by Salkeld, J J
‘Looking after the heir and a spare, you mean’ said Jane.
Hall grinned again. He’d had the lecture on the monarchy, too.
‘Something like that. But Christopher seems unlikely to have kids, and so does David by the looks, so Rupert’s kids will at least inherit eventually. Maybe the twins saw it as some way of doing what their brother would have wanted, using the cash to educate his sons.’
‘I expect it’s down to the mother’ said Jane. ‘The cold-hearted cow. She probably wanted them out of the way so she could spend more time with her hairdresser and her credit card.’
Hall mimed a swinging handbag, and a couple of the team laughed, but cautiously. They weren’t quite certain if they were listening in on part of a private conversation, or if anyone could join in. Hall sensed their unease.
‘OK, everyone. Team meeting in ten. Ian, can we have an update on where Terry Miles is at? I know he’s been a bad, bad lad, but I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to meeting anyone quite so much.’
But it was another eight hours before Hall finally got his wish.
‘You’re a hard man to find, Terry’ said Hall, when Mann had turned on the recorder. ‘There’s been a proper manhunt for you today. Helicopters, dogs, the lot.’
‘Aye, well, I’m a busy bloke, like.’
‘So that’s why we couldn’t find you for so long, is it? Or was it that your girlfriend, or should that be your ex’s mum, tipped you off that we were looking for you, which is why we finally found you in the back of a lorry carrying waste paper down to Liverpool?’
‘I’m here now, aren’t I?’
‘You are, and we’re very grateful. We do appreciate it. But you know the one thing that surprises me, Terry?’
Miles knew how rhetorical questions asked by Policemen worked. It was best not to reply.
‘I’m surprised that your mates grassed you up so quickly. They didn’t take much persuading, did they Sergeant Mann?’
‘No, sir, not a bit. All we had to do was ask, like, and here Terry is.’
‘Yes, indeed. Here you are, Terry. So, you know why you’re here?’
‘Some bullshit about conspiracy to murder. I’ve never murdered anyone in my life.’
‘I believe you, Terry, but the thing is we’re not saying that you’ve killed anyone. What we’re saying is that we think you helped to get someone killed. And that’s why we had half of our overstretched Police force out looking for you today, and it’s why you’re here now.’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Hall sat back in his chair.
‘So how would you like to play this then, Terry? Either I can ask you lots of questions, then we’ll put you in a cell, maybe charge you, and then keep getting you back from remand every time we can disprove your lies. You know how that goes, I expect. Or you could save yourself a whole lot of bother and help us out here and now. And though I can’t promise that the CPS won’t go for a conspiracy to murder charge anyway, I think they could be persuaded not to, if you really helped us out now. Play it clever for the next ten minutes and there’s every chance that you’ll be a witness in a murder prosecution, and absolutely nothing more. Now how does that sound?’
‘I’ll tell you what I know. Just ask your questions and let me out of here.’
‘And you’re sure you don’t want the Duty Solicitor?’
‘Waste of space, they are. No, I’m all right.’
‘So, just one main question really. Did you introduce Cliff Morrow to Christopher Plouvin?’
Miles didn’t hesitate. ‘Aye, I did. I thought that’s what all this was about.’
‘Tell us more. I need to understand how, when and why it happened.’
‘It were two years ago, at Fair time. Appleby Horse Fair, like. Chris, that’s Chris Plouvin, said that he needed someone with muscle to sort out a family issue, and I suggested Cliff. He was a bit of a head case, always going on about the stuff he’d done. I didn’t know if half of it was true, but Chris bunged me five hundred quid anyway, so I was laughing, like.’
‘So you arranged a meeting between them?’
‘Aye, at the Fair.’
‘What else can you tell me? What happened next?’
‘Nothing. I don’t know what happened. I saw Cliff about a week later and asked him if he’d done the job, whatever it was. He went mental, like, pinned me against a wall outside this pub and told me that he’d kill me if I mentioned it again.’
