DCI Isaac Cook Box Set 1

by Phillip Strang

  ‘Would they?’ Isaac put the possibility forward.

  Gordon Windsor thought for a moment. ‘If it was a professional hit, they would have known.’

  ‘Are you saying this was not a professional assassination?’ Farhan asked.

  ‘I’m purely the scientist here. You are the detectives. What I am saying is, that if they were professional, they would have known there would be an autopsy.’

  ‘And they would not have left a bottle in the kitchen with the poison in it,’ Isaac said.

  ‘Precisely, unless they were disturbed, but even that appears unlikely. Professionals don’t put bottles in kitchen sinks in the first place. Normally, it would be coat pocket to drink and then back to coat pocket.’

  Gordon Windsor left the office soon after.

  Both Isaac and Farhan left a little later. It was five in the afternoon. Neither would be having an early night. Isaac, so far, had not caught up with Sophie, and he was feeling in need of her. Farhan also felt the need, but he had no Sophie; in fact, no one except an empty house.

  A Chinese restaurant close to the police station provided dinner. Prawn chow mein for Isaac; chicken for Farhan.

  ‘We’ve assumed his death was related to Marjorie Frobisher,’ Isaac said on their return to the office. ‘Is that an assumption we can make?’

  ‘What other option do we have?’ Farhan replied.

  ‘Which brings up another question. If Charles Sutherland was murdered to prevent him saying something to this magazine, then who else knows something? Is anyone else targeted for elimination?’

  ‘How do we know?’ Farhan replied. ‘We only have assumptions.’

  ‘Farhan, you’re right,’ Isaac said. ‘I’ve still to meet up with Richard Williams. It is possible that he knows something.’

  They were a good team, able to bounce ideas off each other, reach conclusions, formulate plans of action

  ‘I thought you went to see him the other day.’

  ‘He left the production lot before I had a chance to talk to him.’

  ‘You’re playing with fire,’ Farhan said.

  ‘I’m keeping my distance,’ Isaac replied, a little indignant.

  ‘No one is free of suspicion, you know that.’ Farhan realised he had not been as diplomatic as he should have been, but Isaac was not only a colleague, he was a friend. As a friend, he was advising him to keep his distance from Jess O’Neill. He was sure Isaac would take his advice in the manner it was given.

  ***

  Marion Robertson was not in a good mood when Farhan phoned the next day. ‘My girls value their secrecy. I still regard this is an intrusion.’

  ‘Marion.’ Farhan knew that a degree of familiarity usually defused the tension. ‘I understand your concerns, but I’m doing my job, and until told otherwise, your two women were the last persons to see Sutherland alive.’

  ‘I understand, but they’re blaming me for fixing them up with him.’

  ‘From what you said, he paid his money, and they came to no harm.’

  ‘That’s correct, but the magazine is refusing to pay; probably afraid their reputation will be tarnished if it becomes known that they paid for prostitutes.’

  ‘You’ve had non-payers before?’

  ‘Of course, but I can hardly take them to court, can I? That will let all the cats out of the bag. Besides, I’ll still pay the women.’

  ‘Regardless of payment, I need to meet with these women. I’m trying to help you, but you will have to trust me.’ Farhan said.

  ‘I’ve already set up a meeting with one of the women for you. I’ll send a photo. She uses the professional name of Samantha.’

  ‘What’s her non-professional name?’

  ‘I’ll let her give it to you if she wants.’

  ‘Where will I meet her?’

  ‘Hyde Park, close to Marble Arch. You’ll find her at the entrance to the park. She’ll be wearing a blue jacket. I’ll send you a phone number so you can call her when you are there.’

  ‘Time?’

  ‘Midday, she works nearby. You can pretend to strike up a conversation with her, admire the flowers, whatever.’

  ‘And the other woman?’ Farhan asked.

  ‘Tomorrow, but she is married and would prefer to stay that way. Her husband would probably not understand. He thinks she pays the mortgage on the money she earns working in an office somewhere.’

