To Die For (DI Sam Cobbs Book 1)

by M A Comley

  “Bryan Calder. What’s this about?”

  “All in good time, Mr Calder. If you’d like to wait over there, Tom, is it?”

  “That’s right, Thomas Daley.”

  “We shouldn’t keep you too long.” Sam smiled at the man, then quickly glanced at Bob and raised an eyebrow. Disappointingly, he shook his head. If neither of the two men matched the photo, this was going to be the shortest couple of interviews in her entire career.

  Thomas scuffed his feet as he walked off to the side, out of earshot.

  “Thanks for speaking with us. We won’t keep you longer than necessary. I’m going to ask you to look at a CCTV photo we have and I need you to try and identify the person you see.”

  Bryan shrugged his shoulders. “Go for it.”

  Bob raised his phone up and positioned it ten inches in front of the man. “Do you recognise this man?” Bob asked.

  Bryan squinted and peered at the phone. “Bit of a crappy photo, if you ask me.”

  “Any luck?” Sam urged.

  After exhaling a breath, Bryan suggested a name. “I can’t be a hundred per cent certain, but you’re forcing me to give you a name, so here goes. I think it’s Wayne Gillan. It definitely looks like his features to me. He’s got a hooter similar to that. We’re always ribbing him about it being the size of Dumbo’s. Harsh, I know. But he always takes it in good spirit.”

  “Excellent. And he’s at work today?”

  “I believe so. You’ll need to ask the boss. Sometimes we go directly to a job, don’t bother showing up for work as we take the vans home with us, if we’ve got an early callout.”

  “Interesting. Thanks for the information.” Sam smiled. “How well do you know him?”

  “Well enough. What’s he been up to, robbed a bank, has he?” Bryan laughed, but stopped when neither Sam nor Bob joined in. “Jesus, he has, hasn’t he? I was only joking.”

  “No,” Sam reassured him. “Not as far as we know. How has he been lately at work? By that I mean, has his demeanour altered recently?”

  “I suppose he’s been a bit distant with the rest of us for a few months now. He told us he had personal stuff going on. I prefer not to get involved in that sort of shit, so I left well alone.”

  “Did he mention what type of personal stuff?”

  “Nope. I would have switched off if he had. Got enough grief of my own to deal with, my wife’s pregnancy isn’t going to plan.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s life, ain’t it? The scan results are telling us that our boy is going to have some form of disability when he finally comes into the world. I hope they’re wrong, for all our sakes.”

  The news shocked Sam. “That’s tough. Maybe the scan will be wrong. Thanks so much for speaking with us today. Good luck with the baby.”

  “Thanks, we’re going to need it, by all accounts.” He scuffed his feet and his shoulders dipped as he walked away. He returned to Tom who made his way towards Sam and Bob.

  “My turn to be grilled, is it?”

  “Hardly. I’m going to show you a photo of someone, I’d like you to name the person in the picture, if you would?”

  “I’ll do my best. Am I supposed to know this person?”

  “We believe so.”

  Bob showed him the photo. Tom instantly nodded. “Wayne Gillan, I’d recognise that snout anywhere.”

  “Okay. Thanks. How well do you know him?”

  “Well enough. What’s he done?”

  “We’re trying to find him to help us with our enquiries. Have you seen him today?”

  “Not today. He had a job down near Seascale, I believe. He took the van home with him and set off from there. We do that occasionally if it’s a long trek to our first job of the morning.”

  “Great, okay. How has he been at work lately?”

  “Hit and miss. I think he’s under a lot of stress right now.”

  “Stress? Can you tell me more?” Sam scratched her head, keen to hear what the man had to say.

  “He’s getting married soon and his missus, or future missus, is giving him hell for not contributing to the wedding financially.”

  “Ah, I see. So he’s short of cash and in need of trying to obtain more, is that what you’re telling us?”

