Separated at Death (The Lakeland Murders) Read online

  ‘You weren’t hard to find’ said Ryan, when they were in the sitting room and Simon had curled up on one of the big black sofas. Ryan stayed on his feet, the bat in his right hand. ‘You really do make a shit drugs boss.’

  ‘What are you talking about? I’m in property.’

  Ryan raised the bat.

  ‘Talk sense, or take a proper hiding. I won’t ask you again.’

  ‘OK, OK. What do you want?’

  ‘First I want to know why you went to all that trouble to get me stopped with all that gear in the car? What have I ever done to you?’

  ‘It was Wayne’s suggestion. I needed to move a lot of gear down from Carlisle last week, I mean a lot, so I decided to have another runner on a different route at the same time. Just so that if there was any attention it wouldn’t be on the main car. That first stretch down from Carlisle to Kendal is pretty quiet late at night, and my car could have got stopped for any one of a hundred reasons.’

  ‘So I was just expendable.’

  ‘Insurance I’d call it. I didn’t know it would be you. Wayne said you were reliable, and wanted to move up.’

  Ryan looked round the room. It was nice. New stuff in an old house. He liked that, well the new stuff anyway. ‘You realise there’s a price to be paid now, don’t you? I’m not some worn out junkie, I’ve got power of my own. For a start, I know who you are, and what you do. And if, after today, you decide that you might want to have me taken out of the game then you might want to think again. Because I’ve made absolutely sure that if anything happens to me then the people who you don’t want to know about you will do. You get me?’

  ‘Yes. I’m sure we can come to an agreement.’

  ‘There’s no rush for that. First, I want to know how a rich bastard such as yourself got involved in this business? Or is it how you came by all this?’

  ‘No. Like I said I’ve got another business. I pushed a bit when I was a teenager, just rebellion really, but I’ve always kept in touch with a couple of my old contacts from Manchester days. One or two have stayed involved, and a year or two back one asked me if I’d like to turn fifty grand into a hundred in a week. I risked it, because I needed to turn a profit on something, and it worked.’

  ‘Why did you take a chance like that?’

  ‘I needed the money badly, and my man knew that. And because I used to be involved in a retail business the bank is used to me moving reasonable amounts of cash around. They still don’t quibble if I bank four or five grand in cash at a time, and do it often. So that makes me useful.’

  ‘So you put up front money?’

  ‘Yes, and I still do that sometimes. But my connection in Manchester mentioned that they had pretty much withdrawn from the market up here, and that the whole county was up for grabs. He suggested I contact a few people, and Wayne was one of those, and about a year ago I set up a little operation of my own. It’s just grown from there. I only have personal contact with three people, so everyone at street level doesn’t know me at all.’

  ‘Except me.’

  ‘Yes, except you.’ Hamilton sat up slowly. ‘So what do you want from me, now you know who I am?’

  ‘It seems to me that you need a junior partner. Someone with a bit of energy to look after Wayne and the rest of them, and leave you safely in the background. Otherwise this won’t be the last time you get a surprise like this, it really won’t.’

  Hamilton looked up at Ryan for the first time.

  ‘How did you find me? Followed me back from Wayne’s? How?’

  ‘I may be lower class but I can drive you know. So it was easy. When I had your address I knew who you were in no time. Everyone leaves traces these days, electronic ones I mean.’

  ‘Very clever of you to think of it. I’m impressed. Can I have a bit of time to think about what you’ve said? I need to think through how we might structure our arrangement.’

  ‘How long?’ asked Ryan. He didn’t look convinced.

  ‘Not long, literally a day or two. There are just a couple of folks that I need to speak to about it first. And of course there’d be a down payment now, just to show good faith. Five grand, in cash, right now. How’s that? And it’s just the beginning.’

  Ryan tried not to look surprised, but he was.

  ‘OK, get it then.’ He stepped aside, and Simon got up slowly and left the room. Ryan moved behind the door, and pushed it closed when Simon came back into the room, the baseball bat ready. But he needn’t have bothered, because all Simon had in his hand was a big pile of twenties, held together by an elastic band.

  Simon handed it over, and sat down again. ‘Can I ask you something Ryan?’

  Ryan nodded.

  ‘It’s about my identity. I understand that you need insurance, but you haven’t left it where just anyone could find it, have you? I expect it’s with someone you trust, is it?’

  ‘I don’t trust no-one, and especially not you’ said Ryan. ‘Now let me make this quite clear to you. You try anything on, like hiring some Manchester muscle to make sure that I have an accidental OD or something, then who you are and what you are will come out for sure. But that won’t be the worst thing that will happen to you, not by a long way. Because believe it or not I have friends, and they’ll do things for friendship that your so-called mates might not do for money. Do you understand me?’

  ‘Yes. I understand. So is that it for now?’

  ‘’Course not. You think you can buy me off with a few grand and a promise? No, I’m going to need to meet your Manchester connections, and we’re going to go down there, in your fancy car, right now.’

  ‘But I have to set up a meet. They don’t keep office hours you know.’

  ‘Do it from the car as we drive.’

  Simon Hamilton showed no sign of moving.

