“Wait a minute. You’re telling me the premises on Tennis Court Road used by the kidnappers is owned by your father?”
“Yes. We assumed you knew. That was where the car repair side of the business operated from before we moved to Barford fifteen years ago. Dad always purchased the places the business operated from over the years. That’s why we remain in business and many of our competitors have disappeared. They rent premises and when the rents go up they can’t afford to stay in business. Dad was very clever in that way.”
Eden looked at Mrs Mitten then back to her husband. “Is there anything else you’ve failed to tell us?”
Francis Mitten shook his head. “No. We’ve told you everything.”
“I need the name of the ‘friend’ who was able to lend the money to your father to help pay the ransom.”
“Certainly. Harry Richardson. He is a property developer. Well known and well respected in Trentbridge.”
“One last thing. Have you any idea where we can find Chris Linwood?”
“Unfortunately not. We’ve never heard from him since he left. We sent his P45 to his old address and assumed he would have his mail forwarded. I can ask around in the motor trade and see if anyone knows where he is. I can’t believe he’d be involved in this. It’s been such a long time. Maybe it’s not him in the photos. Just someone who resembles him.”
“You seemed pretty sure a couple of minutes ago.”
“Yes. It looked like him but as I say, it’s been something like fifteen years. People change.”
“Thank you for your time, Mr and Mrs Mitten.”
“Yes and thank you for the tea and the delicious cake. I wish I could bake that well,” Tracy added.
As the two detectives drove back towards Trentbridge police station, Eden turned to Tracy. “So what did you make of all of that?”
“Personally I think they have a lot more secrets than we know about. I’m going to look deeper into both of them, the father as well.”
“I agree.”
“At least we now have a lead with this Chris Linwood. All that rubbish about people changing. He recognised him alright.”
“Yes,” said Tracy, “and we have a motive. He was told he would become a partner in the business but they cheated him. It would be enough for someone if they felt they were owed money.”
“Maybe his circumstances have changed recently and he needed money so he came back to the people who he figured owed him?”
“It’s possible. But until we find out who the other person is we can’t be sure.”
“I agree. I think the other person might be the real mastermind. In the photos, I know it’s difficult to tell but I have the feeling he’s wearing a disguise. To me, the beard is false and he’s wearing sunglasses all the time.”
“From everything we have so far, I believe this is all about revenge. Chris Linwood is more about getting the money he thinks he is owed. Let’s face it, if they went back on an agreement with Chris Linwood then perhaps they did the same to someone else.”
Chapter Sixty-Five
Chris Linwood lived for motor vehicles: reading about them, driving them, repairing them, and making sure they left the workshop of Mitten & Son in tiptop condition.
From the day he’d joined the company in 1994 at the age of twenty-five, he had been an invaluable member of the team.
Whenever one of the other mechanics was stumped by a problem Chris would step in and find the fault in minutes.
It was the reason why many local companies brought all their vehicles to Mitten & Son for repairs and servicing and it was a highly lucrative part of the business.
Not a year went past when another garage wouldn’t offer Chris a job at higher pay and with better benefits. But he remained loyal and turned them all down.
Then in 2001, he was offered the chance to go back and work at Orbell Motors where he had been for ten years until he joined Mitten & Son. Orbell’s were the biggest rivals of Mitten & Son.
The offer was to help them design and build a new workshop with all the latest facilities and to become a junior partner in the business.
The owner, Richard Orbell had been a mentor to Chris, taking him on at the age of fifteen and over the following ten years, teaching him almost everything he knew about vehicles. Chris had only left because Richard had had a stroke and his son Ian had taken over running the business and the pair didn’t see eye-to-eye.
But now Ian had moved to Australia and Richard’s other son William had taken over and seemed to have his father’s flair and love for the business.
When Albert Mitten learned of the offer, he talked with Chris and offered him the same deal.
He told Chris he would be retiring the following year when he turned sixty and would be handing the business over to his son Francis who had big plans and at the same time Albert would make Chris a director and offer him a ten per cent share in the company.
Chris finally agreed and turned down the offer from Orbell’s. Francis and Chris had always got on well and he had left him to run the workshop and servicing departments.
However, when Francis took over the following year he called Chris into his office and told him the family had discussed the matter in detail and decided they didn’t want to bring in someone from outside the family and the offer of shares and directorship in the business was no longer on
