Shroud of Evil (18 page)

Horton nodded agreement.

Walters added, ‘There’s nothing linking the restaurants with regards to employees, current or past, or suppliers.’

Cantelli came off the phone. ‘None of the companies I’ve spoken to so far have given powerboat training to Jasper Kenton.’

‘Widen the area of search tomorrow. Check out those along the coast to Southampton and to Chichester.’

Cantelli said he would write up the report from their visit to the marina and the hospital. Horton didn’t see any need to include one about his conversation with Gaye Clayton. In his office he rang Phil Taylor of SOCO to see if he’d got anything from the boat.

‘No evidence of blood,’ Taylor intoned in his usual mournful manner. ‘We’ve managed to lift a few clear prints.’ Which, Horton thought, would probably match Kenton’s. They would also need to get the prints of the man who had sold the boat to Kenton, and those of Rob Tuckerton who had helped Kenton refuel the boat. Horton asked Taylor to do that and send them over to the fingerprint bureau.

‘Sergeant Elkins is here and would like a word.’

Horton waited while Taylor handed over his mobile phone.

‘The Border Agency hasn’t seen or stopped
Bright Girl
,’
Elkins reported
.
‘Ripley’s spoken to a couple of boat owners in the marina but neither of them know or recognize Kenton or remember seeing his boat go out. The locksmith has managed to unlock the helm and I’ve checked the navigational charts. There are no journeys entered on it for the last three months, so if he took the boat out he didn’t use that. The last trip that was logged was to the Channel Islands and that was before Kenton purchased the boat on the nineteenth of September.’

‘How much fuel is in the tank?’

‘It’s half full. I’ll get on to the marinas on the island tomorrow.’

Horton sat and contemplated the case. Was he wrong about Brett Veerman? Why was he so convinced he was their killer? He sighed and pushed thoughts of Veerman aside and turned to clearing his messages. He wondered if Tim Shearer would come back to him with information on Kenton. Trueman hadn’t mentioned that he had news from the legal fraternity or police in London of Kenton having appeared as an expert witness and he would have done if he’d got something. He was just impatient. And he was uncomfortable with this softly, softly approach of Uckfield’s. He was also uneasy about his own part in stifling progress in the investigation by his continuing silence about being at the scene the day before. He tried to console himself with the fact that it was still early in the investigation but the clock on this case was running extra slow and no one seemed keen to speed it up. He was almost tempted to suggest that they have someone tail Brett Veerman but he knew what the response to that would be. They didn’t have the manpower and ACC Dean would never sanction it. Perhaps they should hire a private detective, thought Horton wryly. Bliss?

He rose and peered out of the window. There was no sign of Uckfield’s BMW so he must be with her now. Cantelli knocked and entered to say he was off home. Walters had already left. Horton rang Trueman and relayed what SOCO and Sergeant Elkins had said. Trueman would get their reports in due course.

Replacing his phone, Horton wondered if he should call Mike Danby and ask him to meet for a drink. He had some questions to put to him about Kenton’s boat. Or perhaps he should call Gaye and ask her if she’d like that drink and meal tonight? It would be good to have company and especially hers, he thought, with that same sense of excited anticipation he’d experienced before. But despite that he found his mind flitting to Harriet Eames and cursed silently. He didn’t want to think of her, not in any relationship sense. She was history, just as Catherine and Thea Carlsson were. But thoughts of Thea brought him back to the abbey. God, he hadn’t even found out what kind of sentence those toe-rag thieves had been given. The courts had closed a long while ago and there was nothing on his email notifying him of the sentence. It was just on seven. He had Tim Shearer’s mobile number and rang him.

‘Sorry to call you so late.’

‘This is early,’ Shearer said pleasantly.

‘You’re still at work?’

‘Yes, like you I expect.’

Horton asked if he knew what sentence Maidment and Foreland had received.

‘Two years custodial. They would have got more if they hadn’t changed their plea.’

‘Have you informed Brother Norman?’

‘No.’

‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’ It would give him a reason to return to the island and while there he’d re-interview Thelma Veerman. He might be able to get more out of her about her husband and particularly his movements on Thursday night.

