by Lee Wood
“That’s good news. Now, the reason we are here is because the man stalking the girls kept a journal of the events and took photographs of the men we believe were involved and we would like to show you some photos to see if you recognise any of them.”
“Before you do that, detective,” Diane Mitten interrupted. “I have one question. My daughters tell me they were not harmed when they were being held. But as a mother I have to ask, is that true? Are they telling me the truth or are they trying to spare me the details of what really went on? Did anything, you know what I’m getting at, did anything happen to them in the company of those men?”
Tracy looked directly into Diane’s eyes. “I know what you’re asking, Mrs Mitten, and I can assure you nothing of that nature occurred. Thanks to the man who was watching them. It seems the man, their stalker in this instance, actually saved their lives. It’s true one of the men, later found dead, did try to take advantage of one of the girls but Daniel, the stalker, was watching and it seems the instant he realised what was going to happen, he rushed to the hideout and shall we say, made sure nothing happened to the girls. So, to answer your question, no in all honesty, I think your daughters were spared any physical contact with the kidnappers. And when Daniel took them to the basement flat he acted like a true gentleman at all times.”
“Thank you for putting my mind at rest on that.”
“You’re welcome, Mrs Mitten. Now as I say, we have some photos and would be grateful if you could take a look at them and see if there is anyone you recognise. Because of the nature of the kidnapping, we feel this was something personal, so it may be the two people are known to you.”
Tracy Archer stood up. “I wonder if we can move the tray and items on the coffee table and lay out the photos. The light in here seems good enough for you to see them clearly.”
Tracy took the tray through to the kitchen.
As she walked back with the folder tucked under her arm, she opened the file and spread the photos across the table facing Diane and Francis so they could both see the eight shots. There were two photos of each of the four suspects.
“No. I don’t think I recognise any of them,” Diane said.
“Good God,” Francis said, pointing to one of the images. “That’s Chris Linwood. But I don’t recognise any of the others.”
“The one you recognise, Mr Mitten. Can you tell us about him?”
“Er, yes. It’s a long story.”
Eden leaned forward. “We’ve got time. Please give us the full details. We’re not here to judge. This is a dangerous man. We need to find him.”
“Chris worked for my father. He was a highly talented mechanic. In fact to give him his dues, he was far more than that. He helped to build the business with my father. Then he got an offer from another company, a partnership in their business. So, to avoid losing him, my father offered him the same when my father retired. However, when the time came, we decided to keep the business solely in the family. It was a joint decision. So we told Chris we had changed our minds and instead offered him a substantial salary increase.
“At first he seemed alright with it but the following day he failed to turn up, which was unlike him. Dad waited a couple of days and when he didn’t show up for work, he went to Chris’s house to talk with him and found a ‘For Sale’ sign outside. After that we never heard from him. But that was over ten years ago. I never gave it a thought. Surely he wouldn’t wait all this time and get involved with something like this?”
“Thank you for being so candid about the matter. I have to ask one thing. If he had been a partner in the business, would he have expected to make the sort of money involved in the ransom?”
“I suppose so. Although we have a turnover of several million pounds a year, we also have high costs. Staff wages, running costs and so on. We live extremely well but the money is all tied up in the business. From the outside, it may seem like it but I can assure you we don’t have millions of pounds sitting in a bank account somewhere. To pay the ransom, Dad had three hundred thousand in the bank. The rest he borrowed from a friend using the premises where the girls were held on Tennis Court Road as security. In fact, the agreement is that he sells the property to raise the money.”
“Wait a minute. You’re telling me the premises on Tennis Court Road used by the kidnappers is owned by your father?”
“Yes. We assumed you knew. That was where the car repair side of the business operated from before we moved to Barford fifteen years ago. Dad always purchased the places the business operated from over the years. That’s why we remain in business and many of our competitors have disappeared. They rent premises and when the rents go up they can’t afford to stay in business. Dad was very clever in that way.”
Eden looked at Mrs Mitten then back to her husband. “Is there anything else you’ve failed to tell us?”
Francis Mitten shook his head. “No. We’ve told you everything.”
“I need the name of the ‘friend’ who was able to lend the money to your father to help pay the ransom.”
“Certainly. Harry Richardson. He is a property developer. Well known and well respected in Trentbridge.”
“One last thing. Have you any idea where we can find Chris Linwood?”
“Unfortunately not. We’ve never heard from him since he left. We sent his P45 to his old address and assumed he would have his mail forwarded. I can ask around in the motor trade and see if anyone knows where he is. I can’t believe he’d be involved in this. It’s been such a long time. Maybe it’s not him in the photos. Just someone who resembles him.”
“You seemed pretty sure a couple of minutes ago.”
“Yes. It looked like him but as I say, it’s been something like fifteen years. People change.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr and Mrs Mitten.”
