Episode 20 - The tangled web

Since Greg was preoccupied with his own life, Gary was obliged to get the the end of the case without him, and that involved getting at the truth about Ronnie Fish’s murder. There were suspects enough, but none stood out as being especially likely to have assassinated Ronnie Fish.

"The afternoon entertainment is assured", Nigel said. “But you’ve left the Camptons out. What are you going to do about them?”

“Selling those crooks luxury cars was proof of their business acumen, but all the more reason not to kill them off,” said Gary.

According to Mia’s report, Mrs Campton did not know the name of the midwife who aborted her grandchild. Was she lying when she said it was just a name she had forgotten as soon as she had paid the woman.”

“Whoever it was murdered an unborn child,” said Nigel. “That makes it interesting for homicide, doesn’t it?”

“Infanticide is of course criminal. Those unborn kids have no choice. Someone has to should protect them from murder, which it is. But let’s face it,  we’ll have to improvise until we have evidence,” said Gary.

“If Amy Campton and her mother say there was an abortion then there was, and we have to get that midwife to confirm it and carry the can for being bribed to do it. Why should she get off scot free?”

“Don’t get so worked up, about it,”  said Gary. “Henry’s acolytes will get Mr Campton on money-laundering; Gisela can do something about the illegal export of luxury cars, and we’ll wait for the next corpse.”

“Brilliant,” said Nigel. “There’s something rock-solid about homicide. You know where you are.”

“You could ask Mrs Campton if the midwife was local, of you wwant to do something for that poor unborn kid,” said Gary. “Who was that woman involved in one of Cleo’s cases? She delived kids, sold them and told the mothers they were dead.”

“I remember her. Nasty. Named after some jewel or other,” said Nigel.

“Ruby Singleton. That’s was her name, Nigel.”

“I don’t think she survived, but even if she did, we could not make her own up to anything illegal. She would have been doing Mrs Campton a favouer and got a large fee for her trouble. They used to call such women ‘angel makers’. Cleo wrote about it once in a paper on historical abortion. It gave me the creeps. What do make of this afternoon’s scarecrows?”

“What do you make of them, Gary?”

“I think Olaf is the most corrupt, but how can you get him to admit to anything? He was definitely Ronnie Fish’s deputy. If he wanted to get on careerwise, that would be the way to do it.”

“You take pot shops at all your rivals,” said Nigel. “Top of the heap; cream of the crop.”

“Let’s get him in and ask before we talk to anyone else.”

***

After a lunch-to-go supplied by Romano’s tasty Italian cuisine, Gary and Nigel felt fortified. Mia Curlew was asked to attend Daphne’s questioning. Gary had learnt his lesson about interviewing ‘defenceless’ females.

Nigel had taken the precaution of asking Cleo to be present at the afternoon’s interviews. He did not tell Gary about this move but sent her a text, to which she replied immediately. Was Gary in trouble?”

***

Daphne was collected from her flat, whence she had returned after decided that sleeping on the sofa at her friend Dolly’s house while Dolly amused herself with her boyfriend in her bedroom only yards away was not a good idea. She was collected without prior notice by a patrol team and was genuinely alarmed.

Cleo left the children in capable hands. By the time Gary and Nigel had finished their feast and discussed what could go into that morning’s report, Cleo had arrived at HQ and at Nigael’s behest made for Greg’s second floor office, where she was now chatting to Daphne and trying to calm her down. Mia was glad to be freed of her chaperone duties. She had a new drug case to solve.

Gary was amazed to see Cleo.

“Nigel sent me a text,” she said.

“On the whole, a good idea. You’d have to get your hand back in one day.”

Gary scowled at Nigel.

“Cleo smiled at Daphne. Ehe groundwork was done abd she h oped Daphne would say the right things. Cleo could not believe in any duplicity from such a naïve person.

“It was never out,” saiy Cleo..”Or was I dreaming our discussions about the case.”

“No. Sorry.”

Nigel wondered why Gary was in such a foul mood. He should be glad of Cleo’s support, not resentful.

“Daphne says she hasn’t done anything wrong,” said Cleo.

“What sort of anythings were you referring to, Miss um Greene?” said Gary.

