‘She is Max’s child.’
‘What is the point of this?’ Barker said.
‘Sergeant Yarwood is establishing certain facts,’ Tremayne said. ‘If Maggie is capable of manipulation, then so is her mother.’
‘You have provided no proof. You’ve embarrassed my client in front of her friends, you’ve insulted both her husband and her daughter, and also you’ve impugned the reputation of a great man.’
‘Katherine Cosford, we have your fingerprints. We also have fingerprints from the cottage that Eileen Bleakes was staying in at the time of the hijacking. Your daughter would have been six at the time, and you would have been married.’
‘And with my husband.’
Clare studied the face in front of her. She could win a game of cards against the face she saw now.
‘The fingerprints match. Katherine Cosford and Eileen Bleakes are one and the same person,’ Tremayne said. ‘At the time of the hijack, you were supposedly overseas with your husband and daughter.’
‘I was.’
‘But for a four-week period you were in England, using a false passport and a fake name. Your continued denial will not assist in this matter.’
‘It doesn’t make me involved,’ the woman said.
‘Your husband may well sit there and flounder, but you, Mrs Cosford, are not him. You are guilty of a crime. Was it that if Ethan Mitchell hadn’t coshed Aidan Farrell, you would have taken him back to your place, slept with him, slipped him a drugged drink, and then left? And who was the woman for Vince Harding? What were you before you picked Max Cosford, or was that set up by Selwyn, the same way he has manipulated Paul Rudd to join the family.’
‘I’ve nothing to…’
‘You’ve nothing to say because whatever it is will damn you further. I suggest to you that you and your daughter use your bodies and your minds as needed to further Selwyn’s empire, to cement your position with him, and that Max, your husband, and Rudd, your future son-in-law, are no more than pawns.’
Barker sat still. There was nothing he could say.
‘Selwyn Cosford is a brilliant man,’ Katherine Cosford said. ‘My husband is not. He’s not a bad man, but he will never emulate his father. I married Max out of love, and I do still love him, but I am ambitious. Selwyn recognised that in me, and I was a willing partner in several of his ventures. Max knows of some, others he doesn’t. Selwyn cannot trust Max to take over the management of what he’s set up. He’s an old man, not long to live. I’m not capable, not with Max. But Maggie is, and Paul is the same as her, the same as Selwyn. She will be a good wife to Paul, the same as I have been to Max.’
‘You have slept with other men since you married Max. Will your daughter be able to do the same?’ Clare said.
‘She will do whatever is necessary. I have committed no crime. I was meant to bring Farrell to the cottage, that was all. What Selwyn had planned, I didn’t know.’
‘What did he tell you?’
‘He needed an inside man. He needed the man pliable. He needed to meet the man after I had worked on him. It wasn’t illegal, not according to Selwyn, not according to me. Maybe it sounds reprehensible, but that’s how big business operates. Selwyn was a winner, so was I. I didn’t know about the gold.’
‘Did you meet Aidan Farrell at a club?’
‘Yes, and I slept with him. I was doing it for Max and Maggie.’
‘And Maggie is doing the same with Rudd?’
‘Paul and my daughter can maintain Selwyn’s legacy. That’s why Selwyn chose him, and why my daughter fell in love with him.’
‘Mrs Cosford, no one was murdered by you,’ Tremayne said. ‘I’m willing to release you on your own surety after you have given a written statement. Charges may be laid at a later time. However, it doesn’t answer how much Selwyn Cosford knew.’
‘I’d prefer that Max did not hear of this.’
‘Maggie?’
‘She will understand.’
***
Outside, the mother and the daughter hugged. Selwyn Cosford muttered something to Barker, and then looked over at Tremayne with daggers in his eyes. Tremayne knew that the earlier invite to a party at the house was permanently cancelled. Not that it worried him, although Jean would be disappointed. After the Cosford family had left, there was a debriefing in Serious and Organised Crime’s office.
‘Not guilty?’ DCI Constanza said.
‘Not of murder. Whether she knew of the gold or not is probably not provable, and besides, it was a long time ago.’
‘You don’t think it’s worth pursuing?’ DI Ashcroft said. ‘The morals of an alley cat, that one.’
