A Tangled Web

by A L Fraine

  “Um, yeah. I might have something that could throw a spanner in the works.”

  “Of course, you do,” Jon replied. “It’s been a spanner filled day, so one more might as well join in the fun.”

  “So, Lily said that Jacob got angry with her and Olivia after they went to that club, right?”

  “That’s right. They went off without him, and he was pissed at them for it.”

  “Okay, but what if it wasn’t them just going to a club that annoyed him?”

  “What are you getting at?” Jon asked, curious.

  “I’ve been going through Lily’s Google account, and I found some photos from that night,” Dion said and handed out copies of a photo. Jon picked one up and saw Lily gurning at the camera, the slightly out of focus club behind her in the grainy image.

  “What am I looking for?” Jon asked.

  “In the background, that’s Olivia, right?”

  Taking a closer look, Jon could make out Olivia sitting amongst a bunch of other people, a drink in hand, smiling and enjoying herself. The background was slightly out of focus, but not by much, and he could clearly make out the faces of the people around her.

  “She seems to be talking to that guy beside her,” Jon remarked.

  “Oh, I know him,” Nathan said. “That’s Russell Hodges.”

  “Wonderful, I’m pleased for you, I really am, but throw me a bone here. Who’s Russell Hodges, and why the hell is he in my investigation?”

  “He’s a very wealthy local businessman,” Nathan answered.

  “I see,” Jon replied, and looked at him again. “So, a standard Surrey resident, then. And how do you know him?”

  “He was a suspect in one of my cases several years ago, back when I was still a DCI,” Nathan replied, a troubled look drawing his eyebrows together. “He had a solid alibi though, and was backed up by others. We ended up arresting another man in the end. A guy called Alan.”

  “Okay, so Olivia met a wealthy local figure during a night at a club. Why do you think this is a spanner?” He addressed Dion.

  “What if Jacob wasn’t annoyed that Olivia went to a club, what if he saw this picture and got jealous?”

  “I suppose that’s possible,” Jon mused. “Lily said that she hid her phone from Jacob, though.”

  “But what if he knew about it? It would make for a good way for him to keep tabs on her,” Dion suggested.

  “Hmm. So, he saw this photo and got angry. Makes sense,” Jon replied and took another look at Olivia in the image. The man she sat beside was laughing along with her, and they were obviously being friendly. But was it anything more than that? Photos could be deceiving, but that was the point, he supposed. Maybe Jacob saw something that was, in reality, totally innocent? “Do you think this was anything more than just a friendly drink, though?”

  “I know one person who might be able to shed some light on it, and she’s downstairs,” Kate said.

  ***

  Jon placed the photo on the table in front of Lily and pointed to Olivia and Russell in the background. “What can you tell me about this?” Jon asked.

  Lily leaned in and took a long look at the photo, and then looked up. He could see the worry in her eyes.

  “It’s okay,” Kate said from where she stood behind Jon.

  “We’d just like to know what happened between them,” Nathan added, who’d also joined them.

  “Are you okay?” Evie asked from nearby.

  Lily nodded to her. “I’m fine, I want to help.”

  “So what do you remember?” Evie asked.

  “Um, well, I’d forgotten about that. Olivia got talking to him and he was friendly back. But, they just talked,” Lily replied, glancing up at them, and at her parents.

  “That’s all?” Jon pressed.

  “Yeah, we got talking to them and joined their group. We just hung out, you know?”

  “With Russell Hodges?” Jon said, pointing to the man beside Olivia.

  “I guess,” Lily replied, frowning at the image. “Yeah, I think that’s what Olivia said his name was. She was all impressed by him, like. She seemed quite taken by him.”

  “Taken?”

  “She was talking about him afterwards, about how well they got on and stuff. So, who is he?”

  “He’s a multimillionaire businessman,” Nathan replied, his tone flat.

  Lily looked up and blinked. “Oh…”

  “Yeah,” Jon replied. “Can you see why we’re interested?”

