Death on High (The Lakeland Murders) (27 page)

Mann made them coffees and they settled down in the living room.

‘If we get any visitors I’ve got some more forms for you’ said Dixon. ‘Any news about when we’re on?’

‘Nothing yet, and I doubt it will be tonight or tomorrow. But the weather forecast for Thursday and Friday looks much better. Have you got everyone on stand-by?’

‘Yeh, just give me the word. One thing did occur to me though, what if they just call here for you, and then just wait ’til you’re ready to go? Then you wouldn’t have a chance to contact me. Do you think that’s likely?’

‘Well they haven’t done it before, but I suppose it’s just possible. You’re thinking they might have their doubts about me?’

‘Not really, I just thought of it in the car driving up here.’

‘I thought you’d only be thinking about the
apres ski
by now.’

‘You’re not wrong Ian. Sunday morning, bright and early we’re flying out. So make sure you’ve got this all wrapped up by then. I don’t want to hand it over to someone else. Anyway, what will you do if they just turn up for you?’

‘I’ll have a text ready to send to you, wishing you a happy holiday, and I’ll send it if they turn up, before I open the door. OK?’

‘Aye, that’ll be fine. And that way you’ll be covered if they want to look at your phone, if they do have their doubts about you. Anyway, I just wanted to talk through with you when you think I should get the tracker on the truck.’

‘Two choices I reckon Ray. Either early doors, when we’re setting up the hoist and the driver shouldn’t need a piss, or quite late on, an hour or two in to the job. What you’d have to do is come out just as the guys on the ground are sending the basket back up to us. You’d need to make your move just as they’re re-attaching the basket. It keeps both of them busy for a minute or so, and they’ll both be listening for us shouting down to them too.’

‘Thanks. But which would you do?’

‘I think I’d play it by ear to be honest Ray. You’ll know when the moment is right. We all know you’ve got the gift of timing. The only thing we don’t want is lots of moonlight.’

‘I hadn’t thought of that. Don’t tell me the moon is full this week?’

‘’Fraid so, on Friday. But so long as there’s decent cloud cover you’ll be OK. But if not just watch the sky and pick your moment, OK?’

‘Aye, will do. It all sounded so simple before. But I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

‘Course you will Ray. Now, one other thing, what’s your plan if it all goes tits up?’

‘How do you mean?’

‘What if you’re spotted?’

‘Leg it back to the lodge and hope I can raise the alarm, I suppose.’

‘Why not have a couple of lads in there with you, just in case?’

‘Andy Hall says he want to be on the plot this time, says he can’t sleep anyway, so I suppose he could be there.’

‘Good idea, but maybe get someone with you who’d be handy if it kicks off too. Andy’s a brave enough bloke I’m sure, but unless he’s planning to question them nicely into surrender I can’t see him being much use if it turns nasty.’

‘Do you think it might?’

‘No, they’ll all be concentrating on getting the job done, not worrying that we’re watching. And never underestimate the value of surprise Ray, you’ll be surprised what a difference it makes.’

Dixon looked quite a bit less than completely reassured. ‘So are you looking forward to coming in from the cold then, Ian?’

‘In a way, of course I am. It’ll be great to be back in my own place, and to see Julie and me dad. But it’s been great, being out on my own. Making my own decisions, thinking on my feet, taking care of myself.’

‘Rather you than me Ian. I like having the rest of the lads behind me.’

‘Even if that means the likes of Gory Gorham and His Holiness?’

‘I take your point Sarge, but they can’t all be as tough and committed as me, now can they?’

Mann laughed. ‘Conscientious to a fault, with never a thought about your pensionable benefits?’

‘That’s me Sarge. That’s me to a T.’

Wednesday, 27th March

Andy Hall woke early, and lay there for half an hour, thinking about work. As usual he began with the Ian Mann situation, searching his mind for any additional threat or risk that he hadn’t previously considered.

He found none, so he turned his attention to Vicky Harrison and Lillian Hall, and the death of Tony Harrison. Under normal circumstances Hall, who was persistent even by the standards of his profession, would have closed the file, and probably just thought about it as the one that got away. Or maybe he’d forget all about it in another year or two. As he lay there, plumping up the pillows and turning onto to his side, he ran through the four or five serious cases that he’d been involved in that had never even been charged, let alone gone to trial. At the time he’d been convinced that every one of the suspects were as guilty as sin but now, as a more experienced copper, he had his doubts about each of them. So down the line a bit he’d probably ending up feeling much the same way about Vicky and Lillian, if he just let it drop now, and sent the file down to records as soon as he got in to work. And for a second or two he even pictured himself leaving the file in his out tray.

But that was never going to happen. It wasn’t because he was remotely certain of anything in the case, but because he felt he had a duty to Jane Francis. What she’d done had been foolish, and he would have had words with her about it whatever had happened, but crossing Robinson like that had been really stupid. But she wasn’t remotely stupid. So why had she done it?

He still couldn’t understand why this case had become such an obsession with her, although he knew that she was prone to fixating on pretty much anything at work. Maybe that was all there was to it. And suddenly he had something new to worry about, so he began his usual mental process, gnawing away at each edge of the issue, like a small dog nibbling away at a large bone. Should he have encouraged Jane to develop a better work-life balance? Was it even his responsibility to say anything about that? As was often the case one worry quickly connected to another, and as usual he soon found himself thinking about the break-up of his own marriage. Would his own attitude to work look much the same as Jane’s to an outsider? Was there something in both their heads that stopped them ever saying ‘enough’?