  ‘Either you get up and we get on our way right now or I’m going to beat you so badly you’ll be in hospital for a month. Then I’m going to take what I want and smash up the rest of this place. And I’ll leave my prints everywhere. Because if you or your wife call the cops I’ll tell them everything I know about you, and that you attacked me. It’s up to you.’

  Ryan found himself hoping that Hamilton would decide not to co-operate.

  ‘Leave my wife out of this. She isn’t anything to do with it.’

  Ryan looked at him and smiled.

  ‘Well I’m no expert on the average happy home, but I’d say that’s got to be bollocks. Even if you are flushing some of the money through the bank you must be holding lots of cash, like this, all the time. I bet she went out today to do a bit of Christmas shopping with a great big wad of cash. And I bet she didn’t give a toss where it came from neither. Isn’t that right?’

  ‘All right, she knows I’m fiddling the tax man, but she doesn’t know all of it. She’s no idea where it comes from. I tell her my firm is doing office refurb jobs for cash.’

  ‘And she believes that? Wants to, more like. Anyway, are we going, or what?’

  Simon Hamilton got up and walked, slowly and a little unsteadily, to the door.

  Andy Hall tried not to think about John Hamilton, but he knew he’d be in a cell downstairs, waiting for a bail hearing. On impulse he called the custody sergeant. ‘Has anyone been in to see John Hamilton?’

  ‘No. His solicitor left an hour ago. You want to talk to him?’

  Hall hesitated.

  ‘I’ll be down in five minutes.’

  ‘Do you want him back in an interview room?’

  ‘No, just a welfare visit.’

  ‘We’re keeping a very close eye on him sir.’

  Hall heard the irritation in his voice.

  ‘Of course you are. I wasn’t implying anything. I just need to keep my relationship with him as friendly as possible. A later confession isn’t out of the question, and it would save the taxpayer a shed-load of money.’

  ‘Sod the taxpayer I say. What do they ever do for us? See you in a bit then sir.’

  Hall wrote a few notes on h
is pad. He didn’t catch any of his colleagues’ eye as he walked past them.

  When the custody sergeant stepped back Hall thought that John Hamilton looked pleased to see him, but that look quickly faded. Hall didn’t blame him one bit. ‘Just wanted to check that you’ve got everything you need.’

  ‘How long until the bail hearing?’

  ‘This afternoon, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much.’

  ‘My solicitor said I have a good chance.’

  ‘That’s good then. You do know that you can have a visitor while you wait? Your daughter maybe?’

  Hall couldn’t read the look on Hamilton’s face, but it looked a lot like disgust.

  ‘She’s at school, where she should be, and I’d never want her in here. I didn’t kill Amy, and this will all be over soon.’

  ‘Did your solicitor say that?’

  ‘No, but I know that I didn’t kill my own daughter. My solicitor says that without the phone you have nothing, and with it you’ve got a 50/50 chance of a conviction at best. He says you’re an inexperienced detective working in a provincial force and leading a weak team, with bosses who are under huge financial pressure to get a quick result. That phone was planted on me, we both know that.’

  Hall’s expression didn’t change, nor did his tone when he spoke. But then he did think that Palmer had it all about right.

  ‘He’s right about one thing, your Mr Palmer. The phone is the heart of the case against you. But if you didn’t bring it back to the house then someone must have planted it. And we can draw two conclusions from that.’

  ‘That the person wants to frame me, and that they also murdered my daughter.’

  ‘Essentially yes, though it’s quite possible that the person who planted the phone did it on behalf of the person who attacked Amy. We can’t be certain that the killer acted alone.’

  Hamilton looked thoughtful.

  ‘You believe me, don’t you? Otherwise why are we talking about this? You’ve charged me for Christ’s sake.’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with what I believe John. That doesn’t matter to anyone. It’s what I can prove that counts. And among other things I can prove that your daughter’s phone was in her possession at around the time of her death, and was subsequently found at your house, and that you have no explanation as to how it came to be there.’

  ‘But I told you, someone must have planted it.’

  ‘OK, so for the sake of argument let’s just assume that’s the case for a minute or two. If so then it really comes down to this. If you didn’t bring the phone home then the person who did must have a very deep-seated hatred of you. To take away your daughter, and then, at significant risk to themselves, look to take away your reputation, your freedom, everything. Can you think of anyone who would want to do that to you?’

  ‘Of course not. I can’t think of anyone who I’ve had business dealings with who would behave like that. There’s been the odd falling out with suppliers and the like over the years, of course there has, but nothing really serious. And when it comes to my immediate family no, definitely not. I had a bit of a disagreement with my brother, but you know all about that, and it’s all over now anyway.’

  ‘He’s a regular caller at your house?’

  ‘Not for a while I admit, but as soon as he heard the news he came round, which was great. He’s been very supportive.’

  ‘And what about your ex-wife, and her husband?’

  ‘Not a chance, honestly. My wife doesn’t like me of course, and I’m sure she feels that she was perfectly entitled to do what she did, but that’s as far as it goes. I don’t think she’d go out of her way to hurt me, put it that way.’

  ‘And her husband?’