  “Yeah… In fact…”

  “What?” Jon replied.

  “I just wonder, because… Well, I don’t know for sure. She was all cagy about it, but she said a few times that she was going to meet someone. She seemed really excited about it all.”

  “You mean, you think she was going to meet Russell?”

  “I dunno. Maybe?”

  “Okay, good, thank you, Lily. I understand you’re heading home now, right?”

  She nodded.

  “We are,” Nina, Lily’s mother replied.

  “As soon as you’re happy for us to go,” her father added.

  Jon nodded. “I think you can go, as far as we’re concerned. I’ll leave the details up to Evie, but we might need to talk to you again soon, so stay in the area.”

  “We will,” Nina replied.

  “Thanks, and if you think of anything else, Lily, please get in touch, okay?”

  “I will, and thank you,” Lily replied before Jon led his team from the room and headed back upstairs.

  “I want to talk to Russell,” Jon said as they walked back into the office. “Even if he had nothing to do with this, he was one of the last people to see her before she went missing, and was possibly the catalyst for it too.”

  “I’ll see what I can arrange,” Kate replied and walked over to her desk.

  Jon watched her go, and then looked up at Nathan, who seemed deep in thought. “What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve just… I’ve got an idea.”

  “What kind of idea?”

  “It’s probably nothing. Most likely a wild goose chase, so I’d rather not say, but… I’m going to look into something. I’ll let you know if it works out though.”

  “Suitably mysterious, Fox. Alright, sure. You’ve intrigued me. Go ahead.”

  “Thanks, Loxley,” he replied and walked off.

  12

  “So, have you met this Russell before?” Jon asked as they sped through the Surrey countryside, heading east towards Kingswood.

  “No, but I know the case that Nathan is talking about, and frankly, he sounds like a prick.”

  “No, please. Don’t mince your words, Kate. I want you to be honest with me, and tell me what you really thought of him.”

  “Har-di-har,” Kate replied, giving him side-eye. “It was the Debby Steed case. Do you remember Debby Steed?”

  “Yeah, the name rings a bell, where have I heard that before?”

  “She was a TV personality. She fronted a ‘cowboy business’ show, exposing people running dodgy businesses.”

  “Oh yes, that’s right. She was murdered, wasn’t she?”

  “Yep. They pinned it on the guy Nathan mentioned, Alan, but he always denied it. He said he was with Russell at the time of the murder, and then changed his story to Russell was the one who killed her. But Nothing ever stuck and Alan went down after several people spoke out against him, including Russell.”

  “I see. And Nathan ran that case, did he?”

  “He did, it was one of the incidents that culminated in his demotion.”

  “How?”

  “He was convinced that Russell, Alan, and others were part of some secret group. He saw conspiracy and ended up doing a one-man house invasion of Russell's property. He said he saw some kind of gathering there and called it in, but nothing was found, and although Russell didn’t press charges against Nathan, he did get demoted.”

  “Because of Russell?”

  “Nathan thinks so. Russel
l is close to several of the Police top brass, so…”

  “I get it. The right word in someone's ear…”

  “…and Nathan gets demoted,” Kate added.

  “You’re right, he sounds like a prick.”

  “Told you.” Kate laughed and then pointed. “Here we are.”

  Jon pulled into the driveway and up to the gate, pressing the button on the intercom. Several moments later, the speaker came to life. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Detectives Pilgrim and O’Connell here to see Russell Hodges.”

  “Ah yes. Welcome, Detectives. Please, drive on through, and someone will meet you.”

  “Thank you,” Jon replied, marvelling at the voice’s plummy accent. “Oooh, lar-di-dar,” Jon mimicked, once his window was up.

  “We don’t all talk like that,” Kate replied.

  “Well no, you’re Irish, eh lassie?” he ended his sentence with an approximation of an Irish accent. It wasn’t good.

  “Well,” Kate said, blinking as they drove into the property. “You butchered that one. I think a leprechaun somewhere just died.”

