The Maggie Bainbridge Box Set

by Rob Wyllie

  'Yeah exactly. So did White think that it was Saddleworth who took the money then?'

  'I don't know, she was obviously just at the early stages of her investigation. But she had been in touch with the accountants that were brought in afterwards to clear up the mess. Reed Prentice & Partners they're called. They're still going, quite a big firm based up in Leeds. Anyway, her editor thought that that was the angle she was most excited about. I've got a contact name, Lily Hart, she's a partner or something. No idea what it's all about but it could be one for Department 12B to follow up on whilst us grown-ups work on the proper crimes.'

  'Frig off Pete. But thanks, I'm grateful for this.'

  'No problem mate. I'll text you what I have, and by the way, you owe me a pint. And let me know how it goes. Over and out.'

  One for Department 12B? Frank wasn't so sure that Jill would sanction him swanning round the country on what might turn out to be a wild goose chase. But there was nothing to stop his hopeless amateur assistants filling the gap, and he figured their Saddleworth divorce case could easily stand the cost of a return rail ticket to Leeds. He picked up his phone and dialled his brother.

  'Hey Jimmy, how do you fancy a wee trip to Yorkshire?'

  Chapter 26

  To say that events began to move fast following the brutal murder of nineteen-year-old Jack Wyatt would be the understatement of the millennium. Within hours, the new case had been wrestled from the grasp of the Gloucestershire Constabulary and allocated to the dead hand that was DCI Colin Barker. Not much later, DCI Jill Smart had learned from Eleanor Campbell that Frank Stewart was in possession of two stolen mobile phones, one belonging to a recent murder victim, and thus had no option but to grass him up, as he might have expressed it. All of this being why Barker and Smart and Frank and Maggie Brooks nee Bainbridge had been gathered together in the faceless Number Two conference room at Paddington Green police station on the orders of an apoplectic Chief Superintendant Brian Wilkes. Just down the corridor in two separate interview rooms languished the hot-shot international lawyer Philip Brooks and, sensationally, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department, The Right Honourable Gerrard Saddleworth. Over in Cheltenham, the same Gloucestershire force was trying to track down Dr Tariq Khan, who seemed to have gone AWOL. It was all kicking off big time.

  'I really don't know where to begin.'

  Wilkes paced up and down at the front of the room, the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up above the elbows. The atmosphere was tense. With only a year or two until retirement he didn't want his pristine reputation sullied by a momentous screw-up on a high-profile murder case like this.

  'I'm grateful to you Jill for bringing it to my attention.' DCI Smart smiled back sweetly, ignoring Barker's drawn daggers. 'So who's going to bring me up to speed with where the hell we are with this bloody car crash of a case?'

  'I will sir.'

  Jill Smart did the introductions. 'DI Frank Stewart sir. He's one of the best DIs in my 12B team.'

  Wilkes peered down his nose at him. 'One of the best, eh?' He knew the competition wasn't exactly stiff in that department. 'I know all about you Stewart. You've got history, haven't you?' Barker shuffled uncomfortably and stared at the floor.

  'Yes sir.' The answer shot out like an arrow from a crossbow. 'Proud of it sir.'

  'Well proceed DI Stewart, and keep it short and to the point.'

  'I will do that sir. So you know the sort of stuff we do in the department, early investigations of things that might turn out interesting and that...'

  'I know what you do in 12B,' Wilkes said impatiently, 'please get on with it.'

  'Aye, sorry sir. So the latest victim is Jack Wyatt. He's only nineteen and he worked as a waiter at the Seven Cathedral Close restaurant in Gloucester. The lad was killed last Friday evening whilst on a night out with some mates in Cheltenham. A single stab wound through the heart.'

  'So what's this got to do with the other two murders then?' Wilkes asked.

  Maggie stood up. 'He was in our photograph.'

  'Who are you again?' Wilkes barked.

  'Maggie Bainbridge. I was the defence barrister on the Alzahrani case and now I'm an investigator working on a divorce case. Saddleworth verses Saddleworth. That's the Home Secretary and his wife Olivia.'

  'I've heard of you. You're the most hated woman in Britain, are you not?' She wasn't sure, but it sounded like a compliment.

