Murder in Room 346

by Phillip Strang

  ‘Bonuses?’

  ‘One or other of the women.’

  ‘Helen?’

  ‘She was promised, but two days later, she’s out of here. Daisy’s left, the poor substitute.’

  ‘After Aberman left, what happened?’

  ‘Not a lot. I was told Aberman had signed over the clubs, but for some reason, the house stayed in his name. That’s the honest truth. Whatever happened, we don’t know.’

  ‘But you heard rumours?’

  ‘There’s always rumours, but me and Gus, we didn’t give much credence to them.’

  ‘What were they?’

  ‘Helen had negotiated on Aberman’s behalf, and for whatever reason, they agreed to the deal. And then two days later, Helen left the club. The word is that he’s gone overseas, but I can’t buy that. For one thing, the man’s got a house and a lifestyle. And where overseas? That would need money, and Aberman, even if he was nothing else, was an Englishman. He had no connections overseas we knew of.’

  ‘Is this just you two, or are there others who doubt the story?’

  ‘We live on the edge, you know that, DCI. People come, people go. We don’t have the luxury of asking too many questions, otherwise…’

  ‘You disappear.’

  ‘Aberman’s not around, the club’s still open. That’s all we know.’

  ‘You weren’t surprised about Aberman’s garden.’

  ‘One night, a couple of years back, one of the lender’s heavies is in here. He’s had a few to drink. We know we need to look after him, so we bring him into the office. He wants to drink. We join in. He starts drifting in and out of consciousness. He starts talking, tells us about Aberman.’

  ‘What did he say?’

  ‘We’re just making conversation, not trying to pry.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘The heavy, he’s an ugly man, goes by the name of Pete. He says Aberman’s pushing up daisies.’

  ‘He’s dead.’

  ‘That’s what we thought he meant, and he said afterwards it wasn’t daisies, it was a bush of some description. He didn’t say what type, probably didn’t know.’

  ‘Did you think it was Aberman’s garden?’

  ‘Only when you mentioned the body. Anyway, the man fell asleep, and the next morning, when he woke up, he didn’t remember the night before. What was on top of the body?’

  ‘A bush,’ Isaac said.

  ‘We’ve been honest with you two,’ Knox said. ‘Now, give us a break and don’t ask us to repeat what we’ve just told you in a court of law.’

  ***

  Graham Picket, the pathologist, a taciturn man, never appreciated having Isaac in his office, and now he had the full ensemble: Isaac, Larry, Wendy, and Gordon Windsor.

  ‘What is it with you, DCI?’ Picket said. ‘I have the body for two hours, and you’re bashing my door down for an answer. Your sergeant has brought me the dental records of a Ben Aberman.’

  ‘Confirmed?’ Isaac asked.

  ‘I’ll need longer to conduct a full autopsy, but the body, what’s left of it, and the dental records match. If you go away, then I’m willing to state that the body in my care is that of Ben Aberman.’

  ‘Thank you. A full report as soon as possible,’ Isaac said.

  With the confirmation the team had expected, the investigation had taken a different direction. Initially, it had been about a man and a woman naked and dead in a hotel. Then there was a prostitute, a former friend of the dead woman, who had died, and now a club owner, which indicated that organised crime was involved.

  ‘It’s not over,’ Isaac said. Back in the office at Challis Street, the team were focussing on the situation. They were all fired up, ready to discuss the case and to get back out on the road, when the booming voice of their superintendent interrupted them.

  ‘They’re piling up again, DCI,’ Seth Caddick said.

  ‘It’s under control,’ Isaac said.

  ‘You must be joking. Maybe I should come down here and give you a hand.’

  ‘If you do, sir, I’ll register a complaint.’

  ‘Suit yourself. Remember the disciplinary hearing’s next week.’

  ‘I’ve not forgotten,’ Isaac said.

  And with that, the obnoxious Caddick left.

  ‘He’s baiting you, sir,’ Wendy said.

  ‘And doing a good job,’ Isaac replied. ‘Ignore the man and ignore what could happen. We need to focus on what we have. Larry, an update from you.’

