As arranged, Robert used Sunday afternoon to introduce
Gloria to the ins and out of meat selling. The morning had been taken up by jet
lag. Gloria’s life was all mixed up, she said. Mine too, Cleo had replied.
Cleo thought she meant something else, but Robert was
definitely into getting his sleep. He did not even comment again on Gary’s
presence at the airport.
“Take a sedative,
Mother,” Cleo had advised.
“Can I borrow one?”
“Take a double whisky, Gloria,” Robert had advised.
“I’ll go for a walk,” Gloria said.
“Give my love to Jay, if you bump into him,” Cleo had said.
“On second thoughts…”Gloria was so excited by the prospect
of having a new job to go to that she had forgotten why she was in Upper
Grumpsfield.
***
Somehow, Gloria got through the night, a fried breakfast
with Robert, and a snack lunch two hours later. Cleo had switched on her laptop
and pretended to be busy catching up on reports. Dialogue with Gloria was
virtually impossible, but Robert seemed to be ‘getting along just fine’.
***
When Gloria and Robert had at last left for the shop, Cleo
phoned Gary, just to hear his voice. A quiet afternoon would be good for her,
she mused. Gary had the courage to tell Cleo that he was nervous about
confronting Magda the following morning after she had to all intents and
purposes won the previous round. He was also sceptical about the wisdom of
questioning the Kellys together again without actually having more evidence on
which to base his tactics. Could he pin either of them down far enough to
charge them with anything? What did Cleo think?
“I’d like to be there, Gary,” she said.
“I’m worried about her cracking jokes about us, Cleo, or
about making coarse remarks about your colour – and about our relationship.”
“I shouldn’t worry about that, Gary. I’m used to stupid
remarks and I hope you didn’t deny our affair. That’s the best way of
confirming something in the eyes of a harlot like Magda Kelly.”
Gary was sure that Magda Kelly would have nothing to add to
what she had said the previous day. On the other hand, getting them into his
office together after they had had time to sort out alibis and excuses might be
interesting.
Susceptible as he was
to innuendos about his love-life, Gary also misguidedly prided himself
on judging character and being able to tell if people were telling lies even if
they were interviewed together.
No two people could synchronize their answers completely
unless they had planned to, he maintained. Making identical statements or
agreeing with one another had more than once indicated guilt.
But it was unlikely that the Kellys would own up to setting
fire to the barn. Would they again claim that it was spontaneous combustion, or
had some tramp or other struck a match then scarpered? If so, where did the
tramp disappear to? Could they identify him?
***
Gary could not even have admitted to himself let alone to
Cleo was that he was desperate to make some sort of progress on the Burton case.
He was almost relying on the Kellys to plead guilty of the arson attack on
Burton's domicile.
Gary thought that they could expect mild treatment at court if
they provided helpful information about Burton, though he could not think of
anything that they could know, unless – and forensics had not yet matched the
bullet in Burton’s chest with a gun – Kelly had been jealous enough to take a
pot shot at the receding back of Burton. Although Gary knew - to his chagrin - more
about Magda after being exposed to her ‘charms’, Patrick Kelly was still an
unknown entity. Was he connected in any way with Burton except as his landlord?
***
“Are you serious about witnessing the interview, Cleo?” he
said.
“Sure.”
“Can you be in the office by nine thirty?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Just one thing, Cleo. Don’t bring your mother!”
“I won’t even have to find a reason not to. She’s starting
work as a butcher’s assistant tomorrow morning.”
“How did you wangle that?”
“It was Robert’s idea on the drive home and Gloria jumped at
it.”
“That will make more space for us, Cleo.”
“It will, won’t it? See you in the morning. Maybe we’ll have
time for lunch together.”
“Je t’aime, Cleo.”
“Moi aussi, Gary.”
***
On Monday morning Gloria departed for work early. Robert had
already left for the wholesaler’s, so Gloria even had a key of the shop and
could not wait to get there.
Cleo was early enough at HQ to ask a few questions about the
forthcoming interviews. She could contact Gary from the next office and watch
the ‘performance’ unseen.
Gary hoped he would not get everything wrong. Cleo wondered
why Gary was so insecure.
“Are you sure you want me listening in?” she asked him. “I
would not be offended if you asked me not to.”
“I want you here, Cleo,” he told her. “You may be able to
help. These guys are a bit out of the ordinary and unpredictable. It might come
to a showdown.”
“Do you want that to happen?”
“I may have to force it.”
“Awesome but dangerous, Gary.”
