Dave Slater Mystery Novels Box Set Three

by P. F. Ford

  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Norman coming back down the stairs.

  ‘Dave? You know you said there was a smell you should know, but couldn’t identify? Well, we’d better call the police.’

  As Slater began speaking, his brain was still connecting the dots. ‘Why? What’s up? Oh, crap. Is there a body up there?’

  ‘You got it in one. I’m not sure if it’s Evans, but whoever it is, we’re too late to save him.’

  ‘We could do without a complication like that. Has the body been dead long?’

  Norman had his mobile phone in his hand and was tapping 999 into it. ‘He’s pretty ripe, so if I had to guess I’d say a few days, and possibly as much as a week, but then the heat in here would speed things up so I really can’t be sure. I could be miles out.’

  ‘So, it could have been much less?’ asked Slater, thoughtfully.

  ‘Yeah, could be,’ said Norman, then, into his phone, ‘Hello? Yes, police please.’

  Slater had no desire to see the body upstairs, but there was something he did want to see. He thought he would probably find it in the hall, so he quickly checked and then went back to sifting through the stuff on the table.

  ‘They’ll be here in about twenty minutes,’ said Norman, a couple of minutes later.

  Slater handed Norman the bank statement he had found earlier. ‘Here, take a look at this.’

  Norman studied the statement and then looked up at Slater. ‘Are you going to tell them about this when they get here?’

  ‘What would you do?’

  ‘Are there any more like this?’

  ‘Two, or three.’

  ‘Then they won’t miss this one, will they?’ He handed the statement back to Slater, who folded it small enough to slip into the back pocket of his jeans. ‘They’re going to want to know what we were doing here.’

  ‘So, we’ll tell them the truth,’ Slater said.

  ‘But we broke in.’

  ‘The door was unlocked. I thought I smelled gas.’

  ‘Are you kidding?’

  ‘You can’t deny it smells in here,’ said Slater. ‘Can I help it if I don’t know what Welsh gas smells like?’

  ‘Seriously?’

  ‘Look, I almost got charged with murder last week. I don’t want to have to go through all that again this week.’

  ‘No one’s going to accuse you of murder. Any fool can see we didn’t murder the guy,’ said Norman. ‘But I don’t think trying to be clever with the police is a good move for an adult to make, especially an adult who supposedly doesn’t want any trouble.’

  Slater thought about this for a moment. ‘Okay, you’re right, it’s a stupid idea.’

  ‘I suggest we tell them most of the truth,’ said Norman. ‘We can even show them there’s a link with our case. With any luck, they’ll be grateful for some leads, and we won’t have to hang around too long.’

  Chapter 27

  Detective Inspector Steffan Williams had been studying Slater and Norman for a good minute before he spoke. ‘You’re telling me you came all the way down here to speak with the dead man because you think he had been paid to lie at a trial ten years ago, is that right?’

  Slater wondered how many more times they were going to have to explain, but he had promised Norman he would behave and not argue with anyone, and so far, he’d kept his word.

  ‘That’s it,’ said Norman.

  ‘I’m not a big fan of amateurs making their enquiries on my patch,’ said Williams.

  ‘I get that, but as we said before, we have over forty years’ police experience between us, so we’re not exactly beginners.’

  Williams turned his gaze on Slater. ‘And you say you’re a detective inspector, have I got that right?’

  ‘No, I said I was a DI until recently, but I quit,’ said Slater, patiently.

  ‘You’re an uncooperative bugger, aren’t you? Is there any particular reason you don’t want to help us? Perhaps you think because we’re in Wales we’re all too thick to know our arse from our elbow, is that it?’

  ‘Actually, no, I don’t think you’re all stupid,’ said Slater. ‘But I’ve already explained what happened before and—’

  ‘You mean when your car got blown up and someone got killed, and you were a murder suspect, only it wasn’t your car, so now you’re not a suspect?’

  ‘Fine, if you want to put it like that,’ said Slater. ‘But do you think that’s the right attitude to make me warm to you, and want to help?’

