Layers of Deceit, page 15
‘Josh was very helpful to Abigail when she first started, and she put in a good word for him all the time. He could do no wrong, whereas me, well.....,’ Martin paused.
‘Would you say that you didn’t like Joshua?’ said Katy.
‘I wouldn’t put it as strongly as that, but he could be a bit arrogant at times. Recently I thought he was a bit irritating.’
‘Irritating enough that you complained to HR about him,’ said Katy.
Martin sighed again. ‘I did, but I think I was a bit rash doing that. I was having a bit of a tough time at home, and together with Joshua’s constant carping about me leaving early, it got a bit much.’
‘So, did you argue a lot?’ said Katy.
‘Occasionally, but most of the time, I just ignored him. I couldn’t be bothered arguing with him.’
‘Did anyone else argue with him?’ said Katy.
‘Not as far as I know. Well, Stuart Prentis did, but he’s left. I can’t think of anyone else.’
‘Was there an unpleasant atmosphere in the lab?’ I asked.
‘Sometimes, it was a bit tense, but not generally.’ Martin paused as he collected his thoughts. ‘The thing is, I feel the whole reward system is corrupt. It would be much better if we were all paid the same. That would make us more willing to share ideas and stuff. The current system makes people protective of their ideas, and sometimes people pass other’s ideas off as their own.’
‘Did that happen to you?’ I asked.
‘No, I’m just saying what can happen. Research doesn’t lend itself to rewarding performance. It’s not like sales or making widgets.’
‘I do understand. You aren’t the first person to think like this, but I don’t think it will ever change,’ I added.
‘Nor do I. It just bugs me. The whole environment is too competitive and if you can’t put in long hours you look like a slacker. I do my hours, and I come in early, but I’ve got other responsibilities.’
‘Well, if you do what’s asked of you, then that’s good,’ I said, trying to give him a bit of a boost. He didn’t appear to have heard me.
‘They’ve got this stupid idea that you have to be out of your comfort zone. The senior team thinks that if you feel at ease, then you will start slacking. It’s a load of bollocks as far as I’m concerned.’ Martin looked at his watch. ‘Sorry, but I need to go. I can’t tell you much about Joshua. He was a clever guy, and he did well considering he had a head injury in the past. I don’t want to take away his glory, but it was hard being in his shadow all the time.’
Katy stood up. ‘Thanks, Martin. Rest assured, we won’t share any of this with the management.’
‘You can if you want, they know how I feel. It’s not going to hamper my promotion prospects,’ laughed Martin. ‘Right, nice to speak to you.’ And before we could reply he had disappeared, leaving us with plenty to think about.
Chapter 36
After our chat with Martin Latham, I had taken Katy down to the coffee bar to get some drinks before our next interview. In the queue, Katy had whispered to me that Martin had depressed her somewhat. I tried to excuse his abrupt manner by saying he was a plain-speaking type, but Katy responded by saying she was glad she didn’t have to work with him. She even said that he made DI Bignell seem cheerful.
Prompted by some things Martin had told us, Katy said we should speak to another member of the department and made a call whilst I drank my coffee. Although it was a good idea, it meant another tense discussion which would doubtless be mentally demanding.
It was approaching 4 p.m., and once again, we were waiting in the small meeting room, this time for Hugo Smythe. Perhaps I was getting used to the working environment as I wasn’t feeling as tired and wrung out as the previous day. Maybe, I was becoming familiar with the way things operated and could relax a little more.
‘Hello,’ said Hugo, opening the door and slamming it shut, making the whole room vibrate.
Katy gave the necessary introductions, to which Hugo nodded and sat down, gripping his insulated coffee cup. I smiled back at him, but his face remained stern.
‘How’s your day going?’ I asked, following Katy’s request to begin the discussion.
‘Crap. Just like every day at the moment.’ Katy seemed shocked at Hugo’s candour.
‘Oh, dear. Sorry to hear that,’ I replied.
‘That’s the nature of science. I’m sure you remember what it’s like from time to time.’
