by Paul Gitsham
‘In his version of events, he now believes that there was more to Beechey and Anish’s meetings than sex, and that in fact Leon Grime was involved in a drug deal with both men that went wrong. He initially claimed that a mobile phone with a distinctive quacking ringtone was found behind a bin in the hotel car park and that it might have belonged to Leon Grime, but has now admitted that he owns the phone and that it was this second phone that Jake Beechey contacted when he wanted to be let into the hotel. He still insists however, that Leon Grime was a central part of the drugs conspiracy.
‘Kimpton claims that Beechey contacted him via text on the quacking phone and insisted that he help them dispose of Anish’s body. He is adamant that Beechey and Grime were responsible for dumping the body and the attempts to conceal its identity, and that Kimpton remained at the hotel during this time to try and clean up.
‘It was Beechey who wore Anish’s clothing and was captured on the reception CCTV leaving the hotel, whilst Kimpton started his shift in the kitchen, thus providing himself with an alibi. Leon Grime was subsequently given the job of disposing of Anish’s backpack, clothing and personal effects. Beechey was supposed to have disposed of Anish’s mobile phone, but decided to sell it on.
‘It is Kimpton’s assertion that he only went along with the plan because Beechey threatened the safety of his daughter. Yesterday’s events suggest that was at least partly true.’
Around the room pens were frantically scribbling on notepads and fingers blurring across device keyboards. David Hutchinson was going to have some stiff competition if he wanted to get his question in first like he usually did.
‘Second story of the day is that of Jake Beechey. He too claims to have been sucked unawares into this whole sorry tale. His version of events is that he and Kimpton became sexually intimate whilst sharing a cell at the Mount Prison. Upon release, they initially lost contact, which was when Kimpton met Jasmine Whitey and fathered young Kayla. However, after the breakdown of that relationship, he contacted Beechey again, who helped him to explore the other side of his sexuality by introducing him to our victim, who Beechey had met through the Rainbow Hookups dating app. Kimpton bought himself a new phone solely to conduct this affair; a very simple model that he downloaded a quacking duck ringtone to.
‘Both Anish and Kimpton wished for their relationship to be discreet, which is why Anish booked into the Easy Break Hotel under a false name and paid cash. Kimpton would finish his shift and ostensibly leave for the day but would use the fire exit to re-enter the hotel and spend the night with Anish.
‘Beechey claims he knew nothing about Anish’s death, but received a phone call in the early hours of the Friday morning from a distraught Kimpton, who was standing in the middle of a field needing a lift. Our knight in shining armour raced out there and picked him up, returning him to the Easy Break Hotel. During that journey, Kimpton apparently planted the phone that had been used to conduct his affair with Anish in the glovebox of Beechey’s car to frame him. Beechey then returned to bed and forgot all about it until seeing Anish on the news.’
There was a chorus of disbelieving snorts.
Warren pressed on. ‘Beechey claims that he found Anish’s phone abandoned in some bushes and decided to sell it. Again, Leon Grime was involved in the whole affair in some capacity, but Mr Beechey is unclear on the details. He is also yet to fully explain how yesterday’s misunderstanding with the knife after Kimpton’s daughter’s dance lesson came about.
‘So, in summary, both men are blaming each other and Leon Grime, whilst seeking to minimise their own involvement in the affair. Nicholas Kimpton admits to helping cover up an unfortunate death because of a threat to his daughter. Jake Beechey denies any offence beyond naivety and not reporting his suspicions to the police. Leon Grime claims to have no knowledge or involvement in the whole affair.
‘Any questions?’
Hutchinson’s hand shot up so fast he nearly knocked Rachel Pymm’s glasses off.
By the time the briefing finally drew to a close, Warren had added a considerable number of new questions to the list that needed to be asked of the three men they had in custody.
In addition, new forensic leads had come in overnight, with more promised. Grayson had opened the proverbial cheque book and authorised fast-track analysis where possible and Rachel Pymm had corralled extra analysts to ensure that the new information was curated promptly.
