Death on Account (The Lakeland Murders)

by Salkeld, J J

‘No, boss, should I? I’ve been a bit tied up with the Eleanor Barrow thing.’

  ‘Understood. But tell you what, why not spend the rest of the day reviewing Tony’s file then? Concentrate on everything that’s been added over the last few days. I won’t get my hopes up,’ Hall paused, ‘but you better find something, Ray.’

  He smiled, and so did Dixon. They both knew that the chances were slight at best.

  ‘I’ll give it my best shot.’

  ‘So long as it’s better than this tea. OK, so that brings us to friend Walker. Ray, is there any chance of getting anything out of Kylie, or the neighbours?’

  ‘I got nowt. You know what they’re like down there. None of them are going to talk to us, especially now that Alan Frostick has handed out a bit of rough justice.’

  ‘OK then, how about SOCO? Have they had second thoughts, or turned up anything that would help us charge Walker?’

  ‘No, nothing. We’re not going to be able to lay a finger on him, honest, boss.’

  ‘I could talk to Kylie’ said Jane.

  Dixon shook his head immediately. ‘No offence Jane, but being a woman is pretty much all you’ve got in common with Kylie. You’re a copper, you’re well educated and you don’t have to live with an utter arsehole like Terry. If you’re hoping for some kind of connection I think you’ll struggle.’

  ‘Point taken’ said Jane. ‘So how about Nobby? Get Kylie on her own, away from those sons of Terry’s, and see if she’ll open up to him a bit maybe?’

  Dixon shook his head. ‘Sorry Jane, but Kylie’s scared shitless of Terry. Nobby won’t get a word out of her, I promise you.’

  Hall shook his head slowly. ‘We’re running out of options here, aren’t we? Tell you what, Ray, why not have a word with Nobby anyway? He’s a good lad, and I reckon he’d be willing to give it a try. And ask tech support to give him a recorder, nothing fancy, something even Nobby can use. And tell him he’d need to be in civvies, and meet Kylie away from the house, and away from Terry’s lads especially.’

  ‘You’ve got it, boss.’

  ‘If Nobby’s willing I’ll have to clear it with the Super.’

  ‘I’m sure he’d be willing to put in some off-duty time on it, boss, and I’d certainly be happy to help, keep a bit of a watch on the Walker’s house, that sort of thing.’

  ‘When you’re off the meter, Ray? Have you gone mad? But I’d be happy to do the same if Nobby’s up for it. But it’s still all official mind. Has to be, if we’re looking to use a covert recording.’

  ‘I’m in too’ said Jane. ‘I can’t think of anything that would feel better than helping to put Terry Walker away.’

  ‘Really, Jane?’ said Dixon, in mock surprise. ‘Nothing would feel better than that?’

  ‘Cut it out, Ray’ said Hall, smiling despite himself. ‘Now sod off and find me something useful on the Williams case. Let’s show our friends down in Merseyside that the country cousins know how to keep an investigation going, even when their accountants have called it quits.’

  ‘But what if we still get nowt and end up wasting a load more public dosh?’ asked Ray.

  ‘Then the bean counters don’t need to know, do they?’

  Ray Dixon worked his way through Sheridan’s file over the next few hours. He listened to the recorded interviews with Mrs. McGrath and Pat Murphy. He took a late lunch and walked in to town. It was another lovely day, and he regretted not getting his shades from the car. He felt slightly unsettled, as if there was something that he wasn’t quite seeing or hearing, something he wasn’t quite connecting. Was it important, or not? He couldn’t tell.

  Dixon had known that feeling before, many times, in his career. And this time he savoured it, because he knew that it might be the last time. It made him feel nostalgic, and slightly sad. Sometimes that feeling had led him somewhere, but more often it hadn’t, and he knew from experience that the best bet was not to force it. It would come to him when it was ready, if it was going to at all.

  He’d emailed Nobby Styles earlier in the day, so he wasn’t surprised to find Nobby sitting at his desk when he got back.

  ‘I could get used to this’ said Nobby. ‘My bunions are killing me.’