The tension in Hugo’s body was palpable, radiating off him, and affecting me in the bargain. He hunched his shoulders as he sat before me, and the act of speaking strained his taut face muscles as if they were about to snap. A thin strand of hair had escaped from his gelled locks, and even that quivered with nerves.
‘Did you ever work in the same lab with Joshua?’ I said.
‘No, nor on the same project. I didn’t know Josh that well, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to tell you very much. He seemed quite a pleasant guy.’
‘Well-liked?’ I asked.
Hugo shrugged. ‘Well enough. He didn’t socialise that much with the rest of us. Sometimes he came to lunch if he wasn’t too busy.’
‘Did he have any disputes with any other chemists?’ said Katy.
‘Well, I heard a few rumours, but I didn’t witness anything.’ Hugo thought for a few moments. ‘There was a guy, Stuart, I’ve forgotten his surname who had a bit of a bust-up with him. Someone heard a rumour he’d been to HR to complain about him, but I don’t know the details. Anyway, he’s left the company now.’
‘Anyone else?’ said Katy.
‘Martin Latham didn’t like him, and he didn’t hide it.’
‘They argued?’ she continued.
‘Martin reckoned they did.’ Hugo shook his head, and the glimmer of a smile played on his lips. ‘Martin has a bit of a reputation for being a bit odd. I don’t mind him, but he does moan on a bit. He’s always criticising the company, and he doesn’t like change. He’s a bit set in his ways.’
‘So, did Joshua imply that Martin didn’t put in enough hours?’ I asked.
‘Probably, but nobody did, compared with Josh. He probably worked longer than anyone here, and it paid off.’
‘The senior staff liked him, you mean?’ said Katy.
‘Yes. He did well. Recently promoted, very productive, good at solving problems.’ Hugo smiled. ‘Quite the opposite of me.’
‘Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,’ I said solicitously. ‘Everyone goes through bad patches with their work. I know I did.’
‘I know, but I’ve been an idiot. Anyway, I’m going to do something about it next week. I’ve realised it’s time to admit my mistake and move on. Then perhaps I’ll be able to sleep better at night and get back to normal.’
I raised my eyebrow, indicating he should continue. After our tense start, Hugo seemed to be opening up, and I wanted him to unburden himself.
‘The reason I’ve made a complete tit of myself, pardon my French, is that I pushed really hard to replace Josh because that therapeutic area is moving forward well. I thought it would help me to be recognised. Instead, I’m having trouble with the work that I’ve taken over, and it’s made people think I’m a complete numpty.’
I sighed. ‘Oh, dear. You’ve hit a few problems.’
‘Ha! You could say that. It’s a pile of shit. Everything looks like shit, and most of what I do goes in the waste for incineration. Complete and utter disaster just about sums it up.’
‘Have you discussed this with your colleagues? I said.
‘Yes, of course,’ he said with annoyance. I’ve followed what Josh did to the letter, but I seem to be making a pig’s ear of it. Also, I’ve organised another meeting next week for a final brainstorming session, then after that, I’m going to throw in the towel, and someone else can have a go.’
‘Well, hopefully you will get some credit for trying.’ I wondered whether I’d been insensitive as Hugo looked at me sternly.
‘True. I might get a smidgeon of credit, and then when someone else gets it to work, I’ll always be remembered as the thicko who tried and failed.’
Watching Hugo’s embarrassment and frustration was painful, and I felt sorry for him.
‘Well, it’s the weekend now. So I can have a couple of days off.’ Hugh laughed sarcastically. ‘Then I can come back into the same problems, and it all starts again.’
I gave Hugo an encouraging smile. Poor Hugo, with his shattered hopes and dreams. Katy thanked Hugo, and he hurriedly left the room, catching his mug on the door frame, causing him to curse loudly.
Both our chats had been instructive, but for me, the second one had been the most useful. I was now fairly sure I knew what Joshua had been doing. However, I needed the data to back up my theory. Without the data, it would be just a theory and easily refutable. I felt sure the information was there for me. I just hoped I could find the relevant evidence.
