Witchmoor Edge

by Mike Crowson

  Chapter 5: Tuesday 14th August (pm)

  Sheldon Shields was a bulky, balding man of about forty-five. He shook hand with a firm, friendly manner and sat down in the Client Interview Room opposite the two detectives.

  Outside, in the street, it was just about lunchtime and the warm, sunny weather continued. Women from the various offices were beginning to wander out in summer dresses and Tommy Hammond was distracted by the view from the window. He watched speculatively as a couple of particularly attractive young women with skirts more mini than usual strolled into a sandwich shop. With an effort he pulled his attention back to the job in hand.

  "I'm investigating the murder of Simon Hunter," DI Hampshire began. "I take it you knew of the death."

  "Sure," Shields said. "I guess everyone in the place knows It's a small staff and anyone could see he wasn't here. Yesterday everyone wondered why. Today they know."

  "And how did the staff react to the news?"

  "He wasn't popular. I don't see folks crying."

  "But would anyone want to kill him?" Hampshire asked.

  "Most people, me included," Shields answered with a wry smile. "He was often rude and sarcastic to the receptionist. He got through a secretary every two months or so. He led me on with some insider information he was raving about and when I let greed get the better of me and I was sucked in over my head, he bailed me out at the price of some my shares in the business. With his shares, his wife's shares and those he got from me he was making life difficult for Bernard." Shields shrugged helplessly. "I guess a lot of people would like to have murdered him. The question is, who did?"

  "That," Hampshire said dryly, "is what I'm trying to discover."

  "Don't expect the help to be too enthusiastic. We're all grateful to whoever it was."

  With little to record, Tommy was letting his attention wander again, and was watching three more office girls or women turning into the sandwich shop, However, DI Hampshire's next question drew him sharply back to the job in hand.

  "According to Bernard Knowles, Hunter was getting his insider information from an IT specialist in some banking organisation. She was called Rosie something or other."

  "Rosie O’Connor," Shields said. "She worked for the Leeds office of the Frankfurt-Manhattan Merchant Bank."

  "Was he having an affair with her?" This was of course just hearsay, but Millicent was fishing.

  "Who knows? He never said so, but I'd guess he was, as long as she was useful to him anyway. He could be cruel, a liar and a thief, but he could be charming when it suited him."

  "Bernard Knowles thought he had some other hold over her." Millicent was fishing again.

  "I don't know, but I'd agree with Bernard that it looked that way," Shields nodded.

  "Drugs?"

  "Maybe. I just don't know." Shields said.

  "What did Hunter offer you that appealed to your greed?" Hampshire asked.

  "He said that Frankfurt-Manhattan had agreed to finance a defence contract to sell armoured cars to Pakistan because the Government had agreed to underwrite the deal. He thought we should buy into Alpha Systems before the news got out. In the event it was the other way round. The Government refused to underwrite the deal, Frankfurt-Manhattan pulled out and the contract fell through. The share in Alpha Systems fell sharply. I lost money and so did Gary Leverett, but not Hunter himself, because he didn't buy any shares."

  "And that left you short of funds?" Hampshire asked.

  "You bet. Then Hunter offered to help me out by buying some of my shares in the business. That's when I knew I'd been taken on purpose."

  "Nice," Tommy murmured.

  "Real nice," Shields agreed. "He made quite a bunch over time from insider trading. Sure you slip up once in a while, but he didn't buy shares himself this time."

  "Where were you between midday and midnight last Saturday?" Hampshire asked.

  Shields thought about, then counting the time off with his fingers, said, "I had a late breakfast or early lunch going up to midday. I did one or two bits of writing - letters and things - for an hour or an hour and a half. Then I washed the car and did some gardening. I had a bath and changed and about six thirty or so the two of us went out for the evening with Gary Leverett and his wife. Before meeting up with Gary I'm not real sure of the times. In the evening we went to the Alhambra in Bradford and then had a meal. I guess it would be about eleven-thirty when we got in."

  "Can anyone vouch for this?" Hampshire asked.

  "Janine - that's Mrs Shields - was coming and going and a neighbour, a Mr Stevenson talked to me while I was washing the car mid afternoon, but I don't know how much of the afternoon it all accounts for. I wasn't expecting to need an alibi." Shield grinned boyishly, but Millicent made no comment. Tommy Hammond thought the man sounded genuine enough, though he seemed to have a sufficiently strong motive to be a suspect.

  "We'll talk to Mr. Leverett and to Rosie O’Connor as well," Hampshire asked. "What car do you drive, Mr Shields?"

  Shields looked puzzled. "BMW," he replied. "Why?"

  "Just checking, that's all." Hampshire said. "Well, I think that's about all for the moment, Mr. Shields. As I said, I'm just trying to get an overall picture at this stage. I may need to talk to you again."

  "Be my guest," Shields said, rising.

  On the way back to the station at Witchmoor Edge Millicent's mobile rang. She unhooked it from her skirt waistband to answer.

  "Hampshire," she said.

  "Good day to you," rumbled the deep, pleasant voice of Tobias N'Dibe. "I was wondering whether you could get away from work in reasonable time today. Say about half past five or so. Not later than six."

  "By six I might. Why?"

  "Tonight there is a Public Meeting of that group I mentioned. We will be gathering at the Public Library in Bradford. I thought we could meet at that restaurant four doors up from the filling station in Manningham Lane and have an early meal before proceeding to the meeting."

  "You mean the filling station opposite the entrance to Lister Park?"

  "The same."

  "Where shall I meet you and what time?" Millicent asked.

  "Say six fifteen at the restaurant?"

  "Okay," the detective agreed.

  Tommy Hammond looked quizzical, but didn't say anything. Millicent didn't say anything either, and it wasn't until afterwards that it occurred to her to wonder how N'Dibe had got hold of her mobile number, which wasn't public knowledge.