‘No, I don’t. If she was just a phone number, and it was known that one of the Mitchells was going to cosh Farrell, and then tie them up, she wouldn’t have needed to rent a house. The twins weren’t great thinkers, more brawn than brain. They may have known what was going to happen, but happy-go-lucky Ethan can’t resist hitting Farrell, and then the two of them thought they would help themselves to some of the proceeds. Little did they know who they were dealing with. Two things are certain. Firstly, that Katherine Cosford did not murder anyone, and secondly, Selwyn Cosford was involved, which meant that Morrison was as well.’
On the way back to Salisbury, Tremayne dozed for a while. After about forty minutes, close to the halfway point, he woke. ‘We’re back to the three Mitchell murders,’ he said.
‘What did we gain up there?’ Clare said.
‘We helped Serious and Organised Crime. They’ll deal with Morrison’s death. If Morrison was killed by criminals out of Eastern Europe, it doesn’t bode well for Selwyn.’
‘Is he important?’
‘To them, we don’t know, but he’s still alive, and the Mitchell three are dead. Tomorrow it’s back to focussing on them.’
Chapter 31
Selwyn Cosford was involved in the Mitchell deaths, whether directly or indirectly, Tremayne knew that. However, the focus had not been on either of the Cosford women. One was in her forties, the other in her twenties. Both, it had been stated by Katherine, the mother, were capable of duplicitous behaviour.
Selwyn, the patriarch, had admitted to cowardice once before. But was that an illusion he wanted to foster or was it true? Tremayne was confident that it wasn’t; Clare was not so sure.
‘Could it have been Selwyn that O’Connor saw,’ Clare said. ‘Tony Mitchell and Selwyn Cosford were of similar height, similar age, and they both moved slowly. And remember, they were both skilled in jungle warfare. Getting close to Gavin would not have been difficult. The man had a headset on, listening to the pings from his metal detector, and no doubt he was desperate, keeping a watch on the road to the front of him, not to what was behind.’
‘It was Tony,’ Tremayne said. ‘It would be easy to place all the blame on the Cosfords, but it’s not going to work this time. And Maggie, she must be some piece of work. If she accepted what her mother had done, what could she be capable of?’
‘I hope it’s not her,’ Clare said.
‘Yarwood, you’ve seen Rudd, you’ve seen her. What do you reckon? Matched pair?’
‘They could be.’
‘Okay, let’s assume they are. Paul Rudd’s admired by Selwyn who sees him as the son he wanted. He wants him close, but he can only let his empire be taken over by his family. Maggie plays her part, falls for the man, or the part of him that Selwyn can see.’
‘You make it sound incestuous,’ Clare said.
‘It’s not. Women marry men similar to their fathers. Was Harry similar to your father? The doctor, what about him?’
‘I’ll concede that point, but it doesn’t get us closer to who killed who.’
‘Let’s go with Tony for Gavin. O’Connor’s sure, so am I. If Tony had sat on the gold for all those years, then why? He must have known that Cosford wanted it.’
‘Was Tony involved in the heist?’
‘Not from what we’ve learnt. If what we’re told by Katherine Cosford is
true, then the hijack was not to be in a layby, but later, when the two men are drugged, or the women had worn them out.’
‘In your imagination,’ Clare said. ‘They would have had to be drugged.’
‘The other woman?’
‘Not important at this time. Cosford expected to take the van, probably organised someone to take it, and to stash the forty bars at another place. Later on, when the insurance claim has been settled, Cosford ships it off overseas, the Middle East or India, the most likely.’
‘Cosford would not have driven the van, so who?’
‘We’re certain it’s not Tony Mitchell.’
‘Why?’
‘He was an honest man.’
‘Set it up. All the key players,’ Tremayne said. ‘No need for the entire Mitchell clan, only Betty and Marcia.’
***
Clare commandeered the pub at Emberley. Instead of two in the afternoon, it was to be nine the following morning. A couple of patrol cars were to be outside to add credence to the meeting. Selwyn Cosford had not wanted to come, not until Tremayne said he’d have him arrested for his involvement in the hijacking of forty bars of gold. Katherine and Maggie agreed to be present, Max Cosford was not needed.
