“Sneaky, Greco! That’s not like you.”
“We need to wrap this up. That stuff is dangerous and it’s already hitting the streets.”
They were shown into a room off the reception area. Alex Barton joined them after about five minutes.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said, and gave them an oily smile. “I can’t think what we’ve done to merit the attention of the serious crime squad.”
He was a big man with dark hair. Without the expensive clothes, he would look rough, intimidating. Greco made a mental note to look at his background when he returned to the station.
“You own a lot of property around the area,” Greco began.
“It’s what I do. I buy cheap, at auction mostly. Do the houses up, then either sell or let them. It’s a profitable enterprise in the current climate. Plus, I’m providing a much-needed service for the community.”
Greco ignored this. “You own properties on Balfour Street as well as the adjacent street.”
“Yes, a recent major investment, and it’s tied up a lot of cash. We won’t see a return for several months. However, it’s better than allowing the houses to be demolished, wouldn’t you agree?”
“A young woman was found dead around there. Were you aware of that?”
“How terrible! I had no idea.” Barton looked from one to the other of them. “Nothing to do with my company, I hope? She wasn’t trespassing, was she? Old properties can be dangerous places. We’ve done our best to cordon them off, but you know what these young folks are like.”
“It wasn’t an accident. It was cold-blooded murder,” Grace said grimly.
“Like I said, awful. Who was it?”
“Somebody called Dee Sampson. Does the name mean anything to you?”
Barton seemed to be thinking. “Is she a tenant of mine? I don’t think I’ve heard the name. But one of my staff can tell you if she rented property from us.”
Barton was slippery. They needed to check the details and hit him with facts. “Do you know a woman called Ava Whitton?” asked Greco.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“That’s very odd.” Greco smiled. “You see, you met Ms Whitton in Manchester the other day. You drank coffee together and talked.”
“I talk to a lot of people in the course of a day,” Barton said. “What makes you think I know her?”
“She reckons you stole her purse,” Greco told him.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I do that?”
“Who knows?” Greco looked at Grace.
Taking the hint, Grace took the mobile from her pocket and pressed the number. Seconds later, a phone rang in Barton’s jacket pocket.
“Feel free to take that,” Greco told him, still smiling.
Greco could see that Barton wasn’t sure what was going on. Nonetheless he retrieved his phone and answered it.
“Mr Barton.” Grace smiled.
“I’m afraid you are going to have to come down to the station with us,” Greco told him. “You haven’t been altogether truthful, have you? That phone you have was contacted on numerous occasions by both Ava Whitton and Dee Sampson. So, you see, Mr Barton, you do know who they are.”
* * *
Speedy had just taken a call from reception. “Barton’s solicitor is here,” he told the team.
“Speedy, you and I will interview him. Grace, take Joel and bring Ava Whitton in. If she’s not at home, try Greysons.”
“How do we see this going, guv?” Speedy asked as they strode along the corridor.
“I doubt he’ll admit to anything. In fact, we’ll be lucky to get the time of day out of him. He’s a crook, and he’s been a crook for a long time. He’s trodden this path before, and knows how to come out on top.”
Speedy sighed. “Not well, then.”
“We have brought him in because of the calls back and forth between him and Dee and Ava. But we have no solid proof he harmed either of them. Call this an exercise in letting Barton know that we are on to him.”
Alex Barton and his solicitor were deep in conversation when the two detectives entered the room.
The solicitor introduced himself. “I’m Harold Sackville. I represent Mr Barton.”
Greco and Speedy sat down opposite the two men and Greco began.
“You have been brought here to answer questions regarding the death of Dee Sampson and the nature of your involvement with Ava Whitton. You can start by telling us how you knew Dee.”
“She rented one of my flats. Ms Sampson often rang me to complain. Her latest beef was the boiler. Reckoned it was past it.”
“We’ve added them up and there were eleven calls made by her to you over the past four days. Rather excessive, don’t you think?”
“Not at all. That’s what tenants are like. They keep on and on. They imagine I’ve got a magic wand.”
“Ava Whitton,” Speedy said. “How do you know her?”
“I’ve been thinking about that too. When you first mentioned the name, I had no idea,” Barton said. “But now I realise that I do know her. She works at Greysons.”
Greco nodded. “You have an involvement with that firm?”
“No,” Barton responded. “But I have recently bought a piece of land adjacent to their premises on the Quays. Ms Whitton was very helpful when it came to certain questions I raised. The freeholders are notoriously difficult to get hold of. She was able to give me an alternative contact number. That’s why I recognised her in town.”
Plausible and irritating. The man had an answer for the lot. “You gave Ms Whitton your private number too?”
“Yes. I didn’t see anything wrong with that. Have you met her?”
Greco nodded.
“Then you’ll know that she’s a very attractive young woman.”
Chapter 22
Speedy and Greco walked back to the incident room. “Slimy bugger, isn’t he?” Speedy said.
“Yes, he’s very good. He’s obviously had sound advice off his brief. I was hoping he might say something that would give us the edge. But he didn’t. We have no evidence, so we can’t hold him. We will check him out thoroughly before we bring him in again. Find out about Dee’s living arrangements. When we get Ava Whitton in here, we’ll ask her about the land Barton was going on about.”
