Mortal Men (The Lakeland Murders Book 7) (15 page)

Hall had barely closed his own office door when his work mobile started ringing. He’d left it on his desk when he went to the CID room.

‘At last’ said the Chief, sounding irritated. ‘Are you alone?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘I’ve got some bad news for you, Andy. Will Armstrong was found dead this morning. Suicide. There’s a note. Of course there’s a bloody note.’

‘And, sir?’

‘And Armstrong makes a number of accusations about being bullied at work, Andy. Your name is mentioned.’

‘And is yours, sir?’

‘No, as a matter of fact it isn’t. Why would it be? What an extraordinary question. I didn’t even know the man. Anyway, there’ll be an internal enquiry. These are very serious allegations, whatever his state of mind at the time that the document was written.’

‘And Will said I was bullying him, did he?’

‘No, not you. But he said that you did nothing when he came to see you about the matter.’

‘I told him that I would make a statement as to what I saw, during an exchange that I witnessed between Will and another senior officer.’

‘But you didn’t speak to the other officer?’

‘Yes, as a matter of fact I did.’

There was a long pause.

‘I see. Well, that shifts the focus of the enquiry. Concentrates it, I suppose.’ The Chief didn’t seem particularly happy at the prospect.

‘On to the person who Will said was bullying him?’

‘This will have to wait until the appropriate time but, off the record, did you feel that you witnessed bullying?’

‘That’s for others to judge, sir. But I did feel that the ACC’s conduct was inappropriate, and I told him so. He wasn’t exactly receptive to my comments.’

‘I see. Well, that might fit a pattern of behaviour, I suppose. It’s all bloody inconvenient, I’ll say that.’

‘Could I ask a question, sir?’

‘No, Andy, this won’t reflect badly on you. On the basis of what you’ve already told me today I’m quite sure that you acted appropriately under the circumstances.’

‘That wasn’t what I wanted to ask.’

‘All right. What was it then?’

‘Did Will Armstrong have a family, do you know?’

There was nothing but faint static on the line for a few seconds.

‘I don’t know, Superintendent. Is it relevant?’

‘Just to them, sir. Only to them.’

Keith Iredale didn’t get long at his desk either. Because Hall phoned him almost as soon as he’d begun work on the files that he’d been given. Something in his tone told Iredale not to ask where they’d be going, or why. And Hall didn’t say much as they drove, except to say that Tiffany Moore needed to face up to what she’d done, and that she needed to do it now.

Hall didn’t speak again until they were parking outside the house.

‘Thought so’ said Hall, ‘I nicked the mum a couple of times, back when I first came to Kendal. Shoplifting, if I remember rightly. She was unlucky, too. Back then not everywhere had CCTV, but then she did this shop that had literally had it put in that morning.’

‘That is unlucky.’

‘It got worse. No-one in CID knew her, so we put a pretty bloody awful still image down in the bobby’s locker room, just on the off-chance. A new probationer had started about a week before, and she recognised the woman straight away. A friend of her mum’s, apparently. I remember thinking at the time that she wasn’t the type.’

‘How do you mean, sir?’

‘No addiction problems at the time, none that we were aware of, anyway. She was working as well, or at least she was until we nicked her. Kids were well turned out, and nice with it. I’d forgotten her name, that’s all.’

‘You can’t remember them all, can you? You must have nicked thousands of folk, over the years.’

‘More like the same few dozen, thousands of times. And I used to be able to remember, at one time. But no, in the end you can’t. It must be fifteen years ago at least, maybe even more.’

‘You get less for murder, sir.’

‘True enough. Come on, let’s go and see if we can help Ms. Moore to appreciate that she should do the decent thing here. But we can’t talk to her mum again at all, is that right?’

‘Yes, sir, strictly off limits. Doctor’s orders and all that. But I suppose there’s nothing to stop you chatting to her if she’s around, like.’

‘Absolutely not, Keith. Never, ever gift a defence a gift like that. Christ, they’d crucify us in the box if we pulled a stunt like that. I’ve seen plenty of cases collapse for less. And it’s just impatience, that’s all. Just follow the procedures, and if you don’t get enough to satisfy the CPS at first then play the long game. Easier said than done, I know, but it’s the right way to play cases like this. If we started breaking our own rules where would we be?’