  Proceeding up the driveway, the mansion soon came into view, and it was one of the most impressive ones he’d seen yet. The place was huge, and sprawling, with several outbuildings surrounded by manicured lawns, bushes, and trees.

  “Oh, wow. Now that is impressive. Mr Hodges has done well for himself.

  “No shit.”

  A man walked towards their car as they parked up, although calling him a man was underselling him a bit, really. He could probably be more accurately described as a mountain, or a bull, or something else massive and dangerous looking.

  Climbing out, Jon turned to meet the figure, confident that he was probably involved in Russell’s security, somehow.

  “Good afternoon, Detectives,” the man said. “I’m Blake, Mr Hodges’s head of security. I’ll show you through to Mr Hodges. If you’d like to follow me?”

  “Of course,” Jon replied, and fell into step behind him, mentally checking off a point for his correct guess about this man’s position.

  Kate moved in beside Jon and gave him a look.

  Jon wiggled his eyebrows in return as they approached an outbuilding that was long and squat, complete with a few garage doors along one side.

  “It’s a lovely place Mr Hodges has here,” Kate remarked.

  “He’s worked hard to get where he is today, Miss O’Connell,” Blake replied.

  “Is he not in the house?” she asked.

  “No, he’s in the garage, I believe.”

  Jon wondered if they might actually see some of this guy’s car collection, only to be proved right as they walked through a side door, to find an immaculate display of cars lined up along the left wall.

  There were McLarens, Aston Martins, Ferraris, and even a Lamborghini. Several cars in, two men stood talking. One was in a pair of overalls, but the other wore trousers and a shirt that looked they were worth more than Jon’s monthly salary.

  This was Russell. Jon recognised him from the photo, and he was having a friendly conversation with what Jon assumed was a mechanic.

  As they approached, Russell noticed them, finished his conversation, and turned to greet them.

  “Well, it’s not often I get to welcome the Surrey Police into my home. Welcome, welcome…” he said, and then eyed Kate curiously. “I don’t believe I’ve ever had the pleasure, Miss?”

  “I’m DS Kate O’Connell, and this is DCI Jon Pilgrim. We’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course. Please, come in. We’ll head into the house and get a drink,” he continued, focusing on Kate, almost to the exclusion of Jon. Russell quickly dismissed Blake as he ushered Kate along the line of cars.

  Kate glanced back and winked without Russell noticing. Jon rolled his eyes and followed along behind them as Russell continued to chat.

  “As you can see, I have some true classics in here. They’re my pride and joy, and I love taking them out for a pootle along the local roads. They’re beautiful, don’t you think?”

  “Oh yes,” Kate replied, playing along. Jon couldn’t help but take a moment to admire some of the vehicles on display, and allowed himself to lag behind a little as Russell continued ahead, regaling Kate with tales of his collection and how he acquired them.

  Jon wasn’t really much of a gear-head, but he could certainly appreciate some of the finer things in life, especially a nice car, such as some of the ones on display here.

  He spotted a stunning polished Mustang, and with a glance at Kate moving up the building towards the far end, decided to indulge himself and have a closer look. He’d be quick, he had a job to do after all, but he just wanted to have a look inside. Moving around it, he found the interior was as gleaming as the paintwork. Walking back towards the front of the vehicle, he admired the front grille for a moment and the machine's beautiful lines.

  “It’s a work of art, isn’t it?”

  Jon straightened and turned to see a woman walking up to him. She was all curvaceous hips and dusky eyes, and her smile held unspoken promises, which made him feel uncomfortable.

  “Um yes, it is. It’s lovely,” he replied, feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze as she approached. He cleared his throat and tried to get his head back in the game. “I’m DCI Jon Pilgrim.”

  “I know.”

  “Oh, you know?”

  “I saw you on the news yesterday, after that hostage case. That was some good work.”

  “Thank you, Miss, erm…”

  “Sydney, Sydney Willow. I’m Russell’s partner.” She offered her hand.

  Jon took it. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise, Detective. I like a man with strong hands.”

