by Sally Rigby
He was okay.
Chapter 12
‘Watch out, guv,’ Brian shouted, grabbing hold of her arm so she narrowly missed an oncoming car.
Her heart was in her mouth. ‘Where the hell did that come from?’ She watched the dirty white Corsa nip into a parking space reserved for staff and marched over. She stood by the driver’s door, tapping her foot on the ground. ‘Didn’t you see me?’ she snapped as the young man who’d been driving got out. He was wearing a royal blue polo shirt with Rent Me Car Hire on it.
‘Keep your hair on, missus. I didn’t hit you, did I? I’m late for work. Can’t stop.’
‘Actually, you can,’ Whitney said, holding out her warrant card, and stepping in front of him to prevent him from leaving.
‘Shit,’ he said through clenched teeth.
‘Indeed. I could charge you with dangerous driving.’ She locked eyes with him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, bowing his head. ‘Please don’t do anything or I could lose my job. I work in valeting. My wife’s having a baby soon and we need the money.’
Whitney gave a sigh, allowing her more benevolent side to take over. ‘Well, don’t do it again. We’re here about one of your cars, so if you take us to the office, you’ll have an excuse for being late as we stopped you.’
‘Thanks.’ He gave a grateful smile.
They followed him to the small wooden structure that resembled a garden shed.
‘The cops are here to see you, Mary.’ He turned to Whitney. ‘She can sort you out. See ya. And thanks.’
After he left, Whitney went up to the desk and showed her warrant card. ‘I’m Detective Chief Inspector Walker and this is Detective Sergeant Chapman. We’d like some information about a car that we believe was hired from you. It’s a blue Vauxhall Corsa and the last two letters on the registration are WW.’
‘I’m not sure we’re allowed to give out that sort of information as it’s confidential,’ Mary said, leaning forward and covering whatever was in front of her on the desk with her arms, as if she thought Whitney was trying to read it upside-down.
‘Well, it’s either that or I get a search warrant and we then tear the place apart. We need this information urgently as it’s in connection with a recent murder.’ She always played the search warrant card in times like these as it usually did the trick and saved them time.
Mary bit down on her bottom lip. ‘I’m new here, so let me check with the manager what she wants to do.’
She turned over the document on her desk, and hurried away, going through a door at the rear of the office. Whitney was tempted to turn it over and see what was so secret that it had to be hidden, but thought better of it.
After a minute or two, an older woman came out, followed by the receptionist.
‘I’m Kate Harris, the manager of this branch. I understand you want to know about one of our cars.’
‘We’re trying to trace a man who we believe rented a blue Vauxhall Corsa from you. We have the last two letters of the registration, which are WW.’
‘Let me check. It’s been fairly quiet these last couple of months so it should be easy to find.’ Kate sat at the desk, looked at the computer screen as she tapped at the keyboard and nodded. ‘We did hire out a car for two weeks with those details. It was brought back yesterday afternoon. It was rented by a man called Colin Jenkins.’
‘What particulars of his do you have?’
‘A photocopy of his driver’s licence, and his address and phone number.’
‘How did he pay?’
‘By cash and we also put a hold on his credit card as security in case of damage but …’ Kate paused and turned to the receptionist who was standing behind her. ‘Mary, your name is attached to this booking, and there was no hold put on the customer’s card. Why not?’ She pointed at the screen.
‘Umm … I’m not sure.’ Mary peered over Kate’s shoulder and stared at the screen. ‘Oh, I remember, now. The man was in a hurry and he said it was fine because he’d used us before and there wouldn’t be a problem because you knew him. He was very insistent. I thought it would be okay. It happened in my first week and I was on my own because you’d gone out. I forgot to mention it. I’m sorry.’
‘We’ll speak about this later.’ Kate printed off the customer details and handed the copy to Whitney.
‘Thank you. We tried to contact you yesterday, but you were closed before five. Is that usual?’
‘Our hours are eight until six, but yesterday we were short-staffed as Mary had gone home sick with a migraine and, as it was quiet, I made the decision to close early. I’m sorry you couldn’t reach us, but we do have an after-hours number. Did you call it?’
‘Yes, but we weren’t prepared to leave a message. Has the vehicle been cleaned yet?’
‘It’s due to be done today.’
‘You’ll have to cancel the clean as I don’t want it touched. It was potentially used in a murder.’
‘A murder?’ Kate’s eyes widened.
‘Where is the car, we’d like to take a look?’
‘I’ll take you over there,’ Kate said, standing up and hurrying around to where Whitney and Brian were standing.
They followed her into the car park and over to where the blue car was parked beside several other vehicles. Whitney pulled out some disposable gloves from her pocket and handed them to Brian.
‘I’ve got some,’ guv,’ he said.
‘I’m so used to being with George, I forgot you have your own.’ She opened the driver’s door and looked in. It was empty and relatively clean. ‘If he was the shooter, there could be some gunshot residue on the steering wheel. Forensics will find it.’ She shut the door and then walked around to the rear and opened the boot. Again, there was nothing left in there. ‘Thanks,’ she said to the manager, as she pulled down the boot and closed it. ‘Our vehicle recovery operator will arrange for it to be removed and taken to our premises for further examination.’
