by Paul Gitsham
‘This just came in from traffic. I think you are going to be interested.’
Rachel Pymm pushed her glasses back onto her nose and directed Warren’s attention to her screen.
‘Audi A5 caught twice on the A506 on Tuesday the 29th at 12.32 and 12.52,’ he read out, before pausing to picture the area.
‘The car was clocked doing eighty-five along the fifty stretch heading towards Middlesbury, then doing seventy-two back out of Middlesbury towards Cambridge, twenty minutes later. That’s about twenty-five minutes after you did the death knock at the Patels.’
‘OK, why is this important?’
‘Have a look at who owns the car,’ said Pymm.
Warren squinted at the name. ‘Is that …’
‘Yes.’
‘I think we need them in for a chat.’
Chapter 23
Kamala Patel was relaxed as she was led into the interview suite. The wife of Jaidev Patel had been briefly interviewed previously about the death of her husband’s younger brother, but it was time to probe a bit deeper.
‘I’m very sorry for your loss, Mrs Patel,’ started Warren. ‘I’ve asked you here to help us clear up a few things about Anish.’
‘Of course, anything I can do to help.’
The woman had a slight accent familiar to Warren, so he decided to start the interview by putting her at ease.
‘That sounds suspiciously like a Coventry accent, Mrs Patel.’
‘Close enough. Nuneaton originally, although I’ve lived down here for so long I doubt most people would recognise it. I’m guessing you’re from Coventry?’
‘Guilty as charged, although I’ve only been here a few years. I still call bread rolls batches.’
Patel smiled. ‘I’ve not heard that for a while.’
‘Why don’t you tell me a bit about Anish.’
The smile faded and Patel gave a sigh. Unlike her husband and in-laws, it took little probing for her to admit the tensions raised by Anish’s sexuality, confirming that Manoj, the eldest son shared his father’s disapproval, whilst his sister was more supportive.
‘What about Jaidev?’ Warren pressed.
‘Jai was a bit more accepting. He figured that you are born the way you are born. Anish was still his brother, but he was conflicted; he didn’t want to upset his father.’ She took a sip of the water that Warren had poured her. ‘It was a lot easier when their mother was still alive. Gotam listened to Suniti and knew that it upset her when he spoke ill of Anish. When she was around, they were at least civil to one another.’
‘But things changed after she died?’
‘Yes. We had no idea that she had heart problems. Gotam insisted the family all got tested for the faulty gene that killed her.’ Patel smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. ‘It was a tremendous relief when it turned out that although Jaidev, Manoj and Reva were carriers, Jaidev and Manoj hadn’t passed it on to the kids.’
‘Did Jaidev keep in contact with his brother? Against his father’s wishes?’
‘No. I tried to talk to him about it, but he kept on telling me to let it go. I didn’t want to upset him, so I didn’t push.’
‘What about Manoj?’
‘Not that I know of. I know Reva spoke to him sometimes, but I don’t think the brothers have spoken to him since Anish left the family home.’
‘Where did Anish move to?’
She frowned. ‘I’ll be honest, I’m not actually sure. I think it’s here in Middlesbury somewhere.’
‘So, you didn’t help him move then? What about his brothers? Did they help?’
‘No, I think he hired a van.’
‘I see …’ Warren paused. ‘Can I ask when you heard about Anish’s death?’
Patel frowned slightly. ‘It must have been a little after midday, that Tuesday. Jaidev phoned me at work to tell me what had happened. He was already in the car on the way over to the house. Reva had just called him.’
Warren glanced down at his notepad. ‘That would have been about 12.20?’
‘I guess.’
‘And where do you work?’
‘I manage the dry cleaner’s near the train station.’
‘In Cambridge?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did you go over to the family house that day?’
‘Yes, in the evening. Jaidev picked me up after I finished work.’
‘May I ask why you didn’t go over until then? I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but your husband’s brother had just been found murdered. It doesn’t sound as though you joined him until some hours after we broke the news.’
