CHAPTER 8
“I enjoyed your Lieutenant Columbo moment, Blessing,” said Gus when they reached the car.
“Who, guv?” asked Blessing.
“A TV detective, way before your time, Blessing. It was a trademark move of his. Just as the villain thought he was off the hook, Columbo asked a telling question.”
“We don’t believe Stephanie Reeves is a villain, guv, do we?
“Of course not, but the packed lunch could be a game-changer. Theo never mentioned it. It adds another item that requires an explanation. We already have a missing mobile phone. Did the same person remove them from Marion Reeves’s car, and if so, why?”
“I wonder if the builders saw Mrs Reeves carrying it when she left the house that morning?” asked Blessing.
“I’ll ask tomorrow,” said Gus. “Along with questions about their behaviour while they worked at Oakley Road.”
“They sound a couple of creeps, guv,” said Blessing. “But because they took a close interest in everything Marion and Stephanie did in the months they worked at the house, those men can help check what we’ve learned from Theo Reeves and his daughter. Although they got distracted by the females in the property, they had a unique view of the way the family interacted.”
“That’s an excellent point, Blessing,” said Gus.
As he drove them back to the office, Gus thought listening to Milligan and Preston would be like watching a dreadful reality programme where the builders would be the camera. The Reeves family would become celebrities that were a complete mystery.
As long as it helped explain some questions that remained, Gus was happy to sit through it. That was tomorrow’s torture; this afternoon, he had to face Martyn Street.
“I wonder whether Serena Campbell will be working this afternoon, guv?” said Blessing as Gus parked the Focus.
“I’ll keep an eye out for the lady, Blessing,” said Gus. “I need to concentrate on getting the most out of my conversation with Martyn Street. Luke’s car is here already. I’ll take him with me to Wilton later.”
Gus and Blessing exited the lift and entered the office.
“Can we spend five minutes agreeing on our plan for this afternoon’s meeting, Luke?” asked Gus. “I want you to prevent Arthur Jackson from contributing too much to the conversation. It might paint you as the bad guy, but I need Martyn Street to trust me throughout the meeting so we get the maximum benefit.”
“I understand, guv,” said Luke. “I’ll drive to Wilton if you wish. We need to leave by a quarter past two. When do you want that five minutes chat?”
“Let’s do it at two o’clock, Luke,” said Gus, checking the clock on the far wall. “We’ll get our files updated with what Blessing and I learned from Stephanie Reeves this morning.”
“What were the major points you took from the meeting, guv?” asked Alex.
“Stephanie has a lovely home,” said Gus. “She and her partner are in full-time employment and doing well. She’s five months pregnant. As for her relationship with her father, I would describe it as cordial. Stephanie is an independent young woman these days, with her drink problem firmly behind her. Since Martyn moved into the flat near where he works, Stephanie hasn’t seen or spoken to him. Despite Theo Reeves’s concerns that something physical occurred while living under his roof, Stephanie denied it. I believed her.”
“That was pretty comprehensive, guv,” said Lydia. “You had a good morning.”
“There’s more,” said Blessing. “Theo Reeves had two lecherous builders working at Oakley Road for months on end, and Marion Reeves was in the habit of taking a packed lunch to work every day.”
“Do either of those things help identify Marion’s killer, guv?” asked Neil.
“The deeper we delve into this case, Neil,” said Gus, “I no longer imagine there’s a magic bullet to blow everything wide open. These unimportant and unrelated scraps we’ve uncovered will provide the solution. We just need to be patient.”
“When do you want to go through my Graham Street background information, guv?”
“It will have to wait until tomorrow, Neil,” said Gus. “Have you entered it into the Freeman files?”
“I’ll do it this afternoon while you and Luke are in Wilton, guv,” said Neil.
“What do I do about those two builders, guv?” asked Luke. “They’re playing hard to get.”
“That’s easily sorted,” said Gus, “Call Bourne Hill nick and book a room for tomorrow morning. We’ll kill two birds with one stone. Ask Milligan to attend at ten o’clock and Preston at ten-thirty. If they say that they’re too busy, inform them that uniformed officers will collect them from whichever property they’re working at and escort them to the custody suite for an interview under caution.”
“Who do I contact to arrange that, guv?” asked Luke.
“Who said anything other than informing them?” said Gus. “I’m not running after these people. Our second bird is Warren Baker, the forensic guy. Arrange for Baker to be in whichever room Bourne Hill assign to us at eleven o’clock. I want to get to the bottom of this mobile phone fiasco.”
“Got it, guv,” said Luke.
Blessing was halfway through updating her digital files. Gus took a second glance at the clock and got his head down. He could still get his part done before he left for Wilton House. As he loaded the appropriate files, he had a thought.
“Lydia, are you busy?”
“If you need my help, I’ll find the time, guv. What do you need?”
“Call DS Mercer at London Road,” said Gus. “We need a photograph of everyone who entered that tent at the murder scene. Retrieve those names from the crime scene logs in the murder file. It will give exact times of arrivals and exits and should be comprehensive. Explain we must be discreet. I don’t want Bourne Hill knowing we’re checking up on their people. Once you’ve got photos for
