Chief Superintendent Cullen found it impossible to hide his frustration. His voice shook with anger and squeaked at the end of each sentence as he ran out of breath.
‘It's five days since the body was discovered. We have six suspects, two who have actually confessed to the murder, but we haven’t charged anyone. I’m getting it in the neck from the chief constable. It’s simply not good enough Ian, DS Kimberley assured me of a fast clean-up on this one.’
Cardhew walked over to the window and looked out on the car park. He refused to stand in front of Cullen’s desk like a schoolboy getting a dressing down from the head master. He spoke to the window. ‘Kimberley went off half cock; he wanted to make an arrest before investigating all the facts. This is a complex case sir. We have five suspects, but it could double, even treble if we take into account the names of the judges, members of parliament, lords, knights of the realm and other worthies who used the victims services in Mayfair six years ago.’ He turned to face Cullen. ‘We’re checking out those with a known preference for bondage or S &M.’
Cullen looked at papers on his desk, picked up a silver fountain pen and used it as an aid to check paragraph by paragraph. ‘There’s nothing about that in here, why haven’t I been kept in the loop?’
Cardhew moved behind the desk and looked over Cullen’s shoulder. ‘Recent development, sir; but that’s not my report.’
Cullen placed an arm over the papers. ‘I asked Sergeant Kimberley to appraise me of the situation; as part of his career development and training. You understand?’
Cardhew looked him squarely in the eye. ‘Oh yes, I understand perfectly well sir. Shall we see how well Sergeant Kimberley is doing?’ He reached down and tweaked the half hidden report from under Cullen‘s arm. ‘I’ll go through the suspects for you sir. Number one, Barrie Billingsgate; came voluntarily into the station in the early hours last Saturday. Believed he had killed Lucinda Lovebrace during sex and made a statement to that effect, but it turned out not to be the case.’
‘How can you be so sure? Kimberley is convinced he had something to do with her death.’
‘Billingsgate left Laburnham Court at around 9pm on the Friday evening and had dinner with a fellow director of Travel Plan in Roberto’s Restaurant in the centre of town. We know that Lucinda Lovebrace died at around 3am.’
‘He could have gone back.’
‘Yes, he could have, but he didn’t, which brings me to suspect number two, Natasha Billingsgate. She too came voluntarily into the station and provided her husband with an alibi for the time he left Roberto’s at 11pm to when he arrived here at 5.40am on the Saturday morning.’
‘You mean, she swears that he was with her during that period. Really Ian and you believe her? ’
‘No sir.’
Cullen visibly grew in his chair. He had found the weak point in Cardhew’s argument and was preparing to tear him to shreds, and when he had reprimanded him for his handling of the case, he would admonish him for daring to stand behind his desk and read his private papers. He turned in his chair and spoke sharply. ‘What do you believe then?’
Cardhew spoke calmly, ‘I believe what she told me, which is that her husband left the restaurant with his fellow director, who is not a fellow, but a Miss Samantha Derby and went back to her flat, where they went to bed. He left there at approximately 5.25am and came here, and yes, we have spoken to Miss Derby, who corroborates the story.’ Cullen was about to interrupt, but Cardhew continued. ‘I know what you’re going to ask sir, and that is, how did Billingsgate’s wife know?’
‘Well, yes. How did she know?’
Cardhew walked around to the front of Cullen’s desk and without asking permission, pulled up a chair, sat down and leant forward with elbows on the desk, a pose he often adopted when interviewing a suspect. ‘If I told you that Natasha Billingsgate knew, because she was in her husband’s body at the time, would you believe me?’
Cullen threw his head back and gave a short, hysterical laugh. ‘Hardly – how ridiculous – so tell me, how did she know?’
‘Just that; she maintains she was in her husband’s body. We know it’s impossible, yet the statement she made to DC Leadbetter and myself was almost word for word the same as the statement made by Barrie Billingsgate to Sergeant Kimberley, almost five hours earlier.’
‘They must have colluded.’