  Norman looked at his watch. The longer they were here, the less chance he had of being back on time, and the more chance there was of Slater losing his temper. ‘Can I make a suggestion?’ he asked.

  Williams directed his gaze back in Norman’s direction. ‘Will it allow us to make some progress?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Then please, proceed.’

  ‘You have a murder victim inside that house, and like any DI worth their salt, you want to find out who killed him, right?’

  ‘If you’re going to state the obvious, that’s hardly going to help, is it?’ said Williams.

  ‘It might if you’ll just let me finish,’ said Norman.

  Williams nodded.

  ‘Okay, the first thing I want to point out is that if we hadn’t come here today, this guy could have been decomposing for weeks before anyone noticed. By that time, the body would probably have burst and been all over the shop. Any evidence would have been that much older, and harder, to find, right?’

  Williams nodded again. ‘That’s true enough.’

  ‘So, we’ve done you a favour, right?’

  Williams’ nod wasn’t quite so firm this time. ‘I’m not sure I’d agree you’ve done me a favour, but I get your point.’

  ‘Okay,’ continued Norman. ‘I’m assuming you don’t have us down as your prime suspects, am I right?’

  ‘Why would you think that?’

  ‘D’you want a list?’ asked Norman. ‘How about a) we wouldn’t have called the police, b) he’s been dead for days and we’ve only just arrived, c) we have witnesses who can prove we had no idea where the guy lived before last night. I could go on, but I think you get the point.’

  Williams stared at Norman, and the slightest of smiles teased at the corners of his mouth. ‘I’m going to need to know where you were last night, and when the pathologist figures out when the man died, I’ll need to know where you were at the time.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Norman. ‘That’s no problem. The thing is, we think we might be able to help you, but so far none of your guys have been willing to listen to what we have to say. It’s not that we don’t want to help.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Williams, ‘I’m listening now.’

  ‘We’ve been digging around in this old case where a woman was murdered on a caravan site not far from here. We’re becoming quite convinced the guy who was convicted was innocent. The dead guy here, Rhodri Evans, was the next person we wanted to speak to because it was his statement that sealed the conviction.’

  ‘But why are you so sure he was lying?’

  ‘Because just a short while after the trial, Rhodri was able to buy himself this house. He claims to have won a hundred grand on the lottery, but we checked. He never did.’

  ‘We believe he was paid for his testimony,’ added Slater. ‘On Monday afternoon, we made a phone call to try and find out where he was, and three days later we find him dead. I know you’ll find it for yourself, but I checked the central heating thermostat in the house. It was turned up as high as it would go, and the timer had been over-ridden, so it was on all the time. I wouldn’t mind betting when your pathologist adds that into his calculations he’ll suggest death occurred on Monday night.’

  Williams stared from Norman to Slater and back to Norman. ‘You think whoever you spoke to on Monday killed him?’

  ‘You’re a DI,’ said Slater. ‘Do you believe in coincidences?’

  ‘We’re not saying it’s a cert,’ said Norma
n, ‘but don’t you think it might be a good place to start?’

  ‘One minute you don’t want to help, and now you give me a prime suspect? Why should I believe you?’

  ‘Have you got any better leads?’ asked Norman.

  ‘But what’s in it for you?’

  ‘Why does there have to be something in it for us?’ asked Norman. ‘We already told you we used to do what you do. We know how hard it can be. Why shouldn’t we want to help just for the sake of it?’

  Williams wasn’t one for instant decisions, and now he thought for a minute. ‘Have you made statements?’

  ‘To three different officers,’ said Slater, ‘and we’ve given you our details, and I’ve told you about DI Robbins in Winchester. Give her a ring. She’ll vouch for us.’

  Williams fished the card Slater had given him from his pocket and studied it as if he thought it would tell him what to do.

  ‘I tell you what I’ll do,’ he said. ‘I’ll give this DI Robbins a ring.’

