Hail and Farewell (The Lakeland Murders) (7 page)

‘Possibly, because I think you’re stronger with numbers and digital records.’

‘You mean I’m weaker with people.’

Hall paused. ‘I didn’t say that, Jane. So where are you at, overall I mean?’

‘We think the victim is clean. No connection to the gangs. So that makes accidental death the most likely outcome. I’d say it’s a racing certainty, if I’m honest. I’d bet we’ll be home before the end of the week.’

‘Mmmm.’

She knew the sound of that one too. It was what Hall usually said after ‘really?’

‘You’ve got real-time access to the file, Andy. You can see that the kid came up clean. Just a hard-working young lad, who’s never been in any trouble, and who came from a loving home. It was a terrible, terrible accident.’

‘You’re probably right, of course you are. But a couple of things still don’t feel quite right.’

‘Like what?’

‘Let’s start with the lads who were hospitalised. All gang members, right?’

‘Yes, absolutely no doubt about it.’

‘So it seems like a bit of a co-incidence that Chris died within minutes of it all kicking off in the middle of that scrum, doesn’t it?’

‘Like I say, it was just an accident. He wasn’t connected to either gang.’

‘Or maybe we just haven’t found the connection yet.’

‘So you’ll tell the ACC that we need to keep going? She’s already hinting that she’d support an early no-crime conclusion.’

‘Yes, I thought she’d be doing that. I’ll email her and put my foot down.The good one, anyway.’

Jane laughed.

‘So let’s stay positive, Jane. You’ve got masses to go at yet. And look at it this way. Even if you end up confirming that the death was an accident then at least you’ll be able to give the family some comfort. It’s not much, I know, but it’s still something.’

‘I suppose so. And you’re right, we do have more evidence to review. For a start we’ve got that video shot by the film crew that was at the game, and then there’s Hayton and Moffett themselves. They’ve got to be worth a chat, even if all we do is piss on their chips.’

Hall laughed. ‘OK, so what’s your plan for tomorrow?’

‘Well, I’ll take a look at all the background again, like you said. And I’ll just suggest to Ian that we review each other’s work from yesterday.’

‘Nice one.’

‘And then I’ll arrange for us both to see Hayton and Moffett. Like I say, even if it ends up getting no-crimed it wouldn’t do any harm to let those two know that we’re interested in them.’

‘Agreed. Apart from anything else there’s another game tomorrow night. We don’t want some sort of major public order problem, if the two tribes decide to go to war again.’

‘I’ll talk to the divisional Super about how we deal with that. I want to have plenty of bodies on the ground.’

Hall laughed.

‘You know what I mean, Andy. Our bodies, looking for witnesses. We could certainly do with them.’

‘Sounds good. Make sure you get a decent night’s sleep, Jane.’

‘Do as I say, not do as I do.’

‘Always.’ She could hear the smile in his voice, and she missed him.

‘Have you thought about that other thing, Andy?’

‘Of course. I need a bit more time. But I’m not against the idea, not at all. How are you feeling about it?’

‘The same. I’ve made up my mind, but if you’re not in complete agreement, then….’

‘I know, don’t worry. So you get some rest, yes? Don’t stay up ’til all hours working on the files.’

‘I won’t. Goodnight, Andy.’

Tuesday, 22nd April

Jenny Walker was waiting for Jane Francis when she and Ian Mann reached the incident room at just after eight, and the three of them stood in front of the big monitor.

‘There’s hours of footage’ she said, ‘but here’s the bit we’re interested in. It starts at 10.45pm. Look, there’s Pete Crone and his mates getting stuck in.’

The quality of the footage was remarkably high, especially when the game was on the well-let council office car park. It was perfectly possible to make out many of the faces, especially when the camera moved over the centre of the scrum, and some of the players looked up.

‘There’s sound as well’ said Jenny, turning up the volume. There were shouts, mostly indistinct and muffled, so Jane gestured for Jenny to turn the volume down.

The three of them stood and watched the footage in silence.

‘Did this bloke keep filming right through to when Chris Brown was seen in the water?’

‘Yes, ma’am. Apparently the idea was to have very long takes, for some sort of artistic purpose.’

