Хилари Боннер - Dreams of Fear

‘No, boss, I don’t think I do,’ responded Saslow.

‘Ten years ago, probably before you were in the job, you’re so damned young, Saslow,’ said Vogel. ‘I was in the Met, of course. Still a DC. It wasn’t our finest hour. Williams’ decomposing body was found in a North Face bag, padlocked from the outside, in the bath of his Pimlico flat. Our brass and MI6 collaborated on how the investigation should be handled, and all sorts of restrictions on information were imposed. Nonetheless, there was an inquest, as the law demands, and the coroner described Williams’ death as “unnatural and likely to have been criminally meditated”, prompting a second investigation. After another twelve months, the then DAC at the Met announced that the most probable scenario was that Williams had died alone in his flat as the result of locking himself in the bag.’

‘Wow,’ said Saslow. ‘That sounds like some cover-up, boss.’

‘And all in the interest of national security, Dawn,’ Vogel continued. ‘It has to be possible that something of that nature was going on here. I’m pretty sure it’s what Nobby Clarke was driving at.’

‘So you think Jimmy Granger is another spook, do you, boss?’

‘I think that the man we have just arrested is almost certainly responsible for two murders and an attempted murder,’ said Vogel. ‘And I want him brought to justice, whoever the hell he is.’

By the time Vogel and Saslow arrived at Barnstaple police station, Jimmy Granger had been processed in the custody suite. He’d been photographed, and had his DNA and fingerprints taken. He’d supplied his address and other relevant personal details readily enough, but refused to be interviewed until he had a solicitor present. Two phones were found on his person. One was a burner phone with just a handful of numbers plumbed into it, the yacht club and a couple of other Instow numbers including Gerry Barham’s, and an unidentified London number. This was the last number Granger had called before his arrest, and the time logged indicated that he had made the call when he’d realized he had little chance of escaping from outside the old chapel. Almost certainly when Vogel had seen him using his phone.

Vogel immediately called the London number, which rang out for more than a minute before cutting itself off. He planned to try it repeatedly, but had little hope of success. He asked Saslow to arrange for the number to be checked out. But neither did he hope for much success with that either.

The second phone had belonged to Gerry Barham, and a text had been sent from it that afternoon, hours after Gerry’s disappearance and almost certainly after his death, to Sam Ferguson. The text instructing Sam to go to the old chapel at Eastleigh.

Granger was carrying little else when he was arrested, just some cash, a credit card, and a bunch of several keys. Vogel took a bet with himself that amongst these would be keys to Felix and Jane Ferguson’s home, almost certainly also copied by Gerry Barham and forwarded to his mysterious employers.

Granger had the name of what appeared to be a standard High Street solicitor in Exeter. It was way after office hours, and it took time to track the man down. Whilst waiting to begin, Vogel tried two or three times to phone Nobby Clarke in order to report to her directly. She wasn’t picking up, which was unusual.

Meanwhile, DC Perkins reported back on his interview with Anne Barham.

‘She says Gerry was a civil servant with the Ministry of Defence, working in various departments over the years, usually dealing with finance,’ said Perkins. ‘Deployment of funds to the military, that sort of thing. I honestly don’t think she had any idea he might be anything more than that, boss. He was a mathematician apparently.’

‘Ah yes, along with half of GCHQ,’ muttered Vogel, who was also aware that recruits to all three British secret intelligence services, MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, were instructed to use the ‘civil servant with the MoD’ job description in their personal life.

The solicitor finally arrived more than two hours later, to find not a lot was required of him. Jimmy eschewed the opportunity to discuss his case with the man. He had, it appeared, no real reason to do so, as during the formal interview which followed, Jimmy made only one reply.

He answered ‘no comment’ to every question.

The solicitor merely sat in silence.

Vogel suspected Granger had been deliberately time-wasting. He wondered what behind the scenes skulduggery might already be taking place, possibly instigated by the man’s call to London.

Whatever the case, Vogel, who had himself deliberately delayed talking to Felix Ferguson again until after interviewing Granger, now realized that he may as well get on with it.

Saslow activated the video equipment in the small interview room, and made the usual announcement of those present, as a matter of record.

Vogel then took charge.

He began by telling Felix that there had been an attempt on his father’s life and that Gerry Barham had been murdered.

Felix turned ashen. He looked shocked and bewildered.

‘W-what’s happening, Mr Vogel?’ he asked haltingly. ‘I... I don’t understand. Is my father hurt?’

‘Not badly,’ said Vogel. ‘Just bruised and shaken.’

Felix nodded a little absently. He was clearly trying to concentrate.

‘And Gerry is dead? Murdered, you say. Does any of this have anything to do with Jane’s death?’

‘We don’t know for certain, but we think so. It would be the most extraordinary set of coincidences if not.’

Vogel then explained about Gerry Barham’s surveillance operation, the installation of a hidden surveillance camera in Jane and Felix’s bedroom, and Sam Ferguson’s complicity in it all.

Felix was incredulous. Of course he’d had no idea he and Jane were being filmed, he insisted. It was unbelievably shocking. He became even more shocked after Vogel asked him if he knew a man called Jimmy Granger. At first he said he didn’t think so. Then he said the name might be familiar.

‘Wait a minute, he’s a new member of the yacht club, I think,’ said Felix eventually. ‘What’s he got to do with it?’

‘We think he was sent to Instow by persons as yet unknown, after Gerry Barham reported back on the results of his surveillance on Jane. Probably in order to take whatever action might be deemed necessary.’

For a moment or two Felix stared blankly at Vogel, in silence. He seemed to be having difficulty in taking in everything the DCI was saying. Vogel did not entirely blame him.

‘I still don’t understand,’ he said eventually. ‘Why would anything filmed by that damned camera make someone want to kill Jane?’

‘I have no idea, Felix,’ replied Vogel. ‘I was hoping you might.’

Felix shook his head. He did not speak.

‘C’mon, Felix,’ said Vogel sharply. ‘Your wife is dead. You have been arrested on suspicion of her murder. I am trying to get to the truth here. For Jane’s sake, please give me some assistance. At least, tell me all you know.’

Felix sat up a little straighter in his chair.

‘All right,’ he said, a note of resignation in his voice. ‘Jane was having terrible dreams, you know that. There was one night, n-not long before she died, when things got particularly bad. I was woken in the night by screaming. I found her in the children’s bedroom. She had little Jo in her arms, and she was shaking her. It was terrible. Awful. I snatched Jo away from Jane. And, well, then I lost my temper, I don’t often do that. I was in shock, I think. I, uh, I hit out. I struck my wife in the face... ’

Felix paused.

‘But presumably you know that?’ he queried. ‘You’ll have seen it all by now, I assume. I mean, we were being filmed. In our own bedroom. Jesus!’