  ‘You have to trust me on this. If they’re not involved, then we will refer to them as X and Y,’ Farhan said.

  Chapter 15

  The first thing Isaac noticed when he entered Richard Williams’ office was that the lovely ‒ available if you drove a Ferrari ‒ Sally Jenkins was absent. In her seat sat another equally vivacious woman. She introduced herself as Linda. Another rent-a-lay, Isaac thought.

  ‘Sally Jenkins, what happened to her?’ Isaac asked as the new woman showed him into Williams’ office. She hadn’t been employed when Marjorie Frobisher had disappeared, and she was clearly another prick-teaser.

  ‘I had to let her go,’ Williams replied in an offhand manner. It wasn’t a good enough explanation.

  ‘It’s important. Where has she gone?’

  ‘I had to sack her.’ A curt reply. Still not good enough.

  ‘I need details. She may well be a material witness. I may need to talk to her again.’

  ‘No doubt she will tell you the story. She started talking marriage and settling down, having a few children.’

  ‘And you don’t want that?’

  ‘I’m still paying one silly bitch who managed to get me down the aisle. She made sure she was pregnant before we got that far. Still bleeding me for all she can. It takes my lawyers all their time to keep the situation under control. You’re a tall, good-looking man, you must have similar issues?’

  ‘True enough, but I only have a policeman’s salary.’

  ‘You’re young, plenty of stamina. I need a good dose of Viagra to get going. They’re with me for the money and the good life. Why can’t they leave it like that?’

  Isaac thought it was an honest answer. He had never regarded the women he bedded in such a manner, and he would never have spoken about them to other men. ‘I need to talk to you about Charles Sutherland,’ he said.

  ‘How did he die?’

  ‘Suspected poisoning.’

  ‘Fine, it’s a murder investigation now. I can’t really avoid you anymore, or you’d have me in the back of a police car and down to the station for an all-night grilling.’

  ‘A little melodramatic, wouldn’t you say?’ Isaac replied.

  ‘A great storyline. The masses would love it, but as you say, a little melodramatic. But when has our programme been factual? Maybe once this is all over, we’ll incorporate it into a storyline.’

  ‘I would advise against it for now,’ Isaac said. ‘This is an official visit.’

  ‘I know that. What happened to Marjorie? Any updates?’

  ‘I’m not at liberty to discuss it. We are following up on various leads.’ Isaac thought it a somewhat dumb response.

  ‘You don’t know where she is, correct?’

  Isaac chose to ignore Williams’ evaluation, unfortunately accurate. He returned to Charles Sutherland.

  ‘Did anyone have a grudge against Charles Sutherland, a reason to want him dead?’

  ‘A few, but murder? That’s a whole different issue.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘A person’s death may make certain people more comfortable, but killing that person…’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Isaac realised Williams knew something.

  ‘Murder and it’s twenty-five years, hard labour, breaking rocks.’

  ‘There are no rocks these days.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’ Williams picked up the phone to the outer office and asked the new PA to bring in some freshly brewed coffee. It gave him some time to think about what to tell the persistent policeman, and how much.

  Five minutes later, and th
e latest plaything, who managed to give a good impression of being competent, entered and placed two mugs on the desk. She gave Isaac a pleasant smile as she left. He gave one in return. Sally Jenkins was clearly a prick-teaser, a wealthy man’s entertainment. Isaac revised his earlier thoughts on the latest PA being the same, but then maybe he was biased ‒ he fancied her for himself.

  Isaac continued. ‘I need you to tell who may have had an issue with Charles Sutherland.’

  ‘I understand that. Where do you want me to start?’

  ‘Just give me the details.’ Isaac recognised procrastination. He thought it reasonable. Nobody likes dishing the dirt on someone else, and a murder enquiry always puts everyone on the defensive.

  ‘Marjorie, obviously.’

  ‘Why Marjorie?’ Isaac knew there was mutual antagonism, but wanting someone dead indicated something more serious.

  ‘He was always sticking his nose in, attempting to listen in on other people's conversations.’