  'Not any more I hope,' Maggie grinned. 'So I'll spare you the details, but as part of the investigation into Mr Saddleworth's financial status, we came across this photograph.' She had loaded the picture onto her phone earlier, in anticipation of the direction the meeting would take.

  Wilkes took the phone and peered at it closely. 'So, what am I looking at here?'

  'We were interested in this because in the trial -the Alzahrani trial I mean -Adam Cameron - he was the prosecuting barrister - told the judge that he had never met this guy - Dr Tariq Khan. The photograph proves he was lying and we wanted to know why. And then two of the diners were murdered and it all got serious and scary. And now poor Jack Wyatt is dead too. That's him pouring the wine.'

  'More than a coincidence, eh sir?' Frank said. 'One dinner, three murders. And wee Jack could only have been killed for one thing, and that was to make sure he couldn't tell anything he might have overheard. '

  'That's why I took the initiative and brought Mr Brooks and Mr Saddleworth in for questioning.' Jill Smart knew that she had acted way outside of her brief, trampling all over Barker's investigation, but she was ready with a semi-plausible justification. 'As you heard, there was suspicion of conspiracy in our case sir, and therefore we had plans to interview all the diners. That was before Jack Wyatt was murdered, of course.'

  'Sir, what she did was completely out of order.' Barker face was slowly turning purple. 'She could have ruined my investigation.'

  Frank stepped in.

  'You knew as much as we did Colin and could have acted. After the first two murders, I told you all about the photograph and the big lie we'd uncovered, but you're obviously so much cleverer than me and you decided that my theory was bollocks. Total bollocks in fact, I think was your exact words. Am I right sir?'

  To Frank, it looked as if DSI Wilkes was ruing his decision to move Barker off the Alzahrani case onto this one. The guy was a liability and he of all people should have known that. Now he slammed the table in frustration.

  'Barker, is what the DI says true? You were aware of this possible connection and you decided to ignore it?'

  'Yes, but we had other promising lines of enquiry...'

  And now Frank went in for the kill.

  'What DSI Barker is trying to say is that he already had someone in the frame for the Cameron murder sir. For what it's worth, I thought his evidence looked a bit flimsy but of course I'm just a lowly DI.'

  Wilkes shook his head in disbelief.

  'Christ's sake. And now we have a third murder. An innocent boy, barely more than a child. This really is a total arse-in-the-air shit-fest.' Frank knew Wilkes would be thinking how the press would play it when it got out that Jack Wyatt's murder was linked to a case they were already working on. Already there was revulsion across the nation about the death of the kid and it wasn't going to look good for the force.

  'We're running the operation on very tight resources sir. It's easy to miss things when you're several heads light.'

  Wilkes gave Barker a look of contempt. 'I don't want to hear any more from you DCI Barker.'

  'But sir...'

  'Shut up Colin.' The brutality of the put-down momentarily silenced the room. He turned to Jill Smart.

  'You did good work bringing in those other two Jill. How did you manage to get Mr Saddleworth here, that couldn't have been easy?'

  She hesitated for a moment. 'That photograph... we believe the group of diners had got to know of its existence. I emailed his office telling them that we wanted to talk about a dinner that he had attended several months ag
o. When we told him we had a photograph, he didn't even ask which dinner. Just agreed to come in.'

  'So he had seen it.' Maggie said. 'Philip must have shown it to him, or at least told him about it.'

  'Aye, well hopefully Pete Burnside is asking them just that question as we speak,' Frank said.

  'So you've got DI Burnside on your team?' Wilkes mood seemed to lighten a notch. 'He's a very sound officer in my experience. A good man. Thank god we still have some of them on the force.' It was obvious to whom the last remark was directed.

  'Aye, he's a top guy right enough. Just a pity guys like that have to put up with piss-poor leadership.' Frank was enjoying Barker's discomfort. 'Not in my case, of course sir.' He aimed an exaggerated smile at Jill Smart.

  There was a quiet knock on the door. A few seconds later, it was pushed open and the head of Burnside peered round.

  'Come in Burnside,' Wilkes said warmly. 'Come and tell us all you know.'