  ‘And my piles are killing me’ said Dixon. ‘So you stay there, and I’ll stand, old lad.’

  Nobby laughed, then listened as Dixon explained what he had in mind.

  ‘Kylie’s a nice lass underneath’ said Nobby, when Dixon had finished. ‘But she does have truly shit taste in men. And if anything the bad feeling towards the Walkers is building down on the estate. Even the most work-shy scroungers down there know that Terry Walker is a right nasty bastard, and that he’s to blame for what happened to Eleanor. But I still don’t reckon she’ll open up to me.’

  ‘So you don’t want to even try? That’s not like you, Nobby.’

  ‘I didn’t say that, Ray. I’ll try if you and the DI want me to, but don’t expect me to get anywhere, all right?’

  When Nobby had gone Ray sat at his desk and tried to chase down that feeling again. What was it he was missing? He flicked through Sheridan’s file again, and this time he started at the back. He looked at all the photos on the system, and had another read through the records of Williams, Aidan McGrath, Murphy and all of Cafferty’s known associates. He was still sitting there when Andy Hall left the office at seven.

  ‘Blimey, Ray, has the wife kicked you out?’

  ‘No, boss. There’s something in here somewhere, and I’m not seeing it. I just know it.’

  Hall grimaced. ‘Nasty feeling, isn’t it? But when it happens to me I’m always pleased in a way.’

  ‘I know what you mean, boss. It means that there’s something to be found. Bloody frustrating though, like the name of a Burnley striker from 1966 that I can’t quite remember. It’s there, just out of reach, taunting me.’

  ‘Go home, Ray. Think about something else for a bit. It’ll help.’

  ‘Aye, you’re right. I’ll be off in a bit.’

  Twenty minutes later Dixon gave it up, and thought that if he’d worked this hard for his whole career he’d be retiring on a Superintendent’s pension. He was thinking about what kind of villa in Italy he’d have with the lump sum when he noticed Alison Thornton coming the other way. And then, a second later, it came to him. He stopped in his tracks, feeling the relief. He knew what it was.

  ‘Evening, Alison, you just coming in or just going out?’

  ‘Just coming in, Ray.’

  ‘Have a good one. I’m off home’

  Alison moved as if to walk past him.

  ‘You work for a security firm don’t you? As your day job like.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s right. I want to leave though. I’d like to get something up here.’

  ‘Safe Security Specialist is it, something like that?’

  ‘That’s right.’ Dixon had been doing the job long enough to notice her tensing up. It was something in the shoulders, the posture. ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘Just a co-incidence. I saw the name in some paperwork for something we’re working on. Metals theft. Something from down your way tied in with one of our cases. Probably nothing, but might be worth following up. I think the bloke who gave the statement was called Murphy.’

  ‘That’s right, he’s the boss.’

  ‘Like I say, it’s probably nothing. Anyway, I must get off. You have a good shift, all right?’

  Dixon walked down the corridor, and buzzed himself out without looking back. But he had the feeling that she was still standing there, even as the door swung closed behind him.

  Dixon was much later than usual, and he knew that dinner would be more than ready. His wife wouldn’t be pleased. So he walked quickly to his car, and drove home. When he’d parked in the drive he called in, and asked for the Duty Inspector.

  ‘John, when Specials sign up do we take their prints for the database?’

  ‘I think so, but I can check for you.’

  ‘Would you?’

&nbs
p; ‘Sure, is it urgent? We’ve had an RTA on the 590 and it’s all hands to the cones at the moment. So I’m just off myself, mate.’

  Dixon hesitated for a moment.

  ‘No, that’s fine. Just text me when you can. I’m assuming we do it as well, in which case I’m worrying about nothing.’

  It was hot-pot night, and Dixon could smell it as soon as he opened the car door because the kitchen window was open. He realised how hungry he was, and forgot about Alison Thornton and Safe Security Specialists.

