Confession (The Mark Pemberton Cases Book 3)

by Nicholas Rhea

  ‘Sandals?’

  ‘Blue ones,’ she said. ‘Browning describes them carefully — it’s the sort of thing he would do; he’d take immense pains to get things exactly right.’

  ‘Go on, Lorraine.’

  ‘You know how meticulous Browning was. A real belt and braces man. Well, this is a good example. He rang Dawlish two days later, that’s in the diary too, to inform him of the things he’d left in the car. Listen — “Rang Hugh re personal belongings left in MG. Torch, sandals, etc. He told me I could keep torch and cash as gifts, and said he’d collect the sandals when he was next in Harlow Spa. Said they belonged to a girlfriend who wasn’t worried about them. Told me not to worry, there was no panic for their return and told me not to bother to send them on by post.” Then about a month later, there’s a further note: “Hugh has not collected sandals. Reminded him by telephone. Told me to hang on to them, said he’s not forgotten them. Girlfriend knows where they are. I told him I’d put them on a shelf in the garage, should he or she ever come looking for them.” There’s another entry a couple of months after that and a further one about three months later when he wrote that Hugh did not seem interested in the sandals but that he would leave them on this shelf just in case someone turned up and wanted them. After that, he seems to have ceased to bother about them.’

  ‘And you think those are the same sandals that you found on that shelf?’

  ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt,’ she said. ‘They’re just like the ones the prostitute was wearing in the photograph and match the description Browning gave.’

  ‘So what’s the latest on them? They’ve been sent off for examination, haven’t they?’

  ‘Yes. DI Kirkdale thinks they might have come from the Buckwold murder, in Lincolnshire. Rachel Pennock was the dead girl, we’ve got a picture of her wearing identical sandals. We’ve had no result yet, they’re comparing soil samples found on the shoes with control samples taken from the wood where she was found. It’ll take a day or two.’

  ‘So what’s your theory about the sandals?’

  ‘First, I am sure they belonged to the dead girl, Rachel Pennock. Next, I am sure they were in the MG when Browning bought it from Dawlish. In other words, I believe what Browning wrote. He’d hardly lie in his own diaries! That means the sandals came to him via Dawlish. So, did Dawlish kill Rachel or did someone else place the sandals in Dawlish’s car? It has an open top, remember. Or did Dawlish pay her for sex before she died? Some time before she died? Like he probably did with Debbie Hall? One thing to remember is that Browning bought the car in July 1991: Pennock was murdered a month earlier, in June 1991. She had been murdered before the transfer of the car took place. Therefore, it suggests that that car can be linked to the murder of Rachel Pennock. It puts Dawlish very firmly in the frame, Mark. He has to be seen and made to account for his possession of those sandals. There’s every reason for regarding Dawlish as a key suspect or even the key suspect for the Sandal Stranglings.’

  ‘I agree with your reasoning.’ Pemberton smiled at her, recalling their conversation at home and delighted at this development. It supported the idea that was forming in his mind. ‘Our killer is very cunning and very clever — he must be to have avoided becoming a suspect all these years. So let’s suppose Dawlish is the killer and that we interview him at this stage. All he has to do is to deny all knowledge of the sandals, or to claim they were left in his car by someone to whom he gave a lift, or thrown in, cast away by someone else. People do throw all manner of things into open-top cars, from bras to beer cans. There could be a host of explanations for the presence of those shoes. It means we must be very cautious because, at this stage, we cannot prove that Dawlish had anything to do with them. I am not going to ask him directly about them, not yet. I need to know more about him first — in fact, I want to know everything about him.’

  ‘His fingerprints might be on the sandals, Mark, they are made of cheap plastic. Plastic is good for retaining prints.’

