Deadly Betrayal: A gripping crime thriller full of mystery and suspense (Detective Jane Phillips Book 4)

by OMJ Ryan

  Jennings was now standing, his eyes dancing in his head. ‘I want you out of my office this minute!’

  Phillips nodded, and headed for the door. As she opened it, she turned back to face Jennings. ‘We’ll be seeing you again, Mr Jennings. I’m sure of that.’

  She stepped out of the room, Jones just behind her.

  33

  Back in the car, with Jones driving, Phillips called Entwistle and debriefed him on the meeting with Jennings, then tasked him with checking out the wine merchant alibi. As ever, Entwistle promised to get straight onto it, and Phillips ended the call.

  She sat in silence for a moment and stared out the window as they made their way to Claire Peacock’s address in Urmston, which Jones had programmed into the Sat Nav.

  Twenty minutes later, they pulled up outside the semi-detached house on Cedarwood Street. From the outside it looked smart, with a well-maintained garden – walled on all sides – recently fitted double-glazed windows and a bright red door with a polished chrome 22 taking pride of place in its centre.

  Phillips got out of the car with Jones behind her. As she pushed open the black metal gate, her eyes were drawn to the bright pink hydrangeas, in full bloom, in the flower bed beneath the front window. This house is loved, thought Phillips as she rang the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened and a petite woman with jet black hair and wearing heavy-rimmed glasses peered out.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Claire Peacock?’ said Phillips.

  ‘Yes. Who are you?’

  Phillips produced her credentials. ‘Chief Inspector Phillips and Detective Sergeant Jones, Major Crimes Unit. We’d like to talk to you about Victoria Carpenter’s death.’

  Peacock’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, right. Well, you’d better come in then.’

  Phillips and Jones followed Peacock into the front room, where she took a seat in an armchair and offered them the two-seater sofa; a small glass coffee table was positioned between them.

  ‘How can I help?’ asked Peacock when they were all seated.

  ‘Can you tell us why you left your position as PA to Eric Jennings and Victoria Carpenter?’

  Peacock’s brow furrowed. ‘I thought you wanted to talk to me about Victoria’s death?’

  ‘We do,’ said Phillips. ‘The circumstances of your dismissal may have a bearing on it.’

  ‘I fail to see how my leaving could have had anything to do with her suicide.’

  ‘We believe Victoria was murdered,’ said Phillips flatly.

  Peacock’s eyes bulged. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘Her death wasn’t suicide.’

  Peacock stared at Phillips, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

  Phillips continued, ‘So, with that in mind, can you tell us why you left your position at the Town Hall?’

  Peacock remained silent for a long moment and appeared lost in her thoughts, then shook her head. ‘No. I’m afraid I can’t.’

  ‘Can’t, or won’t?’ asked Jones.

  ‘Can’t. I signed a non-disclosure agreement. If I talk about the circumstances of my exit, the Council could claim back my severance pay. I simply can’t afford for that to happen.’

  Phillips sat forwards. ‘I understand your reticence, but by talking to us, you could help us find Victoria’s killer.’

  Peacock folded her arms tight across her stomach and shook her head. ‘No, I’m sorry. I’d like to help of course, I really would. Victoria was very good to me, but I just can’t take the risk.’

  Phillips was beginning to lose patience. ‘Ok, but let me explain the other risk you’re facing if you don’t answer our questions. We’re investigating the murder of a young woman you were connected to. You may have information that could help us establish a motive as to why she was killed, but currently you refuse to share that with us. That is what’s called obstruction of justice, which means I have the right to arrest you and compel you to tell me what I want to know. Ultimately, we’ll get the information one way or the other; the only difference is, if you go down the second route, it’ll take slightly longer and you’ll spend a night in a police cell under caution and may face criminal charges and prison time.’

  Peacock swallowed hard.

  ‘So, which route would you prefer?’ said Phillips, unrelenting. ‘Tell us what we want to know here and now, or come back to Ashton House and tell us during your taped interview, tomorrow morning?’

