Driving into Darkness (DI Angus Henderson 2) (19 page)

‘It sounds like a threat to kill in my book,’ DS Gerry Hobbs said. ‘Mind you, if Shalberov does carry it out, we won’t find Usilev’s body lying around here so it won’t be our mess to clear up.’

The senior officers in the Sir Mathew Markham murder team were sitting around Henderson’s small meeting table, DS’s Hobbs and Walters and DI Henderson, reviewing the completed company interviews and a mass of information gathered by the web-based research team.

They had been at it for over an hour and Henderson was coming to the conclusion it had all been a waste of time as even though many of the reports included sound examples of greed, arrogance and vanity, they found nothing to suggest any of the Markham bidders would stoop to murder.

‘Well, as we haven’t got a obvious candidate,’ Hobbs said, ‘we should make a list of the ones who strike us as being the most suspicious and spend more time following them up.’

Hobbs looked at each of the faces but found little enthusiasm. ‘I’ll make a start. I think Shalberov deserves to be there.’

‘Why?’ Walters said. ‘He’s just an aggressive businessman. There are half a dozen people like him in this pile.’

‘True,’ he said, ‘but he’s known to be a serial sacker of staff and even though there may be no substance to the threat he made about murdering Dmitri Usilev and his acquisitions team for their failings, rumours have dogged the guy for years.’

‘Such as?’ she said, a sceptical look on her face.

‘Well, when he first acquired his vast collection of former state assets after the break-up of the Soviet Union, he did it in collaboration with a business partner, called,’ he looked at his papers, ‘Christov Futerov. He put up the finance but no sooner was the ink dry on the deal, than Futerov died in a water-skiing accident. This placed Shalberov in total control of all the businesses and as you saw boss, he’s never looked back.’

‘Yeah but–’ Walters said,

‘There’s more,’ Hobbs said. ‘It says here in this newspaper report, one of his mineral crushing plants in Kirov was dogged by strikes and closed for the third time in a month by workers led by a militant socialist called Vladimir Lukyanov. While out drinking in a bar in Kirov Oblast, Mr Lukyanov was set upon by a group of men and kicked to death. Ever since then, the plant has been strike-free.’

‘I’m convinced,’ Walters said. ‘Put him on the pile.’ ‘I would also add to the list,’ Walters said, ‘the guy Phil Bentley and Sally Graham met in Manchester, Liam Fletcher, the Managing Director of Fletcher Electronics. His background is dodgy and there are strong rumours the money he needed to start his business came from dealing in drugs.’

‘He sounds a nice fella,’ Hobbs said.

‘He built up the small electrical business his father used to own into one of the largest component manufacturers in the North West by lavishly entertaining corporate buyers. They moved into the big league after a couple of aggressive takeovers, including one in Newcastle when the MD who was the founder of the company and reluctant to sell, drowned in a river near his home.’

‘He sounds suspicious, put him on the list,’ Hobbs said.

‘Any more?’ Henderson asked. ‘No takers? Well I would like to suggest one.’

‘Who?’ Hobbs said.

‘William Lawton.’

‘Come off it sir,’ Walters said, ‘he was big pals with Mathew Markham and the whole family.’

‘Yeah, he’s known Suki all her life,’ Hobbs said.

‘There are two reasons. One is this Financial Times report, dug up by Seb Young.’ He held it up for them to see. ‘It says Lawton has been putting together a consortium to buy Markham Microprocessors on the quiet because he felt sure Sir Mathew was going to sell it behind his back.’

‘I never knew about this,’ Hobbs said.

‘There’s more. One of the members of his consortium is none other than our good friend, Dominic Green.’

‘What? Unbelievable.’

‘You’re kidding?’ Walters said. ‘Dominic Green? ‘What the hell does he want with an electronics company?’

Green had been ‘Public Enemy Number One’ in the Sussex region long before Henderson moved there. Everyone in the building knew how the one-time slum landlord and owner of squalid bed-sits and DSS hostels became a multi-millionaire and rebuilt his public persona into a generous benefactor and friend to the rich and famous. In business, he was a shark swimming in a pool of goldfish as he treated tenants, landowners, squatters, protestors and anyone else who got in his way, with the same contempt and disrespect for their legal rights, as any feudal landlord would have done in the Middle Ages.

‘None of his businesses are connected with the electronics industry,’ Hobbs said, ‘and as far as I know, none are even what you might call high-tech.’

‘It might be possible,’ Walters said, ‘that Lawton knows exactly what he’s capable of, and is using him to intimidate anyone who gets in his way.’