  “Kind of. I have no idea what money he’s keen to find, I know it’s a hefty sum though. His missus is intent on pushing the boat out on their big day.”

  “Okay, that’s a great help. Thank you. Has he tried to borrow money from you or any of his colleagues?”

  “Yes, I’m sure he did the rounds. I don’t think he got very far. Everyone is trying to hang on to the funds they have, you know, after the pandemic screwed up our finances. I know I’m trying to save more, set a certain amount aside. My wife and I really struggled to cover our bills. What the government handed out wasn’t nearly enough for us to survive on. We vowed never to get into that situation again. So started frantically saving. Let’s face it, things could take another turn for the worse anytime soon. Who knows what’s around the corner for any of us, right?”

  Sam smiled with her agreement. “After what we’ve been through the last year, never a truer word has been spoken. The job Wayne is on, should it be completed today or not?”

  “Ah, I don’t have a clue. You’d better speak to the boss, he’ll be able to tell you.”

  “Thanks, we will. Appreciate your help.” Sam and Bob traced their way back to the manager’s office.

  He looked up from the mass of paperwork he was dealing with and sat back in his chair. “Any good?”

  “We showed the photo to the two men separately and they both recognised the person as Wayne Gillan. We’d like to have a chat with him, today would be preferable. Can you tell us when he’s likely to finish the job he’s on?”

  “He’s due back at the end of his shift, at around five-thirty. Do you want me to call him, ask him to hang around and speak to you?”

  Sam clicked her tongue. “No, what I need you to do is keep quiet. We’ve got his address, we’ll drop by and see him this evening.”

  “If that’s what you want. Are you going to tell me what he’s done wrong? Should I be concerned?”

  She sighed. “I truly can’t say. My suggestion would be to try and act naturally, as if we haven’t been here today, that would be better all round.”

  Chapman bounced upright again. “Sounds bloody gloomy to me.”

  “Thanks for your time and the information you’ve given us today. Try not to be concerned just yet.” Sometimes Sam wished she’d kept her mouth shut, and now was one of those dreaded times. She suspected Bob was going to give her a telling off when they left, too.

  “Hard not to be, given that you’ve shown up here and what you’ve just told me,” Chapman said.

  “Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Is there any way you can contact him and perhaps tell him to go straight home rather than drop the van off tonight?”

  “I was thinking along the same lines. Yes, I’ll do that. It won’t look suspicious, sometimes that’s the way we work around here.”

  “Good luck. Thanks again. We’ll be off now.”

  Sam marched out of the office and towards the car at top speed before Bob could give her an earful.

  It wasn’t until they were settled in the car that Bob cleared his throat and said, “I don’t have to say anything, do I?”

  “No, that’s right, you don’t, but I bet you’re going to have a go, all the same.”

  “Why? You shouldn’t have told Chapman anything. You know there are some people who can’t keep their mouths shut.”

  “Yeah, I know. I thought I was very restrained in what I said. What else was I supposed to say?”

  “I don’t know. Make up any excuse rather than tell him the truth.”

  “What are you saying? You think I’ve put his life in danger?”

  Bob flung his arms in the air, and they came crashing down on his muscular thighs. “I don’t know. You don
’t know. That’s the problem here, what do we really know about Wayne Gillan?”

  “That’s got to be our next job, to find out what we can about him before we confront him.” She sought her mobile and rang the station. “Hi, Claire, just the person I was hoping to speak to.”

  “It’s nice to feel wanted. What do you need, boss?”

  “Do me a favour and run this name, Wayne Gillan, through the system. See what comes up on a basic check, if anything.”

  “Two seconds. Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

  The pause was excruciating for Sam. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and chewed her lip until it bled. “Damn.” She faced Bob and jutted her injured lip out to him, seeking sympathy.

  She didn’t get it. Instead, he issued a couple of tuts and said, “You’re nuts. Fancy doing that to yourself.”

  Still holding the phone, she replied, “You’re an unsympathetic man, Bob Jones.”

