by MA Comley
‘Not at all, Mr. Whitehall. All we’re doing is trying to piece together the events of yesterday evening. The last hours of Ross Spalding’s life. If you say that you returned here at six thirty, then we’ll be able to search the CCTV cameras in the area in the hope we find out how Mr. Spalding disappeared and ended up in a field over eight miles away.’
‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be obstructive. I want to know what happened as much as you do. Forgive me. Will that be all? Because I’m really not feeling the best.’
‘Yes, that’ll be enough to get us started. No doubt we’ll be in touch with any further questions in the future.’
‘Thank you.’ The man rose to his feet and stumbled forward into the desk. ‘Oh my, I better call a taxi to take me …’ Whitehall toppled over and smacked his head on the edge of the table on his way down to the carpeted floor before Hero could pull the desk out of his way.
‘Shit! Call an ambulance, Shaw.’
Julie was already on the ball and dialling 999. ‘Please send an ambulance quickly to Spalding Enterprise in Conway Road, in the city centre. Possible heart attack victim.’
Hero rushed to Whitehall and swiftly turned him over. His first-aid experience from his time in the Territorial Army came to the fore. After checking the man’s pulse and finding nothing, he loosened Whitehall’s tie and checked his mouth for any obstructions. Then he began CPR. He repeated the manoeuvre regularly until he heard the siren in the distance.
‘Jesus, hurry up, guys. Not sure I can take much more of this.’
‘Is it worth it, sir? Isn’t he already dead?’ Julie asked, her face pale.
‘I can’t give up on him, Shaw. I’ve never lost one yet. Not about to start now. Go into the hall and wait for them if this is too distressing for you.’
Julie left the room, but Hero continued to pump the man’s chest until two paramedics rushed through the door and pushed him aside.
‘We’ll take it from here, sir. You’ve done your best.’
Hero shuffled backwards, giving the two men room to work. ‘It’s been at least five minutes, maybe more.’
One of the paramedics continued to pump Whitehall’s chest while the other checked his vital signs. They looked at each other and shook their heads.
Hero slammed his fists against his thighs. ‘Shit! Fuck!’
The two paramedics looked up at him. ‘Sorry, sir. You did your best.’
Hero hopped over the table, the confines of the room almost closing in on him. He rushed into the hallway, yanked his tie loose, and leaned against the glass wall. Hands on his knees, he gasped for breath.
‘Are you all right, sir?’ Julie asked, rubbing at his back.
‘Not really. He’s dead. Shit! Now we’re going to face a complaint charge from the IPCC.’
‘It’ll be thrown out before it has even begun.’
Hero stood upright and glanced at his partner. ‘You reckon? You know they like nothing better than squeezing an officer’s testicles in a vice. That grip is even tighter when it’s an inspector at fault.’
‘You’re not at fault, sir. I’ll vouch for you. All we were doing was asking questions in a murder enquiry.’
‘Yes, but he told us he was ill. I should have let things lie for today and called back tomorrow to see him.’
Julie shook her head. ‘The way I see it is that he was at the top of our list as a suspect. Maybe the stress of him carrying out the murder in the first place was the cause of his heart attack, not the fact that we were questioning him. You hardly came down heavy on him, sir.’
‘I know, but then if we’d questioned him at the station, at least we’d have a recording as backup. No disrespect here, Julie, but do you really think they’re going to take your word on events when the man is sitting in a fridge at the mortuary?’
‘Sorry, I don’t know what else to say, except we’ll have to wait for the results of the post-mortem to come through.’
‘Which will probably validate the fact that I should have held back given the man’s medical condition. Damn, what a bloody mess. We better go and tell his next of kin. I’ll track down Georgina to get his address.’ Hero shook his head as he walked up the corridor to the reception area once again.
Georgina’s smile slipped as she waited expectantly for news.
‘I’m sorry. I did my best, but he was dead before the paramedics arrived.’
