Faithfully: Chase & Halshaw #1 (26 page)

“Good evening, Mr Wilcox. I’m Detective Constable Halshaw. You
wanted to see me?”

The older of the two men, well-fed and balding, stepped
forward. “That’s right,” he replied.

“Come and sit over here,” she said, leading the way to the
cluster of worn red leatherette sofas at the far end of the reception area.

The balding man perched uncomfortably on the very edge of
one sofa. “Sit down, Gavin, for God’s sake.” he hissed at the tall, spotty
youth.

Reluctantly, Gavin did as he was told.

Halshaw sat elegantly opposite them. “What can I do for
you?” she asked.

“Tell her, Gavin,” murmured the balding man.

“It’s about that copper what got knocked down last week,”
the younger man began, staring intently at the frayed carpet tile beneath his
feet.

“What about him?”

Gavin looked up, his dark eyes full of fear. “He was chasing
me.”

Halshaw felt her heart surge, although she tried to maintain
a calm exterior. “Why was he chasing you?” she asked.

“I was looking in the window of this house, right? And he
shouted at me, and I panicked, and ran off. He ran after me, and...”

“Why were you looking in the window, Gavin?”

“I’d been doing a job there, like, and I left one of me
tools behind. So Dad made me go back and get it. I rang the bell, but they was
out.”

“What sort of job?”

“Gavin and me, we’ve got the Stinger Security franchise for
this area,” the older man explained. “I got made redundant a couple of years
ago, and I used the redundancy money to buy into it.”

Small world, she thought. “What did you do before that?”

“I worked at Portage Logistics. I was a shift supervisor in
the data centre. But then the management changed, and the new ones outsourced
us.”

“Frank Usher, was it?”

Wilcox laughed bitterly. “Not Frank, no. Nice enough bloke,
but about as much use as a chocolate bloody fireguard. No, it was the new Group
IT Director who did it. He came in about three years ago and changed
everything.”

“Bryn Lewis, you mean?”

“That’s right. Wanker!”

“And did you work at Skyline Place?”

“No. The data centre was out at Stockley Park. They didn’t
let the likes of us into them swanky new offices.”

“So why did you decide to go into the security business?”

Wilcox sniffed. “I always fancied being my own boss. But I
never did.”

“Why not?”

“Never had the guts, never knew where to start, what to
do...”

“So what changed?”

“When that bastard Lewis decided to get rid of us all, good
old Frank brought in someone to help us move on, get new jobs. A counsellor,
like. She and I had a long chat. The next week I met this bloke at the boozer,
who told me about Stinger Security. I went on their website and found the
territory around here was up for grabs. So I went to see her again and she
helped me with the forms, all the legal and financial stuff, you know.”

“Ever seen her since?”

“No. Well, I thought I saw her crossing the street a few
weeks ago, but that’s all.”

“Where was that?”

“Outside The White Hart. You know, that poncy hotel?”

She leant forward intently. “Who was she, this counsellor?”
she asked, though she already knew the answer.

He frowned. “Can’t remember. I think her first name might
have been Louise, or something.”

“Could it have been Lucy? Lucy Faith?”

“Yeah, that’s it. Lucy Faith. Of course. How could I
forget!”

She nodded encouragingly.

“I owe her so much, officer,” he went on. “When I found out
I was gonna lose my job I thought about topping myself, I can tell you. But
thanks to her...”

Halshaw sat back in her seat and smiled sympathetically.
“What about the job? Last Tuesday, I mean.”

“Yeah, sorry. They had a faulty sensor that needed
replacing. I was doing another job, over Hounslow way, so I sent Gavin round by
himself to fit the new one.” He looked at his son with a mixture of
exasperation and affection. “And this pillock only went and left his wire
cutters behind, didn’t he?”

“Sorry Dad,” mumbled Gavin.

“Did you take him round that evening?”

“Yeah.”

“So the car with the ladders on the roof was yours, was it?”

“Yeah,” Wilcox senior repeated. “I couldn’t find a space
outside the house so I had to park round the corner.”

“OK. So why did you run away, Gavin?”

“I panicked, didn’t I?” the young man replied.

“Gavin’s had bother with the law before,” his father added
quickly. “Nothing too serious. He got in with a bad crowd at school, that’s all.
That’s why I’ve got him working for me. So I can try and keep an eye on him,
like.”

