Fatal Love

by Michael Patterson

  ‘Did he leave with you?’

  ‘No. He said he’d finish his drink first.’

  ‘Was it just the two of you or were you with someone else?

  ‘It was just the two of us.’

  Whilst Tom was mulling this over, DC Bennett rejoined the conversation. ‘Did he contact you on the following Sunday? The day he disappeared.’

  ‘No. As I said, Friday was the last time I saw him.’

  ‘I understand that, but I asked if Mr Burton had contacted you, not if you’d seen him,’ DC Bennett replied, the brusqueness of his tone clearly indicating his rising annoyance.

  For the first time it seemed that Mr Blackwell was about to lose his temper, but, with almost supreme willpower, he simply said, ‘He did not try to contact me. I did not see him, and I did not speak with him. Does that answer your question?’

  ‘Perfectly. Thank you,’ answered DC Bennett.

  *

  Tom and DC Bennett were in their car, heading back to the station, when Tom spoke. ‘I know that the good cop, bad cop approach works on television but, in my experience, it’s not always as successful in our world. You really don’t like him, do you?’

  ‘Whatever gave you that impression?’ DC Bennett replied, unsmiling.

  Chapter 14

  ‘How was your meeting with the business partner?’ asked Milner, back at the station later that same day. ‘Any leads?’

  ‘Well, he was, albeit reluctantly, able to confirm that Mr Burton was a bit of a ladies’ man and that he had latterly been paying attention to one particular lady. The wife of their biggest client, apparently. He even gave us her contact details. So, yes, I think we did get a new lead. Whether or not it’s important is, of course, another matter entirely. Anyway, we should go and meet her.’ Tom turned towards DC Bennett. ‘Can you set it up? I’d like to meet this particular lady, especially as she was apparently so special to him.’

  ‘Why was it special with this one?’ asked Milner.

  ‘I don’t know, but there seems to be more between them than with some of his other women. We’ll need to meet her to find out. Anyway, what have you been up to whilst we’ve been away?’

  ‘I’ve also been to see someone about one of his ladies. I contacted Mike Preston. As you can imagine, he was a bit surprised to hear from me, although, of course, he did know about Mr Burton’s disappearance. He is some sort of salesman but was working from home today. His wife works for the local council and she was at work. I suggested to him that now might be a good time to meet, whilst she was out.’

  ‘And he obviously agreed, then,’ said Tom.

  ‘Well, he could certainly see the advantage.’

  ‘What happened? What did he have to say?’ asked Tom.

  So Milner told them. He told them how Mr Preston had readily confirmed that he and Mr Burton had had a public altercation in the car park of the golf club. In fact, he also readily volunteered that he regretted the fact that they had been pulled apart. It appeared that he had found out about Mr Burton’s affair with his wife, Amy, and had then challenged him, in the car park, one Sunday morning after Mr Burton had finished playing golf. At first Mr Burton had denied it, but eventually he had admitted to it. The fact that he had played it down, almost as though it were just one of those things, had simply inflamed the situation, provoking Mr Preston to try to hit him.

  ‘And is that the reason why he left the golf club?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Yes, that was the main reason, although he also mentioned how the club had placed all of the blame for the fight on him.’

  ‘I’m assuming, then, that Mr and Mrs Preston are still together,’ said Tom.

  ‘Yes, that’s right, although he gave me the impression that things are still a bit strained between them.’

  ‘I bet they are,’ Tom said. ‘Do you know if Mr Preston still has his membership shares in the golf club?’

  ‘I do, actually,’ replied Milner, clearly quite pleased with himself for anticipating the question. ‘He only ever had a small number of shares, but he was able to sell them back to the club.’

  ‘And what about the other man who left at the same time?’

