Separated at Death (The Lakeland Murders) (31 page)

‘That’s not what I meant. You, your husband and Simon Hamilton are all named as directors of a couple of companies.’

Amanda looked surprised.

‘They’re dormant I think. You’d have to ask my husband about them. Now, if there’s nothing else.’

‘There’s always something else I’m afraid’ said Hall cheerfully. ‘Do you buy your drugs from Simon?’

‘Drugs? Who told you that?’

‘Do you?’

‘Of course not. Now, are you going to leave me to grieve for my daughter in peace?’

‘Of course. But do get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to talk about. If you know anything that you think could help us then this is the time, it really is.’

‘I haven’t got anything else to say. Now please, I need to sort out some tea for my daughter.’

Hall drove along the back roads, skirted round Kendal, and drove north for a mile or two. ‘What did you make of her Jane?’

‘Hard to tell. I thought we touched a nerve with the business connection with Simon more than the drugs, but she was certainly in a hurry to see the back of us.’

‘I do have that effect on people.’

‘Don’t be so hard on yourself Andy.’

They drove on, and then he turned down a steep, narrow metaled track towards a small group of buildings. A couple of unmarked cars were parked in the yard, and Hall parked next to them.

‘Did you bring your wellies?’ he asked Jane.

‘No, do I need them?’

‘We may have a walk round in a bit. But first you can have the pleasure of getting to know Ryan Wilson. Chat to him about Vaughn Williams maybe.’

Ian Mann came to the door when Hall knocked. Ryan was in the living room, watching TV, and another man, who Hall vaguely recognised, was sitting in the kitchen.

‘This is Inspector Tony Sharples from tactical support at HQ’ said Mann. ‘We were just talking about the suitability of this location.’

‘Is it alright?’ asked Hall.

‘Yes, it’s a rather good spot for an ambush’ said Sharples. He was the kind of ex-army type who Hall usually couldn’t stand, because they were really still soldiers in police uniform, but Hall recognised that this time his skills would be useful. ‘How professional do you think your targets are?’ asked Sharples.

‘Probably not very. But we’ve got no idea who else they might bring along. So we should be cautious.’

Sharples opened up his laptop. The satellite picture of the landscape showed the road, the drive, the group of houses, and the river in the valley bottom beyond. ‘If they’re total idiots they’ll just drive a vehicle down the drive to the houses, the way you came in just now, and of course we’ll just block that exit as soon as they’re down. We can deploy a stinger at the top of the drive if they try to get out again, so that’s easy. I think we can also safely assume that they won’t try to come down the other side of the valley and over the river. It might get their trainers wet.’

‘Are you sure? As far as I recall it’s just a beck really.’

‘I’ve got a couple of my team down there now, but they’re reporting that it’s in spate, and is at least three feet deep all along this stretch. But if it makes you feel better we’ll tuck a vehicle and a couple of my troops in a farm building here. If they did decide to come in from the far side of the river then that’s the nearest place to get to by car.’

‘So which way would you come?’

‘Good question, exactly right. Which way would I come? Well I certainly wouldn’t go further north on the road, and try to come in from the north side on this side of the river. Your farmer friend tells me that the ground is really boggy. He doesn’t even let his sheep on it. But look here,’ Sharples tapped the laptop screen with his pencil, ‘see this little lane down to the farm to the south of this one, on this side of that stream? What I’d do is drive down there, leave my vehicle, and come in from the side. It just means crossing a field, and there’s even a convenient gate look. So we’ll have a couple of people over there, and we’ll stinger the top of that lane too if we need to.’

‘So we let them get right in here, do we?’

‘That’s up to you. We don’t know how they’ll be armed, but I’d have thought we let them get right in. Gas, a few flashes and me and a couple of my lads should have them on the deck in two seconds flat. Of course, they’re very welcome to put up a fight.’

Hall let that pass. Sharples knew the rules of engagement well enough.