‘And have you seen Christopher Plouvin again since then? Did you ever ask him what happened?’
Miles hesitated. ‘No, no, I haven’t. I’ve thought about it like, when I’ve been short of cash, but when I heard that Cliff wasn’t around any more I thought better of it. Just kept my head down.’
‘You’re going to have to be more specific, Terry. Why did you think about contacting Christopher Plouvin when you were short of money?’
‘I thought he might give me a few bob to keep quiet, like.’
‘Keep quiet about what?’
‘About what Cliff Morrow had done.’
‘What did you think that Morrow had done?’
‘I asked around, went down to near where they live, asked around a bit. I heard that Rupert Plouvin had fucked off overseas, like. I just put two and two together.’
‘And what answer did you get?”
‘Isn’t it obvious? Chris paid Morrow to top his brother, and then Chris killed Morrow. That’s what happened. Had to be.’
‘So you were planning to blackmail Christopher Plouvin?’
For the first time Miles hesitated.
‘Aye, if you want to call it that. But Chris must have paid Cliff well, I heard he had anyway, so I thought I’d earned a few extra quid too. That was all it was, honest.’
‘But you didn’t ask? Is that what you’re saying?’
‘No, and I’m glad I didn’t. Like I said, I was going to, but when I heard that Cliff wasn’t around any more, well, that decided it.’
‘Why was that?’
‘I thought that Chris had done Cliff in, like. I wasn’t going to take any risks, anyway. That’s all heavy stuff, is murder. I like a bit of aggro as much as the next bloke, but I know my limits.’
‘That’s good to hear’ said Hall. ‘So, just to be clear, you’re willing to testify that Christopher Plouvin asked for an introduction to Cliff Morrow, and made it clear that it was in connection with a family matter that would require physical force to be used?’
‘Aye, but I’d want protection, like. Make sure the same doesn’t happen to me as did to Cliff Morrow.’
‘I don’t think you need worry about that, Terry. So what we need to do now is take a written statement, and fill in all the blanks. Everything that you can remember about this meeting with Christopher Plouvin. Absolutely everything that you can remember, OK?’
‘Aye, OK. And then I can go?’
‘You can.’
‘All right then. Let’s get on with it.’
In the observation room Jane and Val Gorham were watching.
‘Do you reckon that’ll be enough to charge Plouvin, ma’am?’
‘On its own no, because the defence will have hours of fun with Miles’ character, or lack of it. But throw in your financial stuff and I reckon the CPS will wear it. They’ll still be pretty cautious about the whole thing, mind.’
‘Because the Plouvins are blue-bloods?’
‘Not that so much, but they are wealthy. That’s what makes the difference. It buys the best lawyers that money can buy. So any slip-ups by us, the SOCO team, the CPS, anyone, and they’ll pounce.’
‘DCI Hall is careful though, ma’am.’
‘I know he is, Jane. I don’t doubt his professionalism for a second, but we have to accept that the work of public servants under huge time and cost pressure will be scrutinised by experts with resources that are limited only by the depth of the Plouvin’s pockets.’
‘So they’re a law unto the
mselves?’
‘Not that, not quite anyway, but they’ll have every advantage. And I do not like the look of Terry Miles.’
Jane laughed. ‘I know what you mean. And I doubt a jury would take to him either, come to that. Me and Andy sometimes play a game where we decide which rodent our suspects most closely resemble. I used to work with rats, in the lab, so I’m pretty good at it.’
‘So which one would you pick for Miles, then? Big nose, receding chin, close-set eyes. I’d say a stoat, or maybe a weasel. But, come to think of it, I’m not sure how you tell them apart.’
‘That’s easy, ma’am. A weasel is weasily recognised, and a stoat is stoatally different. My dad told me that when I was a little girl, not long before he died. I’ve never forgotten it. Isn’t it funny how some things, some tiny moments, just stay with you while others just slip away, like they never happened?’
Jane looked round, slightly embarrassed, and saw that Gorham was looking at her. Then she smiled.
