Faithfully: Chase & Halshaw #1 (30 page)

We are twice armed if we fight with faith.

Plato

“...because the Logistics Unlimited Sales Manager was taking
Justin, Bryn and me out for dinner,” Amy retorted, exasperated. “What else
would Bryn be doing at my flat?”

Halshaw hesitated.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” Amy groaned. “You’re as bad as Frank
bloody Usher!”

Halshaw glared back at her, but before she could respond the
door burst and Chase swept into the meeting room. “Good morning, ladies,” he
beamed.

Lauren Halshaw and Amy Birkdale both looked up at him,
startled.

“Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?” he asked.

“No Sir,” replied Halshaw. “But I think...”

Amy pushed back her chair and sprang to her feet. “I’d better
get on,” she said, and hurried out of the room before Halshaw could stop her.

Chase settled himself in the chair Amy had occupied. “I
think Les Salter might be our man,” he said.

Halshaw looked puzzled. “Why’s that?”

“Well, for one thing, there was all that business about
Monday night. Spending the evening watching telly with his wife and family,
indeed!”

“He did spend it with his wife, though, didn’t he?”

“No, Halshaw, he didn’t. That was Tuesday evening.”

Her eyes opened wide. “How do you know?”

“Elaine Salter told me. She was supposed to go round on
Monday, but she didn’t make it in the end.”

“So her husband doesn’t have an alibi for Monday night after
all?”

“No.”

Halshaw nodded thoughtfully. “But why do you think he
murdered Lucy Faith?”

“Who said anything about murder? I’m talking about the
burglary at Amy’s.”

“Wasn’t that Dmitri?”

“Almost certainly. But remember what Darren said, about an
older man paying Dmitri for a break-in. I think that might have been Les
Salter.”

“I don’t understand...”

“Anna told me about him. Seems he’s held a torch for Amy for
years. He even tried to get to her through Anna.”

Halshaw frowned. “Anna? You mean Anna Birkdale?”

“Yes.”

Her frown deepened. “So why the burglary? Revenge?”

“I don’t know,” replied Chase. “We’ll see what he has to say
for himself. Ah, here he comes now.”

Di
Rodway
ushered Les Salter into
the meeting room, then left discreetly.

“Good morning, Mr Salter,” said Chase, pleasantly. “Take a
seat, please.”

Les Salter took the chair Chase indicated, and looked
anxiously at him, then at Halshaw.

“We want to talk about the abusive texts you’ve been
sending, Mr Salter,” Chase continued.

Salter’s smile stiffened slightly. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about.”

“The texts you’ve been sending to Ms Birkdale, sir,” said
Halshaw.

Salter shook his head slowly, his smile fading. “I’m sorry,
Constable, Inspector. I’ve absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Threats, insults, abuse. She finds them highly distressing,”
Halshaw insisted. “That’s why she called us in.”

“No, no. I haven’t sent her any texts.” He turned to Chase.
“Please, Inspector,” he implored. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt Amy. You must
understand that.”

“You wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, you say?” Chase
replied.

“Of course not.”

“Then why did you pay a man named Dmitri to break into her
flat and trash her bedroom?” Halshaw demanded.

Silence.

“My colleague asked you a question, Mr Salter,” said Chase,
evenly. “Please have the courtesy to answer it.”

Salter shook his head.

“No, Mr Salter?
No
what?”

No reply.

“Shall I tell you what I think?” Chase continued, in the
same thoughtful tone. “I think you wanted to sabotage Project Goldmine. I think
you wanted to get revenge on Amy for spurning your advances.”

“No!”

Chase sat forward in his chair, his eyes suddenly blazing
with anger. “Yes, you did,” he barked. “You even took advantage of her mother,
didn’t you, you bastard? She was vulnerable, and you used her. She told you all
about the security set-up at Amy’s flat. You probably even copied her door key.
And then you paid Dmitri to break into her flat.”

“No!” Salter’s eyes opened wide in alarm.

“Yes, Mr Salter,” Chase insisted, the colour rising in his
cheeks. “We have a witness who saw you paying Dmitri off.”

