The DI Tremayne Thriller Box Set

by Phillip Strang

‘You’ve never met her. The doctor wants to put her in a nursing home. She needs constant supervision for dementia. There’s a place ready for her. She’ll barely notice the change in surroundings.’

  ‘That’s callous,’ Samantha said.

  ‘After the way they treated me, the way they treated Cheryl?’

  ‘It’s a motive for wanting Gordon Mason dead,’ Tremayne said.

  ‘It’s an excellent motive, but I’d not have killed him on that stage. And why? He’d lost, my parents had lost. Why would I destroy all that I have out of anger and hatred? The man’s dead and good riddance to him. Tonight, after we find the murderer, I’ll shake his hand and thank him.’

  Clare looked over at Tremayne, who cocked his head slightly upwards in acknowledgement of what they had both seen and heard: a man who could have killed both Mason and Ford.

  ***

  Tremayne knew he had emotions running high, exactly where he wanted them. ‘Mr Dowling, it is time to evaluate you.’

  ‘Why me? Just because I’ve got a slut of a wife doesn’t mean I killed Mason.’

  ‘I know about you and the woman in the office, the extended meetings,’ Fiona Dowling said.

  ‘That’s lies. You may screw around, I don’t.’

  ‘Not up to it, is that it? Not from what I know. If you weren’t so busy with her, then maybe I wouldn’t have needed to screw Pearson and whoever else.’

  ‘Whoever else?’

  Tremayne knew that this was precisely what he wanted, the heated passion, the anger, the contradictory statements, and now he had the Dowlings opening up. He could see the others watching and enjoying the spectacle, but their time was coming.

  ‘What does it matter? I’ll screw around, you’ll screw your secretary, but don’t worry, I’ll not leave you. We need each other, we’re a great team.’

  Clare listened, not sure what to make of the conversation. With Harry, it had been one man, one woman, and fidelity, but here were the Dowlings, two people who were married and wanted to stay that way, yet they regarded fidelity as a dispensable commodity.

  ‘Who else in this room have you slept with? You’re the one with your night of truths. Then come out with it, tell all,’ Len Dowling said. ‘Who else have you screwed: Dennison, Jimmy, although he may be a little too young, even for you. I assume you draw the line somewhere, although Freestone could just about manage it. Certainly not Winston; he’s only able to make it with men. Come on, who is it?’

  Fiona realised that she was enjoying the argument, appreciative of an audience, oblivious of whether they approved of her or not. ‘Okay, if you must know, I was sleeping with Bill Ford.’

  Tremayne sat up at the revelation. ‘Mrs Dowling, is that true?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s true. The man was lonely, in need of a woman. He told me one night after rehearsals.’

  ‘Not the night I found you screwing Geoff on the dining room floor,’ Cheryl said.

  ‘Not that night. I hope you had a good look,’ Fiona said.

  ‘There wasn’t that much to see, other than Geoff’s lily-white arse between your two legs, and your moaning. And besides, it’s not the first time I’ve seen a man on top of you.’

  Jimmy Francombe loved the spectacle; he knew he’d have plenty to tell his friends. The conversation, the visual images in his mind, were causing him to get an erection. He grabbed a magazine from a table close to where he was sitting and placed it over his lap.

  ‘That night with Bill Ford, the three of us, is that it? You weren’t looking so good that night either.’

  ‘At least I don’t pretend to be holier than thou. My past is an open book; I’m neither proud nor dismissive of it, and Gary knows all about it. And believe me, with Gary it will only be him and his children. I suppose it’s because Len’s such a lousy lay.’

  ‘And you’d know, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘A long time ago, but yes, I know. I suppose the woman in his office, the dark-haired one, she’d be able to corroborate Len’s lovemaking ability.’

  The two women came at each other, or Fiona did, Cheryl responding. Clare stepped in and separated them. Jimmy Francombe was beside himself with excitement, Trevor Winston took in all that was occurring. Peter Freestone sat quietly, pleased that his daughter had severed her friendship with the women in her early teens. The Dennisons sat to one side, saying nothing.

  Tremayne re-entered the fray, and Clare sat on a seat equidistant from the two women.

  ‘Mrs Dowling, we were led to believe that you were fond of Geoff Pearson. If, as you have professed previously, you love your husband and were fond of Pearson, then why were you involved with Bill Ford?’ Tremayne asked.