  ‘That’s Jim Mason. I haven’t actually spoken with him personally, but I did ask Mr Preston if he knew why Mr Mason had left the club at the same time as he did. Apparently, they have been close friends since their school days, and Mr Mason wanted to support him. It looks as though, like Mr Preston, he also sold his few shares back to the club.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ replied Tom, in his characteristically conspiratorial tone, before asking, ‘and do you think that Mr Preston might have had anything to do with Mr Burton’s disappearance? After all, he would have had a valid motive. Revenge, especially where marital affairs are concerned, can make a normally rational person do some strange things.’

  ‘It’s possible, of course,’ answered Milner, ‘but my personal judgement is that it’s highly unlikely he had anything to do with it. He didn’t seem concerned about deflecting suspicion, at least. In fact, I got the impression he wouldn’t be too upset if something untoward has happened to Mr Burton.’

  ‘Anything else?’ asked Tom, his tone suggesting he wasn’t really expecting anything.

  ‘Actually, there is, sir,’ answered Milner. ‘Remember you asked me to get hold of the list of shareholders at the golf club? Well, I received it this morning. It’s not right up to date but still very interesting.’ When DCI Stone did not respond, Milner took this as his cue to carry straight on. ‘When we spoke with Mr White, he told us that he had about ten percent of the total shares. In fact, now he only has about one percent. He also mentioned that Mr Burton was the biggest shareholder with twenty percent. Well, Mr Burton is now not only the biggest shareholder but is the majority shareholder with just over fifty percent. I checked back, and it seems that he has regularly been buying shares over the past couple of years. Not large numbers individually, but enough, in total, to significantly increase his total holding. And here’s the interesting thing. Earlier this year he purchased most of Mr White’s shares, and it was this final purchase which took him over the fifty percent mark.’

  ‘Now, that is interesting,’ said Tom, as much to himself as in response to Milner. ‘I wonder why he considered it so important to get control of the club.’ He paused. ‘And why Roger White, an obvious and passionate stalwart of the golf club, decided to sell him his shares. I think you and I, Milner, should go back and ask him those very questions.’

  But, before they could do that, and as so often happens in a police investigation, other events suddenly got in the way.

  Chapter 15

  ‘And you are sure it’s Mr Burton?’ asked Tom.

  The following morning Milner had arrived at the station to find a report of a dead body. It had been found in a long- abandoned gravel quarry, quite close to the northern section of the M3, which had filled with water over the years and was currently being used as a water activity centre. Just recently, a diving company had also started to use it to teach new divers. It was during one of their dives that they had spotted a car which had settled at a depth of about twenty feet. The car itself was resting, upside down, on a narrow ledge, which had stopped it from falling much deeper to the very bottom of the quarry. Despite this, and due to the murky colour of the water and the thick weeds, it was impossible to spot from the surface. The divers had started to explore the car, and it hadn’t been long, despite the darkness of the water, before they had made out the outline of what looked like a body, still in the car.

  ‘It looks very likely that it’s him,’ replied Milner. ‘The car’s registration number belonged to Mr Burton. Also, when they recovered the body, they found a wallet which contained all his personal details – credit cards, driving licence, that type of thing.’

  ‘How did the car get into the quarry?’ asked Tom. ‘Is there access?’

  ‘It’s in quite an isolated place, although there is a narrow lane which runs parallel to that part of the qu
arry. Alongside it is a wooden fence. It looks as though the car was deliberately driven through the fence into the quarry. According to the report, the fence at that part is almost falling down, anyway, and so it wouldn’t have taken much to break through it.’

  ‘It’s possible, then, that whoever did this had some knowledge of that part of the quarry. It was isolated and they knew the fence wasn’t very secure.’

  ‘That’s what I thought as well, sir,’ Milner said. ‘Forensics are checking for footprints near the scene, and along the lane itself. They are not confident, though, that they will be able to find anything specific.’

  ‘Why not?’ asked Tom.

  ‘Apparently the lane that runs parallel to the quarry is popular with horse riders and so, because it’s been raining recently, has been churned up. So they have been concentrating on the area just in front of the quarry itself.’

  ‘Okay, but keep chasing them to see if they’ve found anything,’ Tom said. ‘What about his phone? Did they find that?’