‘Stoatally different. That’s very good, Jane. I’ll remember that one. And say well done to Andy and the team for me, would you?’
Tuesday, 25th June
Jenkins was furious, and he made sure everyone knew it, but there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. David Plouvin had been stopped by a marked car on routine duties just a couple of miles from Police HQ, and he had failed a breathalyser at the roadside. He was being processed and charged even as Jenkins argued with Hall. Or, more accurately, Jenkins argued, and Hall replied as calmly as ever.
‘My client was targeted, quite deliberately, in order to intimidate and unsettle him. We both know that.’
‘No, Mr. Jenkins. Your client was seen to be driving erratically, and there was a good reason for that. Your client has been drinking, and he failed both a breathalyser and subsequent blood test. By some considerable margin, I might add.’
‘Rubbish. You instructed your colleagues to stop the car because you know that my client has a problem with alcohol, and you’re trying to build the pressure on him. We’ll say that in court, you know.’
‘And both myself and the officers who stopped your client’s car will tell the truth, namely that I gave no such instruction, nor did anyone else, and that your client was stopped purely and simply because of his driving. In a way I wish I had thought of it, Mr. Jenkins, but I’m just a humble country copper, and such schemes and stratagems are beyond me.’
Jenkins didn’t look remotely convinced, but he did seem a little calmer. Hall had that effect on people, he found, from teenage tearaways to, it seemed, esteemed members of the legal profession.
‘Very well, Chief Inspector, let’s leave that matter for another day. My main objective is to ensure that you are able to finally eliminate my clients, once and very much for all, from your enquiries concerning the death of Cliff Morrow.’
‘Then let’s make a start, shall we? And you are aware that we are now investigating a connected case, the murder of Rupert Plouvin?’
‘Really? And my clients are suspected of involvement in that as well? What an imaginative fellow you are, DCI Hall.’
Christopher Plouvin was smartly and conservatively dressed, as if he was somehow expecting to be in court that day. But as Jane started the tape and went through the usual preamble Hall realised that Plouvin’s attire would have been specified by Jenkins, to subtly allude both to Plouvin’s wealth, and also his dissimilarity to common criminals.
‘Mr. Plouvin, you have consistently insisted that you never met Cliff Morrow. Is that still the case?’
‘Yes. I never knowingly met the man.’
‘So you think that you may have what, bumped into him somewhere?’
‘Yes.’
‘At Appleby Horse Fair, perhaps?’
‘Yes, that’s possible, I suppose. The photograph that you showed me suggests that it’s possible, but I have no specific recollection.’
Hall could tell that the phrase had been coached by Jenkins. Hall smiled at him across the desk, and nodded an acknowledgement.
‘I see, no specific recollection. But you’ve never spoken to him? Done business with him, perhaps?’
‘What kind of business would I have with someone like Morrow?’
Hall paused. He didn’t bother asking how Plouvin knew what kind of person Morrow was.
‘So that’s a no, then, just for the benefit of the tape.’
‘That’s right. I’ve never done any kind of business with this man Morrow. None whatsoever.’
‘But you do know a man called Terry Miles?’
‘Terry? Yes, I know him. Why?’
Hall paused again. He could see panic in Plouvin’s eyes, in the depths of his soul.
‘Didn’t he introduce you to Cliff Morrow? Perhaps you’d forgotten. It was two years ago, at the Fair.’
This time it was Plouvin who hesitated. He glanced at Jenkins for a second, then looked back at Hall, but he still didn’t say anything.
‘Come on, Mr. Plouvin, it’s a simple question. Did Miles introduce you to Cliff Morrow at the Appleby Horse Fair two years ago?’
Jenkins stepped in before Plouvin could speak.
‘Don’t attempt to brow-beat my client, DCI Hall, I won’t stand for it. And in view of your behaviour I’d like to ask for a short pause in proceedings, so that I may consult with my client.’
Fifteen minutes later the tape was rolling once again.
‘So, Mr. Plouvin, were you introduced to Cliff Morrow by Terry Miles?’