Chapter 37
Katy and I stayed in the meeting room so she could update me about her meeting with Helen Whittard. Gradually, we were building up a fuller picture of the late Joshua Hanson. We wandered back to my desk, where I found some data waiting for me. Barry found Katy a spare chair, and she sat by my desk, checking her phone and dealing with emails whilst I went through the printouts. As I looked through them, my spirits lifted. I was definitely making progress.
Abigail Jarvis interrupted my examination of the data as she appeared at my desk. ‘DS Forbes, I’m free now, if it’s convenient for you?’ she said.
We followed her back to her office, and she closed the door.
‘So, how can I help?’ said Abigail. Her words were pleasant, but her demeanour was tense, and she twirled a biro between her fingers.
‘I’d like to chat a bit more about your relationship with Joshua. How close would you say you were?’ said Katy.
Abigail sighed. ‘I was his direct supervisor, and Joshua was a very able member of my team. That’s it. We were friendly and professional with each other.’
‘When you put Joshua forward for promotion, was there any opposition from anyone?’
‘A little, from a couple of people. That’s not uncommon. There’s always more discussion when someone is being promoted ahead of the normal schedule. Promotions are a board decision, and after discussion, the dissenters agreed that Joshua deserved his promotion.’
‘Were you worried that you might be perceived as too favourable towards him?’
‘No, why?’ Abigail’s tone was becoming more brittle. Now, she was gouging a hole in her notepad with her biro.
‘Well, the trouble is, if people are promoted when their peers don’t think it’s warranted, it can cause bad feeling,’ said Katy.
‘People are always jealous. That’s their problem. Peers don’t decide who is promoted, and we can’t allow concern about that to stand in the way of promoting high fliers.’
‘If this causes a sense of grievance, it might lead to someone arguing with Joshua, and well, perhaps it played a part in what happened on the evening when Joshua died. In that case, it’s my problem too,’ added Katy.
Abigail looked at us with hostility. ‘What are you saying? He fell, didn’t he? It was an accident, wasn’t it?’
Katy ignored Abigail’s comment and focused on Joshua’s personality. ‘We think that Joshua might have become a bit arrogant. Perhaps his colleagues found him hard to get along with?’
Abigail shook her head. ‘I don’t know anything about these suggestions. I hadn’t seen any change in Joshua.’
‘Dr Jarvis, would you describe your relationship with Joshua as anything other than strictly professional? Perhaps more than the usual supervisor, supervisee relationship?’ said Katy.
‘What? Jeez!’ said Abigail, shaking her head. ‘DS Forbes, I resent your accusations. I was not having an affair with Joshua.’
‘I didn’t say you were having an affair, nor am I accusing you of anything. I’m asking you whether anyone could have concluded that you were very close. Perhaps you helped each other? You rewarded him because of the way he helped you when you started?’
‘No, I did not!’ shouted Abigail. ‘I’m not under arrest, and I’m not going to answer any more questions.’ She threw her biro down on the desk, and it bounced off on to the floor. Abigail’s face was puce coloured. Her eyes flashed with anger, darting back and forth between Katy and me.
‘Please calm down, Dr Jarvis. We aren’t here to point the finger,’ said Katy.
‘That’s rich. Try sitting here. It feels like it,’ she replied petulantly.
Katy waited for a few seconds before asking quietly, ‘Don’t you think it’s important to find out exactly what happened to Joshua?’
Abigail focused her stare on Katy. I could see her chest rising and falling as she took shallow breaths. ‘Of course I want to know exactly what happened. However, I am happily married to Julian! Look! My husband, Julian!’ The pitch of her voice was rising again as she picked up a photograph on her desk and thrust it at us.
Katy nodded. ‘Julian Jarvis? Does he work here?’
‘Julian Ashworth. I use my maiden name at work, and yes, he does work here. He’s a chemist, but he’s in another section. He’s not in Rob Hughes’ group. It’s not usual for couples to be in the same managerial group.’
‘And how long has your husband worked here?’
‘About four years. I moved here to be with him.’
‘Where were you on the evening when Joshua had his accident?’