The pub was quiet that morning, and apart from a local strolling by, who on seeing people inside thought he could get an early drink, Tremayne and the assembled group were left alone. The landlord, not able to serve alcohol, only hot beverages, cold ones too, water if required, stood behind the bar. Tremayne had told him that what he heard was not for local gossip. He had agreed. Superintendent Moulton was also present, anxious to see Tremayne at his very best, as well as a couple of young officers from other departments at Bemerton Road wanting to learn from the master.
‘Let me outline what we have,’ Tremayne said. He was standing up close to the bar, almost wanting to lean over and pull a pint of his favourite beer. ‘Ethan Mitchell is released after serving seventeen years for the murder of his brother, Martin. He meets a person pretending to be Martin, but it can’t be. We now know who it was.’
‘Who?’ Betty said.
‘Let me continue. We have three murders to solve. There is a murderer in this room.’
Those assembled looked around at each other, shook their heads, grabbed hold of their drinks. Nobody said a word.
‘Is this drama necessary?’ Selwyn Cosford said after a suitable pause.
‘It is. Let me continue. Betty Galton had known where the missing twenty gold bars were. She eventually told us, and we retrieved seventeen. Three were missing. The crime scene investigators found a hairclip where the seventeen were. Sergeant Yarwood deduced that it could only have been Betty’s. She confronted her, and the two women came out to Emberley and retrieved the three bars, stumbling upon Gavin Mitchell on the way out. He’s dead, stab wounds to his back. He could have had the gold for the asking, as Betty had offered it to the family within the past couple of weeks. She is aware that withholding the whereabouts of stolen goods is a criminal offence, but we’re not here to discuss a minor crime.’
‘Aren’t we?’ Cosford said. ‘It was my gold.’
‘It was the insurance company’s gold, not yours. Murder is what we are here for and murder we will discuss. Gavin’s dead, and we know who killed him as well. That leaves one more to resolve, Tony Mitchell. This was more difficult. Selwyn had reason to want him dead, but he is an old man. It was someone else.’
‘This isn’t Agatha Christie,’ Katherine Cosford said, ‘and you’re not Poirot.’
‘I never liked his moustache, anyway,’ Tremayne said. A few in the room attempted to laugh, most didn’t.
‘Who killed my father?’ Marcia said, holding on to her mother.
‘There are several possibilities. Bob, Betty’s husband. He resented Ethan coming back, and he didn’t want Betty to have to deal with divided loyalty.’
‘It can’t be Bob,’ Betty said.
‘If it were him, he would be here,’ Tremayne said. ‘Similarly, Eric Wilson, although he had no motive. He needed money, but he’s not a murderer. Wilson would have been capable of melting the gold down and then selling it overseas. It may have taken him a long time, not like Selwyn Cosford, but he would have managed. This brings us to the present company. Selwyn is capable of murder and killing a man in cold blood wouldn’t faze him. But he’s not a man who does the dirty work himself. He has over the years coerced and seduced people into his web of deceit and lies, his criminal activities as well. Katherine was a willing inclusion, so is Paul Rudd.’
‘I’ll not hear my fiancé spoken about in such a way,’ Maggie said.
‘Be quiet,’ her mother said. ‘The man’s right. And why should Paul or I be concerned? Your grandfather has looked after us well.’
‘I always look after those I love,’ Selwyn said.
‘Even your son?’ Tremayne said.
‘I gave him Katherine. What do you think?’
‘Tony Mitchell was more difficult. It took a few contacts, and the help of Serious and Organised Crime to pull in favours before we got the truth about him and Selwyn. It was hidden under layers of bureaucracy and the Official Secrets Act.’
‘Get to the point,’ Selwyn Cosford said.
‘Very well. It could only be a Mitchell who lured Ethan to that church. The man knew it wasn’t Martin, but the letter was too inviting, and Ethan had spent a long time in prison. His grip on reality had weakened, and he was clutching at straws. He must have known the reception he would receive in Salisbury, but where else could he go. He has been institutionalised. He’s confused. The letter was written by a Mitchell, the execution committed by a Mitchell. No one else would have known what to write in that letter, or the impact it would have.’
‘But there are only Marcia and me here,’ Betty said.
