Kith and Kill (24 page)

‘ I spent the morning speaking to the neighbours of Penelope Chamber’ boyfriend,’ she told him. ‘He's some fifteen years younger than her, by the way, and, according to the neighbours is a bit of a chancer. He has several women on the go, all of them a lot older than him. I think he's probably a gigolo
cum
con-man, and that he draws them in, gives them a sob story and gets money out of them. His wife's a dowdy put-upon. I'd like to pull him.’

‘No chance. I can't spare you from the murder investigation. Though we'll bear him in mind for when we're slack.’

‘Some day never, then.’

‘Probably. Got anything more on Penny Chambers herself?’

‘Not a lot. Seems they tended to meet away from their respective houses, so the neighbours were unable to give me a blow-by-blow account of their affair.’

‘What about Penny Chambers’ family? Have you questioned them? Were they even aware of this affair?’

‘I don't think the men were. But the old lady, Alice Pickford said she noticed Penny wearing perfume and make-up a lot more. She guessed it was a man. She even questioned her about it, but Penny was apparently very coy. Her daughter was more confiding. She was worried that her mother had got herself involved with a fly-boy. She says she was looking for something in her mother's handbag a few weeks ago and found a wad of cash. Destined for the fly-boy would be my guess. It was the daughter's guess, too.’

‘Mmm. And mine. Okay. Good work, Mary. Back to the station with you now. We're bringing Adam Chambers in for questioning and I want you to go and question his current boyfriend, Will Harper. Get something to eat first. And when you speak to Harper, question him about Adam's other friends. I'll want them checked out, too.’

Next he rang Gerry Hanks, the officer he had assigned, with Mary Carmody, to stay on the investigation of the rest of the family.

‘Lo, Gerry. Update, please.’

‘Nothing much to update, guv. The part of the family I've been allocated seem to be squeaky clean. At least as far as the law's concerned. Can't even find anything that points to Eric the accountant cooking the business books for his own advantage. And Sophia's sister – God. That woman should be arrested for just being an insupportable human being. If she is human. Jealous as jealous could be of her sister. Strange with them both being orphans, you'd think they'd be one for all and all for one, like the Three Musketeers, but not a bit of it.’

‘Okay, Gerry. I'd like you to stick with it. You'll be on your own as Mary Carmody's going to London to check out Adam's boyfriend. I've also got her checking out his other friends, so don't expect her back for the rest of the day.’

‘Okay, guv.’

‘Speak to you later.’ Rafferty snapped his phone shut, collected Llewellyn and headed back to Elmhurst and Adam Chambers.

The
atmosphere in the interview room was tense. Adam Chambers clearly felt he was being picked on and had dug his heels in and refused to say anything but ‘no comment’. He had splashed out on his own legal representative rather than the duty brief. Rafferty wondered if this was telling or if it was just that Adam was used to splashing out on the best for himself. Certainly Richard Ballantyne was one of the best criminal briefs around. Rafferty had locked horns with him a couple of times on previous cases and if he had known Ballantyne would be his adversary he might have held off on questioning Adam. But it was too late now. He ploughed on.

‘Your financial affairs seem to be in a parlous state, Mr Chambers,’ he said. ‘The bookies seem to be getting nastier. Did you have any hope of paying them off before your grandmother died?’

Ballantyne interrupted. ‘My client's financial affairs are no concern of the police.’

‘You reckon?
I
reckon they're central to my investigation.’ He turned away from Ballantyne and back to the unresponsive Adam. ‘Did you have reason to know you'd soon be coming into money? Because I see no sign that you had cut back on your spending. The only reason that strikes me – unless you have hopes elsewhere – is that your grandmother would die and leave you much better placed.’

‘I didn't kill her! You can't prove that I did.’ Adam was verging on the hysterical. But he was right, unfortunately. This interview was an exploratory one. Or it was meant to be. But so far all they'd explored was the sound of silence alternating with hysteria, from Adam and Ballantyne's dulcet legal tones objecting to this, that and everything in between. Rafferty leaned back in his chair and nudged Llewellyn to take over.