Even after Hall had showered and dressed he still felt a bit unsettled. But he’d decided what to do, and how to conclude the case in his own mind once and for all. He sent an email to the tech department, told them what he needed to borrow, and headed in to work.

Hall spent most of the morning meeting with the CPS, reviewing the files against each of the individuals in Ian’s two cases. It was quite a list, and the charges against some of the names was lengthening.

‘We’re very dependent on Ian’s testimony for quite a few of these’ said Angie Taylor, his new CPS contact, ‘but you think that Ian will make a credible witness, seeing as he’s been undercover?’

‘Absolutely. He has an impeccable record in the job, we’ve accounted for every penny of cash that’s come his way during the course of it, and we’ve been careful to avoid any banana skins in terms of his identity and so on.’

‘So his name isn’t borrowed from a dead baby?’

‘No, completely invented, and he hasn’t become involved in any romantic liaisons while he’s been undercover. At least not with anyone associated with the conspirators.’

‘I can see why that is’ said Angie, ‘I’ve seen their mug-shots. But seriously, we do have to be careful Andy, because another bad result in a high-profile case involving undercover officers could undermine it as an investigative technique going forward.’

Hall nodded. He took the point. ‘But you’re happy for the whole lot to be swept up as soon as Ian is safely back from their last visit to the Abbey? We’re hoping to get the metals dealer too, so we should have a couple more names to add to your list. Even the driver will be looking at conspiracy I imagine?’

‘Absolutely. I think you can be pretty confident that you’ll be able to get all of this little lot out of harm’s way for a year or two at least, and quite a bit more for some. This Fraser character might even give us more heads on a platter if we treat him well.’

‘From what Ian says all you’d need to give him is biscuits, but quite a lot of them mind.’

Angie laughed. ‘Like I said, I’ve seen the pictures. Anyway Andy, this should all be a rather nice feather in your cap.’

‘I could certainly do with it, but actually it’s all down to Ian, he’s been absolutely excellent. And even Ray Dixon, that’s the DC with the perma-tan and the dodgy shoes, he’s been knocking his pan in to keep it all together. I’ve been really impressed. I didn’t know he still had it in him.  ’

‘You’ll never make Superintendent with that kind of generosity’ said Angie, slowly putting her files into her briefcase. ‘Still, there’s more to life than money and success.’

‘So they keep telling me.’

At noon Hall phoned Vicky Harrison at work. He’d sat, staring at the phone, for five minutes before he did, and had rehearsed every word he’d say.

‘I wanted to ask for another twenty minutes of your time.’

‘Why?’

‘I think I know what happened on top of Fairfield, and why.’

‘You think you know?’

‘That’s right. I just wanted to chat it through with you.’

‘On your own?’

‘Yes, just the two of us.’

‘But I thought you always worked with your little friend, DC Francis. I thought you perhaps couldn’t function unless you were part of a couple.’

Hall had often wondered that too. ‘For evidential purposes we need corroboration, and usually that means we interview in pairs. That’s all.’

‘And your friend wouldn’t be there too? Or hiding in the bushes somewhere?’

Hall laughed. ‘I wasn’t going to suggest we meet in a wood.’

‘You’re right, it’s still a bit chilly for that. OK, come round to my place after work, about seven, and bring a bottle of wine. Then you can show me how imaginative you really are.’

When he put the phone down Hall thought about calling Jane in and telling her what he planned to do. He wanted to, because he wanted her to know that he was doing everything that he could to prove her right, but he didn’t. It was such a long shot that he didn’t want to get her hopes up. She’d had enough disappointments in the last few days. So he spent half an hour with tech support, bought some shopping after his shift, then went home and changed.

He knocked on Vicky Harrison’s door at ten past seven. He thought that she’d probably got changed too, though she seemed warier than she had been on the phone. He handed over the wine, and she studied the label, as if seeking to draw some conclusion about his intentions. It was a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and it had cost almost double what Hall usually spent on wine. He started to wonder if he should have spent more.

They settled down in the living room. Vicky had put some music on, and laid out some nibbles. Hall hadn’t eaten with the kids, and realised he was hungry.

‘So Andy, you think you know what happened up on Fairfield?’

‘I do, yes.’

‘But you have no eye witnesses, and no evidence whatsoever of anything other than a tragic accident.’

‘Exactly. That’s right. I don’t have any admissible evidence of foul play.’

‘So you’ve come to tell me that my husband fell, and that you no longer suspect me of having any involvement in his death.’

‘No, I’m afraid that’s not what I think at all, Vicky.’

Vicky sipped her wine. If anything she looked slightly amused. Hall was sitting forward in his chair, and hadn’t touched his wine. It did look a lovely colour though.

‘Come on then Sherlock. Put me out of my misery. What happened? According to you anyway.’

‘First of all, I don’t think that it was a co-incidence that Lillian was on the hill at the same time as you and Tony. I think she followed you that day.’

‘Rubbish. Anyway, didn’t she say that we passed her while she was eating? So she must have been ahead of us.’

‘I think it was the other way around. I think she passed you while you were eating.’

‘What would be the point of that, if she was stalking us?’

‘A couple of possibilities. One is that she just got too close in the mist and fog, and had to walk past and try to make it look natural. But actually I think she wanted Tony to know she was there.’

‘Why?’

‘I think they’d agreed that he was going to tell you that he was leaving you for Lillian, and that he was going to do it that day.’

‘I see. But you do know that my husband didn’t usually do what he was told by a woman?’

‘With respect Vicky, that might only have been your experience of him. But a brand new relationship, well maybe that comes with a whole new set of rules.’