He envied the young man his good fortune but did not want it for himself. If he could just make it to detective chief inspector, he’d be satisfied.
Chapter 13
‘You’d better get back to Aberman’s house,’ Gordon Windsor said on the phone.
‘What is it?’ Isaac said.
‘We’ve found human remains.’
‘Aberman?’
‘It needs Forensics and Pathology to confirm. I’d say it was male judging by the clothes, but apart from that, I’d only be guessing.’
‘I’ll take your guess.’
‘It’s been here for five to ten years, maybe longer. There’s no chance of facial recognition. Does the man have a relative we can use for DNA?’
‘We’ve not looked.’
Isaac ended the call and phoned Larry. ‘I’ve got Bridget and Wendy in the office. I need you out at Aberman’s as soon as possible. Wendy and I will meet you there.’
‘What’s up?’
‘A body. We’re assuming Aberman’s. Bridget, check if Ben Aberman has a close relative. Also, dental records.’
Larry was at Aberman’s house within forty minutes, Wendy and Isaac not far behind. In the driveway was the next-door neighbour. ‘Is it Mr Aberman? she asked.
‘We’ve no idea yet. We’ll come and talk to you later.’
‘Such a nice man. Whatever next?’
‘You didn’t know of the man’s history?’
‘I told you before. He was in the entertainment business. He used to have all these attractive people down for the weekend.’
Isaac didn’t feel it necessary to tell the woman that the attractive people were probably criminals and ladies of the night.
The three police officers kitted themselves up in overalls, foot protectors, and gloves. They proceeded around to the back of the house. In the far corner of the garden were a crime scene tent and Gordon Windsor. ‘There are another couple of places to check. We were lucky with this one.’
‘Not so lucky for the man in the hole,’ Wendy said.
‘Any sign of how he died?’ Isaac asked.
‘Bullet in the head, the hole’s clearly visible,’ Windsor said.
‘What was it wearing?’
‘A shirt. A pair of trousers, no shoes. He’s laid out straight.’
‘Are you saying they gave him a proper burial.’
‘No. Whoever put him in that hole wanted to make sure he’d not be discovered. It’s a deep hole, at least four feet. Normally, someone would just scrape off the topsoil and bury him, but not with this one.’
‘Eventually the body would have been discovered,’ Larry said.
‘Would it?’ Windsor said. ‘That’s not an assumption I’d make. He’s buried under a compost heap, next to a fast-growing bush, plenty of roots. In time the body would have decayed into the soil.’
‘Why in this garden?’ Isaac said. ‘There must be better places to bury a body.’
‘It depends where the man was murdered. We’re going through the house now. Nothing yet, and after so many years, and especially if someone’s attempted to clean up, we may not find much.’
‘Check for Helen Langdon’s prints in the house.’
‘We know what we’re doing.’
‘It’s not looking good for the woman,’ Wendy said.
‘We’ll go and have a conversation with the lady next door,’ Isaac said.
‘It’ll be best if I go alone. An old woman might feel intimidated by you two.’
‘Very well, you deal with it. Larry and I, we’ll stay here, see what else they discover.’
***
Wendy knew it was better for her to talk to the next-door neighbour, a softly spoken woman. In her house, not as grand as Aberman’s but still impressive, Wendy took a seat in the kitchen. ‘What can you tell me about Mr Aberman?’
‘He was a good neighbour, although I only saw him on weekends. The woman who used to come here was always polite.’
‘Are you shocked by what we’ve found in Mr Aberman’s back garden?’
‘I don’t know what to think. I’ve lived here for a long time, and it’s the first time anything like this has happened.’
‘It takes time to digest. Mrs Hawthorne, Ben Aberman had a dubious background.’
‘Not Mr Aberman?’
‘Your Mr Aberman was involved with criminals. The woman who visited you, she used to perform in one of his clubs. She was Aberman’s girlfriend.’
‘I never saw her at any of the parties.’
‘Tell me about these parties,’ Wendy said.
‘They were loud, and sometimes they went on late.’
‘You didn’t complain?’
‘I liked them. Some of the others around here would phone the police, but I used to watch from an upstairs window.’
‘Did Mr Aberman know?’
‘I told him once. He thought it was hilarious, invited me over the next time they had one, but that never happened.’
‘He disappeared?’
‘I thought he’d gone overseas, and then his friend turns up and asks me to keep an eye on the place.’
‘I need you to think back to the last time you saw Mr Aberman. Is that possible?’
‘He arrived at the house with some other men. I waved to him, but he didn’t see me.’
‘Anything else? The car they arrived in, the other men?’
‘The car, it was black. It looked expensive, but I don’t know what it was. I remember it being there for a long time, overnight, but there was no noise.’
‘Did anyone go out into the garden at the back? You’ve seen where the crime scene investigators are.’
‘Two men were digging a hole. I thought it was strange, but then, I’d seen the parties.’
‘These parties, risqué?’
‘Oh, yes. I’m not a prude. Some of the others in the area are, but I wasn’t worried if they ran around half-naked.’
‘What were they doing?’
‘I was young