Patel’s eyes narrowed. ‘Unfortunately, the company that does our dry cleaning doesn’t collect until 6 p.m. I was the only person in the shop, and so I couldn’t leave until the pick-up happened. A lot of our regular customers rely on our twenty-four-hour service; if I missed the collection, they wouldn’t have got their garments back the following day.’
‘Do you drive an Audi A5?’ asked Warren.
Patel blinked at the change in subject. ‘Yes, I’ve owned it for a couple of years. I’d prefer something a little smaller, but it’s good for the kids.’
‘A nice car. Quite nippy.’
She shrugged. ‘I suppose so. To be honest, I’m not much of a petrol head.’
Warren opened the folder by his envelope, removing a black and white photograph. ‘This was taken at 12:32 on Tuesday the 29th of November,’ He pushed it across the table and pointed at the licence plate. ‘Is this your car, Kamala?’
Patel squinted. ‘Yes.’ She frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘It was photographed doing eighty-five miles per hour in a fifty limit.’
Warren pushed a second photograph across the table. ‘This was taken twenty minutes later, going in the opposite direction, this time at seventy-two miles per hour.’
‘Shit.’
‘We’re waiting for Jaidev’s lawyer,’ Sutton greeted Warren, as he left the interview suite.
‘Now why would a man with nothing to hide, who hasn’t been arrested, want a lawyer?’
‘A very good question. He knows something is up, because his wife had to arrange for someone to pick up their kids from afterschool club.’
‘But she didn’t tell her friend the reason she needed them to babysit?’ asked Warren.
‘No,’ Sutton smiled grimly. ‘Jaidev’s going to have a lot of explaining to do. That’s one pissed-off missus.’
‘Good, keep them apart, I don’t want them swapping stories,’ said Warren. ‘The less he knows about why he’s here, the less he’ll be able come up with a convincing lie. One or both of them was up to something that day, and I want to know the truth. In the meantime, it gives Moray and Karen more time to ring around and find out what we need.’
Jaidev Patel affected nonchalance as he accepted a cup of water. Warren was struck once again by how much he resembled his older brother, Manoj, and how little he looked like Anish.
‘We’ve just got a few questions to help us clear up a few details,’ started Warren.
‘Where is my wife? I got a call from one of the other parents at school to say that she had been asked to pick up the kids. Is she OK?’
‘Your wife is fine, she’s also helping us with our enquiries.’
‘I don’t understand, what has Kamala got to do with anything?’
‘All in good time, Jaidev. The sooner you help us with what we need to know, the better.’
The solicitor raised her pen but said nothing.
‘We’ve been looking into your late brother’s affairs. We know that he moved out of your father’s house in October last year. Did you help him?’
‘No. He hired a van, I think.’
‘I don’t suppose you know where he moved to do you?’
Patel shrugged. ‘Not really. Towards Middlesbury, I believe.’
‘Any idea why he would choose Middlesbury?’
‘I guess it was convenient for work. Rent’s probably cheaper than
Cambridge as well.’
‘Do you know where he worked?’
‘Some department store.’
‘So, you’ve never visited him at work or at his flat?’
‘No.’
‘What about your wife? Do you think she has ever visited him?’
‘No, why would she?’
‘Just clearing up a few loose ends. We need to work out who he has come into contact with in recent months.’
‘I’m sorry, I really haven’t had any contact with him since he moved away.’
‘No contact at all?’
‘No.’
Warren opened the folder to the right of his elbow. He pulled out a printed sheet. ‘Do you recognise this mobile phone number?’
Patel looked at the sheet. He swallowed.
‘That’s …’ His voice cracked. ‘That’s my number.’
‘I see. Well, according to Anish’s phone records, you texted him on November the 5th last year. He replied after about two minutes. What was that about? You claim not to have had any contact since he moved out of your father’s house in the October.’
