SECRET CRIMES a gripping crime thriller full of suspense (15 page)

Jimmy switched off the laptop, sealed it in a labelled forensic bag and took off his latex gloves. He took the equipment across to Rae’s desk and added it to the pile.

Chapter 13: Obsessed

Thursday morning

‘Where are we with the search for Brian Shapiro?’

Not long after eight that morning the team were seated in the incident room. Sophie stood beside the incident board. It now contained plenty of information about the two victims, Sarah Sheldon and Paul Derek, and about the two main witnesses, Rosemary Corrigan and Ed Wilton, but the area around the name Brian Shapiro was noticeably bare. She looked at her team of detectives and uniformed officers.

‘He’s our prime suspect. We have detailed descriptions of him from Rosemary and Ed. There are statements from other witnesses who saw him on Friday evening. We know what he looks like, we know what he was wearing, we even know something about his personality. We know how he talks, how he walks, how he drums his fingers on the table when he’s irritated. But not only can we not find him, we are not making any progress in finding anything about what he’s been doing for the past four years. I find that strange. He’s become even more important following the post-mortem on Paul Derek. It showed that, at the time of his death Derek was drugged with a strong sedative. This means we’re thinking murder rather than suicide or an accidental fall. It’s imperative that we find Shapiro. I’ve asked Rae to summarise what we’ve discovered so far. Please go ahead, Rae.’

Rae stood up. ‘I managed to speak to all of you at some time yesterday, and I’ve put together what little we know. So here goes. We think he’s in his early fifties, is a little shorter than average, has blue eyes and mousey-coloured hair. He was a uniformed constable in Southampton but he left under a cloud. Apparently there were rumours about him abusing vulnerable women. It came to a head in Portsmouth and he was sacked four years ago. There hasn’t been much trace of him since, although there are some reports of him being seen on the fringes of the underworld. We think he was divorced about eight years ago and we’re trying to trace his ex-wife. But we can’t find a woman in either Portsmouth or Southampton with an age and a name that corresponds. That might indicate that she’s married again. There’s a large family of Shapiros who run a couple of Italian restaurants in Southampton, but they say he’s not one of them. Are they being truthful or have they cut all ties because of his behaviour? It’s impossible to say at the moment, but I think it needs further investigation, ma’am. The other Brian Shapiros that we’ve traced don’t seem to correspond to our man. There are two in Bournemouth, one in Poole and a few others spread across the Southampton area. There was one in Weymouth until two months ago, and that led us astray for a while because he was the right age. But yesterday Jen discovered that he died in a car crash two months ago. So it’s back to square one. Can I give you my hunch, ma’am?’

‘Yes, go ahead,’ Sophie replied.

‘I think he’s one of the Southampton restaurant Shapiros, even though they say he’s not. I phoned a couple of them. I spoke to two different people from each of the branches of the family since they run two separate restaurants. They gave answers that were almost identical, practically word for word. I suppose it could have been coincidence, but it made me suspect that they’d talked to each other and agreed on what to say. I know that would be a normal thing to do — they were brothers — but it went beyond what I’d expect just from a chat. That’s all I have, ma’am.’

Sophie nodded. ‘Very interesting, Rae. Thanks. Good stuff.’

Rae sat down. She was conscious of the others all looking at her. How had she done? It was the first time she’d had to talk to a large group, and she was aware that her voice might betray her masculine origins. She looked at them but the others had already transferred their attention back to Sophie. Only Barry Marsh was still looking at her, and he nodded and smiled. Jen Allbright looked at the floor, frowning, and then back at Rae. Had she guessed? Well, so what if she had? Rae thought. She was who she was, and they would all have to accept it. All she could do was work hard, do all that was expected of her and trust in the judgement of her two superiors. She took some deep breaths and tried to concentrate on what the boss was saying.