“Anything I shouldn’t do,” Daphne replied, her eyes darting to and from Cleo. She had not been introduced. The woman seemed to knew the superintendent.

“So why did you shoot Ronnie Fish?” said Gary.

“But…”

“But what, Miss Greene?”

“Yes.”

“So why did you shoot Mr Fish?”

“I don’t understand.”

“The gun from your handbag was used, Miss Greene. We took a bullet out of Mr Fish’s back and confirmed it.”

Daphne looked horrified, but pressed on with her case.

“It wasn’t me. I haven’t got any bullets.”

“So who was it?”

“It could have been Olaf,” Daphne fabricated. “He borrowed the gun.”

“When?”

“I don’t remember.”

”How did he know about it?”

“He got it for me.”

That was absurd. Surely supplying Daphne with a gun would be counterproductive from Olaf’s point of view. The questioning was not going the way Gary wanted it to, and Cleo was just observing the situation, but he did not want Daphne to leave HQ until he had found out more about her gun and if she had used it that Sunday afternoon, and if so, on whose instructions. In fact, he wanted her to be guilty. He hoped he hadn’t missed something that would contradict his suspicion.

“You did not have a reason to kill Mr Fish, did you, Daphne?” Cleo interrupted.

“No, Miss. And the gun wasn’t loaded. Mr Collins said so.”

“Mr Collins?”

“I think he was firend of Ronnues’s.”

Gary wanted to follow up the mention of Jason Collins, whom he assume to be Fish’s lawyer, but Cleo got in first.

“You are in love with Olaf, aren’t you?” said Cleo.

“I was.”

“When did you stop being in love with him?”

“When he…”

“When he got you mixed up with other men, Daphne?”

Daphne nodded.

“But you loved Ronnie Fish, too, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Miss, but he did not love me enough.”

“When did you stop loving him, Daphne?”

“After I started loving Olaf.”

“Was that before you started loving Ivan?”

Daphne looked surprised. How did this women know all that?

‘This woman’ was actually improvising and Gary was getting annoyed at the intrusion.

“Since I have yet to understand the reason for asking Daphne about her love life, I’d like to break off this interview,” he said, in a voice that prevented Cleo from protesting.

“Take Miss Greene down to the canteen, please, Nigel. I’ll call you when I need you,” Gary instructed.

Cleo was puzzled.

Nigel and the young woman made for the office door. Gary did not like Cleo’s odd personal questions. Daphne had been at the house for one reason and that was to be available for lecherous men looking for fresh flesh.

“Why were you in this office and not mine upstairs?”

“Nigel said to come here.”

“Oh.”

As if on cue, Nigel came back.

“Mia was downstairs. I left her looking after Daphne. You need me here, I’m sure.”

“Yes, we need you,” said Cleo. “Gary needs you more than he needs me, so I’ll leave you to get on with it.”

“No. don’t go,” said Gary. “I do need you here, but why did you ask the woman such irrelevant questions?”

“Forgotten about motives, Gary? Dorothy would be appalled.”

“What motives?”

“Daphne could have shot all three of the guys she once loved, so why did she pick on Fish?,” said Cleo. “I’ll tell you why. Because she was not acting for herself. She even mentioned the guy who steered her action.”

“I expect you mean Collins,” said Nigel.

“Ask Daphne where she kept the munition and I think you will find that she was telling the truth and doesn’t have any and did not think the gun was loaded when she played the game of cops and robbers with Fish.”

“What makes you think all that?” said Gary. “A bullet from that gun was in Fish’s back.”

“Why don’t you check with her?”

“Nigel, get the woman back. I’ll have to check, though I think we’re on a wild goose chase.”

***

“Shouldn’t Miss Greene be arrested as a precaution?” Nigel inquired.

“She’s been framed, Nigel,” said Cleo.

“I’m starting to agree,” said Gary. “I think she was telling the truth some of the time. We could check with Olaf and Ivan.”

“What makes you think they will cooperate?” said Cleo.

“If they want Daphne to take the blame for Fish’s death, they’ll cooperate,” said Gary, who now felt the  need to assert himself.

“Should I get those guys here?” said Nigel.