‘At home, why?’
‘Can anyone vouch for you?’
‘Yes, my husband.’
‘Thank you. You’ve been very helpful. We are only trying to understand what happened in view of the anomalies,’ said Katy.
Abigail looked past us towards the door, and I noticed her shake her head, at which point, Katy turned around quickly to see who it was.
‘My husband has come to collect me, but he can come back if you’ve not finished.’
Abigail’s tone was more conciliatory after her outburst.
‘No, I think that’s fine. Have a nice evening,’ said Katy standing up and allowing me to leave the office first.
Julian Ashworth was standing to one side of his wife’s office door. ‘Hi,’ he said, as we passed him, both of us reciprocating with the same greeting.
Chapter 38
Finally, at just after 5.30 p.m., we were on our way back. I had passed on Craig’s invitation to Katy, but she had declined. Her response had come as a relief, as my brain was awash with this afternoon’s conversations, and I just wanted to be able to relax with Craig this evening. As for my scientific investigations, final confirmation would have to wait until Monday. Since retirement, the sense of relief when Friday arrived had been absent, but now that familiar feeling flooded back.
‘I’ll let you know if anything springs to mind once I’ve had a chance to go through today’s conversations,’ I said.
‘I’m also going to speak to Hanson’s partner Mia again on Monday. I want to ask her about his mood swings and whether he was violent towards her,’ said Katy. ‘Oh, fuck’s sake!’ she shouted at a motorist who suddenly stopped without warning.
‘It does sound as though his personality changed in the last month or so,’ I said.
‘I doubt Mia will be willing to reveal much. She’s grieving, and besides, there’s not a lot of point now in terms of any relationship troubles. Still, I want to chat to her again. You never know what she might let slip.’
‘Are you working this weekend?’ I asked.
‘No, hopefully, I’ll get two days off. Although, I’m on call if there are any serious incidents.’
‘Well, let’s hope the local citizens behave themselves. Do you have any plans?’
‘Not much really. Scott and I are pretty tired by the weekend. I’ll try to go for a run, and we might go for a walk somewhere. Just so that we can have some time together and catch up with each other.’
‘The forecast is good,’ I said.
‘What about you and Craig?’
‘Oh, I think I’m going to need to rest, and Craig is busy with writing his book. I think it’s going quite well, although recently I’ve been rather wrapped up with QexChem, as you can imagine.’
We were only a couple of minutes away from my house, and I couldn’t wait to get out of the car and collapse into my familiar surroundings. A few months ago, I would be returning to an empty house with nothing to distract me from my thoughts and worries.
‘Right, here we are,’ said Katy. ‘Thanks again for your help. You’ve been great.’
It was nice that Katy appreciated me. ‘Well, I hope that I’ve helped. Thanks for the lift. Will you be on-site on Monday?’
‘I don’t think so unless anything crops up. I’m going to phone Brenda Sanders in HR instead of meeting her face to face. I’ll wait for your report, and we can take it from there, OK?’
‘Sure. Well keep in touch and have a good weekend,’ I said climbing out of the car and checking I had collected all my things.
‘Bye!’ I called as Katy pulled away at speed, causing a few stones to fly up from the gutter.
Craig had opened the front door for me, and I fell into his waiting arms. ‘Oh, I’m so glad to see you!’ I said, hugging him.
‘Come in and sit down. There’s a glass of red wine waiting for you. I thought you might need it.’
**
I only managed to eat a quarter of the pizza as I was feeling so tired, along with plenty of salad, and Craig finished the remainder.
‘I was almost ready to faint,’ he said. ‘I only had some fruit for lunch, and that was seven hours ago!’
‘Thanks for going shopping. I need a rest tomorrow.’
‘I know, that’s why I went. You are going to have a lie-in tomorrow morning, and that’s an order.’
I smiled. ‘I’ve not much stamina, have I? It’s embarrassing.’
‘Don’t talk rubbish. Katy threw you in at the deep end. Not only have you been examining all the data, but you’ve also had to sit in on all those interviews. That can’t have been easy.’
