SECRET CRIMES a gripping crime thriller full of suspense (21 page)

‘What on earth are you doing here? For goodness’ sake, Rae, are you mad? You need another couple of days at least to recuperate.’

‘No I don’t, ma’am. I look worse than I feel. I was discharged an hour ago, and the doctor said I’d probably be fit for light work by tomorrow. So here I am. I’ll be fine to be here for an hour or two, really. It’ll stop me from getting bored and I’m sure there’s something you can find for me to do.’

Chapter 21: Brize Norton

Sunday morning

The three detectives were waiting in a customs room at the Air Force’s principal transport hub. It was a Sunday and Brize Norton was quieter than normal, but there were still passengers making their way through the building to be embraced by family members. Through a window they watched the groups of uniformed personnel at the customs desk, wondering which one of them was John Renton. Marsh had managed to contact Brize Norton the previous evening and had arranged with the duty officer to speak to Renton. He would be brought into the inner office as soon as he appeared at the check-in desks. Renton was returning for a brief spell of compassionate leave, giving the detectives the opportunity to question him in person. They’d reluctantly brought Rae with them because she was familiar with the layout of the complex. She’d visited Brize Norton several times to collect her father when he’d returned from an overseas posting.

The customs officer entered, accompanied by a middle-aged man in plain clothes. He was wearing blue chino trousers and a dark grey leather jacket. He walked briskly across the floor and extended his hand.

‘John Renton. I understand you wanted to see me?’ He had a soft Hampshire accent. He was just under six feet tall, with dark hair beginning to go grey at the sides, and a smooth, olive complexion. He looked wary despite his confident, authoritative manner. Sophie stepped forward and shook his hand.

‘I’m DCI Sophie Allen from Dorset police. This is DS Barry Marsh. We’d like to speak to you for a few minutes. If you wouldn’t mind sitting down?’

‘This will be about Sarah, I expect,’ Renton said, seating himself and stretching out his long legs.

Hiding her surprise, Sophie nodded to the customs officer, who went out.

‘Yes. If you don’t mind me asking, why exactly have you returned?’

‘To help Peter with the funeral arrangements. He contacted me a few days ago, so I made the necessary arrangements and took the first available transport back here.’

Sophie was struggling to keep up with all this.

‘Peter Shakespeare has contacted you? Why? Do you know him?’

‘He’s my nephew. Sarah was my half-sister, although I’m quite a few years younger than her.’

‘We didn’t know. . No one in the family has mentioned you. Even so, I can’t believe we missed it.’ Sophie shook her head.

‘I’m not really surprised. Sarah and I were never close. We fought constantly when we were children, and didn’t have a lot to do with each other after we grew up, partly because of the age difference. And I haven't been in contact with Hugh for years. But I got on well with Peter when he was young, and when he contacted me with the news of her death, I thought I should come over and give him some support. I used to take him to football matches when I was home on leave, and we had some good talks. I was midway between his age and his parents’, so maybe that made it easier for him to open up to me . . . So if you didn’t know who I was, why were you waiting for me?’

Sophie sighed audibly. ‘That’s a long story, and maybe it should wait until we have a chance to speak further. What is your role in the army, Mr Renton?’

‘I’m an RSM with an artillery and armoured brigade. At the moment I’m training a unit of the Afghan army in mortar use. I’m due to leave the army soon. Since Sarah’s death I’ve been thinking a lot about my future. Everything depends on how Peter is. He’s the real reason I’ve come back. I think he’ll welcome my support. At least I hope he does.’

Sophie smiled weakly at Renton. She felt like holding her head in her hands.

‘Can we give you a lift anywhere, Mr Renton? We’re heading back to Dorset, but we could easily divert to Portsmouth.’

‘That’s very kind of you, Chief Inspector, but no thanks. I’ve travelled back from Germany with a friend and we’ve hired a car. And call me John. Please.’

‘I’d prefer to keep things on a more formal footing, but don’t take offence. So you didn’t fly directly from Afghanistan?’

