Murder in Room 346

by Phillip Strang

  The three police officers kitted themselves up in overalls, foot protectors, and gloves. They proceeded around to the back of the house. In the far corner of the garden were a crime scene tent and Gordon Windsor. ‘There are another couple of places to check. We were lucky with this one.’

  ‘Not so lucky for the man in the hole,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Any sign of how he died?’ Isaac asked.

  ‘Bullet in the head, the hole’s clearly visible,’ Windsor said.

  ‘What was it wearing?’

  ‘A shirt. A pair of trousers, no shoes. He’s laid out straight.’

  ‘Are you saying they gave him a proper burial.’

  ‘No. Whoever put him in that hole wanted to make sure he’d not be discovered. It’s a deep hole, at least four feet. Normally, someone would just scrape off the topsoil and bury him, but not with this one.’

  ‘Eventually the body would have been discovered,’ Larry said.

  ‘Would it?’ Windsor said. ‘That’s not an assumption I’d make. He’s buried under a compost heap, next to a fast-growing bush, plenty of roots. In time the body would have decayed into the soil.’

  ‘Why in this garden?’ Isaac said. ‘There must be better places to bury a body.’

  ‘It depends where the man was murdered. We’re going through the house now. Nothing yet, and after so many years, and especially if someone’s attempted to clean up, we may not find much.’

  ‘Check for Helen Langdon’s prints in the house.’

  ‘We know what we’re doing.’

  ‘It’s not looking good for the woman,’ Wendy said.

  ‘We’ll go and have a conversation with the lady next door,’ Isaac said.

  ‘It’ll be best if I go alone. An old woman might feel intimidated by you two.’

  ‘Very well, you deal with it. Larry and I, we’ll stay here, see what else they discover.’

  ***

  Wendy knew it was better for her to talk to the next-door neighbour, a softly spoken woman. In her house, not as grand as Aberman’s but still impressive, Wendy took a seat in the kitchen. ‘What can you tell me about Mr Aberman?’

  ‘He was a good neighbour, although I only saw him on weekends. The woman who used to come here was always polite.’

  ‘Are you shocked by what we’ve found in Mr Aberman’s back garden?’

  ‘I don’t know what to think. I’ve lived here for a long time, and it’s the first time anything like this has happened.’

  ‘It takes time to digest. Mrs Hawthorne, Ben Aberman had a dubious background.’

  ‘Not Mr Aberman?’

  ‘Your Mr Aberman was involved with criminals. The woman who visited you, she used to perform in one of his clubs. She was Aberman’s girlfriend.’

  ‘I never saw her at any of the parties.’

  ‘Tell me about these parties,’ Wendy said.

  ‘They were loud, and sometimes they went on late.’

  ‘You didn’t complain?’

  ‘I liked them. Some of the others around here would phone the police, but I used to watch from an upstairs window.’

  ‘Did Mr Aberman know?’

  ‘I told him once. He thought it was hilarious, invited me over the next time they had one, but that never happened.’

  ‘He disappeared?’

  ‘I thought he’d gone overseas, and then his friend turns up and asks me to keep an eye on the place.’

  ‘I need you to think back to the last time you saw Mr Aberman. Is that possible?’

  ‘He arrived at the house with some other men. I waved to him, but he didn’t see me.’

  ‘Anything else? The car they arrived in, the other men?’

  ‘The car, it was black. It looked expensive, but I don’t know what it was. I remember it being there for a long time, overnight, but there was no noise.’

  ‘Did anyone go out into the garden at the back? You’ve seen where the crime scene investigators are.’

  ‘Two men were digging a hole. I thought it was strange, but then, I’d seen the parties.’

  ‘These parties, risqué?’

  ‘Oh, yes. I’m not a prude. Some of the others in the area are, but I wasn’t worried if they ran around half-naked.’

  ‘What were they doing?’

  ‘I was young once. I could only envy them.’

  ‘The sort of things you wouldn’t want a child to see?’