***
The Kellys were brought in. They were disgruntled and
resentful, which was understandable seeing as they had been parked in the
arrest cells overnight. Gary wasted no time in getting down to business.
"You let Mr Burton live in the old barn, didn't you, Mr
Kelly? Do you know how he made a living?"
"No."
"Didn't you know that he was a gem cutter?"
"No and he didn’t cut any stones in that barn."
“How do you know?”
“I’d have found the equipment, wouldn’t I?”
“So you went in when he was not there, did you?”
“It’s my property. I can go in whenever I want to.”
“It’s breaking and entering if the place is let to someone,
Mr Kelly.”
“I didn’t break nothing!” Kelly shouted. “And I did not make
a contract with him. He was only my guest.”
“Paying guest,” said Gary.
Kelly grunted as he was wont to do when he did not want to
reply.
“I didn’t say you broke anything, Mr Kelly. But you poked
around uninvited in someone else’s home, didn’t you?
Kelly grunted again. Gary decided that angle of questioning
was dead in the water, so he turned his attention to Magda.
***
"Did you know Burton was a gem cutter by trade, Mrs
Kelly?"
"Not really."
"How really?"
"He once had some funny pellets in a saucer and I asked
him what they were. He said they were for pigeon shooting, but what if they
were uncut diamonds? They didn’t look like pigeon pellets and one of them
glistened."
"Do you know what uncut diamonds look like?"
"No. But if that's what they were, why did he leave
them lying around."
"He probably wasn't expecting a visitor."
Paddy Kelly just glared at Magda. What if she had had sex
with Burton and kept the payment? He was still thinking about that when Magda
spoke again.
"Burton pocketed them fast when he saw I had seen them.
I wondered about that."
"You never told me any of that," said Kelly.
"You never asked me."
“When was that?”
“He’d used our washing machine and I’d taken him his stuff.
He invited me to have a drink. That’s all.”
Since it was highly unlikely that Magda Kelly would admit to
conducting her erotic trade on her own account, and certainly not with Burton,
Gary turned back to Paddy Kelly.
***
"Did you know that Burton was involved with Pamela
Norton, Mr Kelly?"
"Who is that?” said Kelly, who was obviously lying.
“She runs the Wellness Centre up the road from your farm, Mr
Kelly. He was spotted with her at the bistro. On request the proprietor let
them use the guestroom above the saloon."
“Do you mean Delilah? Nice body, that woman,” said Kelly,
getting his own back on Magda, Gary thought.
“That’s right, Mr Kelly.”
"I thought Pam had left the profession for good,"
said Magda.
“So you knew her, did you, Mrs Kelly?”
“She was one of the very posh ones. Wore French lingerie and
charged per night.”
“Did she now?” said Gary. “"So Burton was branching
out, you'd say, Mrs Kelly. Going up in the world."
"And I had thought…"
"That he loved you? Silly bitch, Magda,” Kelly
interpolated amused, and issued a curiously internal sort of chuckle .
***
Gary let them carry on with their own dialogue. Magda and
love? Magda realized that Kelly knew more that she thought but had dismissed
the idea as ridiculous. Hadn’t one condition of marriage been that she traded
herself for cash, but was a loyal wife.
Magda went on the defensive.
“You are a stupid bastard,” she told Kelly.
“Not stupider than a whore who doesn’t think she is one,”
retorted Kelly.
Gary wondered if Kelly loved Magda in some odd, elusive way.
She certainly despised him.
***
Kelly slumped in his chair and looked defeated. Gary decided
he was genuinely upset. What if Magda Kelly really had had genuine feelings for
Burton? She might have been telling the truth. The relationship could have been
genuine. Magda’s marriage was in her eyes entirely for her convenience and
based on her having a free hand in her dealings with men as long as Kelly could
enjoy some of the financial gain. Now it seemed that he really was jealous. The
contradictions in the horizontal trade never ceased to amaze Gary. He did not pour oil on troubled waters when he
said
"Did Burton pay you, Mrs Kelly?"
Kelly sat up straight. Magda's eyes narrowed. Her first
consideration was her own future. She would have to play the game these men
expected of her. She could not remember what she had told Gary at her chat
alone with him, so she decided to bluff her way through.
"For what? I did manage to pinch one of those little
pellets of his while his back was turned, but that wasn’t payment and he had
nothing to pay for. I was just quicker."
"You took one although you didn’t know what the pellets
were, did you?"
"Look Mister, Burton’s first reaction when he saw that
I’d seen them was too strong for them to be bits of gravel. That's what made me
take one."
"Have you still got it?"