A uniform came over to Greco when they entered the incident room.
“DI Grant Chambers is here, sir. I’ve put him in your office, hope you don’t mind.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to him. Let me know when Grace and Joel get back with Ms Whitton,” he told Speedy.
Grant Chambers was about Greco’s own age. — tall, skinny and casually dressed in jeans. He sat at the desk with a cup of coffee.
“Thanks for agreeing to meet,” Greco began. “We are working different aspects of the same case, I believe.”
“We are investigating drug trafficking. You are not. We cannot allow you to muddy the waters. The people we are after must not suspect that we are on to them.”
Greco nodded. He understood that well enough. “You do know that we have three murders on our hands? We can’t just ignore them. I have just interviewed a person of interest. Drugs were not mentioned during the interview. However, we are aware that a large amount of heroin is behind those killings. To date, two young men and a young woman are dead. How they are mixed up in your investigation, I’m not sure. But the two do overlap. I also suspect that the deaths have something to do with a woman called Ava Whitton.”
“You are right, she is involved. I doubt she has anything to do with the murders — not her style. The deaths will be down to the people she traffics for. She is responsible for bringing the stuff into the country. She works for a transport firm that goes regularly to Eastern Europe. What we don’t know are the details.”
Greco nodded. “You are talking about Greysons.”
“Yes,” said Chambers. “The lorries belonging to Greysons have been searched. Customs have visited the premises, but we have found nothing.”
>
“Why her, and why is the fact Greysons go to Eastern Europe so important?”
“We had a tip-off about a year ago. A young man contacted us. He said he was Whitton’s brother. He reckoned she was out of her depth and in danger. He wanted us to offer her protection. He gave us certain information that proved to be correct.”
“Do you know what happened to that man?”
Chambers shook his head. “We haven’t heard from him since.”
“And you won’t. His body was found in a ditch in a Cheshire field.”
“In that case, they must have found out about the call. Based on what he told us, we launched a covert operation and put her under surveillance. We don’t believe that Martin Greyson is involved, just Whitton. But she isn’t working alone. She brings the stuff in and then passes it on. The problem is, we don’t know how or who to.”
“Did her brother tell you anything else?”
“He said he and others were being used as forced labour in Lincolnshire and East Anglia. Fruit picking, vegetable harvesting and the like. They were living in appalling conditions and being paid nothing. He said he was going to attempt to escape.”
“He did, but they caught up with him,” Greco said grimly. “Our investigations haven’t thrown up very much that will help you. The three who are dead all went to a local community centre. We believe the two lads stole the heroin from Ava Whitton’s house. They must have known it was there. But who told them is still a mystery. I doubt they are involved in the trafficking. They were simply opportunists.”
“You have been very candid,” said Chambers. “But we don’t want your team involved in this.”
“We are already involved. There is no way we can back out now. My job is to find who killed those young people. It is important to find the heroin, I agree. Some has already hit the streets.”
“Do you have any clues as to where it is hidden?” Chambers asked.
Greco shook his head. “No. Apart from the tip-off, what makes you so sure that Ava Whitton is using Greysons’ trucks to bring the stuff in?”
“Whitton’s brother was adamant. He gave us her name and address. He told us to watch the shipments. He reckoned certain routes were key. I don’t doubt he was right. There is a long supply chain. Most of the heroin originates from Afghanistan and is then moved on. The northern route runs from Bulgaria and Romania to Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland or Germany, essentially by land. Hence the use of the lorries.”
Greco frowned. “What I don’t understand is if they are searched thoroughly, then surely you must find the stuff? It stands to reason.”
“We have only the tip-off to go on. I have no doubt that he was telling the truth, but it isn’t solid evidence. No one at Greysons will talk to us. We do not know which of the drivers are involved. We can’t descend on every lorry of theirs that trundles off the ferry. Apart from which, they do not bring stuff in on every run.”
“You have other methods. Technology, and dogs that sniff the stuff out.”
Chambers grimaced. “We have found nothing.”
“Have you heard of a local villain called Alex Barton?” Greco asked him. “Superficially he appears legit. Buys rundown property then sells or lets it. He might be worth looking at.”
Chambers nodded. “His name has come up. But we could find no link between him and Whitton.”
“We have found one. They contact each other regularly by mobile phone. He uses an unregistered one. Also, they met in Manchester earlier this week.”
Grant Chambers made a note. “I don’t want to step on your toes, but you have to understand our operation has been ongoing for months. Time and money have been invested in it. We believe we are close. You won’t be allowed to jeopardise that, DCI Greco.”
“With respect, DI Chambers, you are hardly close. You do not even know where on the trucks the drugs are hidden. Your searches have thrown up nothing. If Ava Whitton is involved, you have no idea who she passes the stuff to.” Greco paused. He could tell from the look on his face that Chambers wasn’t liking this one bit. “It is likely that my investigation will give you the answers you’re looking for.”
“No. You need to back off.”
“Three murders? I don’t think so.”
“We’ll see. My superior officer will be in touch.” Chambers stood up.
Well, it had needed saying. This DI couldn’t just come into Greco’s station and lay down the rules.