  ‘I’m the only one who can see over the fence. Mr Aberman had good privacy, but my room upstairs can see right over. Some of them at the party, well, later on, they’re on the grass.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘You know.’

  ‘Indulging in sexual intercourse?’

  ‘We used to call it screwing, but I suppose you’re the police. You have to use the official term, make it sound dirty.’

  ‘We use your word, but I thought you’d be offended.’

  ‘My husband and I, we were broadminded.’

  Wendy looked at the old woman, a gentle and kind soul, who had her family photos lined up on a table in the sitting room, a woman who treasured her knick-knacks, a woman who was not offended by the behaviour next door.

  ‘Tell me about the men digging?’

  ‘There’s not a lot I can tell you. It was dark, and I couldn’t really see them.’

  ‘Did they see you?’

  ‘Not me. I was careful to stay hidden. I get up in that room, the lights off, and I peer through a gap in the curtains. The two men, one was taller than the other, they didn’t say much, only stopped for a rest every fifteen minutes. I could see they both smoked.’

  ‘After they finished digging the hole?’

  ‘I fell asleep before then. It was boring.’

  ‘Did you fall asleep when they had the parties.’

  ‘Not then. I loved to watch.’

  ‘Mrs Hawthorne, you’re terrible. A woman your age,’ Wendy said, although it was said with humour.

  ‘The mind’s willing, even if the body isn’t.’

  ‘You said the car left in the morning.’

  ‘It wasn’t there, but it could have left during the night.’

  ‘Did you hear any noises, any names mentioned?’

  ‘Nothing, and my hearing’s fine.’

  ‘No gunshot?’

  ‘Nothing. Do you think the woman who came here knew there was a body in the garden?’

  ‘We don’t know.’

  ‘You could ask her. She gave me a phone number.’

  ‘She’ll not answer,’ Wendy said.

  ‘Any reason why?’

  ‘The woman you know has died. She’s been murdered.’

  ‘Such a nice person. What a shame.’

  ‘A shame, as you say.’

  ***

  With the recovered body from Aberman’s back garden with Pathology, the Homicide team gathered at Challis Street. Isaac was about to go through what they had so far when his phone rang.

  ‘Linda Holden. Can you come to my office?’

  ‘Is it important?’

  ‘Yes. I’ve found something,’ the woman said as she ended the phone call.

  ‘Larry, you better come with me,’ Isaac said. ‘Wendy, can you focus on finding any relatives of Ben Aberman. Bridget, whatever you can.’

  ‘Aberman was divorced,’ Bridget said. ‘Wendy could try there first. I’ve got an address for the ex-wife, no idea what sort of reception she’ll receive.’

  ‘I can handle myself,’ Wendy said.

  ‘You know what we want. We’ll go and see what Linda Holden has, and then we’ll swing by the Dixey Club, see what Knox and Gus have to say for themselves.’

  ‘You should take Aberman’s neighbour. She’d love it,’ Wendy said.

  ‘More than me,’ Isaac said.

  The two police officers arrived at Linda Holden’s office. The place was almost empty.

  ‘We’ve had to let most of them go,’ Linda said on their entering.

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘We
survive mainly on benefactors, some wealthy, some through donations on our website, but with all the negative publicity, we’re not bringing in enough money. Another month and we’ll close the door.’

  ‘Your mother?’ Larry asked.

  ‘She’s confused as to what’s happened. The Daisy woman, what about her?’

  ‘Your father met her on an occasional basis. Their relationship was purely commercial.’

  ‘But not with Helen?’

  ‘That’s what we’ve always believed. Helen, whatever else she was, was not a common prostitute.’

  ‘Our father was obsessed with her. He was even considering leaving our mother.’

  ‘You have proof?’

  ‘I found some letters from him to her. I don’t know if he sent them, and if he did, then why are they in this office?’

  ‘Why are you telling us?’ Isaac said.

  ‘I’m closing this place down. I don’t want any loose ends.’

  ‘I thought your father’s work was important.’

  ‘Have you turned on the television lately?’

  ‘Your father’s no longer seen as the beacon of morality.’