“Yes. I’ll phone Greg on his mobile. Surely he isn’t in such romantic doldrums that he’s switched off his phone,” said Gary. “He should be here for this afternoon’ performance.”

“About time too, Gary.”

“What’s up, Nigel?” Cleo asked.

“Stick around,” said Nigel. “Gary and Greg are not hitting it off.”

“Rubbish,” said Gary.

***

Greg was not in a good mood.

“What’s up, Gary. Can’t a guy take a week off now and then?”

“You’re in charge of homicide and the Fish case is still open, Greg.”

“I’m surprised you need me, Gary. You elbowed me out, remember?”

“I’m sorry if I gave you that impression.”

“You did.”

“Can you get here in an hour?”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

Greg knew when he was beaten. Gary was his superior, after all.

“I’ll be there. Can you tell me what’s afoot?”

“You let Daphne out the day Fish was killed.”

“She wanted to visit her parents and she was at HQ for her own safety and not charged with anything.”

“But she wasn’t in an arrest cell, Greg. She was in a guest room, so she could have released herself. But she didn’t.”

“I don’t know what you are getting at.”

“Someone must have wanted her out of HQ.”

“What for?”

“As an accessory or a killer, Greg. Was it you?”

“Pull the other one!”

“Daphne could have shot Fish.”

“You’re joking.”

“If it wasn’t her, it was Olaf – remember him, or Ivan, or both or even all three.”

“Don’t exaggerate. I’m almost on my way.”

“How’s Ellie?”

“Pregnant, but not from me.”

“Looking for a father for the kid, I suppose.”

“She looked the wrong way.”

“So the engagement’s off, is it?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry.”

“Just imagine I’d married her and then found out.”

“Did she own up? I can’t think who if the wedding is in 10 days time.”

“No. I found one of those famous ultra-sound photos. Quite big already, that foetus.”

“So she only then owned up.”

“She screamed at me for rummaging in her private posessions, but the photo was in the pocket of my dressing-gown that she borrowed and her name was typed along the bottom edge, so she could hardly deny it was hers.”

“What happened then?”

“I told her the engagement was off and asked her for the ring.”

“Did she give it back? Didn’t you say she already had 3?”

“She now has 4. Cheap at the price, on reflection,” said Greg.

“See you in an hour then, Greg.”

“Not if you suspect me of killing Fish.”

“That was meant to be a joke,” said Gary.

“It wasn’t funny.”

***

“What was all that about?” said Cleo.

“Greg has disengaged himself.”

“Wow!”

“Ellie was trying to cuckold him.”

“He’s well rid of her then,” said Nigel.

“He might be sad, Nigel. Keep off the subject.”

“I was planning to.”

Before Greg arrives, I would like to continue ,my chat with Daphne, woman to woman,” said Cleo.

“I was too haste, wasn’t I? Sorry.”

“Not really. I don’t think she would have said anything relevant to you.”

Ask Mia to bring Daphne here, Nigel.”

Mia was glad to be shut of the woman. Daphne had concentrated mostly on eating a plateful of cakes, talking with her mouth full about this and that, but certainly not mentioning why she was at HQ. Mia thought the woman was shallow and silly.

***

“Before we talk about those men, we can chat about men in  general, Daphne. For instance, that you invited Jet Black to move into your flat. Why did you do that?”

“I wanted to show Olaf that he was not the only fish in the sea. Miss.”

“So it wasn’t to impress Ronnie Fish, was it?”

“No, Miss.”

“Mr Black went to look for you at your flat. Did you know that?”

“No, Miss.”

“He was worried about you.”

“He sent me to Ronnie and then went off on a tour.”

“He went to your flat on the Sunday afternoon when you were still missing, Daphne. That’s when he found Mr Fish with Irene.”

“Did Ronnie kill her?”

“Probably. Jet Black helped to make it look like suicide.”

“Irene wouldn’t commit suicide,” sneered Daphne.

“She didn’t,” said Cleo.

“And then Ronnie came back to the villa and we had sex, Miss?” said Daphne. She was horrified. “With Reenie lying dead in my flat?”

“Yes, Daphne. Would that be a reason Olaf would want to kill him?”

“I think Olaf was off Reenie.”