‘Let’s take it a stage further,’ Henderson said. ‘When the dust settles on the will and the inheritance and all the other stuff, Lawton could well be the main beneficiary, as he would still be Managing Director of the company and if his consortium takes over the business, he could own a slice of it as well.’

The door to Henderson’s office burst open.

‘Good afternoon everyone,’ Chief Inspector Harris said.

‘Good afternoon sir,’ echoed those seated.

Across one arm he held a coat and his face looked flushed, as if it was cold outside or he was angry. ‘I would like to speak to Detective Inspector Henderson, in private if I may.’

‘Leave your stuff here,’ Henderson said over the noise of scraping chairs, ‘we’ll continue later.’

When the door closed, Harris turned to face the DI who was standing and leaning against the small meeting table.

‘Angus, what the hell’s going on? Harris said.

‘In respect of what exactly, sir?’

‘I’m talking about the wild goose chase you’ve been sending the murder team on these last couple of weeks. That’s what.’

‘Wild goose chase? I don’t think so sir. We’re investigating a murder and trying establish motive for the killing of Mathew Markham.’

‘Don’t give me this bloody crap. Sir Mathew's murder has been investigated and McGovern and his team are in the frame. So where’s your problem?’

‘They didn’t do it, sir. Their alibis are sound. I sent you the email I received from DI Speers. He agrees with me.’

‘Alibis my arse. It’s a put-up job by their mates, that's what it is. It’s a classic case of nobbling the witnesses and given time, you and Speers will unpick their stories. This is what you should have been spending your time on and not running off to London and bloody Cambridge talking to businessmen.’

‘I don’t see it like that. We can’t build a murder case against McGovern.’

‘Now listen to me, Inspector,’ he said, poking a finger at Henderson's chest. ‘I will relieve you of your command if you persist with this nonsense because you’ve wasted enough time and resources already. I want you to charge Rab McGovern with Mathew Markham’s murder and let the CPS loose on the evil bastard. The media will love it and you’ll be a hero. Disband the team at once and allocate them to other duties and I’ll forget we ever had this conversation. If you don’t, I’ll have your badge and you’ll be lucky to score a security guard’s job at Sainsbury’s.’

‘Good afternoon Detective Inspector,’ the receptionist said, smiling. ‘Back again so soon? Excuse me, where are you going?’

‘William Lawton’s office,’ Henderson said, running up the stairs. ‘Don’t worry I know the way. Open the upper door if you please.’

Henderson didn’t hear the next thing she said but he was sure she would be lifting the phone to call Lawton. He heard a click as the security door opened and without pausing, he walked past a startled Jules, opened Lawton’s office door, and strode in.

Lawton was talking on the phone while a tall, well-dressed man sat in the visitor’s chair at the side of his desk. Henderson paused a moment to take in the scene as Jules rushed into the office and pushed by.

Henderson moved to the desk, intending to put an end to Lawton’s call or wrap the cord around his neck when he heard him say, ‘got to go,’ and put the phone down.

Henderson placed both hands on the desk, and over and eyeballed him, his face cold and angry. ‘I need to see you now, Lawton.’

‘I’m sorry Mr Lawton,’ Jules said, resplendent in a bright pink sweater and patterned yellow and blue spotted shirt. ‘He just pushed past me, there was nothing I could to stop him.’

‘It’s ok Jules,’ Lawton said, ‘I’ll handle this, now go back to your desk.’ He turned to his visitor. ‘Mason, I’m sorry for this little...interruption. Could I ask you to step outside for five or ten minutes? I’m sure Jules will look after you.’

‘No problem, William,’ he said in a Texan drawl. ‘I need a comfort break, in any case.’ He looked at Henderson. ‘You sure you're gonna be ok?’

‘There’s nothing to worry about, Mason. Mr Henderson is a policeman.’

‘Where I come from,’ he said, raising his sizeable bulk from the chair, ‘these are the very people you need to worry about.’

He walked to the door and closed it with a bang.

Henderson turned to Lawton. ‘You slimy toad, Lawton, you’ve been keeping something from me,’ he growled.

‘What...what do you mean?’

‘I mean, Mathew Markham wasn’t murdered by the carjacking gang as the newspapers seem so fond of saying, but by someone who would gain by getting him out of the way. Someone like you, for instance,’ he said pointing a finger at the Managing Director’s shocked face.

‘This is preposterous, Inspector. Mathew and I were great friends. I would never do anything like this to him. Your accusation is quite frankly, outrageous. I should report you to your superiors for making such wild allegations and…and to my lawyer for slander.’