  ‘Not as far as I know,’ replied Milner. ‘It’s certainly not on the list of things they recovered. It’s possible, of course, that it’s at the bottom of the quarry. Apparently most of the doors were open and so it, along presumably with other items, could have fallen out.’

  ‘Hmm, that’s a shame,’ Tom said. ‘I’m assuming Mrs Burton hasn’t been informed yet.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ answered Milner. ‘It’s probably still too early. The body has only just been recovered. And, anyway, as we are the lead officers in this investigation, that should be our job. I’ll speak with the pathologist’s office and establish when the body will be ready for formal identification.’

  Tom remained silent as he considered what to do next, but it was Milner who made the obvious suggestion. ‘I’ll also find out the earliest date when the post-mortem can be carried out. At the moment we don’t know the circumstances of Mr Burton’s death. It could be suicide, or it could be murder. We won’t know until we get the pathologist’s report.’

  Tom now spoke. ‘What we do know, though, is that it’s unlikely to be accidental. I can’t think of many people who would unintentionally drive through a fence and over the edge of a steep quarry in a fairly remote location.’

  There was not much more Tom could do until Milner had got back with the information. In truth, Tom suddenly felt quite deflated. He had always felt there was a strong likelihood that Mr Burton was, unfortunately, dead. Although this was still to be confirmed, his instincts were telling him it was the case. In fact, right from the start of this inquiry, he had felt that was the most likely outcome. But, nonetheless, putting his instincts aside, he had continued to hold out hope that Mr Burton’s sudden disappearance was due to a marital infidelity.

  While he waited for Milner to return, he spent his time clearing his emails and generally catching up on all the admin issues which somehow needed his input. This time, at least, although he generally detested spending any time on these tasks, it proved to be quite cathartic. Not only had he managed to clear everything, something which always gave him a sense of satisfaction, but he had also managed to pass a couple of hours. This temporary sense of serenity was, however, broken when Milner, this time accompanied by DC Bennett, suddenly appeared in his office.

  ‘I’ve brought you a cup of coffee, sir,’ said DC Bennett, placing the plastic cup on the table in front of him.

  ‘Thanks,’ Tom said. ‘You see, DS Milner, that’s the way to look after your superior officer.’ He picked up the cup, took a quick sip, grimaced and then put it back on the table. ‘I don’t ask for much in life. The odd cup of coffee is often enough.’

  Milner was tempted to remind DCI Stone that he himself had regularly spent his own money providing him with drinks and food. Instead, he simply made do with, ‘I’ll put it to the top of my priority list, sir.’

  Tom looked up, inwardly smiled, and then said, ‘Okay. Why don’t you both sit down? You look as though you have got something interesting to say.’

  Milner, now having returned to his usual professional and methodical manner, provided him with the latest update. ‘It does look almost certain the body is that of Mr Burton. More documentation was found in the glove compartment with his name on it. Insurance details, car service history et cetera.’ He paused briefly. When it became obvious that no questions were forthcoming, he continued. ‘I also spoke with the pathologist, who said he would not be carrying out the full PM until later in the week. Although there has, inevitably, been some deterioration, he did confirm that he would prepare the body for identification for tomorrow morning. I just need to let him know what time and he will make sure he’s prepared everything.’

  Anticipating what DCI Stone’s next question was likely to be, he carried straight on. ‘I did push him as to the likely cause of death, but, of course, he wouldn’t be drawn on this until he’d completed his PM. Nonetheless, he did say that a very superficial examination – and he emphasised the word very – had revealed a few marks, on the head, which could be consistent with receiving blows. As far as when he died, he was a bit more forthcoming. Submersion in water can complicate matters, but it was his estimate that this person had died between seven and fourteen days ago. There were also a few bruise marks on both of his shoulders, suggesting, possibly, that someone had been gripping him there tightly, or perhaps trying to push him away.’