"Maybe I have."
Gary picked up his mobile and connected with Chris.
"Look out for a small stone-like pellet. It might look
like a rhinestone," he told the forensic team over the phone. "It
could be in a jewellery case or some other small box hidden well out of sight. Mrs
Kelly hoped it was a diamond."
***
"Look here," said Magda. “I can't have the cops
rummaging in my things."
"Just tell me where you put it, then, Mrs Kelly."
"I can't remember."
Knowing that the forensic team would find it eventually, he
let the matter drop. It was an important link between Burton and Hatherton
because it proved that they knew one another.
"Anyway, why do you need it? Burton's dead. He won't
need it, even if it is valuable. And I more or less found it. It’s mine now.”
"That's not the point, Mrs Kelly."
"It is to me," said Kelly. "What the hell is
all this for, Inspector? Why are you dragging us into a murder case?"
"You were in it from the start and I think you know
why, Mr Kelly."
"Well, you're barking up the wrong tree. We are
innocent bystanders, aren't we, Magda?"
Magda nodded. This odd couple was in harmony for once.
"I'm glad to hear that. How well do you know Mr Gustave
Hatherton, Mr Kelly?"
“Who’s that?”
Magda frowned and her fingers twitched nervously.
"Didn't you meet him when he came to see Burton, Mr
Kelly?"
"No. I've never heard of him," was the reply.
"But surely….." started Gary.
Magda interrupted hurriedly. She had to say something to prevent
the inspector digging deeper.
"You remember, Paddy. He knocked on our door looking
for Burton. The smart guy with a briefcase."
Progress at last. Kelly could hardly deny that.
"Oh, you mean him. I didn't remember his name."
"Do you know what Hatherton does for a living, Mrs
Kelly?"
"No."
"Do you know, Mr Kelly?"
"No. Why should I?"
The Kellys were lying. Gary thought it possible that Hatherton
had encountered Magda unexpectedly when he was looking for Burton. You don’t
expect former prostitutes to appear at a farmhouse door.
"But you can ask him. I'll send for him."
***
Magda squirmed. Gary knew why. He did not think there had
been any male visitor to the farm previous to Burton's murder who had not been
intimate with Magda Kelly. He picked up his phone and pressed the connection to
security.
"Bring Hatherton up now," he told the guard.
Gary offered the Kellys coffee. They refused.
Presently Hatherton was brought in. He stopped in his tracks
when he saw Magda.
Gary introduced the Kellys formally as if they were all strangers
to one another.
***
"What did you do to Burton?" Kelly asked Hatherton.
Gary hadn't reckoned with Paddy Kelly taking the initiative.
"I could ask you the same question," Hatherton
retorted.
"We're being held because our barn caught fire."
"So what am I here for?" Hatherton asked Gary.
"Questioning."
***
Gary's phone rang and he was treated to a dressing down by
Roger Stone. After the phone call he announced in a flat voice that Hatherton
could go, but he should please wait at reception until further notice.
The last part of the instruction was Gary’s own. He wanted
to talk to Hatherton about the reason Roger could have phoned him. He had
nothing to lose. It was starting to seem as if the Burton murder was just a
smokescreen for something deeper.
***
Hatherton had contacted Stone. He was astonished that his
text to his friend had brought such a fast reaction. Of course, Hurley would
not have any idea what it was all about. He wasn’t meant to. Trading in
diamonds was only a cover and had been ever since he had been hired by MI5.
Could a common or garden copper know what was at stake?
Chief Super-Intendant Stone had decided that Gary had jumped
the guns, though he had to admit that he was not certain that Hatherton had kept
to the deal that he should stay clean. He was useless to the Foreign Office if
he got mixed up in anything remotely suspicious. It would endanger Stone’s own
position and the safety of others if Gary interfered. He was an important actor,
but only if he was kosher.
***
Gary had not known about his friend’s connection with the
Foreign Office and had no idea that Hatherton was more than a trader in precious
stones. He was not meant to know. Gary reflected that Roger did not trust him.
He had not said in so many words, but presumably Hatherton was some kind of a
go-between. Was Gary supposed to contact Roger before moving in on any case? He
was shocked and insecure.
***
Magda Kelly was extremely agitated. She had found out quite
a lot about Hatherton while searching though his briefcase while he took a
shower. He had caught her at it and decided that he would have to trust her if
he did not kill her. She had consented to take on a Mata Hari role, helping the
cause by searching the pockets of clients and informing on them to Hatherton.
As he reached the door, Hatherton turned to Magda and sought
eye contact.