  ‘So far, our focus has been on Helen Langdon, not James Holden.’

  ‘Is there a point?’

  ‘Purely conjecture. Helen Langdon, the sinner redeemed, is looking increasingly suspect. And why Daisy? The woman left the club a long time ago, and she was only murdered after Helen. And what is this control that Helen has over Aberman’s murderer?’

  ‘She must have known he was buried in the garden,’ Wendy said.

  ‘A logical deduction. And how does she pull this off, this subterfuge? She came from an average family, average education, and, apart from her looks, she seems to be able to control whoever.’

  ‘Men with their tongues hanging out,’ Bridget said.

  ‘Not so flippant as it sounds,’ Isaac said. ‘She’s able to control men by her sexuality, but she doesn’t give in. Apart from Aberman, we’ve found no other behaviour unbecoming of the woman. Are we sure that Helen and Aberman were sleeping together?’

  ‘That’s what we’ve been told,’ Wendy said.

  ‘But no proof. We know she married Adamant, and that was consummated, and there’s a clear indication she had had sex with Holden, but no proof with Aberman. And if the man’s killed, did she know, did she agree? She has his house, it’s empty, and she could have moved in, but she didn’t. Why not? All the bills have been paid, and she even had a debit card for the incidentals.’

  ‘What about the solicitor who was looking after it for Aberman? He must have some correspondence with whoever’s paying the money. If it’s not Aberman, then who and why?’

  ‘We’re ruffling the feathers of some serious criminal figures,’ Larry said.

  ‘How do we get to them?’

  ‘Knox mentioned Ugly Pete.’

  ‘How do we find him?’

  ‘I’ll use my contacts,’ Larry said.

  ‘Fine, you follow up on him. Wendy, see what you can find out about Aberman and Helen. See if anyone is certain of their relationship, or whether it’s just smoke and mirrors, and if it is, why? Bridget, do some research into Aberman’s solicitor.’

  Chapter 15

  Nicholas Slater, the senior partner at the legal firm that Aberman had used, was not in a good mood when Isaac and Wendy entered his premises. ‘I’m severely embarrassed,’ he said.

  ‘Your client does not appear to be Ben Aberman, does it?’

  ‘I have carried out my duties meticulously.’

  ‘Let’s go back to when you took over the responsibility for the Aberman house,’ Isaac said.

  ‘Mr Aberman has entrusted me with his legal work for many years.’

  ‘You’ve met him?’

  ‘A long time ago. I knew his wife as well. I only visited his clubs the one time when there was a dispute over an alcohol licence.’

  ‘Mr Slater, there are serious concerns regarding your propriety. When you visited the club, was Helen Langdon on the stage?’

  ‘Aberman introduced me to a woman once. It was probably her.’

  ‘How can you be unsure? The woman’s picture has been in the newspapers, on the television.’

  ‘Okay, it was Helen.’

  Slater phoned for his receptionist to bring in refreshments. After the tea had been delivered, Slater spoke. ‘Ben Aberman was a friend. We had known each other for many years, and I dealt with all his legal work. In the last couple of years, before he disappeared, he had become more erratic.’

  ‘Any reason why?’

  ‘Aberman was interested in expanding. He had split from his wife, a calming influ
ence, and he was enjoying the freedom.’

  ‘The women in the club?’ Wendy said.

  ‘Yes. Before that, he had regarded the clubs as places to make money, but there he is, early fifties, recently separated, and in a harem.’

  ‘Helen Langdon?’

  ‘Ben, he wants to make his mark. He makes contact with some people who’ll help him out. I advised him against it, but he wasn’t listening.’

  ‘Can you prove your objection?’

  ‘It’s on file. Ben agreed to take the money from these people. I wasn’t involved.’

  ‘Did you see the paperwork?’

  ‘There wasn’t any. He was dealing with gangsters. They lent the money, you paid them back with interest, or they’d come and take it with force.’

  ‘Aberman’s got the money. He’s done his homework. Why then, does he get into financial trouble?’