  Tuesday, 14th May

  Alison Thornton woke up at six, got up immediately and jumped into the shower. By half past she was packing, and by seven she was out of the rented flat. She was frightened, but she was doing her best to stay calm, and thought she wasn’t doing a bad job so far. After Dixon had asked her about where she worked and about Pat Murphy she’d started the shift, done a couple of hours, then said she had a headache and went home. Then she’d phoned in to the station on the mobile that Murphy had given her, and asked for DC Dixon. She was told that he wasn’t there, and she relaxed a bit. She probably had a few hours yet, because if he was on to her surely he’d be at the station?

  Then she phoned Murphy, and told him what had happened.

  ‘Get out of there. Get rid of the phone now, book a taxi in another name for the morning, and get him to pick you up well away from your house. Only take a bag of clothes. Use those two credit cards I gave you, and get some cash from a machine somewhere as you go.’

  ‘Where shall I go?’

  ‘Up to you, love. You wanted in, well now you’re in. It’s easy really though, just lay low for a couple of months, or better yet three months, then get in touch with me. We’ll sort you out. You done good Alison, the boss is really grateful. We’ll see you all right. Give us a couple of months and we’ll have a nice new identity for you, a new passport, everything.’

  ‘So I’m going to have to live like Williams did? And am I going to die like him too?’

  ‘Don’t talk daft. He was a grass, and you’ve done good for us. But don’t talk like that, all paranoid, because that’s what would make the boss lose confidence in you. And we don’t want that, do we? So stay strong, and keep quiet, even if they nab you. Believe me, doing a few years for conspiracy is much better than the alternative, you hear me now, Alison? You remember that. I’m on your side.’

  ‘I will. I’ll do what you say, and I’ll be in touch in a few months.’

  ‘Great. Get rid of this phone, and don’t worry about what you need to spend to stay safe. The boss is behind you, I promise you that.’

  She walked from her flat to where she’d arranged to meet the taxi at ten past seven, and asked to be taken to Lancaster. She’d been careful not to look online for an address to give, or to look up any train times. A few shifts working with CID had taught her that her electronic trail would be the first thing they’d look to follow.

  She hoped that the taxi driver would be the dour sort, and he was quiet for the first ten minutes of the journey. Then he started to get inquisitive. Where was she going? What was she doing? Why had she been in Kendal?

  It was all pretty much what she’d expected, and rather than say she’d had a rough night and wanted to sleep on the drive she’d already decided to answer whatever questions he asked. It would be good practice. By the time they pulled off the M6 at Lancaster Alison was feeling better, and she asked the driver to stop by a hotel in the middle of town. She’d told him that she was due to meet a colleague there, and had stayed with an old friend in Kendal the night before. He’d seemed convinced.

  Alison Thornton watched the driver pull away, then she crossed the road and made for a cafe. She had no intention of catching a train, and she needed to get away from CCTV as soon as she could. It would be so easy to pick her up on the cameras here. After breakfast she walked to a bank ATM and took £200 out in cash on one of the cards, then walked down towards the bus station.

  She looked around for an old bus, one without CCTV, and saw one that looked likely. It was heading back the way she’d come, to Grange-over-Sands, but that would have to do for now. So she got on, paid her fare and walked to the back of the bus. She couldn’t see any CCTV cameras, so she sat down, and put her bag down beside her.

  Already the strange feeling of excitement and of heightened awareness was starting to fade. The bus smelt of diesel fumes and yesterday’s chips, and Alison wondered if she’d made a mistake turning north again. They’d soon know she was on this bus, from the CCTV in the terminus, so should she get off soon, and change buses? The key thing would be to make sure that she spent time away from the CCTV cameras, because she’d already seen enough to know how she’d be tracked: they’d build a timeline, and if they lost her at a given point they’d scour CCTV at likely destinations, with a suitable delay built in. So screwing up their timeline would help a lot, because they’d end up having to look at more and more possible destinations, and an ever-extending timeline. In the end they’d only find her if they got lucky, and she wasn’t at all sure that DI Hall had a lucky face.