  Peacock’s mouth fell open and she stuttered slightly. ‘Er…er…’

  Phillips continued to press, her eyes locked on Peacock’s. ‘What’s it going to be?’

  There was a long moment of silence before Peacock answered. ‘What do you need to know?’

  ‘We understand you were fired. Why?’ said Phillips.

  ‘I was accused of misappropriating funds.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘Certainly not! I’ve never stolen anything in my life.’

  ‘So how did you get caught up in that?’ asked Jones.

  ‘I was set up,’ said Peacock firmly.

  ‘By who and why?’ said Phillips.

  ‘Well, I can’t prove it, but I believe Jennings did it because I wouldn’t share certain information with him.’

  ‘What information?’ asked Phillips.

  ‘He wanted me to give him access to Victoria’s emails and main computer drive. I had access to both, and he said he wanted full transparency within the department. I told him I would need Victoria’s permission, but he said that it had to remain confidential between just the two of us. Well, that hardly sounded like transparency to me, so I refused. He didn’t seem too pleased with my response, but at the time he said he understood my position. He asked that I keep the conversation between us two. As nothing had been shared, I agreed and thought nothing more of it. Then, a week later, I was called into his office and confronted with a sales invoice for electrical items that had been paid for using a Council account I had access to. The delivery address was here.’

  ‘This house?’ said Phillips.

  Peacock nodded. ‘I’d never seen that invoice before in my life. I had nothing to do with it and I told him so, but he had a letter printed out that terminated my contract; said he had no choice, based on the supposed misappropriation of funds. However, because of my long service and unblemished record up to that point, he told me he had managed to agree a severance package of three months' salary and let me keep my pension. He also offered to give me a glowing reference, but only if I signed an NDA and left that day. I’d worked there for over twenty-five years. I was devastated.’

  ‘Was there a member of HR in that meeting?’ said Phillips.

  ‘No. Just the two of us.’

  ‘And did he explain that you should’ve had the NDA checked by a solicitor?’

  ‘No. Nothing like that. He just told me to sign it if I wanted the money, my pension and the reference.’

  Phillips shook her head. ‘None of that sounds kosher to me. He can’t just fire you. Even if you had used that account to buy something for yourself—’

  ‘But I didn’t!’ Peacock cut her off.

  ‘I’m not saying you did,’ replied Phillips. ‘In fact, from what I’ve seen of Eric Jennings so far, I can well believe you were set up. But, whatever the case, you, as a full time, long-serving Council employee, should have had the chance to defend yourself with proper representation from Human Resources. You had nothing of the sort, which makes it look to me like a total stitch-up.’

  Peacock’s face softened and tears welled in her eyes. ‘It’s been horrendous, feeling like everyone thinks I did something wrong, and not being able to talk to anyone about it. Victoria came round one day. I was desperate to tell her what had happened, but I had no choice but to send her away. We never spoke again after that, and now she’s dead.’ Tears streaked down her cheeks now.

  Phillips leant forwards and placed a reassuring hand on Peacock’s wrist. ‘This isn’t over, I can assure you of that. And I promise, if Jennings did set you up,
we’ll make sure he’s brought to account for it.’

  Peacock reached forwards and pulled a tissue from a box on the coffee table, then dabbed her eyes. She smiled. ‘I can’t tell you what a relief it is to tell someone what really happened.’

  Phillips returned her smile. ‘Before you left the Council, had you ever heard rumours that Jennings might be taking bribes to approve planning and rezoning?’

  ‘Nothing that I’m aware of.’

  ‘And how would you describe his relationship with Victoria?’

  Peacock chortled. ‘Fractious to say the least. They didn’t see eye to eye.’

  ‘Why was that?’

  ‘They were like chalk and cheese. He believed a lot of the planning restrictions were outdated and wanted them changed, and she was the total opposite. She wanted to protect the heritage and history of the city from greedy developers and overseas investors. I mean, you only have to look at the Manchester skyline now to realise just how much has changed in the last ten years. It’s unrecognisable.’

  ‘Did Jennings ever threaten Victoria?’ said Phillips.

  ‘Not that I know of, no.’