  ‘He had lined up the purchase of another club, paid money upfront, and then the deal collapsed. Ben was frantic. He’s down fifty thousand pounds, the lenders are after him, and he can’t pay.’

  ‘How do you know this?’

  ‘He asked me to get him out of trouble.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I advised bankruptcy as the final solution, or to just walk away from the clubs, but Ben, he wasn’t listening.’

  ‘Bankruptcy wouldn’t have been an option. The people he was dealing with would have still wanted the money.’

  ‘I’ve always suspected the premises Ben had been looking at belonged to those who had lent him the money. They forced him into trouble, knowing full well that Dixey and the other clubs were cash cows.’

  ‘Cash cows?’ Wendy said.

  ‘It’s a financial term,’ Isaac said. ‘The clubs have been set up, and they’re making a profit. All the gangsters need to do is to maintain the business and cream off as much money as they can. Aberman did the hard work, they reap the rewards.’

  Ben, he was a fool,’ Slater said. ‘He decided to take them on.’

  ‘You know a lot about this.’

  ‘Ben’s a friend. I advised him to prepare to leave the country. He was still not listening, but at least he was willing to consider my suggestion.’

  ‘And when he disappeared?’

  ‘I assumed he’d left the country. I already had access to one of his accounts. Out of friendship, I looked after the house for him.’

  ‘That still doesn’t explain Helen Langdon or the house being empty.’

  ‘Helen, she’s Ben’s woman. Two weeks after my last contact with him, she entered this office. She was upset.’

  ‘Why are you telling us this now?’ Isaac asked.

  ‘The situation is dangerous. Finding his body will only open old wounds. You’re becoming involved in something dangerous. I hope you’re prepared.’

  ‘Are you?’

  ‘I’m not sure I can be.’

  ‘Continue,’ Isaac said.

  ‘The woman was not sure what to do. She told me this story about Ben, and how he’d got himself out of trouble by signing over the clubs, and she was going to look after the house for him.’’

  ‘The money on her debit card?’

  ‘That’s covered. I asked her where Aberman is. She told me it would be best if I don’t ask. Only that Ben’s fine, and he’ll be back one day.’

  ‘Were you suspicious?’

  ‘Ben always had a sense of the dramatic. After one year, more or less, the relationship with Helen is working fine. The house is empty, the woman is paying regular visits, and there’s nothing more for me to do. I’ve other clients, and I gave little thought to Aberman.’

  ‘Until?’ Isaac said.

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Slater said.

  ‘There’s always an “until”. You wouldn’t be opening up to us unless there was a reason. You told us you didn’t know Helen Langdon before, that you’d never met her.’

  ‘Occasionally, Helen would phone me up.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘She wanted to let me know that she was still around, and any attempt by me to enter the house would be met with retribution.’

  ‘She knew what was in the house,’ Wendy said.

  ‘If she knew, then you did,’ Isaac said to Slater.

  ‘I did not. It was an unusual request, but I complied.’

  ‘But the man was a friend who walked on the wild side. You must have been suspicious.’

  ‘I was.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘Several weeks ago, I was near to the house. I had a key in my pocket. It was an overcast day, and there was no one in the street. I took the opportunity to look around the house.’

  ‘What did you find?’

  ‘Nothing. It was not in good condition, and there was dust everywhere. I stayed about ten minutes and left.’

  ‘No one saw you?’

  ‘The old lady next door saw me leaving.’

  ‘Did she talk to you?’

  ‘No. I was too far away, but Mrs Hawthorne, she knew who I was. Before her husband died, I used to do some legal work for him.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘Nothing for a few days, and then Helen phoned me. She’s angry, telling me I’d violated her trust, and our relationship would be severed forthwith.’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘Nothing. She hung up, and that was the last time I heard from her.’

  ‘And when she ended up dead with James Holden?’

  ‘I recognised her, knew her death was probably related to Ben Aberman. I was scared, not sure what to do.’

  ‘Why was she killed?’

  ‘She must have known that Ben Aberman was dead. But in all the years, she never dropped her guard.’

  ‘What about the four years she was in jail?’

  ‘I still received email correspondence.’