  'Thank you sir.' He sat down at the head of the table and nervously flicked to the top page of his notebook.

  'So obviously we went through the routine stuff you would do on a murder enquiry. Principally, establishing where they each were at the times of the murders. The funny thing was, their reactions were quite different but also a bit odd. So Mr Saddleworth, he seemed relieved when I told him my questions were about the three murders.' Burnside paused to check his notes. 'That was so strange, considering that he had allegedly been in a relationship with one of the victims, and so would obviously be a prime suspect. But what he said was 'so it's not about the money then' and when I asked him what he meant by that, he clammed up. I found that interesting, particularly in the light of another line of enquiry that is proceeding at the moment.' He gave Maggie a knowing glance, hoping he could brush over the unofficial nature of that investigation. Wilkes' eyes narrowed.

  'What money?' he asked sharply.

  'We don't know right now sir,' Burnside replied, 'but as I said, we have a lead on that one.'

  'Who's working that?' It was getting a bit awkward and Maggie decided to help out.

  'My colleague James Stewart is following up something on that one. Saddleworth's estranged wife believes he has hidden some money away, cash that he has not declared in the divorce financial statement.'

  'Your colleague? So we've got some bloody amateur working on a triple murder case? God save me.' It wasn't clear to whom the remark was directed, but Jill stepped in to smooth the waters.

  'Sir, I think it's just a coincidence that this came up on Miss Bainbridge's divorce case. That's a civil case, but I will of course get an officer allocated to it right away now that it's clear it's a police matter.'

  That seemed to satisfy him. 'Well, just make sure you do Jill. Carry on Burnside.'

  'Ok sir. Well anyway, as far as Mr Saddleworth goes, we will be following up his alibis of course, but with his reaction I'd say it's odds-on that they will stack up. I mean, it seems highly unlikely that a cabinet minister can sneak out of parliament unnoticed to shoot his lover then dive out again to expertly stab a QC. Every hour of his life is arranged by his advisers and civil servants, isn't it? Not to mention the fact that he's shadowed by security officers twenty-four-by-seven.'

  'There's sense in that,' Wilkes said. 'So, tell us what this Brooks guy had to say for himself.'

  'He's a smart-arsed bastard sir, that's one thing I can tell you. I had to restrain myself from shoving his teeth down his throat.'

  'You're not allowed to do that nowadays,' Frank said, 'more's the pity.'

  Burnside laughed. 'Yeah, exactly Frank. Anyway, I think he's another one with alibis that are going to stack up. When I said I was questioning him in connection with the murders, he just lounged back in his chair and laughed at me. Arrogant little shit. Then I asked him about the dinner, what it was all about and everything. He said it was just an innocent dinner with a few colleagues.'

  'That's the party line,' Maggie said. 'We've heard that one before.'

  'Sure, but anyway I told him I didn't believe that for a minute, and that I was quite happy to let him stew until he came up with something better. So finally, he spins a line that they were just trying to shore up the case against Alzahrani. He said that he had been invited along to give advice because they were worried she might try and pull some human rights stunt, and he's an expert in that field. Khan was there to offer his opinion on the recognition evidence, to see if it would stack up.'

  'Did he say anything about me?' Maggie asked quietly. 'That the CPS had steered the case towards a less experience barrister?'

  'No, he didn't. Neither of them did.'

  'And did you believe their accounts?' Wilkes asked.

  'Well, I don't know sir. It's all a bit irregular perhaps, but I can't see anything illegal about it at first glance. Although it's probably not something they would want to widely advertise, you know, trying to manipulate the outcome of a trial and all that.'

  'The CPS are doing that every other day of the week,' Wilkes said bitterly. 'You know what, this is all nonsense. The whole thing.' His outburst was as unexpected as it was definitive. 'Pure unadulterated nonsense.'

  'Sir?' Jill Smart could not hide her surprise.

  'I've been a copper thirty years and believe me, I recognise a heap of dung when I see it. Whatever was being plotted at that dinner was serious enough for three people to be killed. Three people, for god's sake. This story that Brooks and Saddleworth are spinning just doesn't stack up. No way. There's something massive buried in here, I can feel it.'