"Just one question, Mrs Kelly," he said.
Mrs Kelly looked the other way.
"What did you do with the pellets?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"You do."
Gary intervened.
"What about which pellets, Mr Hatherton?"
"Talk to Magda Kelly about that," he said, and
beckoned to the guard that he was ready leave.
Gary knew about the pellets, but not about their
significance. Magda Kelly knew something connected with Hatherton that had
nothing to do with what he already knew about her. Would she explain?
Magda would say nothing in front of her husband, but Roger
Stone might know what role she had played. Gary was certain that Roger also knew
exactly what role Hatherton was actually playing. If Gary had told Roger that
he was onto a guy named Hatherton, he could have avoided the humiliation of
being told to let a suspect go free.
"We'll talk again another time," Gary told the
Kellys.
"Rats!" said Magda.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” said Kelly, and Gary
wondered how deeply out of his depth Kelly was.
“You can go now,” Gary said. “Take them to the back exit
please,” he told the waiting guards.
"Hey, what was that all about with that Hatherton man?”
Gary heard Kelly say. He was holding her
tightly by the arm as they were led down the corridor. Magda wriggled free. She
was indifferent to Kelly, but she had business to see to; the sort of business
they conducted as a team; Kelly the pimp and Magda the hooker.
Gary looked down the corridor after the Kellys. If Hatherton
were still around somewhere, hoping to get a private word with Magda Kelly, he
was barking up the wrong tree.
"He's gone," said the guard when Gary checked.
"Mr Stone phoned and instructed me to escort Mr Hatherton out of the
building.“
"This isn't bloody Noddy land!" Gary screamed.
"You can't just let people in and out. What if it was someone imitating
Stone?"
"I was following instructions, Sir."
“Whose instructions?”
"Mr Stone’s. I checked with Mr Hatherton Sir and he
said he knew that Mr Stone wanted him to leave immediately.”
“If you don’t tell me who told you to let Hatherton leave
immediately, I’ll get you fired.”
“I don’t think you can, Sir.”
Gary pondered on the truth of that claim.
“Well just tell me and I’ll keep the information to myself.”
“Promise?”
“If I say I won’t let it go further, then I won’t.”
“I don’t know who it was, but Hatherton said I was to say it
was Stone, Sir."
“Did you actually hear Stone talking?”
“No Sir.”
“So it could have been Tom, Dick or Harry, couldn’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“I just hope you didn’t send Hatherton to his death,” said
Gary.
***
Shirley posted a report about her earlier 'informal chat'
with Magda in the online Burton murder file. Though admitting that she found
Burton interesting, Magda had told Shirley virtually nothing useful to qualify
that statement. Gary’s interview with Magda had been more productive, though
there was no doubt in Shirley’s mind that Mrs Kelly saw Gary first and foremost
as a potential client.
The connection between Hatherton and Stone was a new
component in the Burton case. Was it relevant? The Kelly interview had proved
disappointing. Shirley, who had witnessed the dialogue with the guard officer,
congratulated Gary on having avoided any nastiness with the Kellys.
Was Gary up to the subterfuge with which he was now faced.
She knew about MI5. How come Gary didn’t? Shirley had found evidence of Stone’s
second job and sworn not to tell anyone she knew. Roger Stone had unfortunately
been careless and not switched off his laptop. It took a woman looking like
Shirley, clever at computing and short on cash flow to keep such a secret.
For his part, Gary realized that there was more at stake
than just murder and arson and he suspected Shirley of knowing more than she
should. Gary felt vulnerable. What role was Shirley playing? Up until recently
she'd been entirely supportive of his decisions. But she was ambitious. He no
longer trusted her. Had she told Roger about Hatherton being ordered to attend
questioning? What did Cleo think?
The only way he would find out anything would be by ringing
Roger Stone. This he did, asking Stone about his connection with the Foreign
Office, Shirley and even Magda Kelly.
“I’ll tell you about it another time, Gary. Just don’t haul
Hatherton in again. He’s useful to us.”
“OK, Roger. I won’t ask you to tell be who ‘us’ is. I just
wish you’d place the trust in me that you seem to have placed in Shirley.”
“Shirley spied on me, Gary. I can’t fire her because she’d
use her information to harm me and possibly the whole country, so I’m just
playing for time.”
“By sleeping with her,” added Gary.
“She reckons her chances are good, Gary. I’m an eligible
bachelor now. That is important to Miss Temple.”
“I get the drift, Roger. Trust me and you can trust Cleo as well,
and you won’t have to pay for that trust.
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