Patel paused, swallowing repeatedly; eventually he spoke. ‘Oh, yeah. I remember now, I decided to ask him out for a pint. Just to see how he was doing. He said no. I guess that’s why I forgot about it.’
‘And that was the last time you spoke to him? Over a year ago?’ asked Warren.
‘Yeah, that sounds about right.’
‘So what happened on July the 10th? He phoned you and the call lasted for three minutes, before he terminated it.’ Warren sat back and waited.
The silence stretched as Patel’s eyes darted from side to side. Finally he spoke, his voice almost a whisper. ‘No comment.’
Warren waited, letting the silence build uncomfortably.
‘OK. Let’s go back to last Tuesday, the day that we came around to your father’s house to break the news about Anish’s death. Can you tell me what time you heard about it?’
‘I’m not sure. A bit after midday, I think.’
‘We arrived at the house at five past twelve and your sister, Reva, phoned you about five minutes later. Does that sound right?’
‘Yeah, I guess so.’
‘And you came straight to your father’s house? We left at about ten to one; Manoj had arrived in his Range Rover, but we never met you.’
‘I think I arrived just after you left.’
‘When did you call your wife, to tell her about Anish’s death?’
He pursed his lips. ‘Probably a few minutes after Reva called. It took me a moment to get my head straight.’
‘Of course. And you were at work?’
‘Yes, I manage the Everyday Essentials on Henson Street.’
‘In Cambridge?’
‘Yes.’
‘How long would it take you to get to your father’s house from there?’
Patel paused. Again, his eyes started darting around; it was obvious that he had no control over them when he tried to fabricate a story – which would make Warren’s job easier, he reflected. Finally, Patel clearly decided that there was no point trying to fudge an answer that could easily be contradicted by a few moments research on Google Maps.
‘I guess ten or fifteen minutes, depending on traffic, but I had to close the shop. That’s probably why I missed you at the house.’
‘Ah, that makes sense,’ said Warren. ‘What about your wife, did you go and get her first?’
‘No, she had to wait for the dry-cleaning pick-up. She couldn’t join us until later that evening.’ Patel relaxed slightly.
‘Do you own an Audi A5?’
He paused, briefly. ‘No, but my wife does.’
Warren opened his folder again and removed the two photographs taken on the A506.
‘Can you explain why your wife’s car was caught on cameras, travelling at high speed a few minutes after you called her to tell her about Anish’s death?’
‘Umm …’
‘And was then caught again, travelling in the opposite direction, about twenty minutes later?’
‘I don’t know,’ Patel’s voice had gone croaky again.
‘Did she not say anything to you? I thought she had to wait for the dry cleaning to be collected?’
‘I really don’t know. I thought she stayed at the shop until I picked her up later.’
‘Whose car did you use to pick her up, Jaidev?’
Patel opened his mouth, before closing it again.
‘You see, according to your wife, you were driving her car. She was using the bus because yours was in the garage.’
‘She must be getting her dates wrong,’ said Patel. A hint of desperation had crept into his voice.
‘No, I don’t think so. We phoned the garage that was repairing your car and they confirmed it. Furthermore, the firm that you contract to do your dry cleaning say that the daily pick-up happened as normal that day. The driver even remembers passing on his condolences to your wife when she explained why she was in a rush’
‘No, you’re wrong. I didn’t drive over to Middlesbury that day.’
‘I didn’t say anything about Middlesbury,’ said Warren quietly.
Patel looked over at his solicitor, who said nothing.
‘I need a break,’ he said finally.
‘He’s well and truly on the back-foot,’ said Sutton with satisfaction.
Warren squeezed out the red bush teabag from Sutton’s mug and handed over the steaming drink. At his friend’s insistence, he’d tried the naturally caffeine-free tea substitute. It wasn’t as foul as some of the concoctions that Rachel Pymm had tried to force down his neck, but he wasn’t a convert yet. And today, he really needed the boost. He took a slurp of his coffee before answering.