  The bus rumbled slowly out of town, and she listened to the school kids’ chatter. But soon it was almost empty, and only the odd pensioner climbed slowly on and off. It felt like the bus was only averaging about 5MPH. Ray Dixon would be at work by now, and she wondered how long it would be before they’d know everything, and be right on her trail. She was pretty sure it would be before she reached the end of her bus ride.

  In fact Ray Dixon didn’t know yet. He’d had a text the night before, saying that Specials weren’t routinely fingerprinted, but he was fast asleep by the time it arrived. When he got to work he mentioned what he’d discovered to Jane. He could tell from the look on her face that he’d made a major mistake.

  ‘Why didn’t you follow up straight away, Ray? If you’d called the boss he would have bought her in for sure. You’ve found a solid connection to Murphy, and that must be important.’

  ‘You think so? Shit. Where is he?’

  ‘How would I know, Ray?’ Jane deadpanned. ‘He’ll be here in five, he was taking one of the kids to school. She’s got an exam today.’

  ‘Shall I send someone round to Alison Thornton’s address?’

  ‘I would.’

  ‘So you think she’s our mole?’

  ‘Has to be. Co-incidences do happen, but nothing like as often as our suspects would have us believe, you know that. I thought Alison was a bright girl, so if she’s ahead of us then she might take some catching.’

  ‘Shit, and you had her signed up as a temporary PCSO, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes, that’s right. Ironic, isn’t it?’

  ‘That’s not what I meant. She would have been fingerprinted, right?’

  ‘Yeah, that’s right. You want me to run them against the ones off the Williams file while you get someone round to Alison’s place?’

  Andy Hall could feel his Blackberry buzzing as he said goodbye to his daughter. It was like having a large, angry bee in his pocket. But he resisted the urge to look until she he had watched her walk in through the doors. He wanted to be there if she looked back. He wanted to be there for her always. She didn’t turn round though, and he was glad.

  As he walked back to the car he looked briefly at his messages, then called Jane’s direct number.

  ‘What did I miss?’

  ‘Ray’s found our mole. Alison Thornton, that Special who worked with Gill. She’s an accountant at the security firm that Murphy runs, and we’ve just run her print against the one on the file. It’s her all right.’

  ‘OK, well done, have we found her yet?’

  ‘Doesn’t seem to be at home.’

  ‘Right, is her car there?’

  ‘Yes, it is. Uniform have checked and confirmed.’

  ‘OK. Do me a favour, and find a key holder. I’ll get straight round there. What’s the address?’

  ‘Do you want me to tell the Super?’

  ‘No, I’ll do that now. He’s going
to go mental, absolutely mental when he finds out. You know Alison was his protege, his little discovery?’

  ‘Wouldn’t it be good if he cut a few corners on the process? Might take the heat off Ray.’

  ‘Let’s not worry about that now. Tell Ray to hold the fort and get the incident room back up and running. Ask him to get tech support onto her mobile pronto too, please.’

  ‘She knows the ropes Andy. She knows how we work.’

  ‘I know, but let’s do it the right way. Get him to get her bank account details sorted too. Let’s see how clever she really is.’

  Hall didn’t expect to find much at Alison Thornton’s house, and he wasn’t disappointed. She’d left in a hurry, and other than recovering her laptop and leaving SOCO to check for other prints there wasn’t much more to do.

  ‘First job is find out when she left here, and how’ he said to the uniformed Sergeant who’d come down from HQ to cover for Charlie Coward. Hall had to resist the urge to ask him how old he was. ‘Door to door the neighbours as fast as you can, and get your people to show the photo. The suspect probably had an overnight bag or something. May have been collected by a cab. And check if she had any callers, last night especially. Jane, let’s you and me call round the local cab companies right now, and try from that end. Have you got the numbers?’

  When he first walked in to the open CID office he was surprised at the number of people there. Three or four from technical support, a uniformed Inspector from HQ and a couple of DCs from other stations. But then the penny dropped. Superintendent Robinson wanted to find Alison Thornton, and fast, so he’d called in a few favours. He walked round each group, checked how they were doing, and called Dixon in to his office.