  “I can be.” He grinned and looked ahead of him, at the building they had just left.

  “I might have something, boss,” Claire said after a few minutes of silence.

  “Excellent. What have you found, Claire?” Sam put the phone on speaker so her partner could hear.

  “He was caught stealing from an electrical company where he used to work, around five years ago. Apparently, when his boss confronted him, he lashed out; his boss sacked him on the spot and reported the incident to the police. An ABH charge was created, but Gillan’s former boss withdrew the complaint after a few days.”

  “Interesting. I wonder if he got to his former boss, threatened him in some way, forcing him to withdraw the complaint.”

  “Maybe. Do you want me to do some more digging? Do you think he was arrested for the assault charge?”

  “Possibly, try and find out, it should mean we have fingerprints for him at the very least. Can you get on to forensics? They’re dealing with the DNA et cetera from the crime scenes, see if they’re a match.”

  “I’m on it now. I’ll get back to you once it’s confirmed or not.”

  “Great job. Thanks, Claire.”

  She ended the call and turned to Bob. “Very interesting. So he has form.”

  He shrugged. “It didn’t lead anywhere, though. Whether he made a nuisance of himself with the guy or not, the outcome was the same, the charge didn’t stick.”

  “No flies on you, are there? Right, let’s get over to his place.”

  “And what? Confront him or are you talking about setting up a surveillance job on him?”

  “I’ll decide that when I get there. I’m erring on the side of watching his movements for a while.”

  “Why? What good will that do?”

  “Do you have to be so negative? We’re working with what we have to hand on the bloke, Bob, that has to be enough for now. Who knows? Maybe by the time we get ourselves in position, Claire will have got back to us with the forensic results.”

  He leaned forward and peered up at the sky. “Looks like rain, oh and there’s a pig up there wearing a tutu, as well.”

  “Bugger off, wise arse.”

  11

  Bob huffed and puffed every couple of minutes while they waited outside the house for Gillan to appear.

  “It’s gone six now, he should be home soon, surely,” Sam suggested, tired of waiting herself.

  Her mobile rang. “DI Cobbs.”

  “Ah, Inspector, how are you?” Des’s soothing voice filtered down the line and nestled in her ear.

  “Tired, bored shitless, hoping against hope that you have something important to tell me. Why else would you be calling, am I right?”

  “Ever the perceptive detective. You’re correct on that count.”

  “Great. Don’t let me hold you up.”

  “One of your team members gave us a heads-up earlier with a fingerprint report on a possible suspect.”

  “That’s right. And?”

  “And, you’ll be pleased to hear it’s a match.”

  Sam punched the air in triumph. “Bloody hell, at last. Okay, thanks for letting me know. Bob and I are parked up outside the suspect’s residence now.”

  “Good, good. Before you ring off, I have some other intriguing news for you.”

  “Brilliant, this day is getting better and better by the second. What news?”

  “Something came my way which should have been brought to my attention sooner.”

  “Sounds concerning, has someone missed something important? Don’t tell me three other victims lost their lives unnecessarily.”

  “I have no way of knowing if that statement is true or not.”

  Sam sighed. “Just tell me. I’ll decide for myself.”

  “Whilst the SOCO team were at Tom Douglas’s farmhouse, they gathered several items and placed them as evidence.”

  “Why are you going around the houses here?”

  “I’m not, not really. Okay, here’s the rub, one of the pieces they came away with was a Last Will and Testament of the deceased.”

  Sam and Bob faced each other and frowned. “But we have that in hand already,” Sam went on to tell him.

  “I’m aware of that. This is an older version. Dated two thousand and five.”

  Sam’s brain computed the information and something sparked in her mind. “Ah, I understand where you’re going with this now. You think we should make a comparison and see if anything is highlighted in the details that we can ultimately use to our advantage, right?”

  “In a word, yes. I can scan it and send it to your email, if that’s what you want?”