She placed her hands over her face and sobbed. ‘Both of them dead, within a day of each other. This can’t be happening. It just can’t be …’
‘I’m sorry. It’s awful news. I’m going to need the address of the next of kin for both men, if you will. We haven’t got around to telling Ross’s family yet. I might as well visit both families this evening.’
Georgina pulled a tissue from the box on her desk, wiped her eyes then moved over to the filing cabinet behind her, from where she extracted two files. She jotted down the addresses on separate Post-it notes and handed them to Hero. ‘That’s the address of Ross’s mum and dad, his next of kin, and this is Laurence’s address. His wife should be at home. I mean she doesn’t work, so she should be there.’
‘Thank you. One of the directors mentioned that Ross was engaged to a Rachel Elliott. I don’t suppose you have her address in the file, too, do you?’
Georgina’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling. She jotted down another address and put it on the counter between them. ‘She lives with Ross, or she did.’
‘Thank you. I really appreciate your help. We’ll leave the paramedics dealing with the umm … sorry, Laurence’s body and shoot off to inform the families. We’ll return in a few days if we need any more information from anyone else at the firm.’
The woman’s vivid green eyes misted up again as Hero turned to walk away. Sometimes, just sometimes, he wished he didn’t have to deal with this side of his job.
3
Hero moistened his dry lips with his tongue as he walked across the gravelled drive to the huge mansion before him. The sudden urge to down a pint was overwhelming.
‘Are you all right?’ Julie asked as they waited for the front door to open.
Hero exhaled a few large breaths to calm his nerves. ‘You know me. I hate this side of things.’
‘Would you like me to tell them?’
‘Thanks, but I better do it.’
An elderly gentleman wearing spectacles opened the door, tucking a copy of The Guardian under his arm.
‘Hello, Mr. Spalding?’ Hero dug in his pocket and withdrew his warrant card. ‘I’m DI Nelson, and this is my partner, DS Shaw. May we come in, sir?’
‘What’s this about?’
‘Your son, Ross Spalding.’
The man stepped back to allow Hero and Julie through the huge panelled oak door. The luxurious hallway was decorated in golds and accented by plum-coloured curtains. The surroundings took Hero’s breath away. Once Hero and Julie had entered the house, the man closed the front door and led them into a room off the grand hallway.
‘My wife is in here.’
Sitting on the couch, embroidering a piece of cloth, a smartly dressed grey-haired lady peered over the top of her gold-rimmed glasses to look at them. ‘Hello. Who is this, dear?’
‘Two police officers, Gillian. They say they want to speak to us regarding Ross.’
‘Well then, take a seat. Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?’ Mrs. Spalding asked, her voice soft and welcoming.
Hero felt as if he’d been sucker punched. They were not at all what he was expecting. Despite the lavish surroundings, they appeared to be very down-to-earth people. ‘No, that’s very kind of you.’ He motioned for Julie to take a seat, hoping that Mr. Spalding would follow suit. After a moment’s hesitation, the older man did just that. Hero drew in a deep breath. ‘It’s with regret that I have to tell you that your son’s body was found early this morning.’
Mrs. Spalding immediately started to cry while her husband’s mouth dropped open. Recovering quickly, Mr. Spalding asked
, ‘What do you mean ‘his body’? Is he dead?’
Hero nodded, an unexpected lump filling his throat. ‘I’m so sorry. I’m afraid we’re dealing with a murder enquiry.’
Mrs. Spalding cried out, and her husband swiftly left his seat and rushed across the room to comfort her on the leather couch.
‘But who? Have you arrested anyone?’ Mr. Spalding demanded.
‘We don’t know who the culprit is as yet, but we’re hoping you might be able to fill in some blanks for us. I appreciate how difficult this is, but any help you can give us now will assist us in arresting the person who killed your son.’
‘Of course we’ll help if we can. What do you need to know?’ Looking bewildered, Mr. Spalding threw an arm around his wife’s shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
‘We have to ask if Ross had voiced any concerns with you over the past few weeks or months. Had he had a run-in with someone perhaps?’
