Hail and Farewell (The Lakeland Murders) (13 page)

‘Afternoon, Keith’ said Mann, when Iredale walked into the CID office. ‘Team meeting starts in five minutes, so you’ve just got time to make us a brew. And don’t just show the tea bag to the mug. Give it time to steep properly, lad. Mine’s not that bloody awful Earl Grey piss that Jane drinks, you know.’

Iredale grinned and got on with it. Despite Matt Hayton putting him on the deck like that Ian Mann seemed to like him, and more importantly he and Jane Francis trusted him too, Iredale was sure of it. He was getting the jobs that mattered, and the DI and the DS were definitely giving him the cold shoulder now. And that was absolutely fine with him. He said nowt against them, but he’d given nowt to them either.

Jane Francis briefed the group on the developments. As usual she was quick and accurate. She was holding notes, but she never once referred to them.

‘So, to sum up, it’s a mixed bag. On the positive side we’ve got the investigation upgraded, and that’s official. So we’re looking at a category 3 murder or manslaughter, and the organised crime unit is taking an interest too, now that we’ve got one of the Hayton clan firmly established as a suspect. And Matt is in the frame, well and truly. If any of you haven’t had the dubious pleasure of nicking him then have a look at the material on him in the file. He’s a violent offender, he didn’t come forward and admit that he was in the game, and he disposed of his clothes immediately afterwards. Nothing conclusive yet, of course there’s not, but our job now is to see if we can’t build a case.’

‘Are we talking about conspiracy too, boss?’ asked Iredale.

‘Quite possibly, Keith, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Is there any solid evidence to connect Matt Hayton to the killing of Chris Brown? Let’s focus on that. We’ve got no forensics, and are unlikely to get any, and unless one of our wits comes forward, which seems even more unlikely, then we’ve really got our work cut out here. So I want a timeline for Matt Hayton for Good Friday, that’s job one. Ian and Keith, I’d like you two to co-ordinate that. I’ll lead on all the electronic stuff on Hayton, so Jenny with me today, please. Let’s start looking at Matt Hayton’s electronic fingerprint and see exactly where it’s been left. And I want the car that was used in the burglary on Baker’s hotel. Where did it go afterwards? Where is it now? Who was in that car? You know the score. All right, questions? Anyone?’

Jane fully expected Ron Waters to have something to say, but he didn’t. When she glanced over at him he was writing something on his pad.

It was almost six o’clock before Jane managed to get away from work, even though she’d promised Andy she’d be home for dinner at half-seven. Keith Iredale and Ian had been out for most of the day, and she’d had a frustrating shift. Matt Hayton didn’t seem bright or disciplined enough to practice an effective counter data-analysis strategy, but it seems that he had. Because his mobile phone records proved that he was undoubtedly using another phone, and probably multiple phones, while his email activity, such as it was, seemed entirely innocent. Jane had compared his lengthy list of known associates with his email traffic, going back three years, and didn’t find one single match. So it was obvious to Jane that the Hayton gang had some clear data hygiene rules, and that people like Matt Hayton stuck rigidly to them.

It would be the morning before Hayton’s financial records came through, but Jane wasn’t getting her hopes up about those either. She already knew that Matt was employed by his uncle’s taxi business, and she had no doubt that his tax and National Insurance records would confirm that everything was in order. Meanwhile his bank account would show no large or unexplained deposits or withdrawals. She hoped that Mann and Iredale would have better luck with his timeline, but she wasn’t optimistic about that either. Because the key point, that Hayton had been in the scrum at or around the time of Chris Brown’s death, wasn’t in any doubt, nor did Hayton deny it. But then he really didn’t need to, even if it was him who had assaulted Chris Brown and then kept his head underwater until the last breath left his body. Because, as things stood, he was just one of almost fifty suspects, two of which were serving police officers.

Jane felt a bit better when she was in the car and driving home. She was looking forward to seeing Andy, even though she’d spoken to him on the phone two or three times each day and again in the evening. She’d been worried about him, but he said that his knee was less swollen, and that the pain was much reduced as well. Given his usually mild but consistent hypochondria, which she put down to a surfeit of imagination as much as to a deficit of optimism, that was a good sign.

