Western Approaches (Jimmy Suttle) Read online

  ‘Mr Jacobson?’ he asked. ‘He’s dead?’

  Lizzie was panicking. The only call she could think of making was to Gill Reynolds. Mercifully, she picked up.

  ‘You’ve got a moment?’

  ‘Yeah. If you’re quick.’

  ‘Later maybe?’

  ‘Later’s worse.’

  Lizzie closed her eyes. She was in big trouble with someone at the rowing club. The details weren’t important but she’d done something stupid, really stupid, and now the man wouldn’t leave her alone.

  ‘How stupid?’

  ‘You don’t want to know.’

  ‘What kind of answer is that? Just tell me.’

  Lizzie did her best. By the time she got to Trezillion, Gill was laughing.

  ‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘You’ve got to be barking. That husband of yours can be a dickhead sometimes but he’s not that bad.’ She paused. ‘So what’s this guy like?’

  ‘He’s OK. At least I thought he was OK. Now I’m not so sure.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because he’s all over me. Because he won’t listen. Because he won’t take no for an answer.’

  ‘And are you surprised? After you came on to him like that?’

  ‘I suppose not. But it gets worse.’

  ‘Worse?’

  ‘Yeah. Yesterday he saved my life. Major production. Chopper, paramedics, the lot.’

  ‘Shit. Are you OK?’

  ‘I’m fine. No, that’s a lie. If you want the truth, I’m terrified.’

  Lizzie explained about Pendrick and his wife rowing across the Atlantic, about the morning he woke up and found himself alone. It took a moment for Gill to place the story. Then she had it.

  ‘Big hippy guy? Hair down round his shoulders? Bit of a looker?’

  ‘That’s him. He’s cut most of his hair off but the rest is pretty much the same.’

  ‘Fuck. I’m with you now. No wonder.’

  ‘No wonder what?’

  ‘No wonder you went to wherever it was.’

  ‘Trezillion.’

  ‘Yeah. Maybe you should have fucked him and got it over with. Most men lose interest after that.’

  ‘Not this one. Not the way I read him.’

  ‘What about Jimmy?’

  ‘Jimmy’s being sweet. Jimmy’s noticed who I am at last.’

  ‘Sure . . . but does he know?’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘Yer man.’

  ‘Yes, I think he does. Not the detail. Not Trezillion. He’s a detective, Gill. He does this stuff for a living.’

  ‘And if he found out about Trezillion? What then?’

  Lizzie didn’t answer for a moment. This was the question she’d been dreading. This was the reason she’d made the call in the first place. She needed clarity. She needed to understand exactly where she’d got to in this hideous story.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said at last. ‘It’s been rough these last few days, really horrible. Jimmy was brilliant yesterday, really cool with everything. He sorted me out after the accident. We even got it on last night. I don’t want to lose that, Gill. I really don’t.’

  ‘And this other guy? Pendrick?’

  ‘That’s what terrifies me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’m beginning to wonder about him. And because he won’t let go.’

  Suttle phoned Carole Houghton from the car. He was still parked across the road from the Golden Dragon.

  ‘Boss? We need to bottom out a credit card. Or it could be a debit card. Have you got a pen?’

  Houghton, it turned out, was preparing performance reviews. In other circumstances Suttle might have been amused. He gave her the details on the slip.

  ‘And the name?’

  ‘Sonya Jacobson.’

  ‘Who’s she?’

  ‘Kinsey’s ex-wife.’

  ‘Should I be excited?’

  ‘Definitely.’

  Suttle’s second call went to Eamonn Lenahan In these situations, especially with someone like Lenahan, Christian names often worked best.

  ‘Eamonn? Jimmy Suttle.’

  Lenahan remembered the name at once. He was doing a shift as a locum registrar in A & E at the Royal Devon and Exeter. Trade had been brisk all morning but he’d just seized a chance to put his feet up in the staffroom. Tea and biscuits. God’s answer to terminal stress.

  Suttle laughed. Just the mischief in the man’s voice took him back to the hour or so they’d spent in his rented cottage in Lympstone. Interesting guy. Definitely a one-off.

  ‘Something on that mind of yours?’ he said. ‘Because now would be a good time to talk. Ask for me at A & E. Doors will open, my friend. I’ll save you a biscuit.’