‘When can we use it again?’ Kate said.
‘We can’t release it back to you until all examinations have taken place, and I can’t say how long that will be, I’m afraid. We’re going to put up a cordon around the car until it’s taken away. Please arrange for the cars either side of it to be moved elsewhere.’
‘I’ll get the cordon,’ Brian said, heading back to his car and pulling out some tape and bollards, which he placed around the suspect’s car.
Whitney moved out of the manager’s earshot and pulled out her phone. She called the station and arranged for the car to be removed. Then she rang Ellie.
‘Yes, guv,’ the officer said.
‘We’re on our way back. The man who rented the car is Colin Jenkins. I’ll text his driving licence number over. Find his details as I want him brought in for questioning as soon as possible.’
‘Yes, guv.’
After waiting until the area surrounding the Corsa was clear, Brian drove them back to the station.
Whitney went straight over to Ellie’s desk.
‘Have you found the guy who hired the car?’
‘No, guv. There’s no record of that license number or person. His documents must have been fake.’
‘Here’s a photocopy of the licence. Check it out.’ She pulled out the piece of paper and handed it over.
‘I can run the photo on the licence through the facial recognition database to see if it throws up anything. Obviously, I won’t get a hit unless he’s got a record.’
Whitney called everyone else to attention. ‘We’ve just been to Rent Me Car Hire company and they’ve given us the details of the person who’d been following Ryan Armstrong. Unfortunately, it turns out he gave them false information. Ellie’s investigating it now. Forensics will be going over the car, and once we’ve identified the suspect, we’ll bring him in for questioning.’
‘Guv, Tyrone Butler’s here,’ Doug called out.
‘Thanks. Come on, Brian, let’s speak to him. Although if it’s anything like the other int
erviews, we’re not going to get much, other than Armstrong was perfect and Marshall’s dodgy.’
‘We should speak to Marshall again, as the only time he’s been interviewed was with Mrs Armstrong,’ Brian said as they headed out of the incident room and went to the lift to take them to the ground floor.
‘All in good time. We’re already learning plenty about him, which will assist us when we do question him. We know that he was the more dominant of the pair, which isn’t out of the ordinary, and that he’s a poor loser. Although, that doesn’t make him a killer.’
When they entered the interview room the man sitting at the table stood and stepped towards them.
‘I’m Tyrone Butler,’ he said, holding out his hand for Brian to shake. He was around five feet eight inches tall and had a shaved head and a smattering of freckles over his face. He smiled, lighting up his green eyes. He wasn’t attractive in the traditional sense, but Whitney warmed to him. He had a sincere quality about him. Not that she’d let her guard down. Experience had shown her that even the most genuine of people could do despicable things.
‘DS Chapman, and this is my guv, DCI Walker.’
‘Please sit down, Mr Butler,’ Whitney said. ‘I understand you’ve been to a funeral. I’m sorry to hear that. Was it someone close?’
‘It was my father-in-law, which is why I couldn’t get back before now to help you.’
‘I totally understand. As you know, you’re here because of what happened to Ryan Armstrong. I’ll be recording this interview.’ She went through the usual interview protocol and then looked at him. ‘You were at the Armstrong house on Saturday night with the other guys. Could you give a rundown of how the evening went?’
He nodded. ‘It was our usual session. Nothing out of the ordinary. We had a few drinks, something to eat and played a few games of snooker.’
‘Including doubles where you and Scott Marshall got beaten by Ryan and Kurt.’
He frowned. ‘You know about that?’
‘Yes. Scott Marshall was very angry about it, I understand.’
‘I wouldn’t say very angry. He acted as he always did when things don’t go his way. We’ve known him for years and are well used to his behaviour.’
‘There was a lot of money riding on the game. Was that usual?’
‘To be honest, when Scott wanted to make it two grand, I was shocked. Usually, we play for no more than five hundred. But he was insistent, so we all went along with it.’
‘Were you angry with Mr Marshall when he messed up? Were you in for fifty per cent of the bet?’
‘The bet was between Ryan and Scott. Kurt and I weren’t a part of it, other than playing. No way would you see me betting that much.’
‘Did they often bet between themselves?’
‘No. I admit that was a bit odd.’
‘Did you question why?’
‘No point. If that’s what Scott wanted to do, then that’s what happened.’
‘Were any of you really drunk?’ Whitney asked.
‘We all had a few. Too many to drive, but no one was really out of it.’
‘Apart from the doubles match, did you notice any tension between Scott and Ryan during the night?’
‘Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m assuming you know that there were often niggles between the two of them.’
Whitney shook her head. That was the first they’d heard of it.
‘Can you be more specific?’
‘It was usually to do with the snooker club. On Saturday, Scott was going on about the club staffing and how it should be reduced to improve profits. Ryan didn’t want to, saying that trimming the staff was a short-sighted option as they had a big tournament coming up that would put the club on the map. It was going to be on the telly and that would bring in loads more members.’
‘How did Scott react to that?’