‘Impossible. I was with DS Kimberley and Barrie Billingsgate in interview one, when Natasha Billingsgate arrived at the station. DC Leadbetter took her to interview two and called me out from interview one to speak to her. They had no chance to see each other, let alone talk.’
‘They could have exchanged texts.’
‘We’ve checked. There were no texts sent or received on either mobile over that period.
‘So, what are you saying, Ian?’
‘What I’m saying sir, is that if we proceed with charging either of them, based on their statements, we will be laughed out of court. Now, like me, you may think we are dealing with a couple of nut cases, but the fact remains that Barrie Billingsgate has an alibi and Natasha Billingsgate is not equipped to have been the murderer, unless she was in her husband’s body, as she claims, but even then, the DNA doesn’t match. The same goes for the third person on Kimberley’s list, Julie Bunford. Out of all the suspects she has most to gain from the victim's death. On the Friday, she drove to London with Lucinda Lovebrace to sign forms which gifted a 50% share in all her business interests. Also, although she may not have been aware of it, Lucinda Lovebrace recently altered her Will, leaving virtually everything to Julie Bunford.’
‘She sounds the ideal candidate and Kimberley says as much.’ Cullen tapped Kimberley’s report with his silver fountain pen.
‘I agree, but that in itself does not make her a murderer. It would be unlikely for a woman to kill another woman in that way. It’s not the type of sex game two women play. She has admitted that they were in a lesbian relationship, but only after we confronted her with video evidence. I’m sure she’s holding something else back, I don’t think she killed Lucinda Lovebrace, although she admitted it was upsetting to be told by her that she couldn’t possibly give up men.’
Cullen tapped his pen irritably on the papers. ‘As a prostitute she would hardly be likely to, unless she gave up work.’
‘The same thought occurred to me, but according to Julie Bunford, it wasn’t so much for money, she desperately needed the sex.’
‘Kimberley says she has an unsubstantiated alibi.’
‘DC Leadbetter followed that up. Julie Bunford claimed to be home, but there was no one to support her story. Her daughter has just gone to university and her husband was in hospital, injured in the Meltcon fire, he‘s the guy who ran out through the flames carrying a woman wrapped in wet overalls. As it turns out, Kimberley, was questioning Peter Bunford when the question of his discharge from hospital arose.’
‘He was investigating a suspected arson.’ Cullen fidgeted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘Unfortunately, the person who made the allegation has been sacked by Meltcon – for negligence.’ Cardhew waited to see if he wanted to add anything, but when it became obvious he preferred to gloss over the issue, he continued.
‘Apparently the hospital was reluctant to discharge Peter Bunford unless there was someone at home to care for him. He told them that his wife was away on business and the colleague he rescued volunteered to look after him. They left the hospital together at about 8.30pm. Julie Bunford didn’t know this, which of course raises the question, was she away and if so, where?
Moving on, Mervyn Turner, the 4th name on Kimberley’s list, was a customer. His name was provided by Julie Bunford who told us she had been present when he made weird sexual demands on the deceased. He was staying at the Countryman Hotel, but checked out on the Friday morning. He is domiciled in Spain and we have asked the Spanish police to check up on him for us. I think the person there at the time of her death is most likely to have been a regular punter, so he is a prime suspect.
Charlie Bell, the concierge is on the list because he has access to the penthouse, but there’s no evidence to associate him with the crime.’
‘We seem to be going nowhere fast. I need an arrest.’
‘You could keep everyone happy sir, by issuing a statement that a man is helping us with our enquiries. That would keep the Chief Constable off your back.’
‘Can I give a name?’