‘It’s like watching paint dry’ said Mann. ‘Nothing’s happening at all, is it? There’s just a group of blokes in a huge scrum, with the odd one entering and leaving. It’s much more exciting to play than to watch, I can tell you.’

After five more minutes the ball suddenly appeared, and many hands reached skywards, trying to grab it. Then it disappeared again, but the scrum did start to move, across the kerb at the side of the car park, through the remains of a low hedge, and down the bank into the beck.

‘The cameraman didn’t want to get his feet wet, so he stays on the bank’ said Jenny. ‘And it’s really dark when they’re off the car park there, so it’s hard to see much from here on. But one thing is clear, a couple of the casualties were left behind before the scrum went into the water, you can just see them on the ground.’

And then, quite suddenly, the ball appeared again, thrown high and hard back towards the car park.

‘That’s someone trying to pass it off to a mate outside the scrum’ said Mann. ‘The idea is that they run off with the ball. Sometimes it works, especially when it’s dark, and one player gets clean away and hails the ball.’

‘Well that didn’t happen this time’ said Jenny. ‘Look, the scrum quickly re-forms back on the car park. The person who got the ball was caught straight away, and the scrum just gathers round him again.’

‘It often happens like that’ said Mann. ‘So when is Chris Brown spotted? Do we see that?’

‘Just another twenty seconds.’ For the first time the camera wavered, as the person filming tried to decide what to shoot. And then he started moving, back towards the bank of the beck. Then, quite suddenly, the screen went dark.

‘Why did he stop filming?’ asked Jane.

‘He went to try to help. He said he guessed that someone was in trouble.’

‘Shit.’

‘Very public spirited though’ said Mann. ‘So what can we get from this, do you reckon?’

‘Could we get a second-by-second picture of who was in the scrum, do you think?’ Jane asked Jenny, before she could reply to Mann.

‘Possibly. It would mean going through the footage more or less frame by frame. But if I had someone who recognised the players, then it might be possible.’

‘Right. I’ve got a candidate for that job.’ Jane looked round. DC Iredale had just walked in. He was wearing a bright yellow cycling jacket.

‘Keith’ Jane called out, ‘can you put that jacket out and come over here for a second?’

‘Sorry, boss. I thought I’d better put my head round the door before I got changed.’

‘Don’t worry about it. I want you to work with Jenny today, and go through this footage she’s got hold of. I want to know who is in the scrum from 10.30pm until the time the camera goes off. So log everyone who you know to be in there at any time, and especially the time that they joined or left the scrum.’

‘OK, boss. Will do.’

‘And then I want to know, as a matter of urgency, if anyone was in that scrum who we don’t already know about.

‘Got you.’

‘Now, will you recognise everyone?’

‘Probably not. Is it all right if I ask the DI or the DS if not? They’ll probably know.’

Jane hesitated, and glanced across at Mann. He nodded.

‘Yes, OK. And I need this done before the game starts tonight. They haven’t cancelled it, have they?’

‘No. Mr. and Mrs. Brown asked for it to go ahead. They’ll be presented with the ball from Friday, and Mr. Brown will throw the ball up at half six. That’s how it starts, like.’

‘Good. That’s nice, I suppose. And Jenny, would you send DCI Hall a link to the footage on the shared drive? I think he’ll want to review it today.’

‘Better than watching re-runs of
Trisha
’ said Mann, smiling. ‘Probably less violent, too.’

It was almost noon before Jane had finished going through the background on Chris Brown. She’d found absolutely nothing to arouse her suspicions about him. When she’d finished she sat and looked, without reading or even seeing, at her computer screen. She told herself that she’d kept an open mind, but she knew what she’d wanted to find. She’d wanted him to have died an innocent, and she wanted George Hayton and Jack Moffett to confirm that for her. She might not believe them, but she wanted to hear them both say it anyway.

She’d agreed with Ian Mann to call on Moffett first, and he punched the address into his sat-nav and drove them there. The house was on the edge of a village a few miles inland from Workington, and Mann stopped the car at the end of the long drive.

‘He’s got protection, look.’

Jane did look and didn’t see anyone, so Mann pointed them out.

‘I doubt they’re local lads’ he said, when he pulled up in from of the house. ‘They look too sharp and well trained. Just stay in the car for a minute, Jane. They know we’re coming, but I’ll have a quick word first.’