  ‘Is that a reason to want him dead?’

  ‘For Marjorie, it would have been.’

  ‘It is clear that you are not inclined to give an honest answer.’

  ‘Confidentiality seems more important to me.’

  ‘The seriousness of the situation demands your full compliance.’

  ‘I know, but as the executive producer, I make it a habit to maintain the confidence of all the people that I am responsible for. As long as it’s not criminal, then I don’t care if they are adulterers, closet gays, incorrigible gamblers, or whether they cheat on their tax.’

  ‘I can understand, but this is a murder enquiry. You know I could take you down the station for questioning.’

  ‘Not without my lawyer, you couldn’t. Okay, here’s what I know. Sutherland had picked up some dirt on Marjorie, enough for her to be seriously worried, enough for her to come in here and demand his withdrawal from the programme.’

  ‘You agreed?’

  ‘I tried to reason with her, but she was adamant.’

  ‘She threatened to walk out of the production?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So why did you agree?’

  ‘I ran it past the scriptwriters first to see how we could get rid of him.’

  ‘Once you had a storyline, you let him go.’

  ‘He was going anyway. Marjorie and I go back a long way.’

  ‘I believe that has been mentioned before. Maybe you could elaborate.’

  ‘Nothing sinister. We were both starting out. I saw myself as the great international news correspondent; Marjorie, the next great movie star.’

  ‘Neither of you achieved your aims.’

  ‘That may be the case, but we’ve both been successful.’

  ‘It’s hardly a reason to accede to her demands.’

  ‘We lived together for nine months. The first great love for both of us, and we have helped each other over the years. Shoulder to cry on if needed. I would do anything for her.’

  ‘You don’t seem concerned that she is missing.’

  ‘Marjorie, what could happen to her? She’s a survivor, same as I am. She’ll reappear when the time is right.’

  ‘You seem remarkably confident.’

  ‘I’ve known her for too long to believe that she has been murdered. And besides, what proof do you have?’

  ‘Apart from a confirmed sighting.’

  ‘Malvern? I knew about that.’

  ‘Have you been withholding information?’ Isaac raised his voice. What else does Richard Williams know? he thought.

  ‘I’ll rephrase. I assumed that was where she had gone. It was her hideout in the past. I have been there a few times in the past to meet with her.’

  ‘Are you still maintaining a relationship with her?’

  ‘You make it sound dirty. When she was upset, she would disappear for a few days. It didn’t happen often, but she would always phone me, ask me to join her. She would do the same for me.’

  ‘You slept with her?’

  ‘When?’

  ‘When you went to Malvern.’

  ‘No, not at all. You don’t understand. We have a lot of history. She knows about my skeletons, or most of them. I know about hers.’

  ‘Is there something I should be aware of?’

  ‘Charles Sutherland knew something. Believe me, I don’t know what it was.’

  ‘Enough to kill him?’

  ‘I don’t know. Everyone knew about Marjorie and her open marriage, and she could be a bitch, but murder!’

  ‘Anger, dislike, and hatred gravitate to murder,’ Isaac said.

  ‘I’ve been too long in this business, too many scripts, not to know that administered poison is not a spur of the moment action. It’s premeditated and by someone with knowledge of poisons.’

  ‘You should have been a policeman.’ Isaac had to admit the man was correct. ‘Who else would not be sad about Sutherland’s death.’

  ‘I don’t think you’ll find anyone in mourning.’

  ‘Anyone else who would have been pleased?’

  ‘There’s only one.’

  ‘Who’s that?’

  ‘Jess O’Neill.’ Isaac sat up straighter, which caused Richard Williams to offer a comment.

  ‘I see that you know the lovely Jess.’ Williams smiled. Yet again, Isaac severely embarrassed that he was allowing personal to interfere with professional.

  ‘I’ve spoken to her a few times.’

  ‘And found her delightful?’

  ‘She is an attractive woman, I’ll grant you that.’

  ‘I tried it on when she first arrived.’

  ‘I assumed you would have, but I’m led to believe it was not successful.’