Shearer said, ‘About Jasper Kenton, you asked if he’d been involved in any criminal prosecutions or been called as an expert witness in the courts. I can’t find any cases logged in London. Want me to check the Hampshire records?’

‘No, Trueman’s on to that.’

Horton rang off. Maybe Uckfield now had that information from Bliss. Maybe it wasn’t relevant anyway. He had no need to pursue this case, not until told to do so. He had plenty of others that needed his attention. But he had a reason why he couldn’t let it drop. He had to find out before anyone else did if the beachcomber, Lomas, had anything to do with Kenton’s death, and God help him if he did.

‘K
enton never mentioned owning a boat and I’ve never seen him at the marina,’ Mike Danby said the next morning with genuine surprise when Horton told him what they had discovered the previous day. Horton had called him early and asked for a meeting. ‘I didn’t even know he liked boats.’

‘It seems to have been a well-kept secret,’ Horton said as they walked along the shore at Warsash where Danby had told Horton he had a meeting at the Superyacht Academy at nine. Across the River Hamble on their left, and ahead of them, Horton could see the yachts in Hamble Marina. Behind them was the Warsash Maritime Academy buildings, which provided a range of courses for the maritime industry, including training for crew for the growing number of superyachts around the world. Horton knew that Danby had picked up several clients from there. He thought Danby was probably about to pick up another one.

‘Kenton was close-mouthed, but then you’ve got to be in this business,’ Danby added. ‘Is his boat at the marina now?’

Horton saw no reason to avoid answering the question. Danby could easily check. He nodded. He could see Danby’s sharp brain quickly assimilating this information.

‘You’re wondering if Kenton could have crossed to the island on his boat with his killer who then returned it to the marina.’

‘It’s a possibility.’

‘Still fancy this Brett Veerman you mentioned earlier?’

‘Haven’t ruled him out yet. He lives on the island, can sail a boat, and he’s a member of the same yacht club as Eames.’

‘Doesn’t mean a thing. It could just be a coincidence that the body was put on Richard’s shore. Maybe the killer just wanted a quiet place to dump it.’ He eyed Horton steadily. ‘But I can understand why you’re making the connection. I’d be following it up if I were running the case.’

Pity Uckfield didn’t think that, unless he had returned from his meeting with Dean with authorization to formally question Veerman and his colleagues and staff.

‘What did Kenton’s clients think of him? You must have got some feedback from those he referred to you,’ Horton said.

‘The same as we all thought of him. Clever, discreet, thorough.’

Horton threw Danby a curious glance. There was more here, he was sure of it. He didn’t think that Danby was deliberately holding back information; rather that
he
was asking the wrong questions. Only he didn’t know the right questions to ask.

‘You said you met Kenton and Swallows at a security conference. Did they approach you or did you approach them?’

‘They approached me, or rather Jasper did. It was during the lunch break. Kenton said that as we were based in the same geographical area perhaps there would be opportunities to work together. He already knew a lot about me and my company but this was day three of the conference so he’d had time to look me up on the Internet. I told you he was thorough.’

Not so thorough that he didn’t enrol on a powerboat training course, unless Cantelli discovered otherwise today. ‘And you conducted a search on him.’

‘Of course. And I did one on Eunice Swallows before our first meeting to discuss how we could work together. Both had excellent references. Kenton especially.’

‘From his former employers.’

‘Yes, and from clients. There’s nothing there, Andy. Kenton’s as honest and clean as they come.’

‘No one’s that honest or clean,’ muttered Horton, thinking of his deception regarding the beachcomber.

‘You’re right, of course.’ Danby’s green eyes studied Horton closely. Horton held them unflinchingly before Danby continued, ‘But Kenton was one of those principled people, very straightforward and reliable.’ Then he paused before adding, concerned, ‘Have you found anything to indicate otherwise?’

‘No, but we’re looking. Was he ever involved in any prosecutions? Trueman’s checking of course,’ Horton hastily added. ‘But—’

‘You thought you’d take a shortcut and see if I’d picked up any gossip. I’d be doing the same myself if I were in your shoes.’

Horton’s sensitive ears twitched at the slight emphasis on the word ‘your’, making him wonder if Danby knew about the beachcomber, and the fact he’d kept silent about it. They walked on.