  Suttle turned the invitation down. The staff might recognise him from yesterday’s drama and the last thing he wanted just now was the likes of Lenahan making the connection between him and Lizzie.

  ‘I’m stuffed, mate,’ he said. ‘But tell me one thing.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘The takeaway you all had on the Saturday night, up in Kinsey’s place. Where did it come from?’

  ‘Fuck knows. Ask Tash.’

  ‘I’ve tried.’ Suttle was lying. ‘She won’t pick up.’

  ‘Bell Pendrick then. I think he uses the same place.’

  Suttle scribbled down a number, then checked his watch. Aside from Andy Poole, Pendrick was the one person he’d yet to see.

  ‘What time does he finish work?’

  ‘He doesn’t. He’s off today. Number 94, Woodville Road. Fella in the flat down below cracks bones for a living. Charming guy. Give him my best if he opens the door. Canes the arse off us mere practitioners.’

  Suttle was in Exmouth by half two. He’d called at Woodville Road days ago, but this time a yellow VW van was parked outside number 94. Suttle resisted the temptation to raise the chiropractor in the ground-floor flat and pressed Pendrick’s bell. Moments later came heavy footsteps down the stairs and Suttle found himself looking at the figure he’d last seen on Milo Symons’ PC screen. The same bulk. The same shaven head. The same scar. The same hint of amusement in the deep-set eyes.

  He stooped to inspect Suttle’s warrant card. He was wearing shorts and a thin singlet. The singlet was dark with sweat. He didn’t appear to be surprised to find a detective at his door.

  ‘You want to come in?’

  ‘Please.’

  Pendrick led the way upstairs. The living room was under-furnished but restful. Suttle liked the Moroccan throws on the sofa and the bookcases brimming with paperbacks. A set of weights lay on a folded towel on the polished floorboards. Miles Davis played softly on the sound system. It didn’t need much imagination on Suttle’s part to put a woman in here, someone maybe a bit stressed, a bit vulnerable. Someone in need of TLC and a listening ear.

  Pendrick had departed to the bathroom. Suttle heard splashing. Minutes later Pendrick was back in a dressing gown, towelling his face dry, trailing the scent of shower gel. He wanted to know what Suttle was after.

  ‘I read the account you gave to our guys back last week. You mind if we go over one or two points?’

  ‘Sure. No problem.’

  ‘Let’s talk about Kinsey.’

  ‘Must we?’ The expression on his face might have been a smile, but Suttle wasn’t sure. There was anger in this man. He could feel it.

  ‘Why do you say that?’

  ‘No reason. I didn’t much like the guy but you probably know that already.’

  ‘Something happened between you? Something personal?’

  ‘Kinsey didn’t do personal. The guy was a robot. If you want the truth, I felt sorry for him.’

  ‘You knew him well?’

  ‘Not at all. That was never on offer.’

  ‘So how did you hook up in the first place?’

  ‘He bought the boat. Then he bunged Andy Poole to fill it with decent rowers. Andy took advice from people round the club. I was one of the chosen ones
.’

  ‘Chosen’ was laced with contempt. Suttle began to wonder whether anything put a real smile on this man’s face.

  ‘And the rest of the crew?’

  ‘They were good rowers. Andy was the best. He had pedigree. But the rest of us weren’t bad either.’

  ‘That wasn’t what I meant. I’m asking whether they all felt the way you felt.’

  ‘About Kinsey?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘I dunno. We never talked about him really. He sat up in bow and tried to boss us around, but no one took much notice. He should have learned to row properly. That might have helped.’

  ‘What about Milo Symons?’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘Did he get on with Kinsey?’

  ‘That guy would get on with anyone. He’s a nice man, Milo, but he’s a child, a puppy dog. Kinsey would give him a pat from time to time, toss him a bone, and the guy would roll over. Quite sweet if you like that kind of thing.’

  ‘And what about his partner? Tash?’

  Pendrick gave Suttle a look. Amusement again? Or something more complex? Suttle couldn’t decide.

  ‘Tash is a law unto herself,’ Pendrick said softly.

  ‘Meaning?’