* * *
DI Leah Wells pulled up outside the home of one of the girls who’d overdosed. Not the Lansdowne this time, but a semi in the leafy suburbs of Oldston. The girl’s mother, the woman Leah had spoken to at the hospital, was sweeping the front path.
“Mrs Neville?” Leah asked.
The woman nodded, and immediately said, “Shona won’t talk to me. I haven’t gone on about what happened. I’ve said I don’t blame her. Kids do all sorts of stupid things. I know I did. But I don’t understand why she won’t tell me how she got the stuff.”
Leah looked at her notes. “Do you mind if I have a word?” It was possible that the girl was afraid of retribution if she said anything.
“Feel free. But be warned. Clammed up, she has. And I don’t for the life of me know why.”
Leah smiled at her and followed her inside. The house was neat and warm. Shona was sprawled on a sofa in the sitting room watching the TV. She didn’t even look up when Leah entered and said hello.
Leah sat down. “I’m here about what happened to you and your friend. Do you know who you got the heroin from?”
The girl shrugged and cleared her throat. “Just some lad.” Her eyes never left the TV screen.
“Does he have a name, this lad? Is he someone you see around?”
“Don’t know.”
Leah suspected that she knew very well who had given her the stuff. “How did you know he had stuff to sell? Did he approach you?”
Another shrug.
“Did you buy it off him?”
“No, he let us have it for nowt. Said we were an investment.”
“He was hoping you’d get hooked. Want more,” Leah explained. “The next time he would have charged you.”
The girl shook her head. “I won’t be trying it again. Made me feel like crap.”
“This lad. Are you sure you don’t know him?”
“No idea who he was. Just some lad hanging round the Lansdowne.”
“You’re not a stupid girl, Shona. You must see how unlikely that sounds. A strange boy approaches you, offers you drugs for no cost and you simply accept them?” Leah’s voice now had an edge to it. “This is very important. People have died because of this. More people might too. If this stuff floods the area, then we’re in trouble.”
The girl finally looked at her. “They haven’t died from the heroin. And me and Hazel are fine now.”
“But you won’t be the only ones this lad tempts with the stuff, Shona. Before we know it, a lot of people could become very ill.”
“They won’t.”
“How can you know that?”
“I just do.” Her gaze once more rested on the TV screen.
“Would you recognise this lad again?”
“Not sure. I might. But it was going dark and he was muffled up. He had a scarf wrapped round his face. Ask Hazel. She’ll tell you the same.”
Leah didn’t doubt she would. The girls would have worked out their story together. They’d decided not to disclose anything useful, like names. But why? “Has anyone threatened you?” Leah asked. “Because if they have, they will be arrested and taken off the streets so that they are no longer a threat.”
“No. I just don’t know anything.”
Leah left Shona and her mother to go and talk to Hazel. It was another wasted journey. Hazel Parker’s story was much the same as Shona’s. Leah was convinced that the two of them were hiding something. But what?
Chapter 23
Grace had rung Greysons, only to be told that Ava Whitton was sti
ll off sick. Half an hour later, she and Joel were driving through the Cheshire lanes towards her house.
“Nice out here,” Joel commented. “But they must cost a packet, these houses.”
“Well, our Ms Whitton does alright for herself, doesn’t she? Good job, profitable sideline in drug trafficking. She must be worth a fortune.” Grace snorted.
“Not right though, is it? How come she’s got away with it for so long?”
“She’s a clever woman, and lucky. But I think her luck is about to run out. She’s got both us and the drug squad on her tail now.”
They pulled up outside the house. “I don’t imagine she’ll make a run for it, but just in case, be wary,” Grace warned Joel as they walked towards the front door.
The blinds on all the windows were closed tight. Grace rang the doorbell and Joel banged on the window with his fist.
“The woman who lives there, she’s not in.” The next door neighbour came out into her front garden. “She left last night, bags packed, and got into a taxi.”
“Do you know where she was going?” asked Grace.
“No. I’m afraid I don’t really know her. A nod, a quick hello, that’s about it.”
She must have realised they were on to her. Grace rang the station and spoke to DI Leah Wells.
“I’ll alert the airports and ports,” Leah decided. “Mind you, if she left last night, she could be anywhere by now.”
“I’ll speak to the other neighbours, ma’am. See if anyone can add anything, but I doubt it. They are the ‘keep themselves to themselves’ variety around here. It might be worthwhile looking at the local taxi firms. Find out where she was taken.”
“I’ll get onto it,” said Leah.
Joel stood looking up and down the road. “Thankless task. This is the sort of place where folk don’t talk much. Houses are too far apart for a start.”
Nevertheless, he and Grace went house to house on the small development. Most were out at work, but those who were at home knew nothing about Ava Whitton.
“We’ll go to Greysons, see if any of her colleagues know her whereabouts.”
“Why would she run?” Joel asked.
“Because we’re getting too close. We spoke to Barton. If he is involved in the trafficking, she will have known. In all probability, Barton told her. But I bet the forensic search of her house was the final straw. She knew we’d find something, so she took off.”
Complete Detective Stephen Greco Box Set Page 67