Mann opened the door and got out of the car. One of the security men walked over, and Jane saw another out of the corner of her eye.

‘Are you carrying?’ the security guard was saying to Mann.

‘No. Are you?’

‘Mind if I check?’

‘Aye, I do.’ Mann showed his warrant card, and the guard studiously ignored it.

‘Then you need to get back in the car, and drive back to where you came from.’

‘That won’t happen. We’re here on lawful business. Either we walk in and talk to your boss right now, or I radio in and we get a search warrant and a van full of coppers, and then we take him down to the nick. You and your mates too, I expect. And just to be on the safe side I’ll call in armed response as well.’

‘All right. Follow me.’

Mann tapped on the window and Jane got out. The house was a Victorian mansion, of the manicured and polished sort, which Mann guessed had once belonged to a local mine owner. Moffett was waiting for them in the study. Jane introduced herself and Mann, and they showed their ID.

‘It’s about time that your lot got some new blood. I was just saying that to the Chief Constable, when I last saw him.’

‘We’re only here temporarily’ said Jane, ‘looking into the circumstances surrounding the death of Chris Brown at the Uppies and Downies game on Friday evening.’

‘Aye, terrible that was. Tragic. But shit happens, as they say.’

‘And you’re expecting some shit to happen to you too, are you?’ said Mann.

‘It speaks. What gives you that idea, son?’

‘Your security. Not local, I’d say.’

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Just a guess.’

‘Oh aye? And why wouldn’t I give the work to local lads?’

‘Because you don’t trust them. You’d rather have people who you pay for their loyalty.’

‘And why would that be?’

‘Because you’re frightened.’

Moffett’s face was reddening under his tan. ’You must be confusing me with someone else, son. Jack Moffett isn’t scared of nobody. You ask anyone.’

‘Like George Hayton?’

‘Especially him. I remember when he was nicking the stereos out of cars and selling them for a fiver a time. Always had bits of glass in his hair, did young George.’

‘Times change though, eh?’

Moffett looked steadily at Jane. ‘You just keep him as your wind-up merchant, do you, love?’

‘DS Mann is just concerned for your safety, that’s all.’

‘I can take care of myself.’

‘We do hope so. One death might be an accident, but two would look like carelessness.’

‘Like I said, that kid died in an accident. I’ve never even met him. Wouldn’t have known him from Adam.’

‘But you can confirm that some of your boys and some of Hayton’s did meet up to settle their differences in the game on Friday last?’

‘Mebbe. There’s no law against it.’

‘Actually, there are a number of laws against it, and we could arrest several of your lads for affray, if they weren’t already in hospital. So make sure that everyone behaves themselves tonight, won’t you? We’ll be watching. But I guess you’ve lost, and that’s it. And that’s why you’re holed up here, paying those mercenaries outside to keep an eye on you. Why not cut your losses, and go to your place in Spain?’

For the first time Moffett looked alarmed.

‘How did you know about that?’

‘Just a lucky guess. So you’re cutting and running, are you?’

‘No way; of course I’m not. Just getting a bit of spring sun, that’s all.’

‘And what if I told you that we can’t allow you to leave the UK, until this is cleared up?’

‘What if I’m in danger?’

‘But you’re not. You just said as much. You’re the lord of all you survey, aren’t you?’

‘Oh aye, that’s right. So you want me to stay around then?’

‘That’s right. Of course, if we could get this matter resolved quickly then you’d be free to go wherever you want. So long as you weren’t involved in Chris Brown’s death, of course.’

‘So what are you after?’

‘Your co-operation, Mr. Moffett. So if DS Mann or me calls you for a chat, at any time from now on, you will do absolutely everything you can to help, won’t you?’

Ian Mann waved to the security man in the garden as they drove out.

‘Now there’s a man who’s on the way out, one way or another. When they show fear like that, they may as well be dead. Because if Hayton doesn’t take him down now, then one of his own guys will.’

‘Do you think he’ll give us anything?’

‘Probably not. It depends how desperate he gets, I suppose. But I wouldn’t hold your breath. Chances are he’s got a fortune tucked away offshore somewhere. And it’s an achievement to have lasted this long. How old is he, 55?’