Salter shook his head slowly.

“Yes, Mr Salter. At The Green Parrot. He remembers you both
very clearly.”

Salter looked up at him entreatingly.

“And do you want to know what he did? Do you, Mr Salter? It
wasn’t enough that he stole her money and jewellery. It wasn’t enough that he
ransacked her wardrobe and dressing table. Oh no. He took plastic bags of dog
shit from a bin in the park and smeared it all over her bed, the floor, the
walls. Her furniture and clothes are ruined. She’ll never feel safe in her home
again, thanks to you. And as for the way you treated her mother...”

Halshaw tensed herself, dreading a repetition of the
incident at the hospital.

Chase leaned over Salter menacingly. “But you didn’t have
the balls to do it yourself, did you, you scum? So you found a lowlife like
Dmitri and paid him to do your dirty work for you instead.”

“No!” Salter’s voice quavered in alarm.

Chase resumed his seat and composed himself with a visible
effort. “Why did you do it, eh, Mr Salter? Why?” he continued, his voice cold
and ominous. “Do you really hate Amy that much? Did you really want to hurt her
so badly?”

Salter seemed to collapse in on himself. To Halshaw, he
appeared to age ten years in a few seconds.

“Well?” Chase demanded.

After what seemed like an eternity, Salter looked up again.
“Not to hurt her, Inspector,” he said, in a distant, quavering voice. “Why
should I want to hurt Amy? I love her.”

“So why did you send her those texts, then?” Halshaw
demanded.

“I didn’t!” cried Salter. He looked from one to the other
entreatingly. “OK, you’re right about the burglary, though God knows I never
realised what Dmitri would do, but I never sent her any texts.”

“Why did you pay Dmitri to break into her flat?” probed
Chase.

Salter buried his face in his freckled hands. “Because I
wanted her to need me,” he sobbed.

“I don’t understand.”

“He was supposed to do it on Wednesday night, not Monday. I
was going to be passing by, on my way home from evening class, and rescue her.
Then she would have loved me. But now...”

To Halshaw’s astonishment, Chase leant forward and laid a
consoling hand on Salter’s shoulder.

“So how did someone like you come across Dmitri?” he asked,
gently.

“Through Di
Rodway
, Inspector. I
told her I needed to fake a break-in...”

“You mean you told her about you and Amy?”

“Of course not! No, I just said I had a friend who needed to
fake a burglary. For the insurance, you know.”

“Why Ms
Rodway
, of all people?”

“Because she’s a fixer, Inspector. She knows everyone. She
can arrange anything. That’s why she’s such a good PA.”

Chase nodded thoughtfully. “Now then, Mr Salter,” he said.
“We need to take you into custody, I’m afraid. Is there anything you want to do
first? Anyone you want to say goodbye to?”

Alarmed, Halshaw attempted to catch Chase’s eye, but he
resolutely refused to make eye contact.

“Thank you, Inspector,” sighed Salter. “You’re very kind.
There are a couple of small things I’d like to do first.”

“OK,” replied Chase. “We’ve got some uniformed officers
waiting in the coffee shop downstairs, haven’t we, Halshaw?”

She nodded, bemused.

“Give them a call now, please. Tell them to finish their
drinks and come up here. Mr Salter, that should give you about five minutes. I
hope that’s enough time.”

“Thank you, Inspector.” Salter’s voice was little more than
a whisper.

“Please don’t be tempted to leave the building, sir.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“OK. Off you go.”

Salter rose and stumbled out of the room.

“What the hell are you doing, Sir?” blurted Halshaw, as soon
as the door had closed.

Chase put a finger to his lips. “Phone downstairs quickly,
Constable. Then let’s see what happens next, shall we?”

 “Hi Amy!” called Dinah
Rodway
,
her heels clattering over the marble floor of the atrium. “Are you all right?”

“Oh, hello Di!” replied Amy, tucking her iPhone back into
her handbag and attempting to force a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Why shouldn’t I
be?”