  ‘You said receiving blows. Plural?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Apparently, there were at least three and possibly four.’

  ‘That suggests quite a concerted attack,’ suggested Tom.

  ‘If that was what killed him, sir. We won’t know for sure until we get the full PM report.’

  ‘Yes, thanks for pointing that out to me, Milner. I wouldn’t have thought of that myself,’ he answered. Before either Milner or DC Bennett could work out if DCI Stone was genuinely annoyed or simply being ironic, he continued. ‘But, just hypothetically, let’s for the moment assume that Mr Burton died as a result of someone, or, of course, more than one person, repeatedly striking him on the head with something. After that, quite considerable effort then went into trying to hide the car with his body in it. If that was the case, then we are now talking about murder, and so it’s more important than ever to find out where Mr Burton went after he left home on that particular Sunday. If I understood you correctly, Milner, that Sunday would fall into the timeframe suggested by the pathologist. That was the last time he was seen. There has been no contact with anyone since then. No record of any recent credit card transactions. And no phone calls or texts apart from the one received by Mrs Burton. So I think we should start to prepare ourselves. I want you both to go back over all your notes and double-check everything. Look for any inconsistencies in timings or statements. And, also, I would like to see the full inventory of the items found in Mr Burton’s car.’ Tom paused. ‘I think we are all agreed that he was a larger-than-life character. He didn’t get to be as successful as he was, especially given his background and upbringing, without upsetting a few people along the way. Perhaps one of those people, male or female, has taken it upon themselves to seek revenge.’

  By now, Tom was in full thinking-out-loud flow, and clearly relishing the opportunity to, once again, fully immerse himself in a murder inquiry. Both Milner and DC Bennett had been around him long enough to know not to interrupt him when he was like this. His earlier sombre demeanour had disappeared.

  Chapter 16

  Tom and Milner, together with a uniformed female police officer, had arrived early at Mrs Burton’s home and stood outside her front door. The main gate, fortunately, was already open.

  The pathologist had contacted Milner, the previous evening, to inform him that the body had been prepared for identification. For Tom, this was the worst part of his job, but experience told him that it was better if it was done as quickly, albeit still as compassionately, as possible.

  They had, however, decided not to contact Mrs Burton in order to arrange th
e meeting. This, they felt, would run the risk of unnecessarily alarming her; there was no need to keep her in suspense. So they had taken the chance that Mrs Burton would be at home and were, therefore, relieved that, when they rang the bell, it was she who opened the door, still wearing her dressing gown.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she said, as soon as she saw them, but especially the female officer. ‘It’s bad news, isn’t it?’ She immediately began to sob uncontrollably.

  ‘Can we come in?’ asked Tom. He didn’t wait for her to reply, eager to move her away from the front door, and then almost leading her into the front room. ‘Why don’t you sit down?’

  She sat, a little shakily.

  Having earlier thought carefully about what his approach would be, but now taking his lead from her first question, Tom simply said, ‘I’m afraid we have found a body and we believe it’s your husband.’ He paused and then added, ‘I’m so sorry.’

  For a while, nothing more was said, and the silence was only broken by the sound of Mrs Burton’s continuing sobbing.

  Tom finally continued. ‘Although we do believe it is your husband, it’s important that we make formal identification as soon as possible. Do you think that you are able to do this? I totally understand if you don’t think you can. We could ask someone else who knew your husband to make the formal identification. Perhaps his business partner, Mr Blackwell?’

  Finally, Mrs Burton spoke. ‘How am I going to tell the children?’

  It was Milner who answered. ‘We have trained officers who can help with that.’

  This did not seem to reassure Mrs Burton, who, once again, burst into tears.

  ‘Is there anyone you could call to support you?’ asked Tom. ‘Didn’t you say, last time we met, that your mum lives not too far away? Would you like us to contact her?’

  Mrs Burton, still clearly finding it difficult to speak, simply nodded in agreement.

  ‘Do you have her number?’ asked Tom. ‘Is it in your phone?’