  ‘He was a good man, a man that I loved in my rebellious teenage years.’

  ‘Is that the reason?’

  ‘The man was lonely, and in need of affection. We’d meet occasionally, that’s all.’

  ‘That’s all?’ Len Dowling said.

  ‘Shut up, Len, you’re becoming a bore,’ Fiona said. ‘You knew what I was when I married you. We’re a team, but for tonight, this one night, I intend to reveal everything, the same as everyone else. I didn’t kill Geoff, although I was angry with him, and I didn’t kill Bill Ford for the one reason that I couldn’t: the man was more important to me than that. And I didn’t kill Gordon Mason.’

  ‘But I could have killed Bill, and you’ve given them a motive,’ Dowling said.

  ‘Not you, you couldn’t harm a fly,’ Fiona said. ‘You may be able to sell them a house, but that’s as far as it goes.’

  ‘Mr and Mrs Dowling, can we come back to Bill Ford. We know about your past relationship with the man, we know that you and Cheryl had a threesome.’

  Jimmy Francombe excused himself and dashed to the bathroom. He looked at Cheryl as he left and smiled. She did not return the smile but continued to look at the woman who had angered her, although she knew it was not anger that would last. The woman, for all her faults, was still her friend.

  ‘Mr Dowling, Len, your wife has given multiple motives for wanting Gordon Mason and Bill Ford dead,’ Tremayne said. ‘Are you willing to confess to their murders?’

  ‘Why me? What about the others? Cheryl’s been around, the same as Fiona. Why don’t you ask her if she was screwing Ford as well? Or maybe Gary was jealous of a previous lover, wanted him dead. What if Cheryl was screwing Mason? Maybe he had something on her, something he didn’t want Gary to know.’

  Cheryl Milledge sat still, outwardly portraying calmness, inwardly seething. ‘I was not involved with either of the two men. Gordon Mason was an awful man, Bill was not,’ she said.

  ‘Let me put this to you,’ Tremayne said. ‘If Bill Ford had approached you to admit that he was lonely, would you have slept with him?’

  ‘Before I met Gary, I would have, but now, not a chance. As much as I liked Bill, there’s no way that I would cheat on Gary, or him on me. Fiona, for all her airs and graces, has not changed; I have.’

  Chapter 24

  Clare had not said much so far. She felt the need to remind Tremayne of the structure of the evening. ‘Guv, we should ask the others here to offer their opinions of what has happened so far. Did Fiona kill Geoff Pearson out of passion and anger? Did Len kill Mason and Ford? Or did someone else kill Ford?’

  ‘I did not kill Geoff,’ Fiona said. Clare noticed that she was no longer holding her husband’s hand and that they had separated by at least a foot on the sofa they sat on.

  ‘This is a murder mystery,’ Clare said. ‘All possibilities are open to conjecture. We do not have fictitious deaths here, only real ones with real killers.’

  ‘Very well, carry on. Have your entertainment at my cost.’

  ‘There is no entertainment here tonight,’ Tremayne said to the assembled participants. This is a murder enquiry, and tonight, I can assure you, someone is going to be arrested for murder. I don’t know who, but I have my suspicions. It will be up to all those present to assist Yarwood and myself in this matter.�
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  ‘And if we don’t?’ Phillip Dennison asked.

  ‘Your non-compliance is an indication that you are hiding something. There is a hidden component in this enquiry. We need to find it.’

  ‘Not with me there isn’t,’ Samantha Dennison said. ‘I married Phillip for his money, he married me as a reward. It’s a good arrangement, and we prefer to be together, not apart. As for me, I’ve slept with enough men in my time. I do not need an old and angry man who insulted me or someone who spent his time with the dead.’

  ‘What about Geoff Pearson?’ Fiona asked. ‘Were you screwing him?’

  ‘Not a chance. He tried it on, but I know which side my bread is buttered. I have no intention of cheating on Phillip; count me out as a potential murderer.’

  ‘Before we move on to the others in this room, let us have everyone’s opinion of Fiona and Len Dowling. A show of hands will be sufficient. As for the Dowlings, I would remind you that this is a police enquiry,’ Tremayne said.

  ‘I’ll not stay here to be judged,’ Len Dowling said.