Soon the room was almost empty, with only Warren’s core team and DSI Grayson left. For the next hour or so, they would all work together to draft the interview strategies that would finally bring all the pieces together and deliver Anish Patel the justice he deserved.
But first, coffee.
Chapter 50
Warren decided to maintain the status quo for his first interview of the day, opting to lead the interview with Nicholas Kimpton as he had previously, with a specialist uniformed constable as an additional note-taker.
Kimpton was no stranger to the hospitality of a custody cell overnight, but that familiarity didn’t make it any easier; his eyes were red-rimmed, his ever-darkening stubble a stark contrast against his pasty complexion. He looked exhausted.
‘We’ve been looking into the information you gave us on Leon Grime yesterday and it’s been very helpful. Why don’t you begin by telling us a bit about him?’
Kimpton puffed out his lips. ‘Where to start?’
‘How did you meet? You weren’t in prison together.’
‘Nah, Leon served his time ages before I did. We didn’t speak about it that much – better to look forward than backwards and all that – but I don’t think we had any mates in common. We met down The Clock House, playing pool.’
‘So you knew each other quite well?’
‘Yeah, I suppose. I had to quit the pool league in the end because it clashed with my evening shift at the Easy Break, but we’d still go for a beer sometimes and shoot a few, just to keep my eye in. He’d come around mine now and again and watch the footie.’
‘Were you employed when you met?’
‘Not really,’ said Kimpton.
‘I’ll be honest,’ said Warren, ‘Leon’s not been very forthcoming with us. Does he have any hobbies that we should know about?’
Kimpton frowned as he thought. Warren waited patiently.
‘Well aside from the pool, he was a keen gardener.’
‘Really, I thought he lived in a flat?’
‘He had an allotment; he used to go down there most weekends.’
‘Did you ever go with him?’
‘Nah, I’ll cook it but I ain’t bothered about growing it,’ Kimpton paused. ‘To be honest, I think it was an excuse to get away from his missus. He had a shed down there and I reckon he used to hide from her. You’ll understand if you’ve ever met her; she’s a bit full-on.’
‘Yes, I hear she’s quite the character,’ said Warren. ‘Have you spoken to her since Leon was arrested?’
‘No, I ain’t seen her for ages.’
‘Well thank you Nick, that’s been really helpful,’ said Warren carefully writing ‘Allotment’ and ‘check shed’ on his notepad in big, easy-to-read handwriting. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kimpton relax slightly.
‘Back to Leon,’ said Warren. ‘He recommended you for the job at the Easy Break Hotel, I understand?’
‘Yeah, they were short-handed after they fired the dickhead that gave everyone food poisoning, so he put in a word for me.’
‘And did you know about his – shall we say, activities on the side? – before you started working there?’
‘No, we never spoke about it. He knew that I wasn’t interested in getting involved in any of that sort of shit again; it’s already cost me too much. It was a big enough fight as it was to get shared custody of Kayla. That last stint … she was old enough to know something was wrong. I can’t risk jail time again for something so stupid.’ He shook his head and his eyes started to shine. ‘I can’t believe that bastard Jake has got me in
to this … and Leon … I thought we were mates …’ His voice was thick with emotion.
‘Speaking of Jake, tell me about your relationship with him,’ said Warren, allowing some sympathy to creep into his voice.
‘Well you know the basics. We shared a cell in the Mount for a few months; we became pretty tight. I’d been in for a while already when he arrived, and I’m a bit older, so I sort of looked after him until he found his feet.’
‘And you stayed friends afterwards?’
‘Yeah, we kept in touch. We both ended up living around Middlesbury, so we’d meet up and go for a drink.’
‘And when you were sharing a cell, were you sharing anything else?’ asked Warren.
Kimpton’s brow creased. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Were you and Jake Beechey intimate in prison?’
Kimpton reacted as if he’d been slapped. ‘What? No! Why the fuck would you think—’
His solicitor cleared his throat loudly and with a visible effort, Kimpton calmed himself.
