‘Then what?’ Isaac asked.
‘Rees was charged with selling military equipment.’
‘Arms trading?’
‘That’s what it says.’
‘And yet he gets kicked out of the military, no time served, even though he’s found guilty.’
‘Which means?’ Wendy said.
‘I’d say that favours rendered to a grateful country outweighed the crimes,’ Isaac said.
‘The sale of weapons, which could have been primarily to rebel groups, and approved by the British Government initially, could have given Rees the idea to make extra money on the side.’
‘There’s more,’ Bridget said. ‘It’s a doctored document, a lot left out, some left in.’
‘Critical.’
‘It’s in the small print, hidden in the summing up by the prosecution lawyer.’
‘What is it?’ Isaac asked.
‘The man had an accomplice.’
‘A name?’
‘Only initials, VC, and it’s not the medal.’
‘Ian Naughton? That would explain the apparent friendliness between him and Rees,’ Larry said.
‘I’ve gone through names associated with Rees, names on the public record. VC stands for Vincent Cuthbertson.’
‘His service records?’
‘Once I had details as to his postings, his rank, his regiment. The man left the military around the time Rees was sentenced.’
‘A cover-up?’
‘I wouldn’t know. What I can tell you is that Cuthbertson is forty-eight years of age, the son of wealthy parents, the father bankrupted when Cuthbertson was in his twenties.’
‘A picture?’
Bridget reached over to another folder on the desk, took out three photos and handed one to Isaac, another to Larry, and a third to Wendy.
‘It’s Naughton,’ Larry said. ‘Where can we find him?’
‘He’s a man who appears and disappears at regular intervals. He also has a wife from the Philippines.’
‘Analyn?’
‘Her name is Leni Ramos.’
Chapter 30
There were, Isaac could see, inconsistencies in the documents that had been procured by Lord Shaw. The most glaring one was that it had been relatively simple for Bridget to find out that VC referred to Vincent Cuthbertson. It was as if the police were being given a hand to arrest Ian Naughton, who may well have outlived his usefulness, and was potentially an embarrassment.
Regardless, it appeared that the potential embarrassment to persons unknown outweighed the short-term expediency of arresting both Rees and Naughton. And now Analyn’s part in the sordid affair had been revealed; she was Naughton’s wife, not the family maid, nor the nanny of the children.
Cuthbertson’s last known address was in Suffolk, a county north-east of London. It was five years since the man had been there, and Bridget had been checking bank accounts, looking for credit cards. There were none, which meant, as with Rees, that the man used different names for different occasions.
Wendy had visited Gabbi Gaffney, still not venturing far from her house, and shown her the photo of Vincent Cuthbertson, asked her why she had lied about her and Analyn in the Philippines. The woman’s reply was obtuse and incoherent.
Gabbi was frightened, and she wasn’t going to say more, other than Analyn had married the man, although she had only seen him in the Philippines and not in England, and if Analyn knew that he was murdering people indiscriminately, she would be frightened too.
Wendy wanted to believe her, but too many lies had been told by too many people, and Gabbi Gaffney had exceeded her allowance.
The All-Points Bulletin for Ian Naughton, also known as Vincent Cuthbertson, had been upgraded, and now there was a photo, even if it had been taken years previously. An artist aged the picture, a representation of what he would look like now, using both Isaac’s and Larry’s training in observation to affect a good likeness.
All airports and cross-channel ferries had been notified, as well as the train stations, especially St Pancras International, the departure point for the Eurostar and the continent. If Naughton was in the country, it was only a matter of time before he was apprehended, and Analyn’s photo was now available as well.
One or the other would surface soon enough, if only for provisions.
A flurry of activity in Homicide, anticipation that it would soon be over. Bridget busied herself with updating her database. Three murders had a murderer’s name against them, although the crimes committed by Naughton weren’t known yet. The man had worked behind enemy lines overseas, which meant that he was probably as adept a killer as Rees.
Isaac and Larry visited Rees in prison. The man needed to be updated.
‘Vincent Cuthbertson,’ Isaac said as Rees sat down.
‘I know the name,’ Rees’s reply.
‘We met him in Holland Park. He was using the name of Ian Naughton, and we know now that Analyn, the woman we met and you were in Godstone with, is his wife. Her name in the Philippines was Leni Ramos.’
‘Cuthbertson liked them Asian and young.’
‘As you do,’ Larry said.
‘There’s no law against it. We used to go there when we had time off, got drunk, got laid, had a great time.’
‘A great time, but both of you married women from there. Why?’
‘Love.’
‘Mr Rees, from what we know, and we do have a copy of your military record as well as an edited transcript of your court-martial, you are not a sentimental man.’
‘Your opinion doesn’t matter. Gabbi was a good person, and no doubt Leni is. Good luck to Cuthbertson, but we weren’t in each other’s pocket.’
‘We know from your former wife that you knew Naughton’s wife, or should I say, Vincent Cuthbertson’s wife, in the Philippines.’
‘Maybe I did, but where’s this going? I’ve been stitched up for one murder. I’m not likely to see the outside other than from a prison van for a long time. You want my cooperation, although I don’t know what for.’
‘You were selling weapons.’
‘I was following orders.’
‘You probably were initially, but you were taking a little extra on the side. Doesn’t it irk