  ‘Meaning Kinsey fancied the arse off her. Tash knew that. And made him look a complete dick.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘By filling his head with all the hippy crap. By going round there and trying to turn him into a human being.’

  ‘Round where?’

  ‘Round to his apartment. She does this stuff for a living. Touchy-feely. Astral therapy. Getting in touch with your inner self. That could have been ugly in Kinsey’s case.’

  ‘She told you all this?’

  ‘Tash tells me everything. Tash tells everyone everything. That woman knows no shame.’

  Suttle nodded, remembering how candid she’d been about servicing Kinsey’s needs. Five minutes max. A hundred quid a minute.

  ‘You think she had a relationship with Kinsey?’

  ‘That wouldn’t have been possible. There was nothing to have a relationship with. Did she teach him to get in tune with himself? Did she shag the man if the price was right? Quite possibly.’

  ‘But you’d know though, wouldn’t you? If she tells everyone?’

  ‘I would, yeah.’

  ‘So did she?’

  ‘Of course she did.’

  ‘And was she shagging anyone else?’

  ‘Like who?’

  ‘Like you?’

  The suggestion appeared to amuse him.

  ‘Are you serious?’ he started to laugh. ‘Me and Tash?’

  Suttle let the silence thicken. Pendrick gave his face another wipe with the towel.

  ‘Tell me about Milo,’ Suttle said at last.

  ‘I just did. Mr Puppy Dog.’

  ‘His partner’s Tash, am I right?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘And she’s shagging Kinsey and maybe one or two others and not bothering to keep it a secret, yes?’

  ‘It’s possible.’

  ‘So how does that make him feel?’

  The silence was much longer this time. There was a logic in these questions and Pendrick knew it.

  ‘You’re looking for motivation, right?’

  ‘I’m asking a question.’

  ‘Because you think someone killed Kinsey? Went up there and chucked him off his balcony?’

  Suttle didn’t answer. Pendrick held his gaze.

  ‘Kinsey was an arsehole,’ he said softly. ‘Arseholes sometimes self-destruct. Fuck knows why, but they do. Maybe it’s God paying debts. Maybe it’s in the stars. Maybe Tash gave him the shag of his dreams and he decided to quit when he was ahead. Who cares? All I know is the guy’s gone. And good fucking riddance.’

  ‘The shag of his dreams? For winning, you mean?’

  ‘Whatever.’

  ‘But that night? Saturday night? After you’d all gone?’

  ‘I’ve no idea.’

  ‘You think she might have driven back to Exmouth Quays?’

  ‘How would I know?’

  ‘But she had a key to his apartment? Is that what you’re telling me?’

  This time Pendrick didn’t answer. At length he checked his watch. Time was moving on. He had a couple of calls to make.

  Suttle thanked him for his time. He might come back. He might ask Pendrick to attend the local nick for a more formal interview. In the meantime he had one last question.

  ‘The takeaway Tash went to on Saturday night. Which one was it?’

  Pendrick was picking at a loose thread in the towel. He looked up.

  ‘The Taj,’ he said. ‘In Rolle Street.’

  Rolle Street was a couple of minutes’ drive from Pendrick’s place. The Taj Mahal lay between a hairdressing salon and an estate agency. The door was locked. Suttle got the phone number from the menu in the window. When he rang the number he could hear a phone ringing inside. Then came a recorded message. The Taj could take reservations but takeaway orders had to be collected in person.

  Suttle tried again. This time the phone triggered a stir of movement from somewhere upstairs. Then came the clatter of feet on the stairs and a voice in Suttle’s ear.

  ‘What do you want? Who is it?’

  ‘Police. Can you open the door please?’

  The guy had obviously been asleep. He was middle-aged, portly. He was wearing loose cotton trousers and an Exeter FC football top. He rubbed his eyes, asked Suttle to come in.

  ‘You own this place?’

  ‘I do, yes.’

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Ratul.’

  Suttle gave him Saturday’s date. He wanted to know whether Ratul could lay his hands on the card receipts from takeaway orders.

  ‘Upstairs,’ he said. ‘They’re upstairs. You’ve got a name for the order?’

  ‘Either Kinsey or Donovan.’

  ‘Wait please.’