‘So it’s here then’ said Hall. Suddenly he felt tense. ‘You know you’ll have to get all your people in position before Ryan gives his location to them, because they’ll almost certainly get straight out here?’

Sharples nodded.

‘OK then. What we’ll do is get Ryan to contact Simon Hamilton, probably via his mate Wayne, and look to set up a meeting for tomorrow. They’re bound to want to make it at night. But Ryan won’t give them the location until later tomorrow, maybe five or six o’clock, so we’ll need to have everyone in position before he does. You happy with that?’

Sharples nodded.

‘Ian, anything to add?’

‘I assume that we’ll be here somewhere?’

‘Yes’ said Sharples ‘next door. Ian will be armed, and will be under my tactical command, if that’s OK with you Andy.’

‘Certainly is. I know when I’m out of my depth.’

‘Right’ said Sharples. ‘When my boys get back we’ll be off, and unless we hear from you I’ll brief them in Kendal at 15:00 tomorrow, and deploy at 16:00. What do we do if there’s a no show?’

‘How about we call it off at first light, get people down here and get Ryan out of here?’ said Mann. ‘We could re-assess then.’

‘Sounds good’ said Sharples. ‘Overtime has been a bit short lately. I assume you’ll clear it with your Super?’

‘You do the paperwork and I’ll pass it along’ said Hall. ‘Robinson already looks at me like I’m Fred the Shred, and I’ve bankrupted the whole force single handed. So another few grand won’t change his opinion. Come on, let’s talk to the star of the show.’

In the living room Hall picked the remote up, and turned off the TV.

‘They haven’t even got Sky’ said Ryan.

Mann introduced Hall and Jane Francis.

‘We’ve gone to a lot of trouble and expense for you Ryan’ said Hall. ‘Now it’s time for you to do your bit for us. We want you to set up a meeting with Simon, tell him you want to clear the air. And what we’d like you to do is contact him now, but tell him that you’ll give him the exact location tomorrow. Is that OK?’

‘Yes, and then you’ll nick him?’

‘If you’re telling the truth, and he turns up looking to do you harm then yes, we’ll nick him, and anyone else that he brings along. Now do you want to do it via Wayne, or direct with Simon?’

‘Have to be through Wayne. I don’t have a working number for Simon.’

‘OK, that’s fine. Use this phone. I’ll keep it after, and we won’t pick up if he calls back.’

Hall passed Ryan his phone.

‘Don’t worry, it’s not my work mobile’ said Hall, sensing Ryan’s reluctance. ‘They won’t be able to trace the number. Just show the message to me before you send it.’

Ryan tapped in his text, then passed the phone to Hall, who passed it on to Mann, who nodded approval.

‘OK Ryan, we’ll send that and see how Wayne responds. Is now a good time?’

Ryan said it was, so Hall pressed send.

Jane passed a couple of M&S bags to Mann, who looked inside.

‘It’s your lucky night Ryan, there’s some lovely grub in here.’

‘Any beers?’

‘Dream on. We need to keep you fighting fit, don’t we? Fancy a pizza washed down with a glass of pop?’

Hall, Mann and Francis left Ryan to turn the TV back on and went into the kitchen together. Hall left the mobile on the worktop.

‘Did you get anywhere else on Simon’s finances Jane?’ asked Hall.

‘He’s pretty careful. He pays for all the big ticket stuff monthly, so no big cash payments there, but guess how much a month goes through his and his wife’s joint bank account for food, entertainment, holidays and all that each month?’

‘A couple of grand maybe? They look like they know how to help reflate the economy.’

‘Not a penny. Same for fuel. So they’re using cash everywhere they can. It’s not foolproof, because our forensic accountants will be able to calculate how much cash they’re spending that he won’t be able to account for, but he’s not the worst at it. And before you ask I don’t know how far this goes back yet, but certainly a year or so.’

‘He probably thought he’d never come under close scrutiny’ said Mann. ‘What with coming from a good family, and having the big house and everything.’

‘Displaying your class prejudices Ian?’ said Hall, laughing.