‘I would suggest not at this stage. The guy came in to see us, following some prompting from Des Partridge, editor of the Hamsworth Bugle and I promised Des that if it came to anything, he would be the first to know. The person in question is the postman, who took that incredible picture of Peter Bunford running out through the Meltcon fire. There were pornographic images on his camera memory card which Des ignored, until it became evident that they were of the murder victim. When Dudley Wink came in I had an informal chat with him and it transpired that he worked as a plumber in London where he did some work in a Mayfair flat for a high class prostitute who went under the name Anita Von Beta. He did not realise Anita Von Beta and Lucinda Lovebrace were one and the same person, until Charlie Bell asked him to meet her to discuss an early mail delivery. Lucinda Love brace remembered him and his interest in photography and asked him to take stills and video footage for her website. What he didn’t tell me was that he had almost destroyed her business in Mayfair by hiding cameras in the flat and secretly filming her with customers. I spoke to ex colleagues at the Met who filled me in. Apparently it was all for his own gratification and no one would have been the wiser had he not tried to sell compromising pictures of a high profile cabinet minister to a national newspaper.’
‘So, he has a criminal record then?’
‘Well, no, he hasn’t. The case never went to court. Anita Von Beta had been entertaining so many of the great and good that a decision was made at a very high level to hush everything up. Dudley Wink sold his plumbing business and came to Hamsworth 5 years ago. He’s married to a teacher and they have a shared interest in wildlife photography.’
‘So why would he risk getting involved with that woman again?’
Cardhew gave an inward smile, Cullen sounded like the wronged woman. ‘Probably couldn’t resist working with pornographic material – and getting paid for it. He had a contract from her, asking him to supply cameras and produce the resulting material.`
‘Has he managed to put anything onto her website?’
‘Some hardcore activities featuring the deceased, I won’t attempt to describe all of them, but there’s one film which shows Billingsgate having rough sex with her, which she certainly survived on that occasion. If you log onto www.anitavonbeta, you can see it for yourself.
Cullen cleared his throat. ‘I don’t think that will be necessary, I’ll take your word for it.’
‘Very wise sir, I’m sure it’s not your cup of tea. As Wink volunteered the information and brought in the secondary hard drive used to record from the cameras he set-up in the bedroom, I bailed him. I’m sure he’s innocent as far as the crime goes, but as he was close to the deceased I’ve had him in a couple of times to find out if he knows any more. He claims that she contacted him very late on the Friday, to collect some material. He went up to the penthouse at around midnight and left shortly afterwards. Normally he would have made a copy of the material she wanted him to edit, but she was expecting a client so he took the secondary hard drive with him. Which is a shame; otherwise the incident would have been recorded. We do have all the CCTV footage from Laburnham Court though and we’re carefully going through that, enhancing relevant sections. DC Leadbetter has a theory she’s working on but I’m still of the opinion that what we’re dealing with here is a sex game which went tragically wrong. Murder will be difficult to prove, but if we find the person who was with her, we could have a strong case for manslaughter. I have asked my old colleagues in the Met for a confidential copy of the names of her clients from the Mayfair case.
Cullen frowned. ‘I’m not sure I approve of that Ian.’
Cardhew gave him an infuriating grin. ‘No different from you getting inside information from old contacts at Cambridge – sir.’ Cardhew stood up to leave. ‘So if that’s all, I‘m going to watch the rugby this afternoon. Billingsgate will be playing and many people on the periphery of our enquiries will be there.’
Cullen shuffled his papers together and studiously replaced the cap on his silver fountain pen. ’Yes, that will be all thank you Ian. Please ensure you keep me in the loop.’
Cardhew muttered under his breath as he walked to the door.
Cullen called after him. ‘Sorry Cardhew. I didn’t quite catch that?’
Cardhew turned and gave him an apologetic smile. ‘Sorry sir, I’m trying to learn German, lapsed into it without thinking – I said danke.’
Natasha Billingsgate had a second cup of coffee. Barrie was sorting through the junk mail and bills which been delivered by a relief postman a few minutes earlier. They were still ignorant of Dudley Wink’s involvement with Lucinda Lovebrace and his perverted interest in Natasha. He held up an envelope. ‘Do I need a cure for premature balding?’
Natasha giggled, ‘It’s only a matter of time. Is there anything for premature ejaculation?’