  ‘That’s why I’m showing you these letters. They may help to explain my father’s behaviour, they may not.’

  ‘Your brother?’

  ‘He’s still angry. Although I think he’s over the worst of it. He had been in love with Helen.’

  ‘He could have killed her and your father?’

  ‘If my brother had seen these letters, he would have been angry enough to do something.’

  The truth is always the best approach,’ Isaac said.

  Larry took one of the letters and glanced through it. ‘Not unusual for a man as he’s getting older, the need to relive his youth, but, as you say, it was more than love.’

  ‘That’s Helen, isn’t it? She has this power over men.’ Linda said.

  ‘Have you ever heard of a Ben Aberman?’ Isaac said.

  ‘Should I?’

  ‘It’s before Helen’s time in prison. The man goes back to when she was performing. He was the owner of the club.’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘We found a body in the back garden of his house. It had a bullet wound in the head.’

  ‘Do you suspect the same person killed my father and Helen?’ Linda said.

  ‘There’s a few years between the deaths. Up until the last few weeks, Helen had been paying regular visits to the house,’ Isaac said.

  ‘Did anyone know Helen? Do you think she killed her husband?’ Linda said.

  ‘Our primary focus is her death, not who she may have killed. Adamant treated her well. Even his children and they were older than her, treated her with respect.’

  ‘Then maybe my father had no chance.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Isaac said. John Holden concerned him, and his sister had been right. The letters which Isaac now had in his pocket could have tipped James Holden’s son over the edge from insanely jealous to vengeful and violent.

  Chapter 14

  ‘Christine Aberman?’ Wendy said at the door of a smart terrace house in Chelsea.

  ‘If it’s about Ben, it’s been years since I’ve seen him.’

  ‘Sergeant Wendy Gladstone, Challis Street Police Station. I’ve a few questions.’

  ‘Come in. You’ll have to mind the house, we’ve got the painters in.’

  ‘We?’ Wendy said.

  ‘My husband and I.’

  ‘You’ve remarried?’

  ‘Two years ago. A good man, more than I can say of Ben. I’ve kept his surname, though.’

  ‘What did you know about your husband’s business?’

  ‘He ran some clubs, downmarket, sleazy.’

  ‘Did it concern you?’

  ‘No, should it?’

  ‘Have you been to the clubs?’

  ‘Never. He wanted me to go, to see where he made his money, but watching vacuous women gyrating around on a stage does nothing for me.’

  ‘When did you divorce your husband?’

  ‘Ten, maybe eleven years. The marriage had slowly been going downhill, and then he was staying away of a night every week or so. I smelt a rat.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I confronted him. He admitted he’d been fooling around, and that was that: no drama, no hysterics, no accusing the other. We phoned up a solicitor friend of ours. He came over to the house, dealt with all the paperwork. This house was part of the settlement.’

  ‘It’s very nice.’

  ‘I know it is, and now my new husband is here with me.’

  ‘What does he do?’

  ‘Bank manager. It’s not very glamorous, and it doesn’t pay much, but that’s not the point, is it?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘He’s reliable, he treats me well, and he doesn’t cheat on me.’

  ‘Did you ever meet a Helen or a Daisy?’

  ‘I never met any of his women, and besides, what’s this about?’

  ‘Your husband’s house in the country. We’ve found a body in the back garden.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘You don’t seem concerned.’

  ‘My husband mixed with some unsavoury characters. If there’s a body at the house, I’d not be surprised. Is it Ben?’

  ‘We’ll need to conduct further tests.’

  ‘What do you want from me?’

  ‘Dental records, or somewhere we can obtain them. Also, DNA.’

  ‘I can give you the name of a dentist he used to use.’

  ‘A photo?’

  ‘It’s a few years old.’

  ***

  The Dixey Club with the lights on and in the middle of the day was not the same as Isaac and Larry had seen it previously. It was still too early for the women to be on the premises, although the manager, Barry Knox, was, as was his heavy, Gus.

  ‘What do you want?’ Gus said.

  ‘Knox here?’ Isaac said.