‘Look, Jake’s gay. So what? You’ve been watching too much TV. Sure, there are blokes that hook up and I suppose some of them would even deny they were really gay, just desperate, but that wasn’t what we were like. I’m not saying Jake didn’t have sex with people whilst he was in there, but it wasn’t any of my business. Besides, I have a daughter; it’s obvious I’m straight.’
‘OK, Nick, I apologise. It was a lazy stereotype,’ said Warren. Was Kimpton’s outburst genuine, or to mangle the famous saying, did he protest too much?
‘So, my next question is, how did Leon and Jake know each other?’
‘I’ll be honest, I didn’t know they did. I’m guessing it was a drugs thing. Like I said, I’m not into that stuff anymore. I’m pretty sure Leon isn’t gay, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
‘It seems like a bit of a coincidence, all of you coming together at the Easy Break Hotel; Jake and Anish hooking up and using the place where you and Leon Grime both work. I’m struggling to join the dots here. What do you reckon?’
Beside Kimpton, his solicitor cleared his throat loudly again. Kimpton ignored him, licking his lips. His hairline looked damp, but when he spoke, his voice was steady.
‘I’ve been thinking about it and I’m sure it was drugs. Apparently, that Anish bloke’s family had a load of newsagents. I reckon Leon was using him to sell his gear through them.’ He gave a small shrug. ‘You know what those dodgy Asian places are like.’
Warren ignored the casual racism. ‘So where did Jake come in?’
‘I think he was stringing Anish along; making him think that they were in a relationship and then getting him to shift drugs through his shops.’
‘So you reckon Leon Grime and Jake Beechey were in partnership, persuading Anish to sell their drugs?’
‘Dunno for sure, but it makes sense to me.’
‘And obviously Leon Grime would know about the doctored fire exit,’ said Warren.
‘Exactly,’ said Kimpton.
‘That makes sense, I’ll look into it,’ said Warren. ‘Now tell me about the night Anish died. What happened after Jake Beechey texted you? What did the text say?’
Kimpton closed his eyes, pain crossing his face.
‘He said “get up here now. Room 201. Shit’s hit the fan.”’
‘Did he say what the “shit” was?’ asked Warren.
‘No, but I figured I’d better get up there and see what was happening, so I ducked out and went up the emergency stairs. He was waiting for me in the corridor.’
‘What was he like?’
‘Scared. He was pacing up and down. I asked him what was happening, but he just grabbed me and pulled me into the room,’ he shuddered. ‘Anish was lying on the bed and his eyes were closed. I thought at first he was sleeping, but then I saw that he wasn’t breathing, and his lips were a sort of bluish colour.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I asked them what happened.’
‘Who’s them?’ asked Warren.
‘Jake and Leon.’
‘Leon was in the room when you entered with Jake?’
‘Yeah, he was just standing at the end of the bed, breathing really hard.’
‘What did they say happened?’
Kimpton took a deep breath. ‘Jake said that he and Leon were talking to Anish. Anish was standing at the end of the bed. He suddenly said he felt dizzy and went all wobbly then fell down and hit his head on the edge of the desk. He wasn’t breathing, so they dragged him onto the bed. One of them took his pulse and saw he was dead.’
‘Who took his pulse?’ asked Warren.
‘I don’t know, they didn’t say.’
‘And nobody thought to call an ambulance?’
Kimpton looked down at the table. ‘That’s what I said. I should have pushed, or done it myself, I know, but they said he was dead and there was nothing we could do,’ he looked back up. ‘I could see that it was an accident or a heart attack or something, because he hadn’t been stabbed or shot or anything. He looked kind of … peaceful.’
Warren felt an urge to ask how long Kimpton had been a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists or held a Home Office licence, thus qualifying him to make such a judgement, but he didn’t want to antagonise Kimpton and risk him shutting down.