  He disappeared up the stairs. Suttle could hear movement overhead. A drawer opened and closed. He picked up a menu, realising how hungry he was. Then Ratul was back.

  ‘Here,’ he said. ‘It was a lady. I remember.’

  He gave Suttle a copy of the order. It was in Tash Donovan’s name. In all, the food for Saturday’s little celebration had come to £67.49. The debit-card slip was stapled to the order. This time there was no name, just the last four digits of the number on the card.

  Suttle had memorised the last four digits of the slips he’d seized from the escort agency: 2865. He checked the numbers: 2865. Ms Sonya Jacobson.

  Suttle had time to grab a sandwich from an Exmouth café before he drove back to Middlemoor. He was certain now that Constantine should be revived, and that knowledge made him feel very good indeed. Everyone had put Kinsey’s death in the wrong box. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, it had been quicker and cheaper to assume suicide and consign the file to the Coroner’s office. Only Suttle had taken the harder path. And now it turned out that he’d been right.

  Carole Houghton was still in her office. In less than an hour Suttle needed to leave for Bournemouth.

  ‘This has to be quick, boss.’

  She already knew about the card receipt from the Exeter escort agency. Now he told her about the matching slip from the Taj.

  ‘Same account, boss. Has to be.’

  ‘So what are we saying?’

  ‘We’re saying that Tash Donovan was charging the earth for all kinds of stuff with Kinsey, including regular sex. That we can prove because she told me. We’re also saying that Donovan persuaded Kinsey to bung Milo a couple of grand to help with his movie with more to follow.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘Another forty-five grand.’

  ‘Why would he do that?’

  ‘To keep Symons sweet.’

  ‘You can prove that too?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘But you’re telling me we can evidence all these other payments?’

&n
bsp; ‘Not so far. The two grand he paid Symons must have come out of the Jacobson account. The forty-five was on a promise. I’m guessing that the rest, the money he was paying Donovan, came out of the Jacobson account too. Donovan would have wanted cash. Kinsey must have had ATM drawing rights.’

  ‘But what’s he doing with his wife’s account?’

  ‘Ex-wife’s. So far I don’t know. But my guess is that it was some kind of private stash. Maybe he needed to hide money from the Revenue.’

  ‘Sure. Or his ex-wife.’

  Suttle nodded. Either way, they needed to access the Jacobson account.

  ‘Donovan may still have the card, boss. And she’s obviously got the PIN number.’

  ‘The card wasn’t retrieved by Scenes of Crime?’

  ‘No. I checked just now.’

  ‘And you’re sure the Jacobson account doesn’t figure in his business records?’

  ‘Absolutely. And if he operated it through the Internet, there’s no way you’d ever know it even existed.’

  ‘His PC hard disk?’

  ‘That’s a possibility. I’ll feed the account number through. See if they can raise anything.’

  ‘Did he have a laptop?’

  ‘Not that we’ve found.’

  ‘Unusual.’

  ‘That’s what I thought.’

  Houghton pushed the performance review files to one side and reached for a pad. Suttle watched her making a neat list of bullet points. Then she looked up.

  ‘Saturday night,’ she said. ‘Walk me through it.’

  Suttle left for Bournemouth at half four, phoning Lizzie as he headed for his car. After the dramas of the past week, it was good to hear the lift in her voice.

  ‘You’ll be back when?’

  ‘Tennish. I’ll phone.’

  ‘Be careful, yeah?’

  ‘Always.’

  ‘I love you. Remember that.’

  Suttle grinned to himself. Traffic out of the city was already heavy but he edged into the outside lane as soon as he hit the Honiton road, maintaining a steady 70 mph as he headed east. Houghton had wanted him to hang on and talk to Nandy, but Suttle had pleaded a personal crisis at home. He’d be back first thing tomorrow. If she needed to make contact in the meantime she could always bell him.

  As he left her office, she’d been on the phone to Nandy. The Det-Supt was driving the Bodmin job at breakneck speed but Suttle knew there was no way he’d ignore the weight of evidence he’d unearthed. Pausing at the door of Houghton’s office, he’d looked back at her. Still on the phone, she’d smiled at him and raised a thumb. Constantine was obviously back from the dead. Brilliant.