“Yes and thank you for the tea and the delicious cake. I wish I could bake that well,” Tracy added.
As the two detectives drove back towards Trentbridge police station, Eden turned to Tracy. “So what did you make of all of that?”
“Personally I think they have a lot more secrets than we know about. I’m going to look deeper into both of them, the father as well.”
“I agree.”
“At least we now have a lead with this Chris Linwood. All that rubbish about people changing. He recognised him alright.”
“Yes,” said Tracy, “and we have a motive. He was told he would become a partner in the business but they cheated him. It would be enough for someone if they felt they were owed money.”
“Maybe his circumstances have changed recently and he needed money so he came back to the people who he figured owed him?”
“It’s possible. But until we find out who the other person is we can’t be sure.”
“I agree. I think the other person might be the real mastermind. In the photos, I know it’s difficult to tell but I have the feeling he’s wearing a disguise. To me, the beard is false and he’s wearing sunglasses all the time.”
“From everything we have so far, I believe this is all about revenge. Chris Linwood is more about getting the money he thinks he is owed. Let’s face it, if they went back on an agreement with Chris Linwood then perhaps they did the same to someone else.”
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chris Linwood lived for motor vehicles: reading about them, driving them, repairing them, and making sure they left the workshop of Mitten & Son in tiptop condition.
From the day he’d joined the company in 1994 at the age of twenty-five, he had been an invaluable member of the team.
Whenever one of the other mechanics was stumped by a problem Chris would step in and find the fault in minutes.
It was the reason why many local companies brought all their vehicles to Mitten & Son for repairs and servicing and it was a highly lucrative part of the business.
Not a year went past when another garage wouldn’t offer Chris a job at higher pay and with better benefits. But he remained loyal and turne
d them all down.
Then in 2001, he was offered the chance to go back and work at Orbell Motors where he had been for ten years until he joined Mitten & Son. Orbell’s were the biggest rivals of Mitten & Son.
The offer was to help them design and build a new workshop with all the latest facilities and to become a junior partner in the business.
The owner, Richard Orbell had been a mentor to Chris, taking him on at the age of fifteen and over the following ten years, teaching him almost everything he knew about vehicles. Chris had only left because Richard had had a stroke and his son Ian had taken over running the business and the pair didn’t see eye-to-eye.
But now Ian had moved to Australia and Richard’s other son William had taken over and seemed to have his father’s flair and love for the business.
When Albert Mitten learned of the offer, he talked with Chris and offered him the same deal.
He told Chris he would be retiring the following year when he turned sixty and would be handing the business over to his son Francis who had big plans and at the same time Albert would make Chris a director and offer him a ten per cent share in the company.
Chris finally agreed and turned down the offer from Orbell’s. Francis and Chris had always got on well and he had left him to run the workshop and servicing departments.
However, when Francis took over the following year he called Chris into his office and told him the family had discussed the matter in detail and decided they didn’t want to bring in someone from outside the family and the offer of shares and directorship in the business was no longer on offer.
They would however substantially increase his salary.
As Chris sat in Francis’s office, he simply smiled and said thank you. He would consider it and let him know.
Then, when Francis had gone home at 5.30pm, Chris collected all of his tools and belongings and placed them into his car and driven home.
Chris went to see William Orbell but they had taken on someone else and although they would have liked Chris to come and work for them, they didn’t have any vacancies other than as a mechanic, which was way below his abilities.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Tracy Archer is starting to delve into the financial affairs of the Mitten family. So far there had been no need to dig too deep. Although most kidnappings are usually undertaken by people who know the victims, in this case their involvement had been ruled out at an early stage.
Now the thinking was there could be more to the case than originally thought and with the forty-eight-hour deadline out of the way and the girls safe, Tracy has more time to delve deeper.
Going through Francis Mitten’s bank accounts line by line, item by item she notices a couple of things that seem to tie together. First of all there is a payment to the Grantchester tennis club. And a month later, he starts making weekly payments to the Weathervane Hotel.
As a police officer, Tracy has seen it many times before. It is the classic signs of an affair. The only question is the identity of the woman, or man? You never know. Men can hide the fact they are gay and having a relationship with another man.
The easiest way is to ask Francis Mitten. At this stage it could have nothing to do with the kidnapping. So rather than go to his home and his wife find out, if it is a separate matter, no need to involve her. Tracy will go and talk to him at his office.
After that she will look into the life of Diane Mitten and then their son Gordon. Then look into the twins. Just in case. And then finally, Albert Mitten and his wife Beatrice.
If needed, the investigation will then spread out from there. After that, the twins’ agent Miles Tyler is on Tracy’s list.
If need be, she would go back through every single one of the 120 guests at the fiftieth anniversary party and then every member of staff and everyone who had ever come into contact with the family.