  ‘He’s busy unless you’ve got a warrant.’

  ‘I’ve got a police car outside. It wouldn’t take much to get a few uniforms to haul you off to the police station, let you cool your heels for a few hours.’

  ‘On what charge?’

  ‘Letting minors in, selling drugs.’

  ‘I’ve not done that.’

  ‘If you haven’t, then you’re the only door manager in the area who hasn’t. We could always give you a strip search, check out where you live.’

  ‘Okay, you’ve made your point. I’ll get Knox for you.’

  ‘Bit tough there,’ Larry said.

  ‘We need to put the pressure on these two. Knox knows something, and Gus, he’s the guy who does the dirty work.’

  After a few minutes, long enough for Isaac and Larry to look around the place, Barry Knox emerged. ‘I’ve got a busy workload. Is this important?’

  ‘The parties at Aberman’s, did you ever attend?’

  ‘What did I tell you last time?’

  ‘Last time, you were playing us for suckers. We can either talk here or down at Challis Street. Which do you prefer?’

  ‘We’ve done nothing wrong. We have all the licences in place.’

  ‘What about the bed at the back? Is it licensed? What do you do with the video of the men with your women on the bed? Share it amongst your friends, indulge in a little blackmail?’

  ‘The camera is for security. The bed is for first aid. We’ve been through this before. If you’re trying to wind me up, you’re wasting your time.’

  ‘I could have you for half a dozen violations. What I want to know is why you and Gus were in Aberman’s garden digging a hole late at night.’

  ‘Are you serious? I’d been to his parties a few times, but it wasn’t for gardening.’

  ‘Cocaine, women, alcohol?’

  ‘Why not? Aberman may have had his faults, but the man knew how to live, and he used to get some classy women there.’

  ‘And the women were available?’

  ‘That
’s why they were there.’

  ‘Our crime scene investigation team have found a body buried in Aberman’s garden. We also know two men dug the grave. One was short, looked like a weasel. The other one was tall, heavily-built, similar to a wrestler. Sound familiar?’

  ‘You can’t go insulting me like that,’ Knox said.

  ‘I can and I will until you start talking. Helen, was she ever at one of those parties?’

  ‘I saw her there once, but she didn’t take part. I told you before, she was strictly in the club as eye candy. She’d get the money from the men, and then Daisy and the other women would go in for the kill. Helen, she was Aberman’s woman, and if anyone touched her, he’d have Gus take him out the back door.’

  ‘A severe beating?’

  ‘They’d not come back here again,’ Gus said.

  ‘Let’s come back to what we were talking about,’ Larry said. ‘Ben Aberman has these parties. They’re wild, and there’s plenty of wrongdoing, but we’re not interested in any of that. We’re interested in why a body is buried in his garden. Now, the question once again. Did you two bury the man?’

  ‘It wasn’t us.’

  ‘But you know who it was.’

  ‘Gus,’ Knox looked over at the heavy, ‘it’s up to you. What do you reckon?’

  ‘I’m not going to jail for something I didn’t do.’

  ‘Do you want to tell us down at Challis Street or are you going to give us a statement here?’

  ‘Okay, Cook,’ Knox said. ‘Here’s what we know. Ben Aberman, he’s a good operator, making good money, but he flies close to the wind, takes a few chances. He’s keen to open two more clubs, but he needs money, and you’ve seen his house. Not the sort of place that a few clubs such as Dixey’s will get you. The man borrows to maintain his expansion plans, his lifestyle. His parties are notorious, and he foots the bill, and the whores don’t come cheap. He’s over-extended, the lenders are calling in the money. Aberman’s panicking, borrowing here and there, wherever he can. Eventually, he runs out of time, and the lenders come in here and take him.’

  ‘Gus?’ Isaac said.

  ‘I’m only the hired help. The people who came here scared me. They were really mean. I act tough, but I’m not about to kill anyone.’

  ‘Carry on, Knox.’

  ‘I’m brought in as the replacement manager of this club, plenty of money, some bonuses.’