‘How often did you speak to Tony? How well did he know Martin and Ethan?’
‘He knew them well when they were younger.’
‘You see, he also knew where the gold was. He knew the twins were up to mischief. He would have seen them climbing the fence into Longmore Park, probably even saw them behind the gatehouse. Later on, maybe months after the hijack, and with Martin dead and Ethan in jail, he makes the trip out to the gatehouse. He was a perceptive man. He and Selwyn had trained in surveillance in Malaya. They were both experienced in deduction, and Tony deduces that the twins are predictable, liable to follow established patterns. He may have looked elsewhere, but eventually he figures it out. Tony, a skilled cartographer, army training yet again, draws a detailed map, keeps it in a safe place. He’s a man of modest means. He has no need of the gold, no intention of letting on what he knows either. He knows Selwyn would want it, but he’s not willing to let the man have the satisfaction of taking it.
‘Ethan is released. Tony knows that he’ll go for the gold, and then the Mitchell family would be involved, and he doesn’t want Betty and Marcia to suffer. He knows what to do. It was him in that church. It was Tony that killed Ethan.’
‘You can’t prove it,’ Betty said.
‘Tony will never stand trial, but the facts lead to that conclusion. Tony knew Martin well, knew how he wrote, knew how he spoke. He was shorter than Martin and definitely older, but Ethan’s not focussing, and the light in the church wasn’t good. Tony gets close enough. Ethan may or may not have realised who it was, but it was unimportant. Tony pulls the trigger, there’s no silencer, but he’s an experienced man. He’s killed before, isn’t that true, Selwyn?’
‘It’s true. Sometimes we would be involved in one-on-one with the enemy,’ Selwyn said.
‘After he’s certain that Ethan’s dead, he walks out of the church. He doesn’t look left or right or try to sneak away. He’s just another person on the street, and some are looking around to where the noise came from, others are minding their own business, scurrying away.’
‘It could have been Gavin,’ Marcia said.
‘He may have had the hatred to want Ethan dead, but you knew Gavin
. He wasn’t a decisive man, he had no knowledge of weapons. He must have been scared witless up where he died. No, it wasn’t Gavin, it was Tony. But thanks, that brings us to Gavin.’
‘Not Tony again,’ Selwyn said. ‘We fought together. He saved my life.’
Tremayne took no notice of Cosford’s comments. As far as Tremayne was concerned, the man was vermin.
‘Gavin’s in the woods, it’s late at night, mist swirling around his feet. He’s frightened, not sure what he’s doing up there.’
‘What was he there for?’ Betty said.
‘He’s a proud man, not willing to admit that he needs the money, not willing to ask for the gold. We checked his internet. He had been surfing a few sites, checking on how to melt gold, the temperatures involved, and how to sell it overseas. Gavin’s not smart enough to put blockers on the sites he’s visited. We’ve known about it for some time, but then Bob Galton and Eric Wilson had also been doing research. Neither of them is involved before anyone asks.’
‘Tony Mitchell?’ Selwyn said.
‘Yes, Tony,’ Tremayne said. ‘He’s killed Ethan, and it wouldn’t have concerned him greatly. He’s inured to taking a life, and as far as he’s concerned, Ethan’s death is a blessing to Betty and Marcia. He’s not interested in Gavin or Gerry, never has been, and Bob Galton doesn’t interest him, nor does Eric Wilson, a man he regarded as a good businessman but with no other redeeming features. Then he sees Gavin driving up through the village. He knows why he’s there and he decides to follow on foot. Gavin knows the back lanes, and he finds a place to hide his car. Tony sees the car. Remember, Tony knows how to follow a track, how to make no noise. He sees Gavin, realises what he’s doing. He keeps a watch on him, knows that he’ll never find the three bars. He backs away and returns to his cottage, secret safe.’
‘If he didn’t kill him, then who did?’ Katherine Cosford said.
‘That’s where it gets tricky. We had always suspected Tony, but we checked last night after we had gone through everyone’s testimony. It is not possible in the daylight, even with the sun shining through the trees, to see a man’s body standing where Gavin was. Devlin O’Connor had said he had. His evidence was false. We arrested him early this morning.’
The DI Tremayne Thriller Box Set Page 115