‘No. I’ve been in Germany for over a week. As I said, I’m due to leave the army in a few months and I plan to train as a church minister. The army organises short courses to help ease people into civilian jobs when they leave. I’ve been on one for servicemen who want to enter the caring professions. It’s being run jointly with other NATO personnel at Bielefeld, our headquarters in Germany.’

‘Exactly how long were you there?’

‘Ten days. The course finished yesterday. Patrick Adams, the friend I’m travelling with, is one of the facilitators. I’ve known him for years.’

‘Well, if you’re not returning to Portsmouth with us, it means that we’ll need to talk a bit longer here. Do you fancy a bite to eat or a coffee? We could visit the café.’ She looked around her. ‘This room isn’t exactly pleasant.’

‘A coffee would be fine. I’ll have to start watching my weight now I’m moving into less active work. Can Patrick join us?’

Sophie nodded.

* * *

In the cafeteria Marsh joined the queue at the counter with Renton’s friend, Patrick Adams. Sophie began to question Renton more closely, while Rae took notes.

‘I think you noticed our surprise when you told us. We had no idea of the connection between you and Sarah. You must be wondering why we came all this way to meet your flight.’

Tapping his fingers on the table, Renton nodded.

‘You’ll know by now that Sarah’s death was no accident, that she was murdered. You may also know that a couple of days after we discovered her body, the man she was with was also found dead some forty miles further along the coast. They were in Swanage attending the local blues festival and spent the first part of the night together in a hotel. One of the other rooms in the hotel was booked on the same night in the name of a John Renton. He checked in during the early part of the evening, but was not seen again. He vanished that night and didn’t return.’

‘But there must be dozens of John Rentons in the country.’

‘The room was booked using your credit card details. Your bank gave us access to your statements. Your card was used to book that room, although the bill was paid in cash.’

‘And this was last weekend? But I was in Germany then,’ he protested.

‘I will need precise details of your location, and people who can corroborate that. The hotel room was booked over the internet some weeks earlier. If it wasn’t you, then someone has used your card details fraudulently. That’s obvious. But until now we had no idea you were a member of Sarah’s family. So, if it wasn’t you, then who knows your card details? Who booked that room? And who used that room for the first part of the night on Friday, nine days ago? Do you have any ideas?’

‘No, absolutely not, but I can assure you it wasn’t me.’ Renton shook his head. ‘For goodness’ sake. I fly in, expecting to be helping support Peter, only to find I’m a suspect in his mother’s murder. This is all too absurd.’ He looked up as Marsh returned carrying a tray of coffees and biscuits, followed by Renton’s friend. ‘Pat, where was I on Friday night last week? What was I doing?’

Renton’s friend frowned. He was tall, older than Renton but handsome in spite of his grey-streaked, stubbly beard. He was tanned, and carried himself with assurance. As he stretched across to pick up a biscuit, Sophie noticed a sticking plaster on the inside of one wrist.

‘You were three days into the course.’ Adams spoke with a soft but authoritative voice. His spectacles reflected the sunlight in the room. ‘We’d completed the induction material by then, and we’d moved on to the individual assignments. We gave you all the briefings on Thursday, so you were either in the library or working in your own study.’

‘Can you vouch for Mr Renton’s presence for the duration of the weekend?’

‘Of course.’ He took a sip of coffee. ‘I need a while to get my head around the exact details, but he was there, I know it.’ He frowned again.

‘Have you ever been to Barbados, Mr Renton?’ said Sophie suddenly.

‘Barbados? No, not recently. Though I was there a long time ago. I used to play a lot of cricket for an army team and we did a tour of the West Indies some twenty years or so back. That’s how I met Patrick. He was one of the team coaches and we’ve remained friends ever since, even after he quit the army. Barbados was one of the places we played in, wasn’t it, Pat?’

Adams nodded. ‘I’d forgotten about that. It was a long time ago.’

‘Does that count?’ Renton added.

‘No. Nothing more recent? Anywhere else in the Caribbean?’ Sophie asked.