‘I’ll be interested to see where Jaidev goes from here. At the moment, we don’t have enough to arrest him, and even if he doesn’t realise that, his lawyer certainly does. All we know is that he’s lied about what he did the afternoon that he found out about Anish’s death, and his contact with his brother. Heavy right foot aside, driving towards Middlesbury and then away is hardly a crime.’
‘I can’t imagine he’ll be foolish enough to stick with his story that it was his wife driving the car,’ said Sutton. ‘He’s going to be in enough trouble as it is when two speeding tickets in her name drop through the letter box.’
‘So, if we assume that he was driving that way, the question is why? What was so important that moments after learning of his brother’s death, he went racing over to Middlesbury before he even joined his family at their father’s house? I know Anish was estranged, but Manoj appears to have driven over immediately. You’d think Jaidev’d be there to support his sister, if nothing else.’
‘The obvious conclusion is that he went over to Anish’s flat,’ said Sutton. ‘But why?’
‘If he was involved in the murder, then perhaps he was looking for evidence that could have implicated him?’
‘Which would imply that he had some way to access the flat,’ said Warren. ‘We still haven’t found Anish’s missing keys, wallet or phone.’
Sutton looked at his watch. ‘Kamala Patel hasn’t asked for a lawyer yet, which suggests to me that she’s got a clear conscience. But at some point, she’s going to figure out that unless we arrest her, she’s free to go home at any time. Particularly if she’s worried about her kids.’
‘Well we can’t stop her,’ said Warren. ‘But let’s not put the idea in her head, eh?’
Chapter 24
The custody sergeant rang just as Warren was finishing the last of his coffee. Jaidev Patel had returned from his break and wanted to speak to him. No sooner had Warren replaced the handset, than the phone rang again.
After listening intently for a few moments, Warren thanked the caller and hung up.
‘Who was that?’ asked Sutton as he climbed to his feet.
‘I’ll fill you in on the way,’ said Warren. ‘Things just got interesting.’
You are rig
ht, I did speak to my brother,’ said Jaidev Patel.
‘May I ask why you told us that you hadn’t been in contact recently?’ asked Warren, mildly.
‘I didn’t want to upset my father any more than he has been. He already knows that Reva speaks to Anish, despite him forbidding her to do so,’ Patel looked down at the table. ‘Despite everything, my father did love Anish, but he couldn’t accept what he was. We pretended to go along with his wishes to keep him happy, but I think if he knew that we were going behind his back, it would break him.’ He looked up again, and Warren could see what appeared to be genuine pain in his eyes. ‘Please, if at all possible can you not let Dad know about this?’
‘I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything. Now tell me about those calls.’
Patel shrugged. ‘I was just checking in, seeing how he was.’
‘Did he mention any worries that he had? Anyone that he had fallen out with?’
‘No, nothing like that. He seemed fine.’
‘What about new acquaintances? Any friends that you knew of?’
‘No, Anish didn’t really speak about that. I think he was friendly with some of the people he worked with, but that was all I knew.’
‘What about older friends, perhaps people he kept in touch with from school?’
Patel frowned in concentration, before shaking his head again. ‘No, sorry. He wasn’t the most popular kid you know.’
‘Because he was gay?’ Warren let an edge creep into his voice, picturing the scars that spoke of Anish’s unhappy adolescence; a brief look of shame crossed Patel’s face.
‘Yeah. And we hardly made it easier for him.’
‘What about other, more intimate relationships?’
‘I think we would have been the last to know about such things.’
‘OK, well that explains the phone call. But it still doesn’t explain why your wife’s car was seen racing towards Middlesbury shortly after you received the call about Anish’s death.’
‘That was my mistake. I got confused. I was driving my wife’s car.’ Patel met Warren’s eyes squarely.
‘So why did you go that way? It’s the opposite direction to your family home.’
Patel continued to meet Warren’s gaze, but he licked his lips. ‘I needed petrol.’