“A bad crowd?”

“Yes. Yobs, the lot of them. Specially that toerag Darren
Hitchins.”

Gavin focussed his full attention on the floor between his
feet once again.

Halshaw nodded. “OK. And why did you decide to come in now?”

“Saw the article in the local paper, didn’t I? It asked for
anyone with information to come forward. And I didn’t want you people getting
the wrong idea about Gavin...”

“I quite understand, Mr Wilcox. Thank you both very much for
coming to see me.”

*

Back at Chase’s desk, Halshaw opened her Marks and Spencer
Thai Prawn Salad and munched thoughtfully as she leafed through the crime
reports. If the connection wasn’t Chiltern Cars, then what could it be? Most of
the victims were couples, but not all of them. Several of the victims worked
for Logistical Group, or one of its subsidiaries, but not all of them. Most of
the victims had flown on their travels. Could it be a Travel Agent? Probably
not. For one thing, Theresa Pearce and her boyfriend had travelled by train,
and Halshaw didn’t believe for a moment that someone like her would rely on
anyone else to make her travel arrangements.

It made no sense.

And what about Lucy Faith’s death? Halshaw felt they were as
far as ever from finding her killer. Yet Chase had said they were going to make
an arrest in the morning. That was why he’d asked for uniformed backup,
including a woman officer. So the killer must be a woman. And if it was at
Skyline Place, then it could only mean one thing. Amy Birkdale had killed Lucy
Faith. But why wait until the morning to arrest her? Why not do it now?

She pulled out My Lady’s client file and looked again at
Christopher Birkdale’s section. Did his marriage break up because of his involvement
with My Lady? What could have happened? Some dark family secret? Chase wouldn’t
have it that Anna was in any way involved. So that just left Amy. Did she kill
Lucy Kelmarsh in revenge for destroying her parents’ marriage? Perhaps. But her
father had moved to Spain some time ago. So why now?

There was a knock at the door, and Fenway’s grinning face
appeared.

“Want some good news, darling?” he asked.

Halshaw looked back at him coolly. “Go on,” she replied.

“We’ve got a pal of yours in one of the Interview Rooms.”

“A pal of mine?”

“Yeah. A Mr D
Antreou
.”

“Who?”

He rolled his eyes. “God, girl! Do I have to spell it out
for you?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Fenway smiled triumphantly. “It’s only Dmitri. And he’d like
a quick word, if that’s convenient.”

Elaine Salter was a heavy-set woman in her late forties,
smartly dressed in a black shift dress and matching jacket. Her demurely bobbed
hair was dark brown with subtle blonde highlights. Her eyelashes were the
longest Chase had ever seen.

“Inspector Chase?” she smiled, opening the door wide. “Come
in, please.”

Chase ushered Anna through the door and into the lounge. The
covers had been folded away, and the ladders and paint pots stacked neatly in a
corner.

“Mrs Salter, this is my friend Anna Birkdale,” Chase began.
“We were in the area when you called. I hope you don’t mind her joining us?”

Elaine Salter hesitated.

“I can wait in the car if it’s a problem,” Anna added
quickly.

“No, no. That’s quite all right. Take a seat, both of you.”

Chase and Anna sat on the beige chenille sofa.

“Would you like some tea, perhaps?”

“No thanks, Mrs Salter. This shouldn’t take long.”

“All right.” She perched on the edge of a matching armchair,
her back very erect, and faced them expectantly.

Chase looked at her thoughtfully. “I’d like to ask you about
your husband,” he said.

“Go on,” she replied, cautiously.

“When did you last see him?”

“One evening last week. I went round to our old house, to
divide the books and CDs.”

“Amicable, was it?”

“Pretty much, I suppose. You look surprised, Inspector.”

“Do I?”

“Look, Les and I were married for twenty-odd years. Most of
the time it was pretty good. It was only in the last year or two that we had
real problems.”

“Why was that?”

She frowned. “I’ve spent a lot of time wondering about
that.”

“And?”

“Oh, you know. It was a combination of things. It always is.
I imagine.”

Chase nodded sympathetically and said nothing.