Di
Rodway
fell into step next to
her. “Oh, just that you were miles away just then. And that detective had you
in with her for ages.”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know, Di. It’s nothing, really. It’s
just that so much has happened over the last week...”

“Your break-in, you mean?”

“Yes. And Dave’s wife. And Mum’s new boyfriend. It kind of puts
your problems in perspective, doesn’t it?”

“I know what you mean. Bryn’s all bent out of shape at the
moment, too. Why did the copper want to speak to you, anyway?”

“She wanted to check a few things about the break-in. You
know. Just routine.”

“It didn’t look routine when I walked past,” retorted Di.
“And it sounded like the two of you were yelling at each other.”

You always were a nosy cow, weren’t you, Amy said to
herself, accelerating slightly as they reached the coffee shop.

“Hi Amy! What can I get you today?” asked the barista, a
tall, dreadlocked Australian.

“I’m not sure, Mike,” replied Amy, with a grateful smile.
“You go first, Di. I know Bryn hates to be kept waiting.”

“Thanks, Amy,” said Di. “Morning Mike! Can I have Bryn’s
usual, please? And a chai latte for me.”

“Coming up,” said the barista, with a wink in Amy’s
direction.

Amy glanced round the coffee shop, and noticed the four
uniformed police officers sitting at a corner table, drinking coffee and
chatting quietly.

“Who did the police have in after me, Di?” she asked.

“Les. He’d been in there for a good ten minutes when I
walked by.”

“Les Salter?”

“Yeah.”

“Wonder why?”

“No idea. He’s such a lovely guy, though. A real
old-fashioned gent. Don’t you think?”

Amy said nothing.

“Here you go, Di,” said Mike, handing her two cups in a
cardboard carrier.

“Thanks,” she replied, handing him a handful of change. “See
you upstairs, Amy.”

Mike leant forward against the counter confidentially and
smiled his most golden smile. “So. How are you doing today, gorgeous?” he
asked.

“Good, thanks. Yeah.”

“You don’t look it, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” she snapped.

“Because it’s true? Listen, Amy. I know it’s none of my
bloody business. But lots of people here care about you. More than you probably
realise. But you’ve got to bend a bit, sometimes. Share the load, you know?”

Amy glared at him. He looked back at her evenly, and
eventually she broke eye contact.

“Sorry, Mike,” she sighed. “You’re right, of course. Like I
said to Di, I’ve just got a lot going on at the moment.”

“So I hear,” he replied, softly.

The sound of a chair scraping made them both turn sharply.
The four police officers were downing the last of their drinks, pushing back
their chairs, and heading purposefully across the atrium.

“Looks like they’re heading for your office,” Mike grinned.
“Maybe they’ve come for you at last, Amy.”

Amy shuddered and said nothing.

A gaggle of voices swelled behind her, and Mike looked up sharply.
“Yes, people,” he chirped. “What can I get you today?”

Amy caught his eye and smiled, before stepping back to let
the group through.

“She’s not at her desk, Sir,” said Halshaw. “But her PC’s
switched on and her jacket’s still on the back of her chair, so she can’t be
far away.”

“Did you leave her a message?”

“Of course. I stuck a post-it on her screen asking her to
come straight round.”

“OK. Thanks. And where are uniformed?”

“On their way up.”

“Good.”

“Is there anyone else we could see while we’re waiting for
her?”

Chase shook his head. “I’d rather wait,” he replied. “I
don’t believe a word Les Salter told us, but I’d like to cross-check his
story.”

“Why not? He seemed pretty convincing to me. And remember
what Priyanka told us, about the way Salter was looking at Amy in that
meeting.”

“That’s true, I suppose. But Salter has been lying to us
right from the start. And then there’s what he did to Anna...”

“You keep talking about Anna Birkdale, Sir. What’s the story
there? Have you arrested her or something?”

“No!” laughed Chase. “What on earth would I want to do that
for?”

Halshaw shrugged.

“Anna and I are... well, let’s just say we’ve started seeing
each other,” Chase continued.

