“Alan served on several submarines, Mr Freeman. Nuclear-powered hunter-killer class. We were proud of the way he served this country.”
“Rightly so,” said Gus. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to live for weeks at a time many metres underwater.
“I know what you’re wondering,” said Bob. “Ninety days, if necessary, for a fully stocked craft carrying a full crew. We received holiday snaps from Alan when he got shore leave. He and his mates visited the Pyramids, temples in Thailand, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Hong Kong. They had a great time relaxing after the pressures of the job.”
“A necessary task in peacetime,” said Gus, “despite the cost. We don’t have the same capability now as we did when Alan was a submariner. Did they ever have any incidents?”
“Did they bump into a Russian sub, do you mean? I think that would have made the headlines, don’t you? Alan couldn’t discuss that with us, Mr Freeman. We didn’t ask. It was enough for us that he came home safe when they returned to UK waters.”
“What rank did he hold, Mr Duncan?” asked Gus.
“Alan was a Weapon Engineer Officer,” said Bob.
“What made him decide to leave?”
“He said he’d had enough,” said Bob. “We didn’t press him. It disappointed me he didn’t stay the full term, but Alan was adamant that he wanted out.”
“How long was he at home before he started work?” asked Gus.
“Six weeks, maybe. We were happy to let our son stay as long as he liked. Elizabeth loved having him around. I spotted a vacancy for a draughtsman and mentioned it to Alan. I thought it would give him a modest income while he searched for a permanent position.”
“Something more suited to the qualifications he’d earned with the Royal Navy?”
“The money that a small firm like mine could offer was half what he got paid before.”
“Yet he stayed with the firm until a few days before he died. What do you think was the reason for that?”
“The firm offered Alan a three-month contract. I’d worked there for years, and the boss knew me well. He told me they were happy to give Alan work to tide him over until he found something better. The boss had lost a son during the Falklands War. Alan never complained about the work he did for the firm, but let’s say it wasn’t challenging for someone of his calibre. You could have knocked me down with a feather when he asked them if he could stay on permanently at the end of the three months. The next day Alan got up and said he’d met a girl at a party. We don’t know what went on when Alan was overseas, it was none of our business, but he never had a girlfriend before he left home for Dartmouth. Elizabeth and I were happy for him, thirty years old, and the prospect of grandchildren on the horizon.”
“Did you meet Madeleine soon after that?” asked Gus.
“Maddy? Oh yes, Alan brought her to meet us the next weekend. Before we could look round, they had moved out to Biddestone together.”
“Did you approve?” asked Gus.
“Of Maddy? Or them living together before they got married? It’s the way of the world these days, Mr Freeman. We didn’t dislike Maddy. She was a pretty thing and bright.”
“Did they visit you often?”
“Every other weekend, I suppose. Alan liked his mother’s cooking.”
“Did Alan ever explain why he stayed in the lower-paid job at your firm?”
“Not to my satisfaction. Alan just shrugged and said that they earned enough to survive. Their main ambition was to be happy.”
“Were you a runner, or a cyclist in your youth, Mr Duncan?”
“Me, I ran at school, and I cycled to work for years, but I didn’t take to it like Alan.”
“Maddy told us Alan was determined to stay fit. That was why he went on a long run every week and did the cycle ride at the weekend. Where did Alan get that exercise while he still lived with you?”
“Alan ran by Corsham Court out to the Cross Keys. Another time he’d run out to Hawthorn, or Pickwick. He preferred the countryside. His new mountain bike came from a shop in Chippenham. Darn sight different from my old bike, I can tell you. Alan met another chap that day keen on cycling. That perked him up no end. He had someone to chat to as they cycled.”
“Wayne Phillips?” asked Gus.
“That’s the chap,” said Bob Duncan. “Funny thing that. Maddy worked with his wife. It’s a small world, isn’t it?”
“It can be Mr Duncan. So, once he had the new mountain bike, Alan and Wayne started meeting up every weekend, I presume?”
“On a Saturday, Alan kept Sundays free to visit us.”
“Did Alan ever have any arguments with anyone while he was running or cycling while he lived here, Mr Duncan?”
“Nothing worth mentioning to me, Mr Freeman,”
“Was everything alright at work? Did he get on with his work colleagues?”
“Alan was a stickler for discipline in his life, Mr Freeman. It goes with the armed forces' territory, and he expected others to show a high level of discipline in their work. He wouldn’t let a drawing leave the office unless it was spot-on accurate. Close enough, was sufficient for a few of the factory hands with the products they made, but not for Alan. I heard a few words got exchanged in the heat of the moment, but the bosses always backed Alan to the hilt. I told the detectives ten years ago that it had to be something more serious than that for someone to want to kill our boy. Nobody ever lost their job because Alan dug his heels in and insisted the job got done right.”
“Have you seen Maddy lately?” Gus asked.
“Not for ages,” said Bob. “She’s married now, you