  ‘Not from jail you wouldn’t. Slater, you know more than you’re telling us,’ Isaac said. ‘Unless you start giving us the truth, we’ll be suspicious of you. You’re too close to the action, maybe you killed Aberman. Maybe you’re involved with these gangsters.’

  ‘I’m innocent, believe me, but those that killed Aberman, they’re dangerous. If they know I’ve been talking to…’

  ‘They’ll have you killed?’

  ‘Yes. Even now, they’re watching me.’

  ‘Why would they be watching you? Apart from the one visit to the house, you’ve acted correctly.’

  ‘I don’t know why, and that’s what frightens me. Helen, she could tough it out, but not me.’

  ‘We’ve been told of a heavy who goes by the name of Pete. Any ideas?’

  ‘I received a phone call,’ Slater said.

  ‘When?’

  ‘Two days ago.’

  ‘What did the person say?’

  ‘I don’t know who he was, only that he told me to be careful in what I said to you. I told him I knew nothing, but he didn’t believe me.’

  ‘Neither do we,’ Larry said. ‘You went into the house, you were curious, suspected something. I put it to you, Mr Slater, that you’ve always known Aberman to be dead and buried in that garden. Were you one of those at the house the night he died? Was it you who cleaned the house afterwards? And who was it who dug the hole in the garden? And who are the people who threatened the man and let Helen have the house, and why?’

  ‘Helen, she was two-timing Aberman.’

  ‘With who?’

  There was a sound of shattering glass, a spray of blood, and Slater collapsed forward on his desk.

  ‘He’s been shot!’ Isaac said. Both police officers moved from where they were and took shelter to one side of the window. Slater’s receptionist opened the door on hearing the noise – another shot, and she collapsed to the ground.

  Larry dropped to the floor and crawled over to where she was. He gently lifted her head. ‘She’s dead,’ he said.

  Isaac was on the phone, calling for backup. Wendy was on the way, as were Gordon Windsor and
Caddick. The situation was dangerous. A quick glance by Isaac had shown a rooftop on the other side of the road. He couldn’t see anyone there.

  A phone call. Isaac answered. ‘Specialist Firearms Command here. What’s the situation?’

  ‘Two dead. We’ll try and move out of the line of sight.’

  ‘Fifteen minutes, stay alive.’

  ‘Slater knew the full story,’ Larry said from his position on the ground next to the dead woman. ‘She opened the door at the wrong time.’

  Forty minutes later, the all-clear. ‘No one up there,’ the leader of the specialist firearms team said. ‘A difficult shot, not sure I could have made it.’

  Inside Slater’s office were a team of medics, not that they could do much. Slater had been shot in the back of the head, his receptionist in the front.

  ‘Nasty,’ Caddick said as he entered the crime scene.

  ‘Slater was about to tell us who had killed Aberman.’

  ‘Out of here, everyone,’ Gordon Windsor said. ‘Isaac, you’ve got a right mess here. We’ll need time on this one.’

  Outside the building there was an ambulance; a medic checked out Isaac and Larry. Apart from shock and their clothes being covered in blood and shattered glass, they were declared fit.

  ‘What’s happened here?’ Caddick asked.

  ‘The man was covering for Aberman’s murderers. He was about to give us a name.’

  ‘The woman?’

  ‘We think she was innocent. She’s only worked for Slater for a few months.’

  ‘Where to from here?’

  ‘Apart from a shower and a change, we’ve another possibility.’

  ‘Not for me to comment under the circumstances,’ Caddick said, ‘other than to say we’re all pleased that you both are alive.’

  ‘Thank you, sir,’ Isaac said.

  Caddick left, Wendy came over. ‘We’re dealing with dangerous people,’ she said.

  ‘Larry and I need two hours. We’ll meet in the office, go over what we’ve got. Windsor can keep us updated, although we were there, we know what happened.’

  ‘We need a name,’ Larry said.

  ‘Whoever they are, they’re watching.’

  ‘But why Aberman’s garden? If they had killed him somewhere else, even thrown him overboard out at sea, we wouldn’t be investigating his murder.’