‘The pub?’
‘He’s keeping away from there. If he killed Aberman, and he knows that Gus is in custody, he would realise we’re looking for him.’
‘How did you get the address?’
‘Ugly Pete’s not a popular man. He’s known for his rough tactics, and there are a few who wouldn’t mind seeing him off the street for a while.’
‘More than a while if he killed Aberman. Could he be the sniper at Slater’s?’
‘It’s not likely. The man’s not fit, moves slowly, and he’s not known for using a gun. He’s more into fists.’
‘According to Gus, he killed Aberman.’
‘Gus is scared of what could happen to him, or is he trying to shift the blame?’
‘Either. We’ll need Ugly Pete in here to know the truth. And Helen Langdon? She’s the tie-in between Aberman and Holden. How could so many people be so wrong about her?’
‘Focus on Ugly Pete. He’ll help to fill in the blanks.’
Chapter 18
Wendy Gladstone maintained her visits out to Mrs Hawthorne, Aberman’s neighbour. The woman was forgetful and glad of the company. After her third visit, Wendy could recite the Hawthorne family history, of how her husband had made his money in the city, how Mr Aberman had moved in several years after her husband had died, and how the man had helped her when she needed it.
‘We’ve found one of the men who dug the hole in Mr Aberman’s garden,’ Wendy said.
‘There were two.’
‘We’ve got a description and a name for the other one. Mr Slater, the solicitor, do you remember him?’
‘Yes. My husband used him occasionally.’
‘He was at the house the night that Mr Aberman died.’
‘He may have been. It was dark that night, and there were no lights in the driveway.’
‘We’ve also been told that he would attend the parties.’
‘I can’t remember seeing him there, but that’s not surprising.’
‘Why?’
‘I can’t see very well, really. I could tell if it was a man or a woman, but apart from that, it wasn’t so easy.’
‘We have reason to believe Mr Slater was involved in Mr Aberman’s death.’
‘My husband didn’t like the man, but he thought he was competent.’
‘On the night Mr Aberman died, you said you didn’t hear any noise.’
‘There was some noise, but it wasn’t a party. There were no women there.’
‘What sort of noise?’
‘Voices, that’s all.’
‘We know that Aberman was shot in the house. Are you saying you didn’t hear the shot?’
‘I went to sleep early. No party, no fun.’
Wendy realised the woman could offer little more. She left and walked around to Aberman’s house. In the driveway, a car. ‘Mrs Aberman, this is a crime scene,’ she said.
‘I just wanted to see the place.’
Wendy found the woman’s presence disturbing. ‘We need to talk,’ Wendy said.
‘If you want. Here?’
‘Not here. I suggest we go and sit in my car.’
Seated in the car, Wendy turned to the woman. She could see that the ex-Mrs Aberman was not comfortable with the situation. ‘You knew your former husband owned this place?’
‘He bought it before we separated. When we divorced, I kept the house in London, he kept this one.’
‘Which one do you prefer?’
‘I always preferred this one, but Ben liked to have his parties.’
‘And this house was better?’
‘Yes.’
‘You knew about the parties while you were married?’
‘They were tamer when I lived with him, and Ben, he behaved himself. He changed with time, became more of a risk-taker, and some of the people he associated with, well, they were disturbing.’
‘Explain.’
‘More criminal. Some of them were charming, especially the more important ones, but they’d arrive with extra men, men who’d sit outside in the car or lean against it. I think some of them carried guns.’
‘Tell me about the parties when you were here.’
‘Ben liked to entertain. I would go on about the cost, but he said it was good for business. Not that I understood how, but the man was a good provider, so I left him to it.’
‘Women?’
‘There’d be women, and yes, couples were pairing off, but it was nothing serious. And Ben stayed with me. Sure, there was too much alcohol, and some of the guests were into cocaine. I would have preferred a quiet night at home with a bottle of wine, but that wasn’t to be. It was the parties that drove us apart.’
‘Helen?’
‘I’d heard the rumours about her, but I ignored them. I married Ben when we were both young, and he was always faithful. I knew about the clubs, can’t say I approved, but Ben liked to live on the edge, and in time I accepted his unusual way of making an income.’
‘The man changed?’
‘Not for a long time.’
‘The suspicious signs?’
‘Lipstick on the collar, not kissing me on coming home, straight in the shower. The signs were there, but for a long time I ignored them. I just didn’t want to believe them.’
‘What convinced you?’
‘I paid someone to check out the club. A private investigator. He visited the club, found my husband in a compromising position with one of the women. I know people expect the owner of a strip club to be nefarious, but Ben wasn’t like that. We were a conventional married couple at home, but in the club, he was the sleazy manager of a sleazy club. Almost like play acting.’
‘What happened when you found out about the other woman?’
‘I confronted him. He admitted to his guilt, and that was that.’
‘You must have seen him from time to time.’
‘I did for a few months, and then, after that, rarely.’
‘Did you know Nicholas Slater?’
‘We used the man for the purchase of the house in Bray. I didn’t like him