‘Are you denying you set up a secret consortium to buy Markham after Sir Mathew put it up for sale?’

‘I...I...suppose now it has been reported in the financial press, I can’t deny it, but he was going to sell it from under my nose, from under all our noses. I had to do something to stop him.’

‘Like killing him?’

‘Absolutely not. I had to stop him selling it to someone else, this why I set up the consortium. There is no other reason.’

‘What do you care who owns the company? It’s just a job.’

He sighed. ‘It’s more than that. This is a prestigious British company and I couldn’t let it fall into foreign hands, could I?’

‘More like you were frightened of losing your job and all this,’ he said spreading an arm wide.

‘No, no. I...’ For the first time since he had known him, Henderson saw Lawton fluster. It was not a pretty sight but from his point of view, it was where he wanted him to be.

‘Why did you team up with Dominic Green? Don’t you know Green’s reputation? He’ll have you for breakfast.’

‘He’s a changed man Inspector. He’s a respectable businessman, despite whatever tripe
The Argus
writes out about him.’

‘A respectable businessman, my eye,’ he said, raising his voice. ‘You’re in league with a viper and you don’t even know it. He’ll take you places you don’t want to go and before long you’ll be talking to me from a seat inside one of my interview rooms.’

‘I’m sure Mr Green would have something to say about that. In any case, this consortium is not only about him as there is also Sir Stephen Pendleton, Jacques Trudeau, Fred Hallam–’

‘Yes, and Barry King, another crook. Mr Lawton, are you telling me an almost fifty per cent drop in Markham’s share price doesn’t greatly benefit your cause?’

‘The share price has recovered a large proportion of those losses since Mathew’s death, I’m pleased to say, but it’s true, the price fall would have saved our consortium a couple of hundred million but remember, it benefits everyone else bidding just the same. However, this is all academic now, as I’m leaving Markham and the business is no longer up for sale.’

‘Why? What’s happened?’

‘Jackson Markham is what happened. He’s taking over on Monday and I’m out. He now controls Mathew’s shares and has decided to cancel the sale. My consortium no longer has a purpose and I imagine will be disbanded.’

This is wrong
, thought Henderson. If Lawton killed him, why would he do such a thing and walk away without a fight? His own well-reasoned arguments were falling away before his eyes, like a child’s sandcastle on the incoming tide. He was missing something, but what? Something Jamil said to him, popped into his head.

‘If not the bidders, who else would benefit from a falling share price or by killing Sir Mathew?’

Lawton blew out a long blast of air from his lips. ‘I don’t know. None of the staff, as they have share options and need a rising share price to profit, ditto our investors. The financial press are well pissed off as it makes a mockery of all their predictions, and our competitors are laughing their heads off at our apparent fall from grace. So in summary, there’s nobody I can think of.’

‘Let me rephrase,’ he said, his anger bubbling up to the surface once again. ‘Who else would want to see Mathew Markham dead? Who else had a grudge against him, against you, David Young or Markham Microprocessors?’

‘You think David’s involved in this too? Why? I thought it was an accident.’

He slumped back in the seat but Henderson gave him no time to feel comfortable as he towered over him, ready to grab his throat if no answers were forthcoming. The answer was here, somewhere in this room.

‘David could be a bit rude at times and he could be abrasive, but who doesn’t when the pressure’s on? I mean, he often fell out with Paul Davis, but then he’s a rough northerner, so what would you expect? Sorry, no offence Inspector.’

‘None taken.’

‘Then there’s Mathew, genial old Mathew. He got on with everybody but he hasn’t been a regular in this office for over eighteen months and for a couple of years before then, he spent most of his time on the golf course or playing tennis.’

‘What about in the early days, when you were trouncing competitors and beating up suppliers? Could any of them be gunning for you now? Maybe you had, I don’t know, copyright disputes, patent infringements, court cases.’

His face darkened. ‘There is one person we haven’t mentioned in all of this and now I think about it, he is perfectly capable of doing something like this.’

‘Who?’

‘Gary Larner. Before you ask, he used to work here and the reason his name hasn’t come up before, is because he’s a non person around Markham. The reason for saying this should become obvious when you hear the story, but not a word of what I’m about to tell you must leave this room. Am I being clear?’

‘Do I need to reiterate, Mr Lawton? This is a murder enquiry. If you have any pertinent information, I want to hear it and only then will I decide how to use it.’

Lawton stared at him. ‘I’m afraid that’s not good enough as I need to know none of this will end up in the public domain. This is sensitive stuff.’

Henderson was getting fed up with this little game and was tempted to charge him with obstructing an inquiry; but no, he decided to keep him on his side.