  ‘Listen to the detective inspector, Len. Inspector Tremayne is right. We’re only guilty of offending public morality, not of killing someone. If the others in this room want to pass judgement, then so be it. I’ll not object,’ Fiona said.

  ‘Did Fiona push Geoff Pearson,’ Tremayne said, ‘knowing full well that the drop was sufficient to cause him injury? Remember, death was not certain from the fall, in that the grass below was wet from the recent rain. It was soft underfoot. That does not obviate her intention to murder, just the fact that death could not be guaranteed. If he had not hit his head on the ruins’ protruding stones on the way down, he might have broken some bones, but possibly nothing more.’

  The hands went up around the room. Clare counted them. ‘Mrs Dowling, it appears that the majority believe that you acted out of anger.’

  ‘What about Cheryl? She didn’t put her hand up,’ Fiona said.

  ‘I’ve known you longer than anyone else. You were angry, but you did not mean him any harm. You’re innocent of that crime,’ Cheryl said.

  The two women stood up and hugged each other. ‘You’re a bitch, but you’re still my friend,’ Cheryl said.

  Tremayne needed to wind up the heat; a tender moment between the two women had brought a sense of calm to the room. ‘Let us come to Len Dowling, a man who has every right to dislike Mason and Ford. One was forcing his wife into sex, the other she has voluntarily admitted to sleeping with. What man would not be driven to murder?’

  ‘If Len did kill Mason,’ Freestone said, ‘then he has my acceptance for what he did. I liked Bill Ford, even met up with him on occasions, yet the man is party to adultery. He was a man who had great respect in the community, yet the chance to sleep with Fiona and he took it.’

  ‘He did not take it, I offered. He was my friend, and I cared for him.’

  ‘It doesn’t excuse him.’

  ‘What man could resist? Bill was guilty of no crime, and he does not deserve your condemnation. I know all about you,’ Fiona said.

  ‘What do you know?’ Clare asked.

  ‘I know that he has used his influence as a city councillor to his advantage.’

  ‘Is this about the land deal that we were investigating?’

  ‘No, but he’s used his influence elsewhere, the same as everyone on the council.’

  ‘Cheryl, she works in the building department,’ Tremayne said.

  ‘She’s not involved.’

  ‘Can you prove what you’ve said against Peter Freestone?’

  ‘It’s not a crime, just unethical, that’s all.’

  ‘That’s slanderous,’ Freestone said. ‘I’ve always acted in the best interests of the community.’

  ‘Fiona, you’ve got a big mouth,’ Len Dowling said. ‘This is going to cause trouble.’

  ‘Why? It’s in here, not outside. The next question is whether you killed Mason and Bill. Is that correct, Detective Inspector?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Thank you. What do you want, Len? Do you want Peter Freestone sitting there voting against you? I know he’s a friend of the detective inspector. If you killed Mason, then admit it, even if you killed Bill, but don’t allow yourself to be judged by anyone else in this room. They’ve all got things they’d rather keep hidden.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Jimmy Francombe said.

  ‘Too young, is that it?’

  ‘I didn’t kill anyone.’

  ‘What about you and Trevor? Are you his playmate? You’re always friendly.’

  ‘That’s scurrilous, and you know it,’ Winston said. He had been enjoying the spectacle of the Dowlings sounding off at each other.

  ‘Maybe it is, but what have you got to hide, Trevor?’ Fiona said. ‘What’s hidden in your cupboard? You must be sleeping with someone, and if it’s not Jimmy, then who is it? What is the dirt on you?’

  ‘There is no dirt on me. I have some friends, but they’re not here. I hated Gordon Mason, liked Bill, but I did not kill either of them.’

  ‘And what about you two, Mr and Mrs Perfect?’ Fiona said, focussing her interest on the Dennisons.

  ‘You’ve got a foul mouth, Fiona,’ Phillip Dennison said. ‘What have we done to you? I’ve always been polite, never tried it on with you, not that I ever fancied you.’

  ‘What do you mean? You prefer a painted tart to me, is that it? Does a mature woman intimidate you, or do you get your kicks with adolescent females?’

  ‘I’m not an adolescent,’ Samantha Dennison said. ‘I’m over the age of consent and Phillip treats me well, more than can be said for your husband.’