‘The Met?’ suggested Iredale, and Hall’s smile almost confirmed that the old ones were the best. ‘But seriously, sir. Tiffany didn’t show any signs of coming clean before, so why do you think that she will now?’

‘That’s a good question, Keith. And the short answer is that I don’t. But it has to be worth a shot, especially with the team being so stretched. It might even be in her own best interests, remember, and I will remind her of that fact.’

‘I’ve just got the feeling that Tiffany doesn’t believe much that the likes of us tell her.’

‘Maybe, but there’s only one way to find out. Come on, let’s get on with it. With a bit of luck and a following wind we might have this one wrapped up by lunchtime.’

But when Tiffany was sitting in the interview room back at the station, giving Hall the same answers that she’d given to him, Iredale wasn’t surprised. And he didn’t expect anything to be concluded by lunchtime. She was either telling the truth, which he thought was vanishingly unlikely, or she had long-since understood that the fact that her prints were on the items recovered from Foster’s place wasn’t enough to convict her of anything. Usually cons over-estimated the value of the evidence against them, and Hall was certainly trying to encourage her to take that view, but she wasn’t biting. And so long as her mum continued to support her alibi for the time of the Pearson robbery then she had nothing to worry about, unless a witness came forward. So Iredale sipped his tea, and wondered where Hall would go next.

‘You know the old phrase, innocent until proven guilty, Tiffany?’ asked Hall. She didn’t respond, but he didn’t seem to have expected her to. ‘Well that’s your fundamental protection, in a court of law. To secure a conviction we’ll have to demonstrate, beyond reasonable doubt, that you’re the person who committed these burglaries, including the one at Mrs. Pearson’s house. And as things stand, we can’t do that. But if we break your alibi, then all bets are off. In fact, it’s not just you, but also your mum, who will face prosecution. And she’s a brave woman, isn’t she? To risk ending her days behind bars like that. But that’s a parent’s love for you. It’s the most powerful force in the universe, stronger than gravity, than time, even. I really believe that. I’ve sat in rooms like this for over thirty years and I’ve seen it many times before; the ungrateful, selfish child putting a loving parent at risk, and all to save their own skin. And I’ve never said this before, but I respect the parents’ motive. I admire it. I’d do it myself too, if I had to. But that still doesn’t make it right, does it?’

‘What my mum said is true. She’s not a liar. Not like you.’

‘I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you.’

‘Who gives a shit what you think?’

‘Well, you should, for a start’ said Hall, as mildly as ever. ‘Because if you don’t tell us what happened to Mrs. Pearson, and at present I for one am perfectly willing to accept that her death was largely accidental, then we’re going to set about breaking your alibi. We’re going to knock on every door between your house and Mrs. Pearson’s, and we’re going to find someone who saw you eventually. It’s almost certain. So why not own up now? I can’t promise anything, but it would make things easier for your mum. It’s not up to me, but under the circumstances we might be able to manage to get her away with a caution. I’d certainly support that, I promise you that I would. And we’re on tape here, so I have to be careful about what I say. But you do have to help me here, Tiffany.’

‘I’ve done nothing. I keep bloody telling you.’

Hall nodded, and smiled. ‘So let’s talk about Mike Lightfoot again, shall we?’

‘I don’t know the bloke, not really. I already told your mate.’

‘And I believe you, Tiffany. I don’t think you know him either. I certainly don’t believe that you’ve got anything against him. So why have you been mentioning his name at every opportunity?’

‘Superintendent Hall, please’ said the Duty Solicitor, and Hall held up a hand in apology.

‘It’s a mystery’ said Hall, ‘and I like those. You’d be surprised how few we actually get in this job. So I’ve been thinking about this one. Quite a bit, in fact. And do you know what I think? I think that you were told to mention Lightfoot’s name, by the person who I suspect is coercing you into committing these offences. Find that person, and then I think we’ll solve the mystery. How am I doing so far?’