  ‘It’s a possibility, they could have survived all this time. We can try to find them — if Dawlish’s prints are there as well as Browning’s, it would help to establish Browning’s account that the shoes were left behind in the car when he bought it. Not that I think he’d lie anyway, not in his own diary; it seems he had no idea of their importance. Remember, there’s been no press coverage about the murder victims’ sandals…’

  ‘Those sandals are important, Mark, but I’m not saying we should arrest Dawlish immediately. I’m just saying they’re a strong pointer towards his guilt, rather than Browning’s.’

  ‘And I agree. I do appreciate the difficulties in establishing the necessary chain of evidence that would satisfy a modern court of law, but we’ll have a go!’

  ‘Great — but there’s more in this little book, Mark!’

  ‘I guessed there would be.’

  She said that the car’s record contained, in diary form, an account of all the rallies and events to which it had been taken. Any award, however small, was listed, rosettes, cups, certificates of commendation. The car had regularly won prizes for its overall condition and appearance. Some of these had been held for one year only, others had been retained and stored in the garage. In all cases, James Browning’s record-keeping had been meticulous.

  ‘When I saw that analysis of the Sandal Stranglings on the noticeboard this morning,’ Lorraine continued, ‘I checked the dates against this diary. Apart from the first murder near Penthorne, and our own at Crayton, it confirms there was a vintage car rally in the vicinity at the material time. In one case — East Welton near Market Harborough in Leicestershire — the rally was actually held in the village. And, Mark, what’s more important is that in his brief account of the rallies or events he attended, he says he met Hugh. He met Hugh at every one of those events. He doesn’t give a surname, but Hugh Dawlish is the only Hugh in Browning’s address book. What it means is that this little book puts both Dawlish and Browning very close to the scene of nine of those eleven murders. As we know, the two exceptions are the first murder and the most recent. I believe that is more than a coincidence.’

  ‘We can’t rely on coincidences. Can we prove the diary was written by Browning?’

  ‘We can get enough samples of his handwriting to satisfy most courts,’ she smiled, having anticipated that question.

  ‘And we have reason to believe that Dawlish was the last person to see Debbie Hall alive in Rainesbury last weekend — that puts him almost at the scene of that one too,’ Pemberton mused.

  ‘And don’t forget that James Browning, using the alias of Bowman, was seen by a police officer at the scene of the Penthorne murder, albeit two days after the body had been discovered. But his presence there might back up the old theory that murderers always return to the scene of the crime. I’d say his presence, for whatever reason, is another factor we can’t ignore.’

  ‘So, Lorraine, what do you read into all this?’

  ‘There’s a strong possibility they were both involved, although I have to say that Dawlish is emerging as the stronger contender in the guilt stakes. I’m not sure how they operated; perhaps Browning was a passive partner, driving Dawlish to the scene, or perhaps he was an innocent bystander or unknowing accomplice, while on the other hand he might have taken a violent and very active part. I just don’t know, but we do know they were both at Swangate College at the time of the first murder. If this little book can be accepted as a true record, it shows both have been very near the scene of every other killing. Even Browning can be said to be close to the scene of Debbie Hall’s murder — he lived not far away. Sadly, we’ve nothing yet to place either of them, or both of them, precisely at the scene of any of the killings at the material time. That is the real problem from our point of view, the one that any defence counsel would highlight. It’s the one defect we must rectify. And we haven’t traced Browning’s precise movements over last weekend, to account for his whereabouts at the time she died, have we?’

&nb
sp; ‘Not yet,’ Pemberton agreed. ‘But my teams are working on it, and we know he lived not far away — an hour at most by car. He could have driven Dawlish and the girl out to Crayton. Whatever we discover, it is significant that Dawlish was here around the time of Debbie’s murder which we know is the most recent Sandal Strangler killing. He was here the night Debbie was last seen alive…he was seen with her too. The coincidence is too great to ignore…’

  ‘Surely you have enough circumstantial evidence to have Dawlish in for questioning straight away, Mark?’

  ‘I told Grant and Black I’d wait until they’d done their background research. I can wait a little longer. You know he’s coming to the Requiem Mass?’