Barrie made a big show of looking through the junk mail. ‘No, but there’s one for erectile dysfunction`. They enjoyed the moment as he tossed all the mail into the paper waste bin it was a relief to have something different to talk about. They had exhausted the subject of their body swap, covering it in great detail, over and over again. When they returned home from the police station a week ago, they promised to tell each other exactly what they had done. Natasha had admitted enjoying the power of Barrie’s penis, but of experiencing a deep frustration at not being able to control it as she wished. Barrie enjoyed his time as Natasha and hoped that the new areas of sexual activity he had led her into would continue, although he had not, as yet, told her about the session with Davina Maypole. He was putting it off, but would have to say something before Monday, otherwise she would set off to London and the Naughty but Nice photo session, without knowing what Davina was expecting.
They had discussed the threesome with Debbie at some length. Natasha had expressed a reluctance to repeat the experience in her own body and as luck would have it, for the time being at least, Debbie was not interested in repeating it either. She had found herself a man who was shagging her on a daily basis and reckoned that sharing Barrie for that one night, reminded her of what she was missing. She had gone out on the pull with a vengeance, and thanked Natasha for her revived sex life.
Natasha was still keen on a threesome with Sam though and often reminded Barrie about their agreement. He wasn’t as keen on the idea as he had been on having a threesome with Debs, but there was no point in getting into an argument over it – Sam would never agree. Natasha had not reminded him today, so perhaps she too was resigned to it never happening.
He checked his kit bag and carried it out to his car. Natasha followed with her coffee cup, kissed him, wished him luck, and promising to meet at the Rugby Club later. She watched as he turned the corner and listened as the BMW accelerated away from the village. She sipped at her coffee, then satisfied that he was well on his way, threw the remains onto the roses and went back inside, locking the door behind her. She put the cup in the kitchen sink, and then ran swiftly up the stairs.
In the bedroom, she stripped off and stood naked in front of the wardrobe mirror, wondering if she could get as turned on looking at her own body as she did when she had been in Barrie’s. She cupped her breasts and felt the nipples harden to the gentle massaging of her fingers. Then, continuing to rub her left nipple between thumb and forefinger, she slowly and sensuously moved her right hand down to trace the line of her waist and hip and across the top of her thigh to rustle through her soft pubic hair onto her clitoris. It was easily arouse these days. She brushed a finger gently across it and squirmed with pleasure. Barrie had been a bit heavy handed with it, so conscious of having it well lubricated she moved her hand down between her legs, where it was already wet. The thought of what she was going to do as soon as Barrie left had seen to that. She pushed two fingers in and felt her knees begin to tremble. This was a rehearsal for Barrie. Remembering how painfully stiff and eager his cock had become, she was determined to overcome her reluctance, to masturbate in front of him and enjoy watching his reaction. But for now, this was for her; she wanted to imagine that it was Samantha moving lubricated fingers in a slow circular motion over her own clitoris. Her tongue moved at the same pace, brushing her upper teeth, her eyes rolled out of focus, then her mouth opened as she began to breathe heavily. She eased down onto the bed and lay back on the two pillows, placed in position earlier. Now she was looking into Sam’s sex. Her fingers were moving at a feverish pace as her other hand moved down to help, three fingers entering into her wetness. God, she was so sexy. Her hips were lifting off the bed pushing against the probing fingers. Then it arrived like a train thundering into a station – a long train which kept going and going until it hit the buffers in an earth shattering climax. Even then her fingers would not stop and she experienced another shuddering orgasm. It felt wonderful, so wonderful and her fingers kept moving, until, fearful that she might never be able to stop, she dragged her hands away and walked on trembling legs to the bathroom.
After a quick shower and liberal spraying all over with French lime blossom cologne, a new favourite. She wriggled into lace panties and rejecting the matching bra, slipped into a short, cream silk chemise. Although the heat of summer had gone, she chose a knee length, scoop neck, summer frock, cream high heels with matching handbag and a pale lavender pashmina; in case it turned chilly later. She drove out of Lippinston, but instead of turning left on the ring road for the Rugby Club she turned to the right.. She was on her way to proposition Samantha Derby.