‘I was on a cruise there about five years ago, along with a girlfriend, but we missed Barbados because of a storm.’ He finished his coffee in several large mouthfuls. ‘That was one of the best times of my life,’ he added, somewhat bitterly.

‘But you were never there with Sarah?’

‘No. Whatever gave you that idea?’

Sophie paused for a while. ‘Are you married, Mr Renton?’

He shook his head. ‘No. I never have been, but it wasn’t a conscious decision. If I’d met the right woman, who knows? But it’s not easy, being in the army and moving around all the time.’ He scratched his arm. ‘Like Sue, the girlfriend I was with on that cruise. She just couldn’t cope with me being away for months at a time on long tours of duty.’

Sophie nodded. ‘I can understand the difficulties. But what about now? Presumably you’ll be much more settled from now on? Is she still a part of your life?’

He shook his head. ‘If she wasn’t willing to settle for me in the difficult times, how could I ever be sure about her? She couldn’t have really loved me, could she? Maybe things will be different now, easier for a woman to cope with but with her, there’d always be that doubt in my mind.’

Sophie sat back in her chair. How should she broach the next set of questions?

‘You say you weren’t close to Sarah at all, Mr Renton. Did you know anything about her private life and her recent relationships?’

‘Not really. I knew the reason for the breakup of her marriage to Hugh, and his claim that she kept having affairs. I took much of what he said with a pinch of salt, and we haven't really spoken since. I tried to talk to her about it, to find out the truth, but she made it clear that her private life wasn’t up for discussion. Certainly not with me, anyway. Peter was still a teenager at the time and she knew we were close. I think she saw how important my relationship with him was, and didn’t want to spoil it. That might have happened if she confirmed Hugh’s claims. As for more recently, I’ve been away for so long that I’m out of touch.’

‘Was there ever any hint from anyone that Sarah had married again? Maybe secretly?’

‘No, never. That’s really a shocker. Good grief. Where have you picked that up from?’

‘It could just be rumour, but we have to check it out. So there was never any indication?’

‘No. But anyway, I’d be the last to know. It would have only come to me via Peter or Hugh, and presumably they haven’t been able to confirm it?’

Sophie shook her head. She turned to the other man. ‘So, Mr Adams, have you had time to think about last weekend? Can you vouch for Mr Renton from Friday through to Sunday?’

‘He was there all the time, I know it. We had breakfast together on Friday morning. He was in the lounge late on Saturday afternoon, because we watched the football results together. I was in the administration offices for most of Friday, dealing with completely unrelated issues, so I wasn’t present at the course venue. What I can do is give you the names of the other course participants and the other tutor. The librarian on duty will be able to help as well.’

‘I didn’t use the library.’ Renton began to look worried. ‘You know that, Pat. I used the web to research my assignment because the topic I was given was unusual. I was in my study for most of the day and only joined the others for a quick snack.’ He paused. ‘In fact, I didn’t even go out with you all on the Friday evening. I was feeling very off-colour, I remember now, and stayed in. I went to bed early that night and slept for a long time.’

‘I’m sorry, John. I didn’t mean to land you in it. I feel a complete bastard now,’ said his friend.

‘We’d have found out anyway,’ said Sophie. ‘This is a double murder investigation, so we have to cross-check everything and follow up every single lead, every alibi and every statement. People think the police do their work by hunches, second-guessing suspects’ possible motives, but that all comes from television drama, not real-life policing. In reality a lot of it is based on fact-checking, looking for discrepancies.’ She sat up straighter. ‘So we need a list of all the course participants and their contact details, all staff members and anyone else who might have seen Mr Renton during those key hours.’

‘Where will you be staying while you’re here, Mr Renton?’ asked Marsh.

‘We’re staying in my Portsmouth home for a couple of nights, to give us time to see Peter and his father and check on the arrangements. I’m staying until after the funeral. Pat has to return to Germany in a few days.’

‘We’ll need your full contact details and you need to inform us if you decide to go anywhere else. I hope you understand.’

Renton nodded. ‘As for the other stuff, witnesses who can vouch that I was on the course, I’m sure we can give you most of the names here and now. Pat helped to organise the course, after all.’