  ‘Yes, I’d heard that. Well, it’s Friday now. Friday lunch time. Lots of firms close around now for the weekend, so he might already be en route. What’s he do for a living?’

  ‘I don’t know; that’s part of our enquiries. What is important is that I don’t give him any reason to think we have any suspicion of his involvement. I don’t want to alert him or frighten him off. When I confront him I want it to be a real shock, a complete surprise…’

  ‘If he’s avoided detection or even suspicion for ten years, then he’s no fool, Mark. You’ll need to prepare very carefully for your interview.’

  ‘Exactly. And would you apply the same doubtful praise to Browning? That he’s evaded suspicion for ten years too?’

  ‘All right, there could be two clever killers!’

  ‘Or,’ he grinned, ‘only one of them was the killer. To be precise, only one of them is the Sandal Strangler. I’m not forgetting that Browning might be a killer too, but not the killer of several women. And bearing in mind what we have just discussed, I am less convinced about Browning’s involvement with the Sandal Strangler killings.’

  ‘Are you suggesting that Dawlish is the Sandal Strangler, that he acts alone and that those deaths had nothing to do with Browning?’

  ‘It’s feasible,’ he said. ‘Even if both men met during their weekend rallies there’d be times when they’d not be in one another’s company. One could have killed a woman without the other realising.’

  ‘Are you suggesting we should no longer consider Browning as a suspect?’

  ‘No, he’s still in the frame but I think we should look at Dawlish in isolation, and see what he has to say, before we draw too many conclusions about Browning or any kind of criminal partnership. If we got Dawlish’s local police to detain him until our teams brought him here, it would give him time to work out his answers. I think that eventuality — the fact he might be questioned about the murders — is something he’s been preparing for ever since his first murder. I’ll warrant he’s been physically and mentally covering his tracks and preparing a story in readiness for the day the police knock on his door. That means if we do detain him, he’ll know why. Any serial killer would. What I am just wondering now, though, is how much he’s been affected by Browning’s death. The two were fairly close but I’ve no idea how close they were. It could have some bearing on his future behaviour.’

  ‘He could change or act out of character, you mean?’

  ‘It’s possible. People can behave abnormally if there’s a crisis in their lives, a major drama of some kind. Like the death of a close friend.’

  ‘So you’ll wait until he turns up in Rainesbury?’

  ‘For all sorts of rather special reasons, yes.’

  ‘I just hope he doesn’t smell the proverbial rat and do a runner!’

  ‘There are elements to this crime, or this series of crimes, which don’t add up.’ He wanted to be honest with her and yet found difficulty in finding the words or the justification for his anxiety. ‘I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I am growing increasingly unhappy about the idea of Browning being the Sandal Strangler. I must admit I wanted to prove it was him, to get a clear-up in the murder figures, but now I’m not so sure.’

  ‘It was his own words, his own confession, which led him to become a suspect for the Sandal Strangler killings,’ she reminded him.

  ‘Yes, I know, but why did we follow that route? Because the body of a woman was found shortly after he confessed, and we had no other murders which we could attribute to him. And that still applies. No other bodies have been found in our area, we’ve no other unsolved murders. On top of that, there are lots of unsolved murders of women in other parts of the country — we know that from the material we’re receiving even as we talk. So are we looking in the wrong place for his crime? Are we in danger of finding him guilty, without trial, of a series of crimes he did not commit, Lorraine? I can’t ignore the consequences of that possibility.’

  ‘And now you’ve got Dawlish in your sights?’

  ‘Yes, but currently, Dawlish and Browning are both in the frame. I am unable, from the information we’ve gathered so far, to separate one from the other. That’s why I want to face this man Dawlish from cold — I want to see his face when I present him with my belief that he is the Sandal Strangler. I want to see the expression in his eyes and see how he responds. I want to watch his body language. And I don’t want to give him time to prepare for a confrontation with the police, either in the Midlands where he lives, or up here in Yorkshire. Like most serial killers, the Sandal Strangler is a cold, calculating, and very clever individual.’