  ‘But you say he wanted access to her files and drives?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Peacock. ‘Like I said, he told me he wanted transparency, but I think it was more likely that he wanted to know what she was doing. She had told me on many occasions that she only told Jennings what he needed to know. She didn’t fully trust him and because of that, neither did I.’

  Phillips took a moment to digest the information. ‘Is there anything else you can tell us that might be useful?’

  Peacock shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think so.’

  ‘Ok. Well you’ve been very helpful, and think we have what we need for now.’ Phillips stood up and made ready to leave, but Peacock stopped her in her tracks.

  ‘You said it wasn’t suicide?’

  ‘We don’t believe so, no.’

  ‘But I don’t understand. Victoria was a lovely, kind woman. Why would anyone want to kill her?’

  ‘That’s what we’re trying to find out,’ said Phillips, then headed for the front door.

  As she and Jones got back into the car, her phone rang. Answering it, she activated the speaker function. ‘Entwistle, please tell me Jennings’s alibi doesn’t stack up.’

  ‘Well, Guv, it does and it doesn’t.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘The wine merchant remembers seeing him and talking to him that evening but he can’t be sure of the time. So he was in there, but—’

  ‘—maybe not at the time he said he was,’ Phillips finished his sentence.

  ‘He confirmed Jennings pre-paid and that there’s no till receipt, which again makes it hard to ascertain the exact time he was in there that night.’

  ‘What about CCTV?’

  ‘They have cameras, Guv, but they’re dummies.’

  ‘Bugger,’ said Jones.

  ‘Bloody dummies again!’ said Phillips, Then she brought Entwistle up to speed on their conversation with Peacock.

  ‘So what now, Guv?’ asked Entwistle.

  Phillips checked her watch. It was after 6 p.m. ‘Well, first thing in the morning, me and Jonesy are going to pay Mr Jennings another visit. I think it’s fair to say he has a lot more questions to answer.’

  ‘What do you want me to do?’ said Entwistle.

  ‘Get onto the Council’s HR department and see if you can find out how Jennings reported Peacock’s dismissal. It sounds like he bent the rules more than just a little, so let’s see how he explained it away officially.’

  ‘Will do, Guv.’

  ‘Right. I think we’ve all had enough for one day. Let’s get off home on time, for once.’ Phillips winked at Jones and ended the call.

  34

  ‘This is harassment!’ said Jennings from behind his desk as Phillips and Jones strode into his office just after 9 a.m. the next morning. His face was flushed and his eyes were wild. ‘I’ve a good mind to call security.’

  ‘We supersede them, so I wouldn’t waste your time,’ said Phillips without emotion as she and Jones took seats. ‘So, what can you tell me about Claire Peacock?’

  ‘Claire Peacock?’ said Jennings, then cleared his throat. ‘Why on Earth do you want to know about her?’

  ‘She was fired for stealing from a Council bank account, wasn’t she?’

  Jennings smoothed his grey tie. ‘In a manner of speaking, yes.’

  ‘So, if she was caught stealing, why wasn’t it reported to the police?’ asked Phillips.

  ‘I didn’t feel that was necessary. Losing her position was punishment enough.’

  ‘How very noble of you,’ said Phillips, hardly able to mask her sarcasm.

  Evidently Jennings hadn’t noticed Phillips’s tone. ‘Well, she’d been with us for over twenty years and it felt fairer to let her go quietly.’

  ‘As I understand it, you organised a severance package for her?’

  ‘Yes, I did.’

  ‘That again seems very good of you, considering she’d effectively broken the law and stolen from the taxpayer.’

  ‘We all make mistakes and, despite hers, I liked Claire. Because of the theft, I had no option but to let her go, but I also wanted to make sure she was looked after.’ Jennings sounded almost smug.

  Phillips smiled thinly. ‘Could you tell us which of the Council’s HR team managed her dismissal?’

  Jennings flinched. ‘I’m sorry?’

  ‘I’d like to talk to the person in your HR team that processed her dismissal for you.’

  ‘Erm.’ Jennings coughed. ‘I, er, didn’t involve anyone from HR. I handled it myself.’