She called him from the car, told him that she’d be late, and said she hoped that tea wouldn’t be ruined. He told her not to worry, and that he’d order an Indian take-away from their favourite place, if she’d just collect it on the way home. He didn’t ask what she wanted, because he knew her favourites, including side dishes.

Jane was tired by the time she got home, and she hurried into the house with the carrier bag of food. The smell had her salivating now, but she knew she’d be driving with the window down in the morning. Andy was obviously delighted to see her, and he’d gone to a lot of trouble, considering that he hadn’t actually cooked anything. There were fresh spring flowers in the vase, and her favourite wine in the cooler. They both ate fast, and hungrily. When they’d finished she reached across the table and took his hand.

‘Have you missed me?’

‘Of course I have. I couldn’t wait for you to come home.’

Jane looked surprised.

‘Really? And have you been thinking about what we discussed?’

‘Of course.’

‘Be honest, Andy. Which have you thought about most, the case or a baby?’

‘A hypothetical baby.’

Jane withdrew her hand.

‘How do you mean, hypothetical?’

‘Sorry, that wasn’t a good choice of words. I mean we couldn’t be sure that we could have one, even if we wanted to.’

‘You mean we don’t know if I could? You’ve already got two kids.’

‘Yes, but I’m not as young as I was. I’m just saying that it might be tricky, that’s all.’

‘Don’t you think I don’t know that? I’ve done nothing but read the papers on human fertility for weeks. I could tell you to the percentage point what our chances are, Andy. They’re not great, I admit, but it’s not impossible.’

‘I’d be the better part of seventy before the kid was Alice’s age now.’

‘I know. So what? Do you think that would make you a worse parent?’

Hall took a cautious sip of wine.

‘No, actually I don’t. In another couple of years I could retire, and they’ll probably pension me off anyway, what with the way things are. So I could take responsibility for childcare.’

Jane laughed, and only partly out of relief.

‘You, at a mother and toddler’s group? I can’t see it, I’m afraid.’

‘All right, maybe not that. But what I’m saying is that you’d have to be the main bread-winner, Jane. Go for promotion, all that. Realistically we’d need the money, and I can’t see the cuts easing back anytime soon. I don’t want to make this an economic decision, but in a way it would be.’

‘I understand, Andy, I do. Your ex will get part of your pension, and you’ve still got the girls to fund through university, I get all that. But this is our only chance. We can’t wait until we can afford it. It’s now or never.’

‘I agree. Let’s do it. You’d be a fantastic mum, and you deserve this chance. Of course you do. I’m just a bit worried that you’ll be really disappointed if nothing happens.’

Jane smiled.

‘Don’t worry, Andy. Until a few months ago I’d stopped thinking about ever having a child. I’d come to terms with it if we can’t, honestly I would. And I’m happy the way we are, I promise. But I’d just like to have the chance, that’s all I’m asking.’

‘That’s settled then.’ Hall smiled. ‘When would you like to start?’

‘There’s no time like the present.’

‘But what about my knee?’

‘You don’t have to jump off the bloody wardrobe. And you know what they say, don’t you?’

‘No, what?’

‘Where there’s a will there’s a way.’

Friday, 25th April

With the passenger seat right back Hall was able to get comfortable in his car, and Jane drove as smoothly as she could. And, as they usually did when they were on the way to work, they talked about the case.

‘So what have we missed then, Andy?’

‘Nothing. You’ve done exactly what I’d have done. I’ve only got two concerns, really.’

‘Go on.’

‘First, can we rely on the work of all the other coppers on the team? The locals, I mean.’

‘Because of what Ian said to Smith and Hodgson before the assault and the theft of Baker’s gear?’

‘Partly, yes. But if we assume that there is some kind of gang connection to Chris Brown’s death, then we have to be aware of that possibility. Long-standing criminal enterprises like those two gangs survive and thrive for various reasons, but we both know that police corruption is often a factor. Maybe more often than the stats suggest, in fact. Sophisticated criminals don’t just rely on violence and intimidation, and if you’re right about Matt Hayton being well-briefed on managing his electronic trail then we have to assume that the Hayton organisation is genuinely sophisticated.’