‘Yes, briefly. I wasn’t sure when you mentioned it, but now that I’ve had a chance to think about it I’m almost certain that I was.’
‘And this was at the Appleby Horse Fair, two years ago?’
‘Yes, in a pub in the town.’
‘I see. And how did you come to meet Terry Miles at Appleby?’
‘We’d arranged it. We keep in touch, you know.’
‘Because of your work with ex-offenders.’
‘Yes, exactly.’
‘And had you also arranged to meet Cliff Morrow?’
‘No, of course not. He must have come in to the pub, or maybe he was already there. I don’t remember. I’d probably had a few drinks by then.’
‘And what did the three of you talk about?’
‘I don’t remember.’
‘You don’t remember. Not a single thing that was said? A topic of conversation? The Fair itself, perhaps?’
‘Yes, we probably talked about the Fair. As I say, I don’t remember.’
‘Did you mention your family, by any chance?’
‘No. No, of course I didn’t.’
‘Not your brother, Rupert?’
‘No. I just said that.’
‘And you didn’t tell Morrow that you had a family problem that you needed help with?’
‘No. Look, if Terry’s saying that then he’s lying. He’s a very convincing liar, but he’s also got a record as long as your arm. He’s lying, if that’s what he’s saying.’
‘Don’t worry, Chris’ said Jenkins smoothly. ‘I’m sure that DCI Hall is well aware of which of you a jury would believe, in the unlikely event of any of this ever actually coming to court.’
‘So would it be unfair of me to suggest that you’ve only changed your story because you know that we now know how, when and by whom you were introduced to Cliff Morrow?’
‘No, I mean yes. It would be totally unfair. You just jogged my memory, that’s all.’
‘Let’s move on to another matter then’ said Hall. ‘Do you still believe that your older brother, Rupert Plouvin, is alive and well, and was responsible for engineering his own disappearance?’
‘I do.’
‘And that he also persuaded a third party, in South Africa, to impersonate him?’
‘Apparently, yes.’
‘And why might that have been, do you think?’
‘Chief Inspector’ said Jenkins, ‘my client really isn’t required to do your job for you. Please don’t make me keep reminding
you of that fact. It’s becoming tiresome.’
Hall acknowledged the intervention with a slight nod, and a smile.
‘A different question then. You don’t think that it’s actually far more likely that your brother is dead, and someone else had arranged for the impersonation, than it is that he was doing it himself?’
‘That’s not for me to say. But there’s no body, is there?’
‘You’re right. It’s for us to allege, and for a jury to decide. And don’t think that the absence of your brother’s body, or the fact that a dead man, Cliff Morrow, actually killed him, precludes us from bring very serious charges against living persons, people who stood to gain from your brother’s death.’
‘But we’ve paid Rupert, and handsomely too. We didn’t gain from him going, not materially anyway. You’ve seen all our financial papers, it’s all there.’
Hall leaned back in his chair and smiled at Jane. Plouvin couldn’t miss it. ‘Now I’m glad you’ve raised that point, Mr. Plouvin. Because that’s not really true, is it? You became lord of all you surveyed, and your brother David was able to live openly with Barbara.’
Plouvin didn’t reply.
‘If there’s nothing else’ said Jenkins. ‘This is all old ground, and my client was speaking of pecuniary advantage, as the tape will confirm.’
‘Oh, but there is something else, there certainly is. And it relates to what Mr. Plouvin has just said. If I heard you rightly you said that you effectively paid your brother off. Is that right?’
‘I wouldn’t put it so crudely, but yes, an arrangement was made. You know the details.’
‘And none of that money ever made its way back to you, or any other member of the family. Is that right?’
‘Not to me, certainly.’
Hall smiled. ‘That’s an interesting answer, Mr. Plouvin. Let’s me more specific, then. Did you benefit financially from any of the monies apparently paid to your brother Rupert?’
‘I did not.’
‘And how about other members of the family?’
‘I can’t speak for them.’