After a moment’s delay, Mr. Spalding replied, ‘No, nothing that I can think of. Are you saying he was intentionally targeted?’
‘At this moment, we’re not sure. Our enquiries have only just begun.’
‘I see. No, nothing is coming to mind. Our son was a likeable character, Inspector. He very rarely fell out with people. If anything, the opposite was true. He went out of his way to help people. His business was built on that, as well as trust. There is no way he would have been involved in anything underhanded. He just wasn’t the type.’
‘Thank you, that’ll help with the investigation. May I ask if he revealed his thoughts on the proposed floating of the business on the stock market?’
‘You know about that?’ Mr. Spalding’s gaze darted between Hero and Julie.
‘Yes, we called at his business premises to question the staff before coming here, just in case anyone there could shed some light on Ross’s movements last night.’
‘This happened last night? I tried to ring my son yesterday evening, but his phone diverted me to his voicemail … are you telling me that he could have been in danger at the time? And in need of my help?’
‘We’ve yet to establish an accurate time of his death. What time did you call him, Mr. Spalding?’
‘Around seven thirty. We usually speak around that time every night, when possible. I thought it was strange that he hadn’t responded to my message. I presumed he must be up to his neck in work. It’s most uncharacteristic of him not to get in touch … now I understand why.’ The man’s head dipped to his chest, and his wife began to sob once more.
Hero swallowed, trying to shift the lump restricting his airway. ‘There’s something else I should tell you. We questioned the staff at Spalding Enterprise, and unfortunately, during our questioning, Ross’s partner also died.’
‘What? Laurence? How?’
‘He was complaining about being ill, saying he had a heart problem. We drew the interview to a close, and when he returned to answer more questions an hour or so later, he simply keeled over. He was dead before the paramedics got there.’
‘My God! I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Although, I’m not surprised in Laurence’s case. His stress levels are usually through the roof, even more so since he started hounding our son about the stock market.’
‘Has that been going on long?’
‘A few months. He was relentless. Ross was always complaining about the hassle Laurence was giving him over this confounded subject. Why they would want to float a thriving business on the stock market is beyond me.’
‘Ross was totally against the idea? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘Yes, very much so. However, to keep the peace at work, he always listened to Laurence’s point of view. I think it was the investors Laurence brought in last year that were the ones who were truly behind the assertive actions.’
‘I see. You’re saying Laurence was stuck in the middle, hence his stress levels going through the roof?’ Hero asked, his guilt over Laurence’s death easing a little.
‘I suppose so. Never thought about it like that really. His poor wife, Claudine, will be lost without him.’
‘We’ll be going over to break the sad news to her next. What a dreadful situation. Do you think any of the investors could be behind Ross’s murder?’
‘If you’re asking if they would have much to gain, then I have to tell you that I honestly don’t know. To me, they were just names on a piece of paper. I think that’s how Ross considered these people, too.’
‘Getting away from the business, can you tell me if there was anyone in Ross’s personal life who might have had a vendetta against your son?’
‘Not that I can think of. To be fair, Ross didn’t have that many friends outside work.’
‘I hear he was engaged. Can you tell me more about his fiancée?’
‘Nothing much to tell. They’ve been together six months, engaged for the last two months. They were planning a summer wedding.’
‘It sounds as though you don’t get on.’
‘She’s all right. Not the type of woman we would consider our son’s taste. We felt that Ross could have chosen better, shall we say.’
‘I see. We’ll be paying her a visit, too, shortly. Is there any specific reason you don’t get along?’
Mr. Spalding cleared his throat. ‘I didn’t say we didn’t get along, just that we felt our son should have taken his time in choosing the person he was going to spend the rest of his life with. That’s all I’m prepared to say on the subject.’
‘Please, John, stop it,’ Mrs. Spalding pleaded, pulling her husband’s hand into her lap.
Hero smiled. ‘I’m sorry if this has stirred up any ill-feelings you have towards her. That wasn’t my intention.’
