Faraday 02 Network Virus (7 page)

She nodded. “And an irate husband.”

“
Is this strictly our responsibility?”

“
The rape counsellor in Exeter is on two weeks’ holiday. We were told to deal with it in her absence.”

“
So what happened?”

“
Silly woman.” She shook her head. “She worked as a barmaid at the Red Garter Nightclub. She let this well-spoken army officer take her into the car park behind the club after midnight. There were no lights on.” She shrugged. “The guy was drunk and upset because his mate had been killed in Afghanistan. Marion’s an attractive woman. She was apparently wearing a dress with a low-cut neckline and she was raped.”

“
It’s still a serious offence, no matter what she was wearing.”

“
Of course it is. Unfortunately Marion seems to think it was partly her fault. So she didn’t report it until this morning, under pressure from her husband. He’s a merchant seaman who got back from the Far East last night. He is making a stink for everybody - including Marion.”

“
Oh dear. Do you know anything about the army officer?”

“
So far only his Christian name - James.”

“
Is he a local guy?”

“
Marion thinks his mother may live somewhere near Totnes.” She shook her head again. “I expect the bugger’s long gone.”

“
He shouldn’t be too difficult to track down with our new computer program.”

“
I agree, but I don’t know whether I can get clearance from above to chase after him to Germany, without some factual evidence.”

“
Like that, is it?”

She sighed. “I’m afraid so. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve sent Bobbie and John off to see what they can find, but I’m not very hopeful.”

Once Stafford would have been incensed to have half his manpower taken away without a previous consultation but he and Charlotte had struck up a very satisfactory working relationship in the ten days they had been sharing an office and he appreciated the need for her to take early action.

“
Well, I need to go over to the coastguard place at Start Point. I’ve just had a phone call from Adam Shakespeare. Do you remember he was the guy who boarded the de Billiere boat when it ran aground on Slapton Sands? Apparently he’s remembered something else he ought to have told me when I saw him last week.”

“
Oh, yes.” Charlotte was only mildly interested. “Is it worth your time to go over there?”

“
Well,ma’am. You did agree that Mrs de Billiere’s death seemed a mite suspicious.”

“
Sorry, Stafford.” She concentrated. “Remind me. What exactly happened?”

He took a breath and launched into the story. “On the second of July two years ago Joanne de Billiere spent the afternoon stretched out in the sun on the afterdeck of the family gin palace in Torquay Marina. Nobody actually saw anyone with her. However some time in the evening the Billiere boat put to sea, presumably with Joanne on board. Jimmy Tate, a security assistant at the marina, thinks it unlikely that she would have decided to sail off by herself. It was a big motor cruiser and she’d never done such a thing before. So it’s likely there was a man with her. Jimmy says she was fond of men.”

“
How old was she?”

“
She was in her early fifties but Jimmy describes her as ‘stylish’ and ‘up for it’.” He raised his eyebrows. “Anyway, the
Sarah Jane
- that’s the name of the boat - was reported aground next morning on Slapton beach not far from the car park. The coastguard were asked to investigate, so Adam Shakespeare went down there. When he climbed aboard he found one of the engines was still running very slowly and was nearly out of fuel, but there was nobody on board.”

“
Could they have climbed ashore?”

“
Yes, they could, but you’d have thought they’d have shut down the engines before they left the boat.”

“
Hmm.” Caroline looked out of the window as she pondered. “Don’t I recall that Joanne’s body was washed up some weeks later?”

“
That’s right - eighteen days later to be precise. The body was found in Pudcombe Cove near the mouth of the Dart - halfway back to Torquay.”

“
Did we get involved at that stage?”

“
Only briefly.” Stafford’s eyes glinted. “I sent Greg Mallinson along with the police doctor to inspect the body. After an initial inspection the body was sent to the RDE for a post mortem which certified death by drowning. There were no other apparent injuries. That ended our involvement.”

“
And the coroner decided it was misadventure?”

“
Yes. There was no other evidence we could offer. John Mears only took half an hour to decide she must have been on her own, fallen overboard, couldn’t get back on to the boat which was a large vessel under power, and drowned after about a quarter of an hour. Apparently she could swim, but not very well.”

“
What about the husband? What state was the marriage in, if the wife was ‘up for it’, as you so delicately put it?”

“
Alfred de Billiere was staying at his London club.” He pulled a face. “The Met sent a constable round to interview the members. There were several witnesses who confirmed he couldn’t have been in Torquay on the night she died.”

“
He’s a wealthy man, isn’t he? There’s always the possibility that he employed somebody else to do it. Has anybody looked at his financial dealings round about the time of her death?”

Stafford shook his head. “At the time it wasn’t considered to be a suspicious death. It was only last week, when we started looking for similar cases to Cynthia Adams
that we decided the Billiere death needed further investigation.” *

“
That’s right.” Charlotte was quiet for a few moments, thinking it over. “You’re right. We must follow this one up. Best of luck. Are you off now?”

“
I said I’d call over in the next hour.”

“
OK, see you later. Think of me. I’ve still got to finish my reports on Cynthia Adams and Julia Hillman. Then I’ve got to prepare something for the PCC regarding the death of Giles Adams in police custody.”
*

“
Giles was hardly in police custody.”

“
Superintendent Lasham referred it to Complaints because you said you were arresting him before he jumped off the cliff.”

“
Bloody hell! That’s not fair. I never got anywhere near the bloke.”

“
Don’t worry,” said Charlotte. “The lovely super is after
my
scalp. I was the senior officer present and therefore he holds me responsible.”

“
Can he do that?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think he’s going to get far. I’ve been in touch with the union lawyers in London and they’re confident that Adams hadn’t actually been taken into custody when his death occurred.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it Stafford. It’s just another round in the Mark Lasham versus Charlotte Faraday dispute. This one’s going to continue running for some time.”