Danby continued, ‘You’re looking into the possibility that someone Kenton testified against could have sought revenge. It’s one scenario, except that, as far as I’m aware, Kenton has never appeared in the witness box.’

Horton didn’t hide his surprise. ‘Not even for one of his clients when he discovered that someone he was investigating was making a fraudulent claim on the insurance?’

‘No. Kenton’s exposure of fraudulent claims always led to the culprit holding his hand up and pleading guilty. Like I said he had an enviable track record. He always amassed such firm evidence that even the bugger he was investigating knew when he was beaten.’

‘We should have had him on the force.’

Danby smiled, then a cloud crossed his face. ‘He was bloody good.’

‘But not good enough to escape being killed.’

‘No. So why?’

Horton could see by Danby’s expression how much he missed the job. Horton liked him but did he trust him? He would have done except for bloody Richard Eames.

Danby went on, ‘Maybe he cocked up on a surveillance operation. Like I told you I wouldn’t have put him on one. That’s the obvious motive. Or he could have unearthed something incriminating that his killer didn’t want exposed. He was damn good at forensic computing – perhaps he uncovered another cyber crime.’

‘Another?’ Horton said, his interest heightened. His mind flashed to Brett Veerman and the thought that he might be involved in a drugs scam. And one that was connected to a European country, hence possibly Harriet Eames’ involvement. Could he be right?

‘Yes. He unearthed a major one at his former employer, Wimco. It would have left the pharmaceutical company highly vulnerable. As you know, Andy, hacking is no longer the nerd in his basement doing it for fun or spite or in order to sell a few names and addresses and sensitive bank account information. Hacking’s become automated on a huge industrial scale – often with state-sponsored agencies behind it – and attackers are aiming for an increased competitive edge by stealing company secrets and that’s what they were after at Wimco.’

‘Did he tell you this?’

‘No. I got it from the Vice President; he was the first client Jasper recommended to me. Humphrey Naughton. Naughton couldn’t speak highly enough of Kenton.’

‘I’m surprised they let him go.’

‘No one’s indispensable.’

‘Including me. Bliss thinks I’m highly dispensable.’

‘You know where to come if she boots you out.’ Danby consulted his watch and turned back. Horton fell into step beside him. ‘I don’t think they wanted Kenton to leave but he was adamant he wanted to set up on his own.’

‘Were any criminal charges brought against the perpetrators?’

‘They didn’t get them. Wimco didn’t pursue it – bad publicity, share prices plummeting, that kind of thing. Kenton had shut the stable door just before the horse had bolted. Wimco reviewed its policies and Kenton helped them to put better procedures in place. And you’re thinking that he might have done the same for one of his clients only this time it
was
going to be investigated and the person undertaking the criminal activity didn’t want his scam exposed so he traced Kenton and silenced him.’

‘It’s a possibility.’

There was a brief pause before Danby said, ‘I asked you before how he was killed and you wouldn’t tell me, can you tell me now?’

‘You’d better ask Eames. He seems to be calling the shots in this investigation.’

Danby eyed him curiously. Horton explained, ‘We’re to go easy with the investigation on account of His Lordship being involved in delicate overseas negotiations and we don’t want the media getting hold of a sordid murder on His Lordship’s property.’

‘Why don’t you like him, Andy?’ Danby asked quietly.

‘Why should I?’ Horton quipped, but Danby’s words were a warning for him to be more careful not to betray his emotions as far as Richard Eames was concerned. He added, ‘I don’t like the way this investigation is being soft peddled.’

‘But that won’t stop you going at it.’

Horton shrugged an answer. ‘How did you get Eames as a client?’

‘Chas Foxton recommended me. He and Richard know each other from the yachting set – Monaco, not the Solent,’ Danby added.

‘And who’s Chas Foxton?’

Danby eyed him incredulously. ‘Gracious Grove. The 1980s pop group. They were classed as one of the New Romantics, like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran
.
You must have heard of them.’

‘Vaguely.’ It wasn’t Horton’s type of music but he did remember them. They had been so big it was impossible not to.

‘Chas now runs a very successful media and entertainment company. He’s got half a dozen record labels with some big-name stars. Tammy Freiding is one. We were handling her protection at the Isle of Wight Festival in June when I saw you and Harriet Eames there on a case. I mentioned it to you.’