‘Point taken, Andy. And I agree with all of that. But riddle me this. Why would anyone want to kill Chris Brown? Are we missing something? Should we look at him all over again? I’m beginning to doubt my own judgement, to tell you the truth.’

‘No, absolutely not. It’s not just your judgement you’re backing, it’s the evidence. So when we attend that funeral today it will be to show our commitment to, and respect for, an entirely innocent victim of a horrendous crime. I’m completely convinced about that. I’ve gone over every aspect of his background three or four times, and there’s just nothing to suggest any form of gang association. Just the opposite in fact. Everything points to this being a young lad just making his way in the world in a completely honest way. A credit to his parents, in fact. But you tell if I’m wrong.’

‘I agree completely. But that doesn’t help explain why he died.’

‘Maybe it does, in a way.’

Jane frowned, and looked across at Hall. His taste for a good paradox could become irritating, but today he’d be getting the benefit of the doubt.

‘How do you mean?’

‘Well, if we assume that he was completely innocent, and had no gang connection, but that he was indeed killed by a gang member, most probably Matt Hayton, then where does that take us?’

Jane thought about it. And then she saw what Hall was getting at.

‘You’re saying mistaken identity? Is that it?’

‘It does fit the facts. And I’ve compared the clothes that Chris Brown was wearing with those that Tony Gambles had on. They’re very similar, Jane, and it was virtually pitch dark, especially in the scrum.’

‘They’re the same size and build too, aren’t they?’

‘Pretty much. Gambles is a few years older, but there’s not that much in it really. Not between friends, I mean.’

Jane smiled, and drove on in silence for a mile or two. They still had plenty of time, because she’d only just reached the A66.

‘All right, Andy, so let’s examine that idea. Were Chris and Gambles really the only two blokes of roughly the same size and build wearing similar clothes that night?’

‘I asked my self the same question, and I’ve been through that video dozens of times. Sure, there are other lads wearing very dark hoodies over blue jeans, but none are as tall and slim as Gambles and Chris.’

‘So, to put it another way, you’d say that the person in the scrum that night who most closely resembled Chris Brown was Tony Gambles.’

‘Exactly. Exactly.’ Hall almost shouted, and Jane wasn’t used to him raising his voice. ‘That’s exactly the right question to ask, if we assume that Chris’s death was actually a case of mistaken identity. You’d have to get my conclusions checked though, by the analysis team. I could be wrong.’

Jane smiled.

‘That’s not very likely, is it? But, as you always say, knowing isn’t the same as proving. You’ve come up with a theory that does fit the facts, and I’m seriously grateful for that, but in evidential terms we’re no further forward.’

‘Granted. That’s true, and like I said I don’t think you’ve missed anything so far. I really don’t. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t evidence to find, does it?’

‘So keep going as we are? But what happens if we don’t get anywhere with Matt Hayton? What else have we got?’

‘Don’t rush your fences. You know the method, Jane. Just keep pursuing any active line until it’s either proved useful or not. Don’t pre-judge the outcome, whatever you do. And you’ve always got that burglary to fall back on, remember.’

‘It might be unconnected.’

‘It might, but we both know better than that. So where’s the car? The one that the burglars used.’

‘It’s probably been torched long since. But we’re trying to find out where it went afterwards, after it left the vicinity of the hotel.’

‘Good, and if I were you I’d try to find out where it came from as well. Earlier that evening, before the robbery.’

Jane banged her hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

‘Sorry, Andy. Shit, yes, I should have thought of that. You’re looking for a connection back to George Hayton?’

‘Ideally, yes. Because we shouldn’t ignore the possibility that this is going to turn into a conspiracy to murder case. If we can’t pin the killing on Matt Hayton himself then maybe we can build something bigger, and take him and a few of his mates down too. In some ways that’d actually be a better outcome. If you close your ears for a minute I’ll call the ACC Crime for her daily update, and I’ll tell her that we now have both a working hypothesis to explain Chris Brown’s killing, and try to tantalise her with the organised crime angle.’

Jane laughed.

‘I can’t imagine Val Gorham being tantalised. Andy.’