“It all started when I had an operation, a couple of years ago.
There were complications, and... well, I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out.
While I was convalescing, Les had an affair with a woman from work. It was a
mistake, he said, and it didn’t last long. So I forgave him. Well, I didn’t
exactly forgive him,” she smiled ruefully, “but we agreed to give things
another go.”

“I see.”

“When I was better, I decided I needed to get more exercise.
So I started going to a ballroom dancing class. I wanted Les to come too, but
he refused, saying that all the other men would be gay. But then he started
getting incredibly jealous. He’d take me to the class in the car, and pick me
up again afterwards. The others all used to go to the pub, but Les insisted
that I went straight home with him.”

Chase smiled encouragingly.

“Then there was that incident at the Christmas party...”

“What was that?”

“Les’ boss was a keen dancer, and he asked me to dance with
him.”

“Who was that?”

“I can’t remember his name, I’m afraid. He was Welsh, very
well dressed, fancied himself as a bit of a ladies’ man. That’s all I know.
Well, he wasn’t as good a dancer as he thought he was, but...”

“I think I know who you mean,” Chase replied, with a hint of
a smile. “Which evening did you spend with your husband?”

“Tuesday.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. I was supposed to go on Monday, but I fell asleep on
the sofa when I got home from work. It was my first day back, you see.”

“How long were you with him?”

“That evening? I arrived about seven o’clock and left, um,
about ten thirty, I think. We had a Chinese takeaway and some wine while we
were working.”

“And did you sort out all the books?”

“No. Nowhere near.”

“So are you going to go back and finish off another time?”

“Yes. We haven’t arranged when, though. It’s quite a painful
process, Inspector, dismantling a large part of your life.”

Chase smiled understandingly. “Ms
Marsham
said your husband threatened you. Is that correct?”

“Only once, about three weeks ago. It was the night I told
him I was thinking about leaving. We were both tired and slightly drunk, we
were both angry, we both said things we shouldn’t have said. That’s all it
was.”

“And last Wednesday? Were you here all evening?”

“Yes. Ginny made dinner for the three of us. We all had an
early night. But the police disturbed us when that poor woman was found murdered
opposite.”

“Sorry about that,” mumbled Chase.

Elaine Salter smiled tightly and said nothing.

“Did you know the murdered woman?”

“No. Sorry.”

Chase stood abruptly. “That’s it, Mrs Salter. Thank you for
your time.”

“That’s quite all right,” she replied. “I don’t feel I’ve
been much help, I’m afraid. Nice to meet you, Anna.”

Anna smiled and began to follow Chase. At the door she
turned back.

“Can I ask you a question, please, Elaine?”

She frowned. “Go on.”

“Did your husband tell you the name of the woman he had an
affair with, by any chance?”

“Yes, he did. It was Amy.”

“Are you quite sure?”

“Yes. But I don’t know her surname, I’m afraid.”

“Thanks,” murmured Anna, and followed Chase out of the door.

*

“What was that all about?” asked Chase, once they had walked
back to his car in silence.

“Oh, nothing,” she replied.

“Do you and Elaine know each other?”

“In a way, yes.”

Chase twisted round in his seat. “But she didn’t seem to
recognise you.”

“No. I didn’t recognise her either.”

“Why?”

“Because we’d never actually met before.”

He shook his head in bewilderment. “That wasn’t your Amy she
was talking about, was it?”

Her smile vanished. “Yes. I’m afraid it was my Amy.”

“But surely Amy didn’t have an affair with Les Salter, did
she?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“I don’t understand...”

She smiled fleetingly. “Call yourself a detective, Al?”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t....”

She sighed in exasperation. “Remember what I told you last
night?”

“You told me a lot of things, Anna.”

“OK. Remember I told you about the brief relationship I had
with one of Amy’s colleagues...?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Who was trying to get to Amy through me?”

“Yes, but... oh, no, Anna. That wasn’t Les Salter, was it?”

She nodded slowly and said nothing.

“Oh God, I’m sorry! I should have realised....”

She reached out and took his hand. “Don’t worry about it,
Al,” she replied. “I couldn’t remember whether or not I’d told you his name.”

He shook his head. “I should have realised,” he said. “I
didn’t mean to put you in such an awkward position. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be sorry,” she smiled. “Elaine and I, we’re both
the victims here, in a way. We middle-aged women usually are. And it was nice
to finally put a face to the name, after all this time.”