What it did mean was that if Kimpton’s account was true – and Shane Moore’s statement seemed to corroborate the timings – then there were approximately ten minutes between Anish Patel’s pacemaker recording his cardiac arrest and Jake Beechey texting Kimpton. Could an emergency call have got paramedics to the hotel in time to save Anish? What about the defibrillator next to the reception desk? Leon Grime would surely have known about that. Warren suspected that such a lengthy period of inactivity would come back to bite everyone involved in the affair when the case was finally presented to a jury.
‘Then what happened?’
‘I went back down to the kitchen and told Shane to go home early. I spent a few minutes tidying up so nobody would get suspicious, and then went back up the emergency stairs.’
‘And then what?’
‘Leon and Jake were back in the room and Leon had some cleaning stuff. I asked them what they were going to do with it and Jake said that they had to get rid of the body and clean up so nobody knew they were there.’
‘Did they say why? If Anish just collapsed and it wasn’t their fault, then why would they be worried about reporting his death?’
Kimpton paused. ‘Look, it was really obvious that whatever they had been up to with Anish was dodgy and probably illegal. For months, I just thought I was helping a mate get his leg over, you know? I was letting a non-guest into a guest’s room through the fire exit and I’d definitely have lost my job if I got caught, but it wasn’t a big deal. The duty manager is never in at that time, and everyone uses that door for fag breaks, so who was going to tell on me?’
‘But you said that you thought there were drugs involved. Did you just come to that conclusion there and then, or did you suspect it before that night?’ said Warren, staring hard at Kimpton. The chef visibly wilted.
‘Look, Jake never said anything to me. Nor did Leon, but I started to suspect that Leon had his own reasons for keeping that fire door broken. You could hear the door opening and closing from the kitchen. It didn’t stay open long enough for a fag break, and it always seemed to be Leon opening it, even though he should have gone home ages ago. I didn’t ask, because I didn’t want to know.’
‘And what about Jake?’
Kimpton looked down at the tabletop. ‘Something wasn’t quite right. I knew that Jake used dating apps, but he did it just to get a shag; he wasn’t interested in a relationship. But he happened to mention this Anish guy more than once. Anyway, one night we were both really drunk, and he showed me a picture of Anish from Facebook.
‘He was smartly dressed and standing in front of a sports car. Jake zoomed in on his wrist and started saying how the watch was a legit Rolex and tha
t he’d never seen him wear the same one twice.
‘The thing is …’ Kimpton paused and started again. ‘Look, I don’t want to sound racist, because I’m not and neither’s Jake, but Anish … Well, he’s Asian. And about forty. And bald.’
‘And that surprised you?’
‘Yeah, he didn’t seem Jake’s type. I asked him once about how he met men and he showed me that app he uses and all of the blokes he’d bookmarked were white guys in their mid-twenties, buff with blond hair. None of them looked like Anish.
‘Anyway, I thought that maybe he was just stringing him along; nice meals out, no need to pay for his drinks. Anish was really into spy movies and stuff, so he got a kick out of acting like he was a secret agent. I figured Anish could afford it because his family had loads of businesses, so where was the harm?’ He frowned. ‘What do they call a rich bloke who has a young, pretty girlfriend who he buys stuff for?’
‘A sugar daddy?’ suggested Warren.
‘Yeah, basically that’s what I thought Anish was.’ His face darkened. ‘But then I heard rumours. That Jake had been seen hanging around with dealers. And not just the blokes who sell you a bag of weed or a couple pills in the pub toilet.’
‘Do you know the names of these dealers?’ asked Warren.
Kimpton shook his head vehemently. ‘No idea.’
Warren couldn’t tell if his denials were genuine or he just didn’t want to say.
‘And then, when I saw that Leon was involved,’ continued Kimpton, ‘it just all kind of made sense.’
‘When you were in the room, did you see any evidence of a drug deal?’
‘Not really, but there was a black kit bag in the corner of the room. Leon took it with him when he left.’
Warren thought back to the CCTV of Anish entering the hotel reception. He’d been carrying a grey backpack – almost certainly the one that they’d found at Grime’s allotment – but no black bag, which suggested any such bag had been brought to the room after Anish had checked in.
‘Can you describe the bag’ he asked.