‘Rubbish.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame. Because if I’d been right, and you were being forced into committing these offences, perhaps because someone was threatening your mum for example, then the courts would take a very different view of what you’ve done, and again I’d be supportive as well. Because I see it this way, Tiffany. I just don’t see you as a selfish child taking advantage of your poor mother, because I think you’re a very loving daughter, and that you’d do anything to protect your mum. Absolutely anything.’

Hall paused, and Iredale saw the tears forming in the corners of Tiffany’s eyes. He had to resist the urge to look away. She sobbed, just once, and then her hand went to her mouth.

‘Do you need a break, Tiffany?’ asked Hall. ‘That’s no problem, if you do..’

‘No. No break. I’ve got nothing to say to you, and I need to get home. You’re all the same, you cops. Just playing bloody mind-games. Well it’s no game. This is my life.’

‘I know that, and I want to help. We both do. A big part of our job is to protect the weak from the strong, the givers from the takers, but sometimes it’s not quite that clear cut, is it? Quite often offenders are victims too, and it frustrates me when we end up arresting them and not the people who are the real architects of their misery. That feels like a job half-done. Less than half-done, really. Let us help you, Tiffany. This really is your very last chance.’

But Tiffany closed her eyes, and shook her head. Iredale watched a single, heavy tear roll slowly down her cheek.

After the interview Hall went back to his borrowed office, and checked his email. He didn’t bother to read the various sets of minutes of meetings that he’d been to, and some that he hadn’t. It wouldn’t make much difference, whether he made comments or not, because nothing much happened afterwards anyway. But no-one seemed to be all that concerned, and he’d noticed the expressions of colleagues when he’d pointed this fact out to them. They looked vaguely embarrassed, but for him rather than themselves. And there was nothing new from the Chief, just a typically jargon-laden note from HR about the forthcoming enquiry. Hall wasn’t entirely sure, but it looked as if he was being positioned to carry at least part of the can. It didn’t surprise him. Blame shared was blame halved, as far as the Chief was concerned. Hall thought about calling him, but soon changed his mind. So he just cut out the middle-man and told himself that the Chief’s hands were tied, that transparency was his watchword, and that he was absolutely sure that Hall’s actions would be shown to have been entirely appropriate. And so he sat and simply thought about young Tiffany Moore, which quickly made him feel worse. It was turning into a really shit day.

Jane was quiet when Hall got home, about ten minutes after her, and while he was getting changed he felt a twinge from his lower back. He rubbed it, and sat on the side of the bed with his suit trousers round his ankles. What the hell was he thinking, having another family at this age? He must be off his head. And he was under no illusions, if the Chief decided that it was in his interests for Hall to take a fair chunk of the blame for Will Armstrong’s suicide then that’s what would happen. He hadn’t made contemporaneous notes of either of the meetings, with the ACC or Armstrong, and one of them was the Chief’s ally, while the other was dead. The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed that he’d be the one who’d be sacrificed, and by the time he went back downstairs he was convinced of it.

Jane had cooked, and Hall made all the right noises, even though he didn’t really like tofu.

‘So Tiffany Moore didn’t confess?’ asked Jane.

‘No. I almost had her, but not quite. She’s absolutely terrified of someone, I’m sure of it. I honestly think that Keith is right. She’s a good kid.’

‘Attractive too, I hear.’

‘Absolutely, but that doesn’t make any difference to me, Jane. I’m old enough to be her father.’

‘Cheers, Andy. I thought you were going to say that you didn’t have eyes for anyone but me.’

‘Of course I don’t. That goes without saying.’

They ate in silence for a while, and Hall hoped that Jane would get back on to work. He was sure it would be the safer topic area.

‘So you’re going after her alibi?’

‘Yes, Jane, that’s going to be the most cost effective route. Start with the most recent offence, and work our way back through the others if necessary.’

‘Hardly cheap, though. And I’m not sure when I can let you have any of my uniforms to help out.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll do it with Keith.’

Jane laughed. ‘You? You’ll actually go out and knock on doors yourself? When’s the last time you did that, Andy?’

‘A few years ago now, I admit.’

‘Well don’t tell the public your rank, for Christ’s sake. Half of them will probably just give themselves up, and the other half will assume that their entire family has been killed in a freak accident. I don’t think a Superintendent has actually been seen out on the streets of Kendal since 1978.’