  He didn’t notice Slater rolling his eyes as he keyed in the phone number. He took a few paces away, so they couldn’t eavesdrop on his conversation, and Slater and Norman lowered their voices so Williams couldn’t hear them.

  ‘He likes to think about things, doesn’t he?’ said Slater.

  ‘It’s better than jumping to conclusions.’

  ‘Yeah, I suppose so.’

  ‘He seems to have a lot of respect around here,’ said Norman. ‘Everyone defers to him.’

  ‘Or maybe he’s just a complete arsehole and they’re all scared of him.’

  ‘You’re just pissed off because he didn’t go much on your hard luck story.’ Norman knew he’d hit the target when Slater didn’t respond, so he decided to rub it in just a bit. ‘To be honest,’ he went on, ‘even I find it hard to believe the way you tell it, and I was there.’

  ‘Hey, look, whose side are you on? There’s still plenty of time for me to throw my toys out of the pram and make you late for your date.’

  ‘You wouldn’t do that,’ said Norman confidently, but the look Slater gave him was enough to cause doubt.

  Williams finished his call and turned back to them. ‘I’ve spoken to DI Robbins, and she has more or less backed up your story.’

  ‘What do you mean “more or less”?’ asked Slater.

  ‘That’s for me to know,’ said Williams, with a sly grin. ‘DI Robbins has also agreed to be responsible for you should I need to speak to you again. And should I need to bring you into custody, she will arrange your arrests.’

  ‘Arrests?’ asked Norman.

  They couldn’t tell if Williams’ smile was sincere or not.

  ‘It’s just a formality. I don’t think it will be necessary, do you?’

  Chapter 28

  It was after 2.30 p.m. by the time Williams finally released them, and Slater was now trying to make good on the promise he had made to Norman about getting him home by seven o’clock.

  ‘We’re making a good time,’ he said as they crossed the Severn bridge back into England. ‘As long as we don’t hit any major holdups, we should be back by six thirty.’

  ‘I have all my fingers crossed, and more,’ said Norman.

  ‘I’ll get you there in time, trust me.’

  ‘I’m beginning to think fate’s working against us on this case, you know.’

  ‘How d’you mean?’

  ‘We had four potential witnesses – Jackie Smith, John Pritchard, the priest, and now Rhodri Evans – who could have introduced one hell of a lot of doubt about the conviction, and they’re all dead. It’s like someone’s working against us.’

  ‘I have to admit, I was hoping we would find Eddie Smith wasn’t at that football match. There’s a good chance we wouldn’t have needed any witnesses if that had been the case.’

  ‘Yeah, out of the two of them, he probably deserves to serve time much more than Steve Harris. But having none of those witnesses is going to make it a bit difficult for us to prove Steve is innocent, don’t you think?’

  ‘It makes it more difficult, but not impossible,’ said Slater. ‘We’ll just have to do it the hard way, and instead of proving Steve is innocent, we’ll have to prove someone else is guilty.’

  ‘You think we can do that?’

  ‘I’m becoming increasingly convinced there’s much more to this than first meets the eye. Take Rhodri Evans; I know we can’t be sure yet, but I’d be prepared to bet a lot of money he died on Monday night.’

  ‘You think Ivor Jones killed him?’

  ‘Maybe not personally, but I’m sure he knows who did. It’s too much of a coincidence that you call about Rhodri in the morning, and then he dies the same night.’

  ‘If Ivor isn’t the killer, it suggests there must be more than one person involved in this,’ said Norman. ‘Or, do you think he’s on his own, and he was the guy Julie was going to meet?’

  ‘I don’t think so, Norm. We’ve got no evidence to suggest anything like that, and anyway, he doesn’t look capable.’

  ‘Yeah, I can’t argue with you on that.’

  ‘But what about the bank statements I found?’ said Slater. ‘Can you think of any reason why someone would be paying a guy like Rhodri Evans three grand a month?’

  ‘You mean apart from blackmail?’

  ‘It has to be, doesn’t it? But who’s he blackmailing, and for what?’

