Death Lies Beneath

‘That’s what we’re trying to establish. The funeral after Woodley’s was of Amelia Willard, last surviving member of the Willard family. It was organized by her niece, Patricia Harlow, and her husband, Gregory.’

Danby’s eyebrows went up. ‘I see. But Woodley didn’t come into the frame for Ellie Loman’s disappearance, probably inside at the time.’

‘He was.’

‘So how does he figure in it now?’

‘No idea, but I’m working on it. Do you remember interviewing Gregory and Patricia Harlow about their cousin’s disappearance?’

‘No. Should we have done?’ Danby said surprised.

‘Maybe. Gregory Harlow, who works for Coastline Catering, in their tent here, seems to have gone walkabout.’

‘I didn’t think you’d come all this way just to talk to me. So he could be involved in both deaths.’

‘It’s beginning to look that way. What do you remember about Harry Foxbury?’

‘The boatyard owner. Fox by name and fox by nature. We suspected him of using the yard for smuggling at one time but couldn’t catch him or prove it.’

That was interesting. ‘When would this have been?’

Danby thought for a moment. ‘It wasn’t long before Ellie disappeared, 1999, no 2000. Let me know how it pans out and if you need any more help. I’m here all weekend.’

‘In a tent?’

‘Ha bloody ha. No, I’m staying at a place along the coast not far from Osborne Bay, it belongs to Richard Eames, or rather Lord Eames.’

‘Lord! As in the House of Lords?’ Horton cried, surprised. Could he possibly have any connection with Agent Eames from Europol? No, that was too fantastic, she must come from another branch of the Eames family, but she had been to a Swiss finishing school and she had mentioned that the family owned a place along the coast.

‘That’s the one. Why, do you know him?’ Danby answered amused and surprised.

‘Never heard of him.’

Danby eyed him disbelievingly and then smiled, amused. ‘But you’ve heard he’s got a daughter in the police. She works for Europol and she’s a looker.’

That clinched it. No wonder she talked posh. She’d not said that she knew Danby when his name had come up in connection with the Ellie Loman case. Did Uckfield know of her background? Was that why he hadn’t made a pass at her?

Curious, Horton said, ‘What do you do for his lordship?’

‘Carry out security checks; act as personal bodyguard and supply security officers as and when he needs them.’

‘For what?’

‘Receptions, business trips abroad, his horses. He’s got land dotted all over the world, and a nice little property in London.’

And Horton knew that Danby’s ‘little’ meant the opposite, and was probably worth millions.

‘I’m impressed by the exalted circles you move in.’ Horton opened the car door.

‘Drop by for a drink if you get the chance, though Richard won’t be there. Or his daughter, more’s the pity.

Did Danby know she was here, working with him? It appeared not but then Danby was adept at hiding his real thoughts. He said, ‘Don’t think I’ll have time, but thanks anyway.’

He watched Danby’s car glide away towards the back of one of the giant stages. Eames had said nothing about her family house being loaned to pop stars or Mike Danby for the duration of the festival. But then why should she? It had nothing to do with the investigation, but he recalled that slightly troubled look on her face when they’d been sailing into Fishbourne on the car ferry. Perhaps she’d had a falling-out with daddy, which could have been over her decision to become a cop. Lord Eames had probably had other ideas for his daughter. He recalled her quip about joining the police in order to find a husband, and her smile as she’d said it, knowing that she had used humour to disguise her true emotions and to deflect any further questions. It had worked. And it was none of his business. From now on she was definitely off-limits, which was a shame, but he couldn’t see what he could possibly have in common with a girl like Eames, except the job. And he scrapped all ideas that Sawyer would use her to find out if and when someone from Zeus might make contact. He considered that too wide off the mark. And that brought him back to Edward Ballard. He’d heard nothing about Ballard’s movements from Elkins yet.

He pushed thoughts of Eames and Ballard aside and asked security if anyone had seen Harlow’s van leave. No one remembered it but the log showed it had been checked out at 22:35 the previous evening and it hadn’t been checked in again. He found a uniformed police officer and showed his ID. He asked to speak to the officer in charge of the drugs operation. He couldn’t request to speak to DS Olewbo from the Portsmouth drugs squad because he knew that Hans was undercover. He told the uniformed inspector that they might like to check out Skelton’s staff in the Coastline Cool tent and in particular Haseen Nader. No, he had no intelligence; just something Nader had said when he was interviewing him in connection with another matter.

He called in, couldn’t get hold of Trueman and got Marsden instead who said the diving operation at the quayside had finished with no sign of Salacia’s handbag or a torch. The wreck that Ellie Loman’s remains had been found on was being raised by Manley and his team, and the press had picked up on the story. He’d left PC Seaton in charge. Horton told Marsden to check with the Wightlink and Red Funnel ferries to see if Harlow had left the Island. Then he made for the prison.

FIFTEEN

Geoff Kirby was surprised to see him back so soon and was clearly a little irritated, if his expression was anything to go by. But after Horton had explained about the discovery of the human remains and the fact that Harlow seemed to have gone missing, he relaxed slightly and called up the computer files. Fifty minutes later Horton was heading back to Portsmouth on the ferry with some of the information he needed. It wasn’t conclusive but there was a link, as he explained to Trueman on the phone.

‘Coastline Catering Supplies deliver fish and frozen food to the prison. They have a branch on the Island and another in Portsmouth. Although Gregory Harlow used to deliver from the Portsmouth office, I called Skelton and he says that Harlow did occasionally work for the Island branch when they were short staffed. Kirby is sending over a list of all the delivery drivers for the period three months before the attack on Stapleton. It’s possible either Gregory Harlow or one of his work colleagues, under Harlow’s instructions, got that photograph of Salacia to an inmate who then made sure it got to Woodley. But I’m not sure how Stapleton fits in with the Harlows and Ellie Loman.’

‘There’s no record of Harlow’s van having been booked on any of the car ferries.’

That didn’t mean that Harlow hadn’t crossed to the mainland, he could have abandoned the van close to the ferry terminals, or elsewhere on the Island, and returned as a foot passenger. But where would he have gone after that? Horton asked Trueman to put out a call for Harlow and his van both on the Island and the mainland.

‘Has the search warrant come through for Amelia Willard’s house?’

‘Yes. It’s a different address to the one on the Ellie Loman case file. Amelia Willard moved to the new address in 2004, two years after Rawly died and a year after her husband’s death.’

‘Which means there’s probably nothing left of her son’s belongings.’

‘And if there had been then the Harlows could already have cleared it out following their aunt’s death.’

‘Apply for a search warrant for the Harlows’ house, Dave,’ Horton instructed. He didn’t expect any revelations but they needed to be certain, especially in the light of Harlow’s vanishing act. ‘I’ll go straight to Amelia Willard’s house.’ Trueman relayed the address. Horton said, ‘Has Eames returned from her interview with Foxbury?’

‘On her way back now.’

‘Ask her to collect Patricia Harlow and take her to Amelia Willard’s house, but to say nothing about Gregory Harlow being missing. I’ll meet them and a unit outside in an hour.’

Horton grabbed some food and had just taken a bite into his sandwich when Elkins rang.