A smile spread slowly across Halshaw’s face. “So that’s why
you’ve been acting strangely the last few days, is it?” she chuckled.

Chase smiled sheepishly. “I haven’t, have I?”

“Yes. Very strangely, I’m afraid. You haven’t been your
usual grumpy self at all.”

“Sorry!” he grinned.

“And I guess that also explains why you and Amy kept
exchanging meaningful looks.”

“It wasn’t that obvious, was it?”

“It was to me.”

Chase could feel himself blushing, and decided to change the
subject quickly. “Anyway, what’s the connection between Di and Dmitri, I
wonder?” he said.

“He’s her boyfriend,” replied Halshaw.

“Her boyfriend?” Chase’s eyes opened wide.

“Yes. Dmitri was fostered by Di’s parents for a year or two
when he was a teenager. He and Di have been close ever since. They’ve been
living together for a couple of years, according to DC Fenway.”

Chase smiled and shook his head in disbelief.

“What is it? Don’t you believe me?”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just that I can’t believe we never
realised that before. Have you spoken to Dmitri about it yet?”

“I can’t, Sir. He’s dead.”

“Dead? I thought he was under arrest.”

She shook her head. “DCI Hopkins brought him in for
questioning last night, but not for long. Next thing we knew, he turned up on
the business park.”

“Dead, you mean?”

“As good as. He’d been badly beaten, and died shortly
afterwards. Before I got there, I mean.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Nothing useful, according to DC Fenway.”

“Oh dear. Poor Ms
Rodway
. Does she
know?”

“No. Rupert – DC Fenway, I mean - couldn’t get hold of her
last night. I was waiting to tell her until you got here.”

“OK. You can tell her when she arrives. Do we have any idea
who might have killed him?”

“I think it might have been the same person who tortured
poor Darren.”

“Really? Why do you think that?”

“DC Fenway’s description of the Swedish man who dialled 999
sounds awfully like the man Ahmed and Jake saw with Dmitri that night.”

Chase nodded thoughtfully. “Have you told DC Fenway or DCI
Hopkins?”

“No, I haven’t. Should I have done?”

“Probably. But I feel very inclined to let them work it out
for themselves, don’t you?”

Halshaw smiled conspiratorially. “And I’ll tell you
something else too. The connection between the break-ins isn’t the taxi
company.”

“So what is it, then?”

“This building.”

“This building?”

“Yes. Everyone who was burgled worked here.”

“But they weren’t all Logistical Group employees, were they?
We’d have noticed that, I’m sure.”

“No, they weren’t. A couple of them were temps. One guy
worked for the Property Maintenance company. Another one worked for
LogiSoft
, Portage’s IT supplier. And several of the others
worked for various subsidiaries, rather than the Group itself. But Dmitri’s
contact would have been able to access all their electronic calendars, and see
when they were away.”

Chase looked back at her in amazement. “Well done, Halshaw,”
he said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “Well done! I don’t suppose
you know who Dmitri’s contact was, do you?”

“It’s Di
Rodway
,” said Halshaw, in
a low voice.

“Di
Rodway
!” laughed Chase.
“That’s a good one.”

“No, Sir,” murmured Halshaw. “She’s here.”

Chase spun round, and saw Di
Rodway
standing in the doorway, a cardboard cup clutched in one hand.

“Hello, Ms
Rodway
,” he smiled. “Do
come in. Have you been waiting long?”

She took a couple of paces forward. “Long enough,” she
replied, in a flat voice.

Chase opened his mouth to respond, just as a scalding cup of
chai latte flew past his ear and exploded against the wall behind him. Before
he could react, she had delivered a kung
fu
kick to
his solar plexus and dashed out of the door.

Winded, Chase collapsed to the floor. Halshaw hovered over
him in an agony of indecision.

“After her!” wheezed Chase.

“But...”

“Go!”

Halshaw didn’t need to be told twice. She kicked off her
high-heeled shoes and hurdled Chase’s prone body. Then, with a pitying backward
glance, she sprinted down the corridor in pursuit.