‘What if I say, I won’t discuss anything you tell me with anyone else except where it has a material impact on this murder investigation. If it does, I’ll talk to you or your successor first. How about that? It’s the best I can do.’

‘I suppose it’ll have to do. Sit down, you’re making me feel uncomfortable.’

Henderson took the seat vacated by the Texan at the side of Lawton’s desk, which provided him with a good view to determine if he was lying, and his face would be within easy reach of his fists if he was.

‘The story starts here in this building. The people upstairs are at the moment working on a product which will change the world of electronics as we know it. We call it Kratos, after a Greek myth symbolising strength and power. You won’t see anything about this in the press yet, as we don’t want our Asian cousins catching wind of it and copying it before we’ve recovered our substantial development costs.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘Kratos is a brand-new technology and will revolutionise the way mobile devices work. You see, it sucks in radio waves from the atmosphere and doing this will keep the batteries of mobile devices topped up forever. Since you don’t work in the industry, I can’t expect you to understand what an enormous step forward this is for phones, laptops, tablets, radios and all the rest, but from a business perspective, this company will make millions. Nobody has this product except us and in my view, it will double or treble the size of Markham and any members of staff holding shares, which I reckon is most of the people in this building, will become millionaires.’

‘It’s that big?’

Lawton nodded.

He explained this in a cool, neutral way as if he was talking about someone else’s product and not a development that he had obviously worked on for many years. He was such a devious sod, Henderson wouldn’t put it past him to have the designs in his back pocket on the day he walked out of here for the last time.

‘Two quite brilliant engineers, Marta Stevenson and Sanjay Singh are currently leading the project. However, the basic idea and some of the groundwork was done by a maverick engineer called Gary Larner, a genius with radio transmissions. He, and the person working with him, James Nash were sacked eighteen months ago for gross misconduct after a security guard caught them having sex with a couple of girls and snorting coke, in the development studio we have at the back of our warehouse in Burgess Hill.’

‘An ignominious end to a promising career, and all captured on CCTV, no doubt.’

‘Quite, and the footage would have appeared on the web if David Young hadn’t grabbed it first. It was my fault. I was so enthused by this as I thought it was such a brilliant idea, I gave them free reign to come and go as they pleased and spend whatever money they needed. In the end, they abused the privilege.’

‘They were both very bitter,’ Lawton continued, ‘and claimed we kicked them out just to get our hands on the project. In reality, it was a blessing in disguise as they had done little beyond a basic drafting of the idea. If it hadn’t been for the brilliance of the current development team, who took the rough drawings, concepts and the little bit of code they’d written and brought it up to the stage it is now, we would never have the working prototype we have today.’

‘How was their bitterness expressed?’

‘In every possible way. It started with letters, aggressive emails, Marta and Sanjay were hassled in the street, silent phone calls, rubbish being sent through the post; you name it. It only stopped about nine months ago after our lawyers threatened to take them to court. It was a calculated bluff on our part as they could have used the court case as a soap box to gain publicity for their grievances and blow the lid on Kratos. I suspect they had run out of money and the prospect of a long and complicated legal battle put the wind up their sails.’

‘Where are they now? Working for a competitor on a similar idea?’

With a sigh, Lawton reached into a drawer at the bottom of his desk, unlocked it, and pulled out two files. ‘No, they did nothing of the sort, Inspector, because they had nothing to sell.’ He opened both folders and spread them out in front of him.

‘I’ll get Jules to make copies for you, but the last time we heard, Nash was living with his parents in Burgess Hill and Larner on his own, in a house in Haywards Heath.’

‘You think one of them might have killed Sir Mathew?’

‘James Nash, no, he’s really a follower. On the other hand, Gary Larner is so odd and his behaviour at times could only be described as volatile, I wouldn’t put something like this beyond him. When he worked here, most people would have called him eccentric and a touch unpredictable but when he left, I don’t know if it was due to drugs, alcohol, or simple bitterness, but he seemed to become unhinged and just the sort of guy you would cross the road to avoid. Definitely a man you should be talking to.’

Henderson walked away from Markham House a troubled man. He long suspected the hand of Lawton was behind the murders of Sir Mathew Markham and David Young but his arguments had been demolished with the skill of a fine poker player in possession of a superior hand.

What disturbed him more than Lawton’s clever wriggling, was that he, a rational, logical and dispassionate copper, was about to stake this case, his reputation and perhaps his career, on the guilt of two disgruntled ex-employees, neither of whom he knew much about. He started the car and pointed it in the direction of Burgess Hill.