  ‘Well, he did stand up in court and say he’d seen Steve Harris’s car. Maybe he thought a lump sum wasn’t enough and he asked for monthly instalments as well.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that,’ said Slater. ‘A hundred grand is a lot to pay someone for lying in court.’

  ‘You think he was paid to kill Julie Harris?’ asked Norman.

  ‘Don’t you?’

  ‘I guess it has to be a possibility.’

  ‘You don’t sound convinced,’ said Slater.

  ‘Well I suppose it makes sense,’ said Norman, ‘but we’ve still got to figure out who paid him. Have you got someone in mind?’

  ‘How about Sandra Harkness? Don’t forget – she was the company secretary once, and James married her. Maybe she thought Julie Harris was getting too close to her husband and it was going to happen all over again, only this time she would be the loser. She openly admitted she likes her life of luxury, didn’t she?’

  Norman was thinking. ‘Rhodri takes the hundred grand, murders Julie, and Sandra thinks that’s the end of it. But then Rhodri realises Sandra could be the cash cow that can keep him supplied with drugs for the rest of his life and starts blackmailing her.’

  ‘It adds up, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Only if we can get hold of her bank statement and prove she’s paying him every month. And then we’d still have to prove she paid him the big one.’

  They drove on in silence for a few minutes, and then Norman spoke again. ‘Are you sure fate’s not working against us?’

  ‘Too many have died for it to be fate, Norm. I think someone has slowly, and carefully, been eliminating all the key witnesses who could prove Steve is innocent.’

  ‘Someone must really hate the poor guy.’

  ‘Or someone is being protected by keeping him inside. I think it’s time we narrowed down our suspects.’

  ‘I think it’s time we find out who owns that bank account,’ said Norman.

  ‘There’s no denying that would be handy, Norm, but we don’t have access to resources like that.’

  ‘You’re forgetting Vinnie,’ said Norman. Vinnie was Norman’s tame hacker. At least, that’s what Slater called him. Slater and Vinnie didn’t get on. ‘I know you don’t like him—’

  ‘He’s a hacker, and an arrogant git.’

  Norman sighed. They had been through this particular argument many times before. ‘If you say so, but he’s also a genius. If I give him that bank account information, I guarantee we’ll know exactly whose it is by the morning.’

  Slater didn’t like the idea of being beholden to someone like
Vinnie. Then again, what other way did they have of finding out what they needed to know?

  ‘They won’t be able to use it in court,’ he said.

  ‘So, we’ll have to make sure they don’t need to rely on it in court.’

  ‘How are we going to do that?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ said Norman, ‘but without it, we’re probably going to be unable to prove anything.’

  Slater knew Norman was right. ‘Alright,’ he said reluctantly. ‘But I don’t want to hear him gloating about how bloody amazing he is and how he’s a genius and all that crap, okay?’

  ‘Scout’s honour,’ said Norman. ‘I’ll speak to him later.’

  Chapter 29

  At 8.30 p.m. that evening, Slater’s mobile phone starting ringing. He picked it up and checked the caller ID. It was Robbins.

  ‘I had a call from a DI Williams this afternoon,’ she said. ‘We had an interesting chat about two amateur detectives who had messed up his crime scene. Apparently, you broke into a house and discovered a dead body. He wanted to know if he should have arrested you for murder.’

  ‘We did not mess up his crime scene, and we did not break in. The door was unlocked. We didn’t even know it was a crime scene until we got in there, and if we hadn’t found the body, it could have lain there for weeks. We did him a favour. Anyway, what did you tell him?’

  ‘I said I had asked myself exactly the same question about you a few days ago, and that if he’d made the wrong decision then so had I, and if that was the case, the chances are the two of you are serial killers.’

  ‘What did he say to that?’

  ‘He laughed.’

  ‘Really? You made him laugh? We got the impression he’d had a sense of humour bypass.’

  ‘The man was hoping for a few days’ leave and then you two discover a body. Trust me, I wouldn’t have found it funny either.’