‘Swore and muttered a bit. Told Ryan he should leave the business side of things to him and then didn’t mention it again. Really, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Surely, you don’t imagine Scott had anything to do with the shooting?’
‘Do you?’ Whitney asked, putting the question back to him.
‘No I don’t. They’ve been friends for too long. Scott’s all mouth. Why cut off the hand that feeds you? He needed Ryan more than the other way around, everyone knew that.’
‘Why?’
‘The snooker club does well because of Ryan. They got this prestigious tournament because of Ryan. Scott gets to hang out with the big guns of snooker because of Ryan. Now Ryan’s gone, Scott’s life is going to change big time. He’ll find himself excluded from all the places he’d previously enjoyed being a part of. There’s no way Scott would want Ryan dead. No way at all.’
They seemed strong enough reasons for Marshall not to dispose of his friend. But it was only hearsay. What if Ryan had threatened to exclude him? Scott could have killed him in temper.
‘Can you think of anyone who might have held a grudge against Ryan?’
‘I take it you know about his stalker? Then again, she’d never threatened him in the past. So why start now? In that case, no. I can’t think of anyone.’
‘What were you doing between the hours of one and three on Sunday morning?’
‘I was at home. My wife picked me up around midnight, maybe a little earlier, and we went home. We stayed up for a while talking and then went to bed.’
‘Didn’t your wife mind you going out as her father had only just died?’
‘It was her suggestion that I should go. My father-in-law actually died a few weeks ago, but he died unexpectedly, so we had to wait until after the post-mortem before holding the funeral.’
‘I think that’s all for now. Thank you for your time,’ Whitney said, leaning in front of Brian and stopping the recording. ‘If you do think of anything, please get in touch. DS Chapman will escort you out of the station.’
After Brian and Butler had left, Whitney headed back to the incident room.
‘Guv,’ Ellie called out as soon as she’d entered the room. ‘I’ve found the man who hired the car. His name is William Palmer, and he’s got a record.’
‘Is this William Palmer from Lenchester, aka Bill the Blagger?’ Frank called out, looking up from his screen.
‘Do you know him?’ Ellie asked.
‘Too right I do. He’s been around for years. He’s a PI and a right dodgy one at that. I’m sure you’ll find his record is for breaking and entering, and other iffy stuff. He was a wannabe police officer but got turned down and decided to become a private investigator.’
‘What you’re saying is we’re not going to find that he belongs to the Association of Private Investigators,’ Whitney said.
‘You’ve got it in one, guv.’
‘I want him here for questioning pronto. Ellie text me his address and I’ll arrange for uniform to bring him in.’
She went into her office and phoned George.
‘Can you get in today? A potential suspect is being brought in.’
‘I have a tutorial shortly, but that will only take thirty minutes. Other than that, it’s fairly quiet. This is the last week of term, and lectures have finished. It’s just a question of students handing in their assignments. I’ll be with you in an hour.’
Chapter 13
‘Read the research paper by Madison et al. and that will give you an alternative viewpoint,’ George said to the student sitting opposite her at the table in her office. He was a high-flyer, and she wanted to push him. She hoped that after finishing his undergraduate studies, he’d apply to do postgrad. He was insightful, hard-working, and showed exceptional promise.
‘Thank you, Dr Cavendish.’
There was a knock at the door and, before she had time to call out, Robin, her head of department, stuck his head in.
‘Sorry to interrupt, do you have a minute?’
She glanced at her watch. ‘I have another appointment. Can it wait until tomorrow?’
‘It’s about th
e next research committee meeting, I’m not going to be there and I wanted you to chair it. I was going to run through the agenda with you.’
‘Then it can wait, as it’s not until next week. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’
‘Well …’
‘I’m in the middle of a tutorial,’ she said, nodding at her student.
‘Okay. Come and see me first thing.’
She had little time for him, as he allowed himself to be swayed by others, as she’d found to her cost when her ex-boyfriend, who also worked at the university, had tried to ruin her working relationship with the police. He hadn’t succeeded. But that was down to her and not her head of department acting appropriately.
‘Are you happy with what I’ve asked you to do?’ she asked, returning her attention to the student.
‘Yes, thank you. Apart from … I did want to ask you something.’
‘What is it?’
‘You work with Lenchester Police on their cases, and I wondered if you’d ever considered having someone accompany you, to gain some work experience. Me.’
She hadn’t been expecting that.
‘It’s not my decision to make. I can ask Detective Chief Inspector Walker whether she’d accept someone being with me but, to be frank, I’m not sure it would be possible because of the sensitive nature of the work.’
‘If you could ask, that would be awesome. I’m planning my next steps and would like to experience working with the police. They have a fast track scheme for entrants with degrees.’
‘After our conversations regarding being accepted for postgraduate study, I’d assumed you were going to continue here. With your ability, you should give it serious consideration.’
‘It’s an option, and I haven’t totally discounted it, but I’ve been in education for eighteen years and maybe it’s time for me to step into the real world. Working for the police would be cool.’
Students were so idealistic at that age. But she wouldn’t disillusion him. He had to make his own decisions.
‘Don’t do anything before thinking everything through carefully. I’ll let you know what the DCI says.’