  ‘I’ve no complaints with Len, but look at you. Do you dress up in a school uniform for him: frilly knickers, a short skirt, tight blouse, pretend that he’s your teacher about to give you a spanking. Is that how he gets his kicks?’

  ‘You bitch,’ Phillip Dennison said. ‘Don’t talk to my wife like that.’

  ‘I know about you and your offshore companies, you fiddling the tax man.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Chris has the dirt on you, the same as Freestone does. Is Peter Freestone to be the next man you kill? Did Gordon Mason know what you were?’

  Tremayne felt the need to interject. ‘Mr Dennison, you’re obviously very successful. This raises the question as to whether your financial dealings, your business structure, are fully legal.’

  ‘They are. Fiona and Len are just fishing, aiming to direct the blame away from Len. I have not broken any laws.’

  Clare thought that Phillip Dennison had probably done nothing wrong, but she could not be sure. What was sure was that any group of people would have something they did not want to be revealed, even her, but she was not defending herself; the others were, and so far, no one had cracked, although some were wounded. Fiona was, as was her husband, but she was sure they would rise above it. For Freestone, the mere suggestion that he had not conducted his city councillor’s duties in accordance with the guidelines would lead to him being ejected from the position. It was a motive for murder, and Mason was the sort of man who would reveal the wrongdoing, but what about Bill Ford? The man had no black marks against him, other than he had been sleeping with another man’s wife.

  Jimmy Francombe, apart from his overactive teenage hormones, seemed harmless, as did Trevor Winston. Both seemed the least likely, in that one was young, the other older and homosexual. Killing Mason may have had some validity for Winston, but not Bill Ford, who was known not to be gay.

  ‘This is going nowhere,’ Gary Barker said.

  ‘The night’s young,’ Tremayne said.

  ‘You can’t hold us here against our will.’

  ‘Outside there is a police car. Anyone who feels inclined to leave will be taken down to the police station for questioning. It’s either here or down there, you can decide.’

  ‘In that case, get on with it,’ Freestone said.

  ‘Let us examine the Dennisons,’ Tremayne said.<
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  ‘Why us?’ Phillip Dennison asked. ‘We’re an open book.’

  Clare decided it was time for her to speak. ‘Not so long ago, Samantha was placed under control. I believe that you slapped her, took away her credit cards and the key to the Aston Martin. Is that correct?’

  ‘Phillip was under a lot of strain,’ Samantha said. She had her arm through her husband’s.

  ‘DI Tremayne and I have spoken to you on several occasions. I don’t remember you defending your husband at those times.’

  ‘I was wrong.’

  ‘You said that you were the trophy, he was the older man, and if he could not keep you in the manner that you required, then you would leave, take your share of the assets, and find someone else.’

  ‘That’s what I said.’

  ‘What has changed?’

  ‘I don’t want to leave Phillip. He’s a good man, always treated me well.’

  ‘Is it because you will not get your share of his money? What if he’s found guilty of murder? How will that affect your wealth? You’re the legal wife, and you’ll have access to his money. I put it to you that you know he is guilty of murder and that you are waiting for him to be arrested. That is why we are so welcome here tonight. You just need one more night of pretence, and then this is all yours. Am I right?’ Clare said. She realised that what she had just said was plausible.

  ‘That’s rubbish. Phillip knows that I want him here, not in prison.’

  ‘How does he know? Did you twist him around your finger, flaunt the assets? Samantha, compared to you, Fiona Dowling is a paragon of virtue.’

  ‘Don’t compare me to that woman. She screws who she wants, I don’t. I’ve got Phillip, I don’t need anyone else. Her husband may be lousy in bed, but Phillip is not.’

  ‘How did you know about my husband’s lovemaking?’ Fiona asked.

  ‘You told me.’

  ‘No, I didn’t. Who have you been talking to? Bill Ford? Have you been screwing Len?’

  ‘Why would I do that? I’ve no need of another man.’

  ***

  The evening was going well; Tremayne sat back to let the fireworks continue. So far, he kept coming back to Fiona Dowling. Her husband, Len, had not acquitted himself any better either, but loose morals, a lack of backbone, were not confessions of guilt. The constant haranguing across the room had not, so far, produced any indication of who he would be placing in handcuffs before the end of the evening.