57
Assistant Chief Constable Treadgold was suspended.
Grant knew they had enough to convict him. Hector Mason, the fence, was willing to testify that jewellery from the heist had been given to Treadgold as a pay-off for his silence. Treadgold’s trail of corruption had finally caught up with him. Once the investigation completed, Treadgold would be facing a custodial sentence.
As Grant found out on their previous case, Treadgold had turned a blind eye to murders in the past and it looked as if Treadgold had been accepting payments from criminals for years. Hector Mason, the middleman, would be placed in a safe house until Treadgold’s enquiry was complete.
Grant was in Fox’s office. Fox had her back to Grant and she was staring out the window.
‘It looks as if we’ll get enough to charge Treadgold. When it hits the media, the hacks will have a field day. Dishonest officers tarnish all of us.’
‘True, and then the storm will blow over, and for the moment we’re basking in the Glover story,’ Grant said. ‘Enjoy it. The press can’t get enough of those two blonde lovelies.’
‘The video of DS Delaney pushing Emily on the swings was the clincher. It’s all over the television,’ Fox said.
‘It’s her smile I like.’
‘I didn’t know you were such a softie. You never cease to amaze me, Grant. How on earth did you pull this case off?’
‘By having the best team in the business.’
‘No, by being the best boss in the business which is why…’ Fox sat down and gave him a level stare, ‘…why I’m recommending you for a promotion. They’re looking for someone to head up the South East Major Incident Team.’
The MIT? Goodness, Grant thought, that would be a real challenge.
‘Ma’am, I’m not sure.’
She wafted her hand. ‘Think about it and keep it to yourself for the moment, until you’ve made your decision.’ She sniffed and placed one finger on the top of McGowan’s file. ‘If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s rotten apples in the barrel. An officer like McGowan could have gone on to be as dirty as Treadgold. It turns out McGowan has a gambling habit. I guess Treadgold paying him for information was too much of a temptation.’
Grant would never forgive McGowan for the betrayal nor for endangering Diane’s life. You could never underestimate the power of money. McGowan had sold out for the lure of easy backhanders from Treadgold. And for it, Steve McGowan was also suspended pending an investigation and he would be losing his badge.
Fox sighed. ‘It’s been exhausting. Well done, David, and I mean it.’
‘Thank you, ma’am. And thank you for putting my name forward for the MIT.’
She snorted. ‘Don’t let it go to your head, and if you don’t mind, I’ve got a mountain of administration to get through.’
He got the hint. As he was about to step out of the room, Fox looked up from her keyboard and called after him. ‘Oh yes I almost forgot, will you be doing a drinks thing for your birthday?’
Fox had the nerve to pretend innocence. He almost laughed out loud as he waited for the punchline.
‘Fifty-eight it’ll be this year, won’t it?’ Fox said, the triumph in her voice unmistakable.
‘That’s right.’ Grant said. Fox never could resist getting the knife in about his age, could she. And he laughed all the way back to the cubbyhole.
58
Ruby was glad to attend the funeral service for Maria Fernandez. She and Tom were there representing Sussex Police because Grant was still caught up dealing with Treadgold and McGowan. It was sad how few people attended – only six in all. One of them was Maria’s brother, Billy.
Afterwards, Ruby laid flowers by Maria’s resting place and Billy came to speak to her.
‘Thank you. My sister always liked flowers,’ he said. ‘Where we grew up, there were tennis courts down the road and she used to like going there. Not to watch the tennis but because they grew flowers alongside the courts.’
‘My condolences,’ Ruby said. ‘I’m sorry you lost your sister.’
‘Listen, I want you to know Maria wasn’t a bad girl, it was Riley who ruined her with drugs. She tried so hard to break the habit. In the end, it was ruining my life as well as hers because she kept asking for money until one day I snapped. I told her I never wanted to see her again. Of course, I bitterly regret that now. I wish I’d been there to help her.’
‘Maria helped us to find Emily and Lisa,’ Tom said. ‘When she died, she left a message which led us to the right place.’
‘Did she?’
‘Yes,’ Ruby said. ‘Without it, the children would never have been found in time.’
Billy was fighting back the tears and he gripped Ruby’s arm. ‘She always was kind at heart. Thank you for telling me Maria did good in the end.’
59
With thirty stitches needed in her abdomen, Diane had been lucky. She was expected to make a full recovery, though it would take time. Tom emptied a bag of grapes into the bowl and pulled up a chair.
‘How’re you feeling?’ Ruby asked.
‘I move a centimetre and it’s agony,’ Diane said. ‘And for goodness’ sake don’t make me laugh because that’s the worst. Have you heard any more about McGowan?’
‘He’s been suspended pending an investigation,’ Tom said. ‘And so has Assistant Chief Constable Treadgold. The word is Treadgold will be going down, and McGowan will be dismissed. Grant is knee-deep in it at the moment.’
‘To think Steve was passing on information behind our backs,’ Diane said. ‘After all we’ve been through together.’
‘I didn’t like him from the beginning but running at Riley like he did,’ Ruby said. ‘Wow. It was complete lunacy.’
No one mentioned how McGowan had risked Diane’s life.
‘Steve was as corrupt as Treadgold. I would never have believed