  ‘Robert? He’s got what he wants, so I can’t see it. He’s got my wife, his living standard has shot up. No, it’s been all gravy for him.’

  ‘But maybe that’s not the way he sees it. Have you noticed anything odd about his, or even your wife’s behaviour recently?’

  Hamilton shook his head.

  ‘Not really. They seem a bit stressed, worried about money I think, but then who isn’t these days? But they should be quite comfortable, unless they’ve made some really poor financial decisions.’

  ‘OK, thanks.’

  ‘There’s absolutely no way on God’s earth that Amanda killed our daughter, or was involved in any way. I’m absolutely certain of that. Just forget about it.’

  Hall nodded. He couldn’t think of anything else.

  ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or something, before I go?’

  ‘No, nothing. The only thing I want is to have Amy back, and I don’t think that even the almighty Cumbria Constabulary can manage that.’

  Hamilton looked as if he was about to cry.

  On the way back to his office Hall wondered if he’d done the right thing. What had he got from that conversation? Absolutely nothing: because even before the door swung open he’d already been utterly certain that John Hamilton had not killed his daughter.

  Hall started on all the administrative paperwork that the investigation had generated, and didn’t notice Jane Francis standing at the door. When he did look up he had the impression that she’d been there for a while.

  ‘Sorry to interrupt boss.’

  ‘Don’t be. What have you got?’

  ‘Just an update on the CCTV from out by the motorway junction. Nothing on the privately registered cars, and I’m not bothering with the HGVs. I assume that’s right?’

  ‘Yes, even our residents would have noticed a bloody great big lorry parked up there on Queens Road. So that’s it, is it?’

  ‘Not quite. There were a few company cars, so I could check back to see who the directors are.’

  Hall wasn’t surprised. This investigation had felt like blank after blank.

  ‘No. You get off home. Looking at these timesheets I’d say you’ve only booked about half the hours you’ve done on this.’

  Jane flushed. He hadn’t meant it to sound like a criticism.

  ‘Are you sure boss? It would only take me a little while.’

  Hall didn’t look encouraging.

  ‘I’d like to, honestly.’

  ‘OK, but only if you let me buy you a drink after work. And Ian Mann too, obviously’ he added quickly. Ian Hall had no idea what constituted sexual harassment these days, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  ‘You’re on. I’ll let you know if I find anything.’

  Hall felt better when he went back to work, and his mood improved further when he heard that John Hamilton had indeed been granted bail. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke.

  Jane Francis’ little while turned into an hour and a half, and Hall was just about to go and see how she was getting on when she knocked and came in.

  ‘I’ve got something boss. Might be something, might not. But I’ve definitely got something.’

  ‘Ian’ shouted Hall. ‘Can you come in here for a minute?’

  Jane Francis put a printout on the table, and they all sat down.

  ‘We’ve got a company owned Merc coming through four minutes after the outgoing call, at 8.33pm. And look at the names on the director’s list; Sarah and Simon Hamilton.’

  ‘Great work Jane.’ Hall could hear the excitement in his voice. ‘But wasn’t Simon Hamilton at home by 8.30pm according to his wife, meaning that he must have left the motorway at ten past latest? No way could he have done the rest of the trip in less than twenty minutes, absolute minimum. Who interviewed her originally?’

  Ian Mann groaned. ‘Ray Dixon boss. She probably offered him a biscuit and then he would have been eating them out of her hand.’

  ‘Do we know who was driving? Can we see?’

  ‘No, it’s number plates only’ said Jane. ‘But he admits he was driving back that evening, doesn’t he? And his wife was at home, so it must be him.’

  ‘Good work Jane’ said Hall again.

  ‘So where does that leave us?’ asked Mann. ‘Shall w
e get straight round to Simon Hamilton’s now?’

  ‘No, he’ll keep ‘til tomorrow. You know what I think we should do right now? Have a drink. You two have certainly earned it, whatever happens from here.’

  It was late when Simon Hamilton dropped Ryan off back at his car.

  ‘I’ll be in touch tomorrow’ said Simon.

  ‘I know you will.’

  Ryan picked up his bag, which now contained his father’s bat and the five grand that it had earned him that day, and opened the door. He closed it without saying anything else. He felt pretty sure that they understood each other.

  But Ryan Wilson was wrong. Because as he sat in his car outside his house Simon made a call to one of the people that they’d seen in Manchester that day. ‘Can you talk?’

  ‘Be very careful about trigger words that might interest other people. When we’ve finished this call destroy your SIM card, OK?’

  ‘I will. You understand what happened today?’

  ‘I think so. You didn’t choose to bring your new friend to see me?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘And you don’t want him to be your friend?’

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘You understand what will happen to resolve the issue completely, and what it will cost?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you’re sure that you want to go ahead? Why not sleep on it, and let me know tomorrow. No disrespect, but you’ve been very much at the financial and wholesaling end of the business, and if you were more involved in the day-to-day man management aspects then this would never have happened. And if it did you’d be able to take care of it yourself, no bother. You understand me?’

  ‘Of course I understand you. And I don’t need time to decide.’

  There was a long pause.

  ‘Does he have anything that belongs to you, or that connects to the business?’