  ‘I even took her away to an exhibition up north. We went up in the Ferrari, best hotel, few too many drinks, but she wasn’t swayed. Looking for love, I suppose.’

  ‘Any hard feelings after that?’ Isaac visibly relaxed at Williams’ affirmation of what Jess had told him.

  ‘Not at all, but be careful. You’ve got a murder investigation, and it’s clear that you are attracted to her.’

  ‘Why should I be careful?’

  ‘Not in regards to Jess, but you’re here on official business. It would not seem proper to show preferential treatment of one witness over another, would it?’

  ‘I can assure you that our relationship is purely professional. Who else believes that we have a friendship?’

  ‘Everyone out at the production lot; it’s a great place for gossip.’

  ‘Let’s get back to why she would not be sad to see Charles Sutherland dead.’

  ‘She’s not told you?’

  ‘I know she told him that his time on the programme was over, and he had responded with some choice words.’

  ‘Stuck-up bitch, that sort of thing?’ Williams said.

  ‘That’s about all I know.’

  ‘I think you’d better talk to her again. It’s more serious than that. Nobody out at the production lot knows ‒ only me and maybe Sally Jenkins.’

  ‘Why only you two?’

  ‘Firstly, Jess came and told me, and secondly, Sally had a tendency to listen in to conversations.’

  ‘What is it that Jess had against Charles Sutherland?’

  ‘It would be best if it came from her.’

  ‘Let me have your version first?’

  ‘I’m afraid I cannot do that. It would not be helpful if I distorted or misinterpreted what she told me.’

  ‘I’ll grant you that. I need to see her as soon as possible.’

  ‘Then I would suggest that you bring her in to the police station, sit her down and get her to explain. It may become an integral part of any future trial. Not against Jess, but against Sutherland.’

  Chapter 16

  The first of the two escorts was not difficult to spot. The entrance to Hyde Park, just across the road from Marble Arch, the designated meeting place. It had been a good choice as it was a bright and sunny day.

  Farhan could not
help but be struck by the woman’s beauty. She was of medium height, full in the figure, not fat, dressed in what looked to him to be expensive clothes, and her shoulder length hair dark and full.

  She had a pleasant smile when she came over to him and introduced herself. Farhan thought the smile was a veneer.

  ‘I’ve taken time off work to come and meet you. Everyone thinks I’m at the dentist.’

  ‘I hope I’m not as painful as all that,’ he joked. He warmed to the woman, the embodiment to him of the ideal female. She appeared to have some Indian heritage, although her skin tone was light.

  ‘It’s not you. I have an image to maintain, and this man being murdered has put me in an awkward position.’

  ‘Why?’ he asked. They moved from the gate and strolled through the park. He was enjoying himself. She was nervous, but not as nervous as she had been when they first met.

  ‘I work for Marion, but it’s not the sort of thing you want your friends and family to know about, and certainly not in the office.’

  ‘Where do you work?’

  ‘I work with a legal firm, not five minutes’ walk from here. I’m training to be a lawyer.’

  ‘Why the escort work?’

  ‘It pays well. Life is expensive. A junior in a legal office doesn’t get paid much.’

  ‘Is it purely money?’

  ‘Not altogether, but it’s a large part of it.’

  ‘What’s the other part?’

  ‘I like sex.’ It was an unexpected admission.

  ‘The men can’t always be pleasant,’ he said.

  ‘It’s a balance. Most of the men are ageing but generous. I make sure they enjoy themselves. You don’t know what kind of an aphrodisiac the money is.’ It seemed to Farhan the words were spoken as a defence mechanism.

  ‘Charles Sutherland. I am under the impression that he was not a particularly pleasant man.’

  ‘I remember him. He was into threesomes, and he liked some lesbian play before. He liked to sit and watch.’

  ‘You had no problem with his watching?’

  ‘Why should I? Law school is expensive, and I intend to get through with honours at least. Then I’ll find myself a good position as a lawyer, corporate law. That’s where the money is.’