  “Too right I do. I mean, yes, if you wouldn’t mind. We can look it over while we wait for the prime suspect to come home from work.”

  “Let me get that sorted for you and send it through. I can only offer my apologies for us being so lax at this end.”

  “I’m prepared to forgive your team this time around, it’s only been a few days. Saying that, three other people have lost their lives in the meantime.”

  “Yes, that fact sticks in my throat, too. I’ve banged a few heads together, I assure you.”

  “That’s good enough for me. Ah, here’s the email now. Leave it with me, I’ll see what shows up. Thanks, Des.”

  “You’re welcome. I hope it proves to be useful.”

  “So do I. I’ll be in touch soon.” She jabbed the End Call button and opened up the document.

  Bob had already done the same on his phone with the new Will he’d photographed. They put their phones side by side, and together, cast their eyes over both copies. It wasn’t until Sam got near the end that she stumbled across something that jarred with her. “Wait, have you spotted it?”

  “Not yet, give me a chance.”

  Her interest had been sparked by a specific section of the Will and, whilst she waited for Bob to also reach that part, she re-read it a few more times.

  Aghast, Bob blasted, “Holy crap! What the fuck?”

  “Exactly.” Sam rang the incident room and spoke to Claire again. “Claire, it’s me. I need you to ask Alex and Oliver to come over to Wayne Gillan’s address, to sit outside, he’s due home any minute. I just want them to sit here, put him under surveillance for now. We have to leave here as something important has come our way in the last few minutes.”

  “Sounds intriguing.”

  “It is. I don’t have time to go through it now.”

  “No problem. I’m sure you’ll fill us in later. I’ll issue your orders. Good luck.”

  Sam dropped her phone into the centre console and pulled away.

  “Shouldn’t we wait until reinforcements arrive first?” Bob queried.

  “No, I can’t wait. The need to see what’s going on with the Wills is driving me nuts.”

  “At least wait five minutes, give the guys a chance to leave the station and get to their cars.”

  Reluctantly, Sam had to agree that her partner was right. They hung around for another ten minutes, to give their colleagues time to get on the road,
then Sam gunned the accelerator and headed to their next location.

  Jean Jones, Tom Douglas’s daughter was tending to her front garden when Sam parked outside the house. She and Bob approached the woman who glanced up with terror filling her eyes.

  “Hello, Jean. Would it be okay if we spoke to you inside?”

  “Wh-what about?”

  “We’ll reveal all inside. It shouldn’t take too long.” Sam slotted a smile into place.

  Jean got off her knees, brushed the dirt from her trousers and dropped the hoe on top of the black bag she’d been filling with bedding plants that were past their best. She led them inside the house, her expression now one of confusion as well as terror.

  “Have you got something to tell me? Do you know who was responsible for my father’s death?” She stepped into the house.

  Neither Sam nor Bob responded to her question until the front door was shut behind them. “Let’s get comfortable first, shall we?” Sam requested.

  “If you insist.” Jean slipped off her working shoes and padded barefoot into the lounge. She motioned for Sam and Bob to take a seat on the sofa opposite her chair. “You’re scaring me with your silence. I’m not sure what to think about your visit.”

  “Sorry, we thought it best not to tell you what we have to say on your doorstep, that’s all. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your neighbours overhearing.”

  “Overhearing what? Is something wrong? I don’t understand why you’re here.”

  “Let me explain, it was never my intention to leave you in the dark.”

  Jean visibly relaxed before them. “Okay, what’s on your mind?”

  “First of all, I’d like to run a name past you, see if you recognise it.”

  “Okay. Is this the person you think killed my father?”

  “Let’s just say we’d like him to help us with our enquiries, for now. Wayne Gillan, do you know him?”

  Jean frowned, gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth. Finally, after a few tense seconds, she dropped her hand into her lap and stared at Sam. “Yes, I know him. What do you want with him?” Jean asked, her voice low and husky, almost breathless.