As an ex rugby player, Cardhew was enjoying the match and the carnival atmosphere which followed the second try, both score by Barrie Billingsgate. At halftime he was standing in a queue at the bar, when a tall, leggy, red head appeared. It was Penny Betts, the Travel Plan secretary who had met him and Jennie at the entrance to Hamsworth Towers on Monday morning. She put her arm around his waist and whispered in his ear. ‘Duggie Lummox, the Club Chairman, wonders if you would like to join him for a drink. Shall we go?’
Before he had chance to answer, she was propelling him towards a door marked ‘Private’ in the corner of the bar. He followed her through the door and up a steep staircase. As she was wearing a very short skirt it was impossible not to look at her long, slim legs. She turned her head slightly and spoke over her shoulder ‘I’m also Duggie’s girlfriend. Great game isn’t it?’
‘Yes an excellent game.’ He was making an effort to keep up. If he fell another step behind he would be looking up her knickers, he already knew she was wearing hold up stockings. He wondered if he would be as eager to keep up if it was Jennie Leadbetter climbing the stairs in front of him. She reached the top and turned sharp right though an open doorway, leading onto a terrace over the bar. There were a couple of dozen people on the terrace, at first glance, an equal mix of men and women. Some were sitting at a long narrow table, waiting for the game to re-start. Most were chatting in small groups. Duggie Lummox broke away from one such group as they moved onto the terrace. He approached, smiling with hand outstretched. Cardhew wasn’t sure about Duggie Lummox, but the handshake seemed firm enough.
‘Detective Inspector, how good to see you. I hope you’re not on duty?’
Cardhew returned his smile. ‘No, not today Mr Lummox.’
‘Ah, good, please call me Duggie, most people do. Can I get you a drink? What would you like? G &T – wine – beer?’
‘Bitter would be fine, thanks – Duggie.’
Penny Betts rested her hand on Duggie‘s arm. ‘I’ll get it darling. Will that be a pint inspector?’
‘That will be most welcome,’ and embracing both of them in his smile he added, ‘and the name is Ian.’
Duggie thanked Penny and watched as she walked over to a small bar at the back of the terrace, before taking him to meet the others in his small group, all members of the Travel Plan Board. He had met Basil Main and Phil Stammers at their offices, but it was the third man he was interested in, Sir Ken Allerby. Cardhew was not over impressed and found the way he treated Penny, when she returned with his pint, rather strange. Lady Sophie Macdonald, who was also a non executive director of Travel Plan, was very pleasant, but once again, Sir Ken had a strange way with her. Cardhew was beginning to wonder if he had found his man.
When the second half started they sat at a long narrow table looking out over the pitch. The men seemed quite knowledgeable and when Duggie discovered that he used to play for the Met, became very keen for him to become a social member. Cardhew said he would love to and insisted on buying them all a drink. Sophie declined, Penny had a white wine, Duggie, Bas and Phil were on bitter and Sir Ken’s was a gin and tonic. All the drinks were served in plastic glasses and despite Duggie’s protestation that they would be cleared away later; Cardhew picked up the empties and took them to a bin. With his back to them, he retained Sir Ken’s glass, which he wrapped in his handkerchief, crushed and shoved into his inside jacket pocket.
As the game ended, Cardhew made his excuses and left. In the car park, he saw Natasha Billingsgate arrive in her sports car with the hood down. There was another attractive blonde girl with her. As they got closer he recognised her as Samantha Derby, the girl who had provided Barrie Billingsgate with an alibi. They were so busy chatting and laughing that they failed to notice him. He watched as they got out and walked arm in arm towards the club house. Now, that was interesting, why would Natasha Billingsgate be so friendly with a girl who was sleeping with her husband? He checked his mobile. There was a text from Jennie Leadbetter to say she had worked out how Lucinda Lovebrace could have tied herself up. She was at home if he wanted to see how. He sent a text to say he would be there in 20 minutes. On the way he took Sir Ken’s glass into the station… He was keen to get it DNA tested as soon as possible.