  He drummed his fingers on the table, his lips pursed in thought. Finally he spoke.

  'Look, this is in danger of getting out of control and making us look mugs. Jill, I want you to take charge of the case with immediate effect. I assume you'll want DI Stewart and DI Burnside on the team, and you've got a free hand to draft in any officers you need. I want a result on this and I want it fast, do you understand?'

  Maggie could see Jill struggling to conceal her pleasure at this turn of events. 'Yes sir, I'll get on to it right away.' DCI Colin Barker didn't look quite so delighted. He tried to mount a rearguard action.

  'Sir, I assuming that DCI Smart will be under my command?'

  The response was brutal. 'You assume incorrectly Colin. Come and see me at my office tomorrow and we'll have a chat about your future.' Code for you're finished.

  Frank didn't try to hide his triumph. 'You'd better learn how to use that parking ticket machine Colin. Nice wee steady job that, gets you out in the fresh air. Good for the complexion.'

  Maggie sat quietly at the far end of the table, her body surging with adrenalin, her mind racing. It was the words that DCI Wilkes had used that had triggered the thought. He was right, the story didn't stack up. Whatever was being plotted at that dinner was serious enough for three people to be killed. Three people. And as the fog blew away, she could see it all too clearly. She didn't know why and she didn't know how, but she had never been more certain about anything in her life.

  Because that dinner hadn't been about making sure Dena Alzahrani got convicted. No way. It was about making sure she got freed. And that was a secret you would kill for.

  Chapter 27

  It had taken all Jimmy's considerable powers of persuasion to set up the meeting with Reed Prentice. Whilst it was relatively straightforward to sweet-talk the receptionist into putting him through to the senior partner, using a combination of charm and what he imagined was his commanding voice, Lily Hart proved a tougher nut to crack. The mention of the Miner's Emphysema Trust caused an instant transformation in her demeanour, and she became at once both guarded and taciturn. Only when Jimmy mentioned, in desperation, that he was working as an agent of the Metropolitan Police did her mood soften and after some hesitation she agreed to a meeting - 'but only twenty minutes, and I can't fit you in until four-thirty.' That was good enough.

  The journey to Leeds passed without incident, and two hours later Jimmy was leaving behind the bustling and impr
essively restored art-deco station. On the phone, she had assured him that their office was only ten minutes from the station, but Lily Hart's estimate had been optimistic to say the least, and it took nearly half an hour at a brisk pace to reach the offices of the accountants. Reed Prentice & Partners occupied a tastefully converted former rectory located on a leafy street on the edge of the university campus. On arrival, an efficient elderly receptionist ushered him through to a small meeting room, took his order for coffee, and with a brisk 'Mrs Hart will be with you in a few minutes,' retreated.

  Hart was not at all what he had imagined. From her voice, he had pictured her as short, plump and dowdy, dressed in an old-fashioned knitted two-piece. In fact she was tall, slim and rather attractive. She looked around forty, wearing a crisp white tailored blouse and navy pencil skirt which accentuated a nice figure. Her hair was blond, probably natural he thought, with just a hint of grey beginning to show through. She exuded the cool and confident aura of a woman at the top of her game.

  'Look I'm sorry Mr Stewart...' she began.

  'Jimmy, please...'

  'Jimmy, and I'm Lily... yes, so I'm really short of time so I hope you don't think I'm rude but I can only spare twenty minutes or so.'

  Jimmy gave her his maximum-charm smile. 'I totally understand and it's great that you could see me and so quickly. As I mentioned on the phone, we're interested in what Penelope White was investigating around the Miners Trust affair. We wanted to ask you what you know. I believe you've found out something about it.'

  She looked at him warily. 'You said on the phone you were with the Metropolitan Police.' This could be awkward, he thought.

  'So Lily, I'm not exactly with the Met, but we - that's my firm, Bainbridge Associates - are working on a divorce case that's kind of transformed itself into a murder case, which is how the police got involved. Saddleworth verses Saddleworth, that's the divorce case. Gerrard Saddleworth, the Home Secretary. It's the wife Olivia who's seeking the divorce.'