  “Thanks.” He wasn’t sure how else to answer that.

  “You like your muscle cars then? This is a classic American car, the Eleanor from that film, Gone in 60 Seconds. It truly is a beauty.”

  “It’s gorgeous,” Jon agreed.

  “Expensive, too.”

  “I bet.”

  “I doubt you’d be able to afford such a vehicle on a DCI salary.”

  “Probably not,” Jon agreed. His Astra was expensive enough for him right now, anyway.”

  “Shame.”

  “I suppose. So, you’re Russell’s girlfriend?”

  She nodded, stepped up to him, and threaded her arm through his as she urged him to walk with her towards where Russell was regaling Kate.

  “That I am. We’ve not been together long, though, so it’s early days. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind romance, I guess you could say,” she answered, her voice whimsical as her heels clicked on the concrete floor. “Who knows? Maybe a big strong detective like yourself will come along and sweep me off my feet,” she said.

  Jon glanced over in surprise. She winked at him and bumped her hip into his, making him blush. He spotted Kate look his way and raise an incredulous eyebrow at him as he approached arm in arm with Sydney.

  He mouthed the word ‘help’ at her, and she smirked, stifling a laugh.

  “I see you’ve met my partner, Sydney,” Russell said. He walked over, and pulled her in for a kiss.

  “Where were you hiding, then?” he asked her with a smile.

  “Oh, nowhere,” she replied. “I was just introducing myself to Detective Pilgrim here.” She looked up at Jon. “Are you going to introduce me to your partner?”

  Jon stared at Sydney for a moment longer, trying to weigh her up. “Um, of course,” Jon replied. “This is DS Kate O’Connell.”

  “A pleasure,” Sydney said and offered her hand. She had a dark, dangerous look to her, and with her black hair, black outfit, and red belt, Jon found himself reminded of a Black Widow spider.

  Pulling his eyes away, he silently admonished himself for those thoughts, feeling the presence of Kate, and the eyes of Charlotte in his head watching him.

  Sydney smiled and glanced at Jon as she pulled away from greeting Kate. Jo
n caught her mischievous expression and felt a keen sinking feeling open up deep inside of him.

  13

  “Come in, come in,” Russell said as they walked into a living room that was about the size of an average house, and could probably fit Kate’s flat inside it several times over. Large paintings hung on the wall, and a white grand piano sat in the corner. In the centre of the room, a sunken area contained several comfortable-looking seats and sofas around a gilded coffee table.

  Russell ambled through the room towards the seating area, taking his time. He seemed to enjoy showing off his wealth.

  “Welcome to my humble abode. Please, take a seat, relax,” he said, and then turned and addressed a woman who stood by one of the doors. “Ida, teas and coffees, please.”

  “Right away, sir,” she replied and disappeared.

  “Please, sit,” Sydney said, gesturing to the sofas.

  “Thank you,” Kate answered, and moved to a sofa. Jon took a seat beside her on some of the nicest furniture he’d ever had the pleasure of sitting on Clearly, only the best would do for Russell.

  Standing opposite them, he was all smiles and swagger. “So then, Miss O’Connell.” Russell gave her a look. “It is miss, isn’t it?”

  “I’m pleased you’re so relaxed and taking an interest in me,” Kate began, “but that’s not really an appropriate question.”

  Good, Jon thought, she wasn’t falling for his easy charm and was keeping her eyes on the job at hand. He glanced over at Sydney as she took the seat next to him, crossing her legs and flashing him some thigh.

  Jon pulled his eyes away.

  “I’m sorry,” Russell continued. “I just didn’t want to insult you. I mean, you and Detective Pilgrim here might be an item for all I know.”

  Jon glanced over at Kate, surprised by Russell’s comment. Kate frowned briefly, glancing back at him.

  Russell smiled. “How’s Nathan?”

  “Nathan?” Kate asked, a clear note of surprise in her voice.

  “He works with you, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah,” Kate answered.

  “Sorry, as you can see, I do my research.”