  ‘I respect your reasoning, Mark, your wisdom and your experience, I just hope it doesn’t go wrong. If Dawlish is our man, I want you to secure sufficient evidence to lock him up for the rest of his life.’

  ‘Which is why I think we must treat this one slightly differently from other suspects.’

  ‘Point taken. I’ll stop nattering! Now, time for a break. Lunch time.’

  ‘We ought to tell DI Kirkdale our thoughts,’ Mark Pemberton said. ‘And Inspector Larkin. But,’ he added, ‘if we go to the police canteen, two inspectors and me, that is, we will have to be segregated from you. Constables and inspectors do not dine together! But as you are the instigator of this line of enquiry, I think you should tell them of your discoveries. I’d like you to do that. So how about it if I invite them into my office for sandwiches? I’ll give you the money to get them from the canteen?’

  ‘Highly diplomatic!’ she smiled, and so it was arranged.

  Over sandwiches and coffee, Lorraine explained her findings to the others, with Pemberton present. Afterwards, Kirkdale said, ‘Sir, with all due respect, if Dawlish is so high in the frame, I vote we go and get him, right now.’

  ‘Gregory, I’ve said it to Lorraine and I’ll say it to you, I really do want to wait until he turns up here in Rainesbury.’

  ‘I’d back my boss on this one,’ added Paul Larkin. ‘I’ve seen Mr Pemberton in action before; he does know what he’s doing, and he does know his villains…’

  ‘If that man gets one sniff that we’re interested in him, he’ll be off like a rat leaving a sinking ship.’

  ‘Exactly. So let’s plan ahead — let’s provide a reception committee for him. Remember he has no idea we suspect him, so what will be his first action upon arriving here?’ Pemberton put to them.

  ‘Are we assuming he has committed murder, with or without the connivance of Browning?’ asked Larkin.

  ‘Yes, let’s consider that first,’ said Pemberton. ‘I think he’ll act as if he has not committed any of the murders. He’ll shut them from his mind; that’s how serial killers work. He’ll come to the funeral service, he’ll want to know all about the fatal accident in which his friend died, and I’ll bet he’ll be as chatty and as friendly as possible to us, the police. And he’ll want to do what he can for the Browning family.’

  ‘Won’t he go to Browning’s flat?’ suggested Kirkdale. ‘Ostensibly to offer comfort, but in reality to see if there’s any evidence against him?’

  ‘Why should he do that? There’s no one at the flat. Browning senior has told him about the funeral arrangements, so he’ll come to Rainesbury. If he does, I want to talk to him and I’m going to behave as
if he’s a ruthless, evil, and skilful killer, Gregory. You’ve been hunting him for years; now it’s my turn.’

  ‘But I don’t want to lose the chance of nailing him for these crimes.’

  ‘Me neither, so I suggest we play a waiting game,’ said Pemberton. ‘After all, time and the all-important element of surprise are on our side. After years of waiting, a few more hours won’t hurt.’

  With Larkin and Lorraine against him, Kirkdale capitulated, albeit with some signs of reluctance, and accepted the arguments of the others. They would wait until their suspect arrived at the funeral and, at the most suitable moment, would confront him with their suspicions. But the Requiem Mass was not until Monday — and it was only Friday afternoon now.

  It was while they were deliberating these questions that Detective Sergeant Grant tapped on Pemberton’s door.

  ‘Sorry to bother you, sir, but we’ve been making discreet enquiries about Dawlish. We’re getting some useful information about him, but more urgently, you should know he left home this morning and didn’t go into his office.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘Come in and tell us about it.’

  Detective Sergeant John Grant entered Pemberton’s office, closely followed by his colleague, DC Ian Black. There were no extra chairs in the tiny office, but Grant indicated that he and Black had no wish to be seated.

  ‘I had no intention of interrupting your lunch break, sir,’ began Grant, eyeing the sandwiches and coffee cups.