There are still two extremely dangerous men out there. One of them they now have a name for but the other remains a complete mystery. Tracy is determined she will find what she was looking for. Even though she is not sure what that is yet.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Tracy Archer has spent the past four days trying to find details of Chris Linwood. It appears he sold his house in Trentbridge and moved to a rented property in Liverpool. The last place she can track him living is in rented accommodation in Chester at the beginning of July last year.
After that he seems to have vanished.
She has been in contact with all the people he worked with. They all say the same. No living relatives anyone is aware of, a brilliant motor mechanic, nice guy, not many friends, no steady girlfriend, likes a drink, mainly whiskey, and is a fanatical Liverpool Football Club supporter.
Tracy has checked all the databases. No current national insurance records, his Chester address for his driving license. No car insurance on record. No mobile phones. No parking fines. No employment since leaving a car repair shop in Chester at the end of June last year.
All she has is three years ago, he spent six months in prison for fraud. He shared a cell with a Romanian called Dragos who has been identified as one of the burned bodies at the car workshop.
She has spoken to Albert Mitten who confirms Chris worked at the old workshop before Mitten & Son moved to Barford. Yes, he had a set of keys. No, when the business moved, the locks were never changed as far as he can recall.
That could explain why they used that location. Somewhere Chris knows well and had access to. If he hasn’t lived in Trentbridge for the past fifteen years, the town will have changed a lot. He won’t recognise a lot of places but he is familiar with the workshop.
Not much to go on to find out where he is now.
Tracy has an idea. It’s a slim chance. It’s not what you know but who you know. She doesn’t know the chief constable on first-name terms but nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.
Two days later she gets the information she was hoping for. Her idea just might have paid off.
Tracy spoke to the chief constable and told him her idea. He thought it showed a lot of initiative so was prepared to play along.
He telephoned the chief constable of Merseyside Police who in turn spoke with someone he knows extremely well, enough to be on first name terms with: Tom Werner, the chairman of Liverpool Football Club.
Could he check the club’s records and find out if the name Chris or Christopher Linwood comes up. And it did. It seems he had purchased some items from the club’s mail order shop.
And they were sent to an address in Trentbridge. The first order was in August 2018 and a further purchase to the same address in March 2019.
At five o’clock in the morning, most people are sound asleep in their bed and there are not many people on the streets, which is why it’s a favourite time for a police raid.
The first thing that woke Chris Linwood from his dream was the sound of the front door of his flat being hit by something heavy. Something like a police battering ram.
It was followed by loud voices. “Armed police! Stay where you are!”
Chris had only managed to get one leg out of bed by the time two specially-trained firearms officers entered his bedroom and pointed their guns directly at him.
“Don’t move. Slowly raise your hands above your head. Do it now!”
It is just after eleven when the solicitor to represent Chris Linwood arrives for the interview. Mrs Martina Fanshaw from the firm of Price and Major.
She asks to speak with the officer in charge and is led into a private consultation room.
After two minutes, DI Eden Gold walks in.
“So, detective, if you can give me a brief rundown of what my client is alleged to have done?”
Eden grins. “We suspect him of being involved with the kidnapping of two young girls. We have photo evidence of him being involved. We raided his flat this morning and found nearly half a million pounds in cash and a gun we expect will be matched to the killing of one of the other kidnappers.”
“Mmmm. I see.”
“There is one other person we are looking for regarding this investigation. Obviously I cannot promise anything but you know how it works and if your client is prepared to offer information that helps us to find this other party, we can pass on his co-operation to the court, which might help with the length of his sentence.”
“Of course I will need to speak with my client first and take instructions from him.”
“I understand. But I stress the evidence we have is solid and credible. It is in his best interest to help us.”
“Can I have a word with my client, please?”
“Certainly. If you care to wait here, I will have him brought through. In the meantime, can I organise a tea or coffee for you?”
“Very kind, but not unless the facilities have been considerably upgraded since my last visit.”
“No. The tea and coffee is still as shit as it’s always been. Cutbacks and all that, unless of course, you’re management and you can afford a personal coffee machine in your office.”
“Quite so. I think I will pass on your offer.”
“Very wise.”
Five minutes later, Chris is escorted into the private consultation room where his solicitor is waiting.
They chat for over ten minutes, while the solicitor makes notes. She then informs the officer standing outside her client is ready to be interviewed.
Chris Linwood and his solicitor Martina Fanshaw are shown into interview room 2 where they see DI Eden Gold and DS Tracy Archer sitting with several folders in front of them.
They sit facing the two detectives.
Tracy takes out two CD disks and unwraps them. She places them into the recording machine and presses the red button. There is a five-second-long beep.
“I have to caution you now,” Tracy says. “Christopher Linwood, you have the right to remain silent. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand the caution?”