‘Mr Chambers, you must realize how the state of your finances appear to us. Especially when you seemed to be making no attempt to rectify matters. Your lifestyle–’

‘I was going to sell the flat. All right?’ Adam Chambers broke in aggressively.

‘I see. If you could give me the name of the bank that holds your mortgage.’

‘I haven't contacted them yet. I was about to do it and contact the estate agents, but then grannie died and it all went on hold.’

Very convenient, thought Rafferty.

‘I see. But you've surely investigated the fees of the local agencies? Or perhaps checked them out online. Only we didn't find any leaflets from local firms.’

‘I told you, I was just thinking about it. I hadn't done anything about it. It took a while to get to the stage of actually contemplating doing something about it. I love my flat. Do you think I'm keen to lose it?’

‘I think you'll be safe enough, sir, as long as you pay the rent. Because you don't actually own the flat, do you, sir?’

As Adam slumped in sullen silence, Rafferty sat up. Why didn't he know that? He shot a look at Llewellyn. But his sergeant was wilfully ignoring him.

Rafferty sat forward again. ‘Interview suspended at twelve fifty pm.’ He got up and walked out, leaving a startled trio still sitting around the table.

‘So why didn't you tell me he only rented that fancy flat?’ he demanded of Llewellyn when the Welshman joined him in the corridor.

‘Sorry, sir. I didn't have a chance. Lizzie Green only rang to let me know just before I followed you into the interview room.’

‘Hmph. Though the knowledge doesn't seem to put us any further forward. Still, at least he's talking now. Unless he shtums up again when Ballantyne gets to work on him. Before we go back in, what angle do we want to go for? Our strongest bet has to be his financial situation. Especially now we know he didn't even have a plush flat he could sell to settle his debts. That's where he's most vulnerable.’

‘I agree. It's a strong hook to link him to the murder of his grandmother.’

‘Yeah, but what about the murder of Dahlia Sullivan? What possible reason did he have to top her?’

‘From what he's said previously, it seems they were close. Perhaps he confided in her and then thought better of it and decided to silence her?’

‘Mmm. Could be. Okay. Let's go.’

Back in the interview room, it was clear that Adam had taken to heart his brief's advice to say nothing, They got little more out of him and reluctantly, only too aware he had nothing firm on him, Rafferty had to let him go. Perhaps, next, they should haul Chambers’ mother in for questioning?

But Llewellyn didn't think that was a good idea. ‘What have we got against her? Just two poison pen letters so far, unless Timothy Smales manages to get anything useful from the neighbour who moved to Newcastle’

‘Talking of Smales, it's about time he reported back. Bell him on his mobile and find out how he's doing.’

Llewellyn nodded, then said, ‘To return to what you said before, we have no idea how Penelope Chambers actually felt about this boyfriend of hers before she found out he was married. We're assuming her feelings for him were strong enough to kill for his sake. But we have nothing to prove it. We don't even know that the money her daughter saw in her handbag was destined for him’

‘That's right. Rub it in, why don't you? What next? Any ideas?’

‘We could find out if Penelope Chambers had dated regularly before she met this Harry Fowler.’

‘And what would that prove?’

‘That she was experienced in the dating arena. If she hadn't dated regularly, she might have been more vulnerable to a predatory type as this Fowler seems to be.’

‘Perhaps I ought to meet him. See if he's got woman-appeal.’

‘Would you recognize woman-appeal? They're a very contradictory sex.’

‘You're telling me? Have you forgotten I'm married to your cousin?’

‘Mmm. Anyway, didn't you say Mary Carmody considered him a conman where women are concerned? I'd trust her judgement and if she's correct, he must have a certain appeal for the fair sex.’

‘Yeah. Oh, we seem to be going round in circles. I'm going for a bite to eat. Coming?

The
Black Swan was quiet. But it was way past the time most people lunched. Rafferty chose the shepherd's pie and Llewellyn had a chicken salad. They took their drinks and sat in the corner near the fire. It was a chilly day, with a raw wind that sliced through to the bone. But it was warm and cosy in the pub.