“
Best of luck.” Paulson pulled a face. “Rather you than me.” He picked up his mobile and his notebook and departed.

-
8
-

When Stafford Paulson got to Start Point he found Adam Shakespeare in friendly mood. This time he invited Paulson into his cottage which nestled in the shade of the lighthouse. He took him into the kitchen and brewed a remarkably good cup of coffee which Stafford accepted with pleasure. Then he led the way into the front parlour where they settled into comfortable chairs.

“
I’m not on duty this morning,” offered Shakespeare in explanation.

Paulson inclined his head. “I understand you’ve been thinking about the de Billiere cruiser.”

“
That I have. You asked me to tell you if I remembered anything else from when I boarded the boat on Slapton Sands.”

“
Well,” said Paulson, “at our previous interview you said there was something that made you think there had been more than one person on board the boat on its trip down the coast but you couldn’t think just what it was.”

“
I did that.”

“
And have you decided what it was?”

“
Well - not exactly. I realise now that what I found wasn’t actually telling me that there were two people on board. But, when I thought about the fact that de Billiere’s wife had supposedly fallen overboard, then what I found could mean there had probably been somebody else there as well.”

Stafford reined in his patience. “So what was it that you found?”

“
It was only a fag-end. I noticed it stuck in the duck-boards on the floor of the afterdeck. I bent down and picked it out and chucked it over the side.” He grinned apologetically. “I suppose you could say I destroyed the evidence.”

“
Is that it?” Paulson felt a strange sense of disappointment. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to check if Joanne smoked. I must admit we’ve never had a reason to find that out.”

“
Ah,” said Shakespeare with the air of somebody plucking a rabbit out of a hat, “but the important thing is what type of fag-end was it?”

“
So - what was it?”

“
It was a Gauloises blue. Do you know what they are?”

“
They’re a type of French cigarette.”

“
That’s right. They’re a very strong smoke and they also have a strong smell.”

“
Blimey! I didn’t know you could still get that type.”

“
Oh, I think you can.” He gestured. “But the point is they’re quite rough fags, not the sort that a posh woman like Mrs Billiere would smoke.”

Paulson pondered whether this was a vital piece of evidence. He must discuss it with Charlotte.

“
So you think that this cigarette end suggests there was a man aboard?”

“
Not only that - a man who smokes Gauloises blue. There can’t be many of them around in the Torbay area.
I used to smoke them myself before I gave it up and I know what a problem I had finding where to get them.”

“
Is that how you knew it was Gauloises?”

“
Aye.” He nodded positively. “As I said, the smell is something you don’t forget.”

“
Of course,” said Paulson, “the fact that the cigarette end was found on the boat doesn’t mean the smoker was on board when Joanne fell overboard. He may have been there at an earlier time that day or on some previous day and the fag-end hadn’t been noticed.”

“
That’s possible,” conceded Shakespeare. “Depends on how often they lifted the duck-boards and brushed up the deck underneath.”

Stafford swallowed the last of his coffee and stood up. “Well, thanks. I’m not sure yet how important this little bit of evidence is. If I decide it needs recording, I’ll prepare a statement for you and you can come in and check it through and sign it when you’re next in Torquay.”

“
I don’t go there often.”

“
OK. If it’s important I’ll send a copper down with the statement for you to sign.” He held out his hand. “Anyway, thanks for getting in touch.” He grinned. “Oh, and thanks for the coffee.”

There was a surprising warmth in the horny hand that shook his as Shakespeare followed him out of the cottage.

On the way back Stafford decided to stop off at Torquay Marina and was pleased to find Jimmy Tate in the office. He reminded the old boy of their discussion a few days earlier. Mindful of the number of other people listening in the office, he suggested, “Something’s come up that I’d like your opinion on. Can we take a little stroll?”

“
Sure, Inspector.”

Stafford guessed it was likely that Jimmy would use his connection with the long arm of the law to increase his importance in the eyes of the other employees at the marina. The old boy picked up his big bunch of keys from the desk and followed Paulson outside.

Going down the ramp towards the pontoons, Stafford asked, “Do you know anyone with a boat in the marina who smokes a type of French cigarette called a Gauloises?”

Jimmy stopped and looked at him. “You what?”

“
You heard. I would have thought a bright young chap like you would have noticed something like that. Have you seen anyone flashing around packets of Gauloises Bleu?”

“
Can’t say that I have. I don’t smoke myself so I wouldn’t expect to be offered any.”

“
They’ve got a very distinctive, almost pungent smell.”

The little man shrugged. “Sorry. I haven’t noticed anything like that.”

Stafford paused before continuing.“What about Joanne de Billiere? Did she smoke?”

“
Joanne?” Jimmy thought for a minute. “I don’t remember seeing her with a fag. That doesn’t mean she didn’t, of course, but I don’t ever remember seeing an ash-tray around on the deck when she was sunbathing. And she certainly didn’t smell of tobacco smoke. It was all wafts of expensive perfume while
she
was talking to you.”

The detective grinned. “You remember that then?”

“
Too right, I do. That and the yards of suntanned flesh were enough to turn a chap’s head.”

“
But she didn’t turn yours?”

“
I told you before I didn’t dare think about it.”

They strolled on in companionable silence.

Stafford asked, “What about the Billiere boat? You said Joanne used to stretch out on the afterdeck. Would that have been right alongside the pontoon they were moored to?”

“
Yes. These big cruisers tie up stern to the stagings. The rear deck on the
Sarah Jane
is about three feet above the level of the pontoon and there’s an access gang-plank with handrails to walk up to get on the boat.”