‘I think we’ll go with Rae’s instinct and dig a bit deeper into the Shapiro family. Rae, you take charge of it. Jimmy can help you once he’s finished with the computers. But you must be tactful with the Shapiros. They’re not criminals and shouldn’t be treated as such, not unless we find they really have been hiding something from us. Even then, check with me before you confront them. Use any type of record you think might be useful to cross-check them, but it has to be legitimate. And if you do find something, try to get it verified. The other angle that we’re trying to follow up is John Renton, the man who went missing from the hotel. That’s reached an impasse as well. Apparently he’s serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan, so it can’t have been him at the hotel. Yet the booking was made from his credit card. Someone might be masquerading as him. His photofit hasn’t helped much. There’s been some vaguely positive responses from people in the pubs, but nothing definite. Please keep an open mind and if anything does crop up, let one of us know.’ She looked at Jen Allbright. ‘Jen, you spend a bit more time summarising the information we have on John Renton. But don’t waste time on it. Once you’ve joined up all the dots, and if nothing else occurs to you, give up on it and lend Rae a hand. Barry and I are going to see Sarah Sheldon’s son so we’ll be out for most of the morning. He’s flown in from the States and is due to formally identify his mother’s body. Then this afternoon we’ve got Paul Derek’s eldest son identifying his body. Jen, later this morning could you collect the Derek family from their home in Portsmouth and drive them across to Dorchester for the identification? Barry and I can take over then, since we’ll already be there. You can give me a rundown on any progress that’s been made. I may be paying another visit to Bath tomorrow. Lydia’s contacted me with a list of the hotels that the jazz festival promoters included in the information pack sent out to people who’ve booked into recent festivals. It seems a good idea to check them out, but that’s for tomorrow. There is one further bit of news, but I don’t think it helps the investigation much. The roadie who had the argument with Shapiro and Derek in the pub on Friday night claimed he’d seen Shapiro before somewhere. He had, but it was a couple of years ago at the Bath jazz festival. We already know that Shapiro was there, from Brenda Plant’s evidence. Nevertheless, it’s useful corroboration.’ She looked around. ‘Everyone clear on what to do today? Let’s get busy.’

* * *

‘Jimmy said you’ve got a degree in engineering, Rae. Is that right?’ Jen Allbright asked as she followed Rae back to her desk.

‘Yes,’ Rae replied. ‘Marine engineering.’

‘What? Ships and things? What made you join the police rather than looking for a job with ships?’

‘As I told Jimmy, I found out I actually didn’t like ships very much. But I do like people. And solving crime puzzles.’

‘You haven’t been in the Dorset force very long. I looked. Where were you before?’

Rae sighed. ‘I haven’t got time to chat, Jen. Can we leave this till later? I’m not trying to dodge your questions, but I’m new so the boss has her eye on me.’ She glanced round. ‘She’s watching us now.’

Jen Allbright returned to her own desk somewhat reluctantly. She still had a puzzled frown on her face. Rae was perturbed by Jen Allbright’s interest in her. Had she guessed? If so, would it be the start of the trouble the boss and Barry had warned her about? Well, she couldn’t do anything except wait and see what would happen next.

* * *

As they walked out to the car, Sophie was talking to Marsh about the same incident.

‘I think that Jen Allbright has guessed about Rae, Barry. I watched her face as Rae was giving her summary. We need to be prepared in case it goes further, or she decides to start stirring.’

‘I thought it would be more likely to be one of the men, ma’am. Shows how good my judgement is.’

‘Men are less observant. They only look at the obvious. Legs, bum and tits. Facial features to some extent, but only so far as they compare to the media images. Rae’s face is actually quite attractive, and she also has a good figure. I’d guess that Jen had already picked up some slight anomalies, and Rae’s voice confirmed her suspicions. Rae can control it when she’s speaking quietly in a one-to-one situation, but reporting to the group was a different matter. Maybe it was wrong of me to ask her to do it, but I was just treating her the same as everyone else. That’s what she wants. The other thing to remember is that Rae’s situation is more of a challenge to women than men, particularly if they’ve got prejudices. Some might object to their toilet being used by an “interloper.” They feel threatened by the presence of someone they think is not one of them. It can get really bizarre, Barry. So if you hear anything more, let me know. I’ll stamp on it before it goes any further. One thing I won’t tolerate is mindless prejudice. Given half a chance Rae will be a good detective, and I won’t allow her development to be put at risk.’