‘I’m just saying. These white collar criminals get away with murder.’

‘Not this time’ said Jane. ‘Now, which one of us is going to be responsible for cooking this food.’ Both Jane and Mann looked at Hall.

‘All right, but it’s not really cooking is it? More like reheating. It’s just like being at home anyway, with a hungry kid in the sitting room watching the box.’

‘He’s not a kid’ said Mann. ‘He actually did a decent job sussing out friend Hamilton’s little plan. I’d actually be impressed if he wasn’t such a scum-bag.’

‘You don’t seriously think that Hamilton and Carl Nelson would have killed him?’ asked Jane.

‘If Hamilton did kill Amy, and we all know he did, then why not?’ said Hall. ‘I agree with Ian, Ryan’s feral instincts have served him pretty well so far. Mind you, however this turns out he’s going to have to get out of Kendal for a good long while after.’

‘That won’t be easy for him’ said Mann. ‘But you’re right, everyone will know that he’s a grass, and the fact that Hamilton killed a teenage girl and was quite happy to do the same to Ryan won’t cut that much ice. A grass is a grass.’

‘It’s one of the eternal verities’ said Hall. ‘Very conservative, your criminal classes.’

‘It makes me proud that I joined the force’ laughed Jane.

‘Why did you?’ said Ian Mann. ‘I’ve often wondered what a nice girl like you is doing with the likes of us.’

‘Speak for yourself’ said Hall.

‘I just wanted a change after spending fifteen years in the lab. It was all getting to be more about finding new funding streams than the work, and I wanted a change. One of my uncles was a copper, he retired about ten years ago, and I remember the stories he used to tell.’

‘What, about ticking off urchins who stole a sixpence, and helping old ladies across the road?’ asked Hall.

‘Not quite. He spent most of his career down in the Met, ended up in anti-terrorism.’

‘And in the quest for the same kind of excitement you came to Cumbria?’

‘You were the only force who’d have me. But I dream of working my way up to the proper badlands. You know, the Cotswolds, places like that.’

‘Be careful what you wish for’ said Hall, squinting at the cooking time on the pizza boxes. Didn’t M&S know that while young people ate this stuff it was middle-aged ones who actually cooked it?

Hall served the food and they all ate together in the sitting room. Mann did the washing up and Jane Francis dried. A text came in on the phone on the worktop. ‘We’re on’ said Hall when he’d read it. ‘That didn’t take them long. Wayne is just asking for a time and a place. So Ryan, just tell him that you’ll text him tomorrow, in the afternoon, and that he’s not to try to contact you again in the meantime.’

Ryan did as he was told, and afterwards Hall gave the phone to Ian Mann.

‘We’re going to leave you with Ian now Ryan’ said Hall. ‘You’re perfectly safe tonight, and we’ll be back tomorrow, OK?’

Outside the night was clear, and cold. To the north the sky was clear, and Hall looked up at the starry sky. Jane did the same. Hall couldn’t put his finger on why it was, but for the first time in months he suddenly felt optimistic.

‘It makes me feel all Christmassy’ said Jane.

‘Don’t remind me. I haven’t got most of the kids’ stuff yet.’

Jane almost asked what Andy had bought for his wife, but something made her stop.

‘Is it true that we used to give dinner to an old tramp in the station every Christmas?’

‘Yes. I’ve heard that. He was around in my time actually, but he wasn’t a tramp I don’t think. He was a chronic alcoholic of course, called Billy, and when my kids were small he’d come up to them in the street and try to give them money.’

‘That must have scared them.’

‘Scared us more I think. Kids expect people to give them money. There’s a great story about old Billy’s bank raid actually.’

‘Bank raid?’

‘Well a heist anyway. Apparently he was watching a guard walking to and from a security van outside one of the banks in town, taking the money in, and even through his alcoholic haze he noticed that whenever the bloke knocked on the back door a bag of money appeared in the slot. So he tried it, and sure enough a bag of cash appeared for him too. So he grabbed it and made his escape.’