‘It doesn’t matter. You’ll see what I mean when you visit her. Are you going to tell us how our son died?’
‘His body was found in a field out towards Bolton.’
‘In a field? Why there?’
‘We aren’t sure. His car wasn’t present at the scene.’
‘How … how was he killed?’ Mrs. Spalding asked.
‘As far as we can tell, the initial findings from the pathologist suggest that your son was shot.’
‘Shot? My God, what are you guys doing about the guns on our streets? We’re hearing more and more about incidents involving guns on the news. Why?’ Mr. Spalding demanded.
‘We’re doing our best to get these weapons off the streets, but the criminals are obtaining them via the underground, illegally most of the time. That’s the trouble when the UK is an island. Our coast guards can’t guard every inch of our shores. It’s an impossible task.’
‘I know, I’m sorry. I’m just searching for someone to blame. You said the initial findings of the pathologist – is there something else you’re not telling us, Inspector?’
Hero sighed wearily. ‘Yes, it’s not pleasant. I’m sorry, but your son’s body was doused in petrol and set alight.’
The Spaldings clung to each other and just stared at him before Mrs. Spalding collapsed against her husband’s chest.
‘Why? Why would someone deliberately do such a callous thing? Was it a robbery gone wrong, perhaps?’ Mr. Spalding asked, the strain to remain strong evident in his voice.
‘It doesn’t appear to be. Your son’s wallet was found at the scene, a significant amount of money still inside. We’ve been given access to the CCTV discs from your son’s business address, and we’re hoping they will help us piece things together better.’
‘You think he was abducted from the office?’ Mr. Spalding asked.
‘At this point, we’re not sure. It’s not something we’re willing to ignore. Did your son park his car in the underground car park?’
‘Yes, every day, without fail.’
‘Then that is the likely place. We’ll need to locate the CCTV footage from the car park if there is any available.’
Mr. Spalding nodded. ‘Yes, there should be a camera down there. I still can’t believe that we won’t see our
son again. He’s our only child, and now …’
Mrs. Spalding’s sobbing ascended into a pitiful wail as she fiercely gripped her husband’s hand.
‘I’m so very sorry. You have my guarantee that my team and I will do everything in our power to ensure your son gets the justice he deserves.’
Mr. Spalding eased his wife out of his arms and stood up. ‘I’ll show you out.’
At the front door, Hero gave Mr. Spalding a business card and shook his hand. ‘Please don’t hesitate to ring me if you need to know anything about your son’s case. I’ll try and keep in touch as much as I can during the investigation. Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.’
‘I don’t want my wife to have to identify the bod … my son. Is there any way around that?’
‘Yes, we wouldn’t expect you to in a case like this. The pathologist will be relying on dental and medical records to identify Ross.’
‘Thank you, Inspector. Please, do your best for us.’
‘You have my word on that.’
Hero and Julie got back in the car at five minutes to six. ‘Okay, one last visit, and then we’ll call it a night.’
‘Mrs. Whitehall?’
Hero nodded and started the engine. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up outside a large thatched cottage in Alderley Edge that appeared to have been extended several times over the years and was surrounded by a pretty country garden beginning to spring into life. ‘Not the type of place I envisaged Laurence owning. Still, let’s get this over with.’
‘Don’t you know it’s mostly the wives who choose the houses, not the husbands. She probably bought it without him knowing.’
‘You’re probably right.’
There was no bell on the door, only a very large wrought-iron knocker. Hero banged it a few times, and moments later, the door was opened by an elegantly dressed tall woman in her early thirties, who had beautifully coiffed hair. ‘Can I help you?’
Hero produced his ID. ‘Mrs. Whitehall, I’m DI Nelson, and this is my partner, DS Shaw. May we come in for a moment?’
‘My husband isn’t home. I don’t generally let people enter my house without him being here, whether they say they’re police or not. Kindly come back later.’ She proceeded to close the door, and Hero shoved his foot against it.