“He probably was,” said Cleo, trying to figure out Daphne’s train of thought.

“I slept with Olaf, too. Is he a murderer?”

“I don’t know, but Ivan killed Maureen, Daphne. That’s pretty certain.”

Daphne let out a long gasp of horror.

“But I slept with him, too,” she squeaked when she had cought her breath.

“You’re lucky to be alive, Daphne.”

“Yes Miss.”

“Would you like to talk about the time after you escaped from the house? I’d like you to stay alive, Daphne, but we need to know exactly what happened on that following Sunday afternoon when you were supposed to be visiting your parents, but didn’t.”

“We?”

“Superintendent Hurley is my husband, Daphne, and I’m a sociologist who helps here with people who need advice.”

“I don’t need advice,” said Daphne indignantly.

“I think you do. Would you like me to I tell you what happened?”

“You don’t know,” said Daphne.

“I guess that you were very angry with Ronnie Fish and so were Olaf and Ivan.”

“Yes Miss,”

“I know why you were angry, but why were they angry?”

“I don’t think Ronnie had paid their wages.”

“That’s a good reason.”

“I think Olaf let me out of that house because was very angry about his wages.”

“That’s a very good reason.”

“Can you keep a secret, Miss?”

“If I have to.”

“Ivan helped himself to the money people paid for drinks.”

“But if he had not received his wages, I can understand that,” said Cleo. “It can’t have been much.”

“There were always a lot of people there,” said Daphne. “Ivan was selling some kind of drug, I think.”

“Are you sure?”

“He offered me some pills the evening I got there while Ronnie was phoning someone. I said I did not have a headache and he just made me a rum and coke.”

“Was that the one that made you sleepy?”

“Yes, it was. How do you know that?”

“I guessed, Daphne. Ivan must have poured knock-out drops into your drink.”

“He wouldn’t do that, would he?”

“That’s how he killed Maureen Bishop in the hospital. With knock-out drops in her rum and coke and a nerve drug jabbed into her shoulder.”

***

Cleo reckoned that Daphne was in a shocked enough state to tell all. She phoned Gary and said they were ready for the meeting. Her talks with Daphne had been streamed to Gary’s laptop and saved, so he knew what had been said.

“What meeting?” said Daphne. “I don’t want to go anywhere with a murderer.”

“We’ll just go upstairs to my hosband’s office for a talk, Daphne.”

***

In Greg’s office Cleo signalled that she wished to continue with her interview. She led Daphne to the table at which Nigel usually sat to write his notes. That put distance between the two woman and Gary and Nigel.

***

“What happened to Ronnie, Daphne? Did Ivan really jab a syringe into his shoulder?”

“We went behind that sweet stand in front of the Gazette office. Someone called Collins had told us to go there and wait for Ronnie. Ivan gave me my gun back. It was heavier than usual. He said Olaf had loaded it with blanks.”

“What did Ivan tell you to do with the gun?”

“He said we were playing at cops and robbers and I was a policewoman.”

“Were you to shoot Ronnie?”

“We would follow Ronnie, Ivan would pretent to stab him and then I would shoot him with the blanks and he would fall to the ground as arranged.”

Cleo and the other listeners could not quite believe what they was hearing.

“We were only following the man called Collins’s instructions, Miss.”

“Do you know Collins?”

“No, Miss.”

“He was Ronnie Fish’s lawyer.”

“It was silly game to play on Ronnie, wasn’t it, Miss?”

“Why du you think Collins wanted you to play that game, Daphne?”

“Can I have a drink, Miss? I’m thirsty.”

“Water or coffee, Daphne?” said Nigel.

“Water, please.”

Greg came in. He had been watching the interview from behind a one-way glass installed on the corridor side of Gary’s office.

***

“So you came after all,” said Gary.

“I got in a tailback, Gary. I was too late to interrupt. Why didn’t you use my office?”

“Because we left Cleo and Miss Greene there to talk alone and then they joined us up here.”

After a short discussion, Greg and Gary decided they had no choice but to question Collins a.s.a.p.. He was obviously involved in the death of Ronnie Fish. Collins’s cell phone located him at Fish’s villa. A patrol team was sent to collect him. He did not receive prior warning.