“I didn’t tell him the real reason for the visit, guv. Theo thinks it was for clarification only. He asked why the lady who spent the most time at the house wasn’t among the people on my list.”
“Family Liaison Officer, guv,” said Neil. “Had to be. She would have looked after Stephanie and perhaps kept Martyn calm while Wightman and Price interviewed their father.”
“Get me the name of that woman first thing in the morning,” said Gus. “Let’s get off home. I sense tomorrow could be our breakthrough day.
“Can’t you give us just one highlight, guv?” asked Blessing.
“They serve an excellent fruit loaf in the garden centre cafe, Blessing,” said Gus.
He was in the lift and making for the Ford Focus before anyone could ask another question.
“Come on, Luke, spill the beans,” said Neil. “We’ve got fifteen minutes before we leave.”
“The news of Graham Street’s death hadn’t reached Wilton,” said Luke. “Neither of the three people we spoke to this afternoon was aware he was dead. We didn’t inform Martyn Street because Arthur Jackson told us we couldn’t predict his reaction. They prefer to keep him on an even keel. Nobody mentioned whether Martyn takes any medication to assist in that process. We learned from Arthur Jackson that Ralph Tucker, a tree surgeon, was behind the drunken night and the frequent bullying Martyn suffered after he started work on the estate twelve years ago. Tucker wasn’t on-site that day, nor was he the truck driver Marion Reeves saw in Wilton on Friday afternoon. He might be worth an interview, but we’re still hunting that pick-up driver.”
“If Tucker wasn’t working on the estate, then he could have driven to the industrial estate,” said Alex. “Has Gus ruled him out?”
“Not yet,” said Luke. “Gus can’t see how the guy could have a motive. Tucker knew Martyn, but nobody has ever said he knew Marion Reeves. Serena Campbell told us Tucker was too young to attend the parties, anyway.”
“Hang on,” said Neil. “The parties? What parties?”
“I’ll get to that later, Neil,” said Luke. “Martyn told us Marion wanted him to forget about his father and the time they spent living in his house. Martyn tried but said he couldn’t. Street hit Marion frequently, even when she was pregnant with Martyn.”
“That fits with the picture I got when I delved into his background, Luke,” said Neil. “A nasty piece of work, who convinced wealthy, important people he was a decent bloke.”
“Arthur Jackson confirmed that on the day of the murder, he kept in contact with Martyn and the rest of the ground staff via walkie-talkie. Each employee carries a unit with them throughout the day. Because of the distances they have to cover, it’s the sensible way to check their progress and move them around if an urgent repair crops up.”
“That means nobody working in the grounds of Wilton House could have been the killer,” said Lydia. “Did Gus think someone there wanted Marion dead? If so, why?”
“Gus is keeping our options open at present,” said Luke. “As he said to Serena Campbell before we started our conversation, we didn’t learn many additional facts from Theo or Stephanie. This afternoon we added precious little from our chat with Martyn. Gus hoped that what Serena added to our scraps of information would gel into a giant arrow pointing at the killer.”
“Forever the optimist,” said Neil.
“Gus’s last question caused Martyn to explode with rage,” said Luke. “Gus went as white as a sheet. I thought Martyn was going to throw the table across the room to get at him.”
“What did he ask him?” asked Alex.
“Theo and Stephanie didn’t get in touch with Martyn after Theo insisted he leave Oakley Road. Gus told Martyn his sister was expecting a baby with Danny Ellis. He suggested Martyn phoned Stephanie for a chat.”
“That caused him to go crazy?” said Neil.
“Martyn said he was alone when he moved into his new place. The only people who cared were Arthur Jackson and Serena Campbell. He felt abandoned. His Mum had stressed the importance of family, and Martyn got upset because he said everybody lied to him, except Arthur and Serena.”
“We’ve read the Freeman Files and the report Gus and Blessing added relating to this morning’s meeting with Stephanie Reeves,” said Alex. “So, we know Serena was Marion’s best friend. I assume the parties you referred to were where the two met?”
“They met soon after Marion moved to Salisbury from Ringwood,” said Luke. “Marion and Serena fell into the clutches of Graham Street, and a guy called Dave Francis. Those two characters procured attractive young women, some underage, and introduced them to a group of wealthy people who enjoyed weekend sex parties.”
“Gross,” said Blessing.
“Dave Francis and Serena married two years after they met. She was just seventeen. Graham Street married Marion soon after. That was in 1984. Four years later, she gave birth to Martyn, much against the wishes of her husband. She was no good to him if he couldn’t take her to these parties and share her among his friends.”
“We know Theo met Marion while she was getting divorced from Street,” said Neil. “What happened to Serena?”
“She left Dave Francis, returned to her parents, and then she divorced him. Marion walked out on Graham several months later. Two things we learned from Serena this afternoon. One, Marion got the flat Street set her up in as part of the divorce settlement. Two, Marion sold it when she married Theo and convinced him the money she suddenly had available was a windfall from a dead grandparent. Oh, and there was one more thing added to the divorce settlement. Marion agreed never to reveal anything that happened during the time she knew Graham Street.”
“A non-disclosure agreement?” said Blessing. “Doesn’t something else apply with a married couple?”