The Black Swan was one of Rafferty's favourite pubs. It was by the river, an area he usually avoided when it was blustery as the open spaces let the wind reach places he'd rather they didn't, but today, he needed comfort food and such was guaranteed at the Swan. They did meals all day. Great meals, too, with generous portions. While they tucked in, they discussed the case and what else they needed to do.

‘I've organized Mary Carmody. She's talking to Adam Chambers’ friends and his boyfriend. She's already chatted to Penelope Chambers’ lover-boy and Gerry Hanks has done a bit more digging into Eric the other twin and that old auntie. She's not improved with further acquaintance, apparently. Gerry says the more he's pried under the surface the more layers of jealousy he's uncovered. Pity you can't pin a murder on the nastiest suspect, we'd be home and dry.’ Rafferty took a slurp of his Adnams bitter.

‘It might be a sin to be unpleasant, but it's not yet a crime. May the Lord help us if that day ever comes.’

‘God, yes. But think of the fun you'd have, slapping the cuffs on all the unpleasant oiks you've had the misfortune to encounter. I'd even do the paperwork.’

‘Really?’ Llewellyn lifted his gaze from his chicken and regarded him with a disbelieving eye.

Rafferty grinned. ‘All right.
You'd
do the paperwork. As long as one of us does it.’ He paused. ‘I've been thinking.’

‘Not another theory?’

‘Not as such, no. It's just that I was wondering whether Adam Chambers might not be a bit too obvious as a suspect. In many ways he's a gift.’

‘Suspicious of Greeks bearing gifts?’

‘I dunno about Greeks. But somebody seems to be giving us a gift of him. Even his family seem to have selected him as fall guy. Even when they don't mean to. I mean, look at his brother. He just clammed up when I asked him outright if he suspected Adam.’

‘Eric Chambers is an accountant,’ Llewellyn reminded him. ‘The breed's not given to making spontaneous outbursts or accusations. They see the figures and know how expensive is a suit for libel or slander.’

‘I suppose. To make up for Eric, great auntie Alice didn't hold back. She seems to dislike Adam almost as much as she did her late sister. And that's another thing. Do you think we should ask Penny Chambers outright above lover-boy?’

‘I thought we already had.’

‘I know. But I mean that perhaps we should try to dig a bit deeper. Ask her about that wad of cash that her daughter saw in her handbag. Ask her how smitten she was and if she's been handing him money, left and right, regularly.’

‘And if she declines to answer on either count?’

‘Look on the bright side, for Christ's sake. She might fall on my manly chest and tell all.’

‘Or she might feel threatened and call Mr Ballantyne as did her son.’

Rafferty crammed the last of the shepherd's pie in his mouth and crashed his cutlery down on the china plate. ‘Bloody middle classes. Always reaching for their lawyers. Bloody lawyers. Always queering our pitch.’ He paused. ‘Oops. Sorry. If you'll pardon the phrase.’

‘Granted.’

Rafferty grabbed his glass. ‘I don't know about you, but I'm having the other half.’

‘If you're buying, I'll have a coffee. Black.’

Rafferty scoffed. ‘Black coffee. And you haven't even had any alcohol that needs diluting.’ He marched over to the bar. As he did so his mobile went.

It was Mary Carmody. ‘I've spoken to Adam Chambers’ boyfriend. I'm still waiting to speak to his friends. They're all at work so I'll have to wait around until they return home.’

‘Okay. Got anything?’

‘Will Harper's a lad of around twenty. He seems to have his hooks into Adam all right. Told me they were getting married.’

‘Married? So no Oscar Wilde, then.’

‘Sir?’

‘Nothing. Never mind. Did he reveal exactly when Adam proposed? If he proposed?

‘Yes. It was after the gran died.’

‘Anything else?’

‘The toyboy seems to have developed expensive tastes. It was only six months ago the Met had him for hanging over Piccadilly's meat rack.’ The meat rack was the term for the area where young male prostitutes hung around waiting for punters. ‘Now he's sporting a thick gold chain around his neck and a Cartier watch. Probably second-hand or fake, but even so.’