‘I’ve known Jen for some years, ma’am, ever since she joined us. She’s got a very understanding personality. I don’t think she’ll give us any problems.’

‘Let’s hope you’re right.’

* * *

Sarah Sheldon and Hugh Shakespeare’s son, Peter, was dark-haired and brown-eyed like his mother and tall, like his father. He looked tanned and fit, although his eyes showed signs of strain. He stood slightly hunched as the two detectives approached.

Sophie spoke gently. ‘I’m sorry to have to meet you in such awful circumstances, Mr Shakespeare. It must have come as a terrible shock to hear the news of your mother’s tragic death. I can only try to imagine how you’re feeling.’

‘Thank you,’ the young man replied. ‘Dad has helped. He’s been very understanding. I still can’t take it all in. Are you getting close to finding who did it?’

‘We’re making progress, but that’s all I can say. The case is complicated and your mother wasn’t the only victim.’

‘Do you mean there were other women killed like her?’ Peter asked.

‘No, not killed. But other women have been assaulted in a similar way in the past, at least one at a music festival, although not murdered. But that wasn’t what I meant. We found the body of one of the men we believe was involved in your mother’s death, and we suspect that he too was murdered.’

‘Christ.’ Hugh Shakespeare looked stunned.

After a moment Peter broke the shocked silence. ‘So the killers might be killing each other? Is that what you’re saying?’

‘It’s possible. We’re still awaiting full forensic results, so please don’t talk about it to anyone else at the moment.’ She paused. ‘Now, are you okay to go ahead with this straight away or would you like a coffee first? If you feel up to it, I thought we could talk more over lunch, but it’s entirely up to you.’

Peter turned to his father. ‘Let’s get it over with, okay, Dad? And lunch will be fine if it’s just something light.’ He turned back to Sophie. ‘I suppose you want to know stuff about Mum?’

Sophie nodded. ‘It would help us complete the picture of her life. There are some things about her that just don’t add up, and you might be able to help. I know a lovely café in the town centre that’s ideal for a quiet chat. But I do want some time alone with you, Peter.’ Hugh stiffened when he heard this. ‘Please don’t be offended, Mr Shakespeare. I have to do this. There was clearly a serious breakdown between you and Sarah, so I need your son’s account of things.’

Hugh didn’t reply.

‘Okay. Let’s get it over with,’ said Peter.

The four of them made their way to the viewing room.

* * *

Sophie had always liked Dorchester. The market town was full of interesting buildings, and the pubs and cafés were cheerful. She’d again settled on the Oak Room, where she’d taken Rae earlier in the week. They sat in a panelled room upstairs to eat their lunch. She and Barry Marsh gave Hugh and Peter a short summary of the investigation so far, and the two men seemed satisfied enough. After lunch, Marsh took Hugh out for a walk through the town centre, leaving Sophie and Peter behind.

‘So what do you want to know, Chief Inspector?’

‘Your father is pretty hard on your mother, Peter. He was obviously deeply hurt by her. I’d like to hear your view of things.’

Peter thought for a while. ‘I loved my mother. She was always caring and warm-hearted to me. Growing up, I was always aware of her lively personality. She loved the company of other people. But, to me, that made her all the more special. I don’t know how much sense it makes, but I felt closer to her than my friends were to their mothers. It’s as if there was a special bond between us. There was a kind of link that meant we were together even when we were apart.’

‘Were you still in regular contact, even though you lived in New York?’

‘Yes, we talked on the phone every few weeks, and we emailed each other.’

‘Did you get birthday cards or presents, Christmas cards and the like?’

‘Yes. She hardly ever forgot, although some of her recent choices were a bit off-the-wall. And I did my best not to forget her birthday because I knew how much she appreciated the presents I sent, especially after I went to New York.’

Sophie thought for a while. ‘Your father implied that your move to New York was partly to get away from your mother. That doesn’t square with what you’ve just told me.’

‘No. They were fighting with each other, Chief Inspector. It was pretty awful. I desperately wanted to stay on good terms with both of them, so I suppose I told him what he wanted to hear.’