the way these things work. Can you think of anything,
anything
, that might account for last night?’

Winter held his gaze, aware of Mackenzie trying to catch his eye. This, he knew, was the fork in the investigative road. For whatever reason, Bazza had decided to bluff it out. Was it really Winter’s job to grass him up?

‘Offhand, the answer has to be no,’ he said carefully. ‘It’s been a long night. If anything comes back to me you’ll be the first to know.’

Winter watched Faraday scribbling himself another note. Already he felt like a hostage, bound hand and foot by a boss who paid him a great deal of money and then refused to listen to sensible advice.

Faraday hadn’t finished. He was still looking at Winter.

‘We’ll need a full account of your movements over the past week or so.’

‘Why?’ It was Mackenzie.

‘Any of you may have been watched. It’s unlikely you’d be aware of something like that but there are steps we can take to check these things out. We look for patterns, as Mr Winter will doubtless explain.’

‘Fine.’ Mackenzie shrugged. ‘Ask away.’