Peter Lovesey - Cop to Corpse

‘I’m okay.’

‘Good. I’ve been on the go some hours and I’m going to leave you in charge for the time being.’ He noticed Leaman checking the clock. ‘No need to log my comings and goings, by the way. The SCU is free ranging.’ He stalked out.

‘Free-range, as distinct from battery birds, like you and me,’ Diamond said to Leaman.

‘If you want a rest, guv, I can set things up for tonight.’

‘You heard me say I’m okay,’ Diamond said. ‘Would I lie to Jack Gull?’

No response.

Diamond eased the crutch from his right arm and let it fall to the floor. ‘I don’t need both of these any longer. I can manage with one.’ He hobbled a few steps to the board plastered with photos of all three shootings. ‘Gull and his people are convinced these attacks are random. They say they researched the murdered officers and there’s no reason anyone would want to shoot them for who they were.’

A frown from Leaman suggested he, too, had taken this as gospel.

Diamond continued, ‘They made up their minds before Harry Tasker was killed.’

Leaman scratched the back of his head, unsure where this was leading. ‘They must have gone into it carefully.’

‘I’m sure.’

‘But you think they could be mistaken?’

‘Put it this way, John. They’re the Serial Crimes Unit. Serial killing is their business and serial killing is usually random. After two shootings they look at the history of the victims and can’t see any link between PC Hart, the Wells guy, and Richmond, the Radstock guy. So it’s random. And when shooting number three occurs — same weapon, same time of day, same MO — their suspicion hardens into certainty. They’re so sure that they don’t even consider checking whether victim three has anything in common with victim one or victim two — apart from being a cop.’

Leaman’s eyes widened. ‘Is that possible?’

‘It ought to be looked at. We have Harry Tasker’s file here and more importantly we have people who knew him. Personally I know sweet FA about Hart and Richmond.’

‘Their records will be at headquarters. Must be, if Jack Gull and his team were studying them. I can ask them to share them.’

Diamond shook his head. Some craft was wanted here. He didn’t want headquarters thinking he’d pulled the rug from under Gull. ‘Rather than dealing with Portishead, I’ll speak to Wells and Radstock, where these guys were based. Their personnel units must have supplied the profiles. They can supply us as well. I’ll tell them we have an incident room here and we need everything in our system. We’re not dealing with one case in isolation.’

In twenty minutes, he had the information he wanted. Leaman brought it up on the screen. Diamond wheeled his office chair closer.

PC Hart, Martin, aged 31 at death, had joined the police only four years before, after a short career teaching physical education. Born in a village near Wells, he had attended a local comprehensive where he had excelled at sport, notably basketball and fencing. As a fencer, he’d been on the fringe of international selection and this had helped him to a sports course at Bridgwater in spite of mediocre exam results. He’d trained as a teacher and taken up water sports. While still at college he’d met Juliet Strang, from Portsmouth, a swimmer, and they lived together until after obtaining their degrees, when they married. He was appointed teacher of PE at a state school in Minehead. His wife gave birth to twin daughters in the first year. Schoolteaching hadn’t suited Martin Hart’s temperament. He found working to a timetable restrictive, preferring games and leading school teams to the daily routine of lessons. But there had been no problems over discipline. If anything, he was too demanding of the students and expected standards they were unable to match. After six years of teaching, he decided on a change of career and applied to join the police. He was regarded as a good candidate, physically fit and with satisfactory references from the school. He’d completed the training and joined Wells as a probationer and impressed everyone with his communication skills and confidence dealing with a variety of situations. Confirmed as a fully fledged constable he was tipped to get promotion to sergeant within another year. His home life appeared good. After the twins, another child, a son, had been born, and the family lived in a rented house in a well-regarded estate north of the city. His wife Juliet worked part-time as a lifeguard at the local sports centre and coached the swim team.

‘A sheltered life, really,’ Leaman said in summary

Diamond nodded. ‘Family man, lived in Somerset all his life. How would a country boy like this give offence to a gunman?’

‘Are we assuming it wasn’t a random killing?’

‘That’s the point of this exercise,’ Diamond reminded him.

‘Maybe the gunman happened to have been a kid at the school where he taught.’

‘Not bad, John. Not bad. And had a grudge about the way he was treated? Compulsory games?’

Leaman smiled. ‘It would have to be worse than that. Some of these PE teachers are sadistic bastards.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Memories of school cross-country runs stirred in Diamond’s brain. Those formative experiences went deep, himself with the stragglers, smokers and fat boys at the back of the pack, too breathless to run, shivering in shorts and singlet, and being threatened with an extra round of the course by a bully in a tracksuit. ‘There were times when I would gladly have shot mine, but I hope I’ve got over it.’

‘They say it’s self-perpetuating.’

‘What is?’

‘You get bullied and in due course you become a bully.’

‘Get away.’

It was a rare moment of triumph for Leaman. He’d got one over his assertive boss.

‘We’re guessing here,’ Diamond said testily. ‘Move this on. Let’s look at the other victim.’

PC Richmond, Stanley, had been older than Hart. 41 at death, a career policeman, he had joined Bristol Central after leaving school. His file showed he’d moved around more than most in his first few years: Crewkerne, Minehead, Glastonbury, Somerton, Ilminster, Wincanton.

‘Why so many moves?’ Diamond said.

‘Sometimes you get a bloke who doesn’t fit in.’

‘An awkward bugger? I’ve met a few.’

Leaman reddened.

‘Nothing personal. Then there are restless guys who are always putting in for transfers. Was he married?’

‘No. Ah, this could explain why he was often on the move,’ Leaman said, and read aloud. ‘ “Has an interest in folklore and writes articles for Somerset Life and other magazines.” I expect he was gathering material for his writings.’

‘He was supposed to be keeping law and order.’

‘He could still have combined it with his hobby.’

‘Which must be why he never made it to sergeant.’

‘Just look at the list of postings. Glastonbury, famous for its mystical connections. Somerton, supposedly the meeting place of various ley lines. Wincanton had its witch trials. He did his research, wrote it up and then asked for another transfer.’

‘He ended up at Radstock. What’s there, apart from disused coal mines?’

‘Bronze age stuff. Saxon burials.’

Diamond was impressed. ‘You’re well up on all this. Are you a rucksack and shorts man on your days off?’

Leaman hesitated. ‘I take an interest, but I wouldn’t say I’m well up on it, not like Stan Richmond.’

‘Ever met him on a dig?’

Leaman shook his head. ‘I can see I’m going to regret this.’

Diamond revolved his chair to turn his back on the screen. ‘So we have a sporting ex-teacher and a folklore buff. A muscleman and a hippie. Not a lot in common except they both joined the police.’