  ‘Why was that?’ asked Jones.

  ‘Well, you know. As I said, I liked Claire and I didn’t want to put her through undue stress, so I felt it was best handled quietly.’

  ‘So what you’re saying is, you brushed it under the carpet?’ said Phillips.

  ‘No. That’s not what I’m saying.’

  ‘But that’s what you did, isn’t it?’ said Phillips. ‘I mean, she’s caught stealing, you find out and tell her to leave, but you don’t share the reasons with your HR team. Surely that’s not following proper Council protocols?’

  Jennings’s jaw clenched. ‘I did what I thought was right given the circumstances.’

  ‘Like getting her to sign an NDA forbidding her from speaking to anyone about what had happened?’

  Jennings’s mouth fell open.

  Phillips pushed on. ‘And in return she got a reference, her pension and three months’ salary? Is that what you mean by doing the right thing?’

  ‘Well, erm…’ Jennings appeared lost for words.

  ‘DS Jones, what does all that sound like to you?’ said Phillips.

  ‘Blackmail, Ma’am,’ said Jones, playing his part to perfection.

  ‘Blackmail, that’s just what I was thinking. And why would you need to blackmail Ms Peacock?’

  ‘This is preposterous!’ shot back Jennings.

  Phillips stared into his eyes. ‘Was it because you needed Ms Peacock out of the way and silenced? So you could get access to Victoria Carpenter’s files, which she had already refused to give to you?’

  ‘You’re talking nonsense. I did nothing of the sort.’

  ‘So why did Ms Peacock tell us you did?’

  ‘Because she’s a liar and a thief!’ said Jennings, almost shouting now.

  Phillips feigned surprise and allowed his words to echo around the large room. ‘But a moment ago, you said you liked Ms Peacock and wanted to help her. Now you’re saying she’s a liar and a thief?’

  ‘You’re twisting my words.’

  ‘I don’t think I am, Mr Jennings. More like you’re catching yourself in your own lies,’ said Phillips.

  Jennings visibly snarled. ‘I know my rights, Chief Inspector, and I am no longer happy having this conversation. Unless you wish to caution me in an official capacity, I would like you to leave.�
��

  Phillips ignored his request and changed tack. ‘What time were you in the wine merchant’s the night Carpenter was killed?’

  The question seemed to catch Jennings off guard. ‘I don’t know, I can’t remember specifically.’

  ‘And how long were you in there?’

  ‘Again, I don’t remember.’

  ‘I see,’ said Phillips as she stared at Jennings for a long moment in silence, a deliberate ploy to unnerve him.

  It clearly worked, as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  Finally, Phillips stood. ‘Well, we won’t keep you. Thank you for your time, Mr Jennings.’ She and Jones left the room in a hurry; another deliberate ploy to shake him up.

  Phillips waited until she and Jones were outside of the building before speaking. ‘He’s in this up to his neck somehow,’ said Phillips as they made their way back across Albert Square to the squad car.

  ‘Proving it, Guv. That’s the issue,’ said Jones as he walked alongside.

  ‘Townsend was right; he’s a slippery fucker,’ said Phillips, then exhaled loudly as she considered their next steps. Every fibre in her body was telling her that Jennings was crooked and somehow involved in Carpenter’s death. She was also convinced Zhang Shing was involved too, but so far they had nothing at all on either of the men that she could take to the CPS in relation to Victoria Carpenter’s murder. And without approval from the Crown Prosecution Service, she had no case.

  ‘Damn it, we’re going round in circles here,’ said Phillips as they reached the car.

  Jones nodded.

  ‘There must be something we’re missing, Jonesy.’

  ‘If there is, I’ll be buggered if I can see it, Guv.’

  Phillips jumped in the passenger seat as Jones took up his usual position as driver. ‘Let’s get back to Ashton House and see what Bov and Entwistle have come up with. Maybe they’ve found something that can finally open this case up.’

  A moment later, Jones pulled the car into the road and gunned the engine as they made their way back to Failsworth and the Greater Manchester Police HQ.