Layers of Deceit, page 9
The report went on to quote the motorist who had found the wreckage and had called the emergency services. According to this person, road conditions had been treacherous due to a sudden drop in temperature after rain earlier in the day. This particular road was a mixture of straight stretches interspersed with some tight bends. Locals knew it as an accident blackspot and had gained the name “Death Wish Corner.”
As I scrolled down the article, I saw a photo of Rafe Bentall. It was hard to discern a likeness to Cyril from the picture which was from twenty years ago, although imagining him without hair, there was perhaps a similarity in the shape of the face and nose. Rafe wore a formal suit, white shirt and tie, and his hair appeared to be tied back in a ponytail. I smiled. Cyril’s hair was cut in a conventional “short back and sides” style as my father used to describe it. I could imagine Cyril disapproving of the rather avant-garde male ponytail.
I became aware of Craig speaking to me. ‘Oh, sorry. What did you say?’
‘I’m going up now,’ said Craig. ‘I suddenly feel tired too.’
‘Oh, yes, I’ll join you.’
‘What were you reading?’
I showed Craig the entry on Cyril’s brother and he skimmed through it.
‘Oh, dear, smasheroo against a tree!’ said Craig. ‘It was just as Cyril said, apart from the tree jumping out into the road, of course. Actually, I think I drove along that road once. I remember trundling along quite merrily and then reaching a tight bend and having to slam on the brakes. I think the locals are used to it as the car I was following took the bend like a Formula One driver.’
‘Well, fortunately, I don’t go over to that area much.’
‘God, they must have had to scrape him out of the car from the state of the wreckage.’
‘Craig! Don’t! The emergency services have an awful job. I can’t imagine what it must be like to attend crashes like that.’
‘No, well, I don’t suppose they would have had a viewing before the funeral,’ said Craig.
‘I think it’s time to go to bed, and I hope I don’t dream about your imagery,’ I said to Craig.
‘Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’
‘It’s OK. Perhaps I shouldn’t have looked up the details late in the evening.’
Craig switched off the lights in the lounge and followed me upstairs. I wasn’t sure what was worse; thinking about the next day at QexChem or Rafe’s horrible accident. Hopefully neither would stop me getting some rest as I needed to feel alert if I was going to be able to help Katy.
Chapter 21
I had a sense of déjà vu as I walked towards the visitor reception at QexChem. Katy had called at my house at around 8.30 a.m., and I’d spent ten minutes or so signing the paperwork for my new role. We were now waiting in a queue of people to sign in and receive our security badges.
Once we had completed that task, we sat on one of the sofas waiting for our host, a senior manager in the chemistry research department. Katy was wearing the same pin-striped suit as the previous evening, along with a black blouse. I’d opted for my black trousers, flat loafers and a long-sleeved nautical style T-shirt. I shed my short raincoat, as I was beginning to feel rather warm as I often did when I was anxious.
‘Are you OK?’ asked Katy.
‘Yes, fine thanks,’ I replied, managing a weak smile. Katy must have picked up on the tension in my body, so I relaxed back into the sofa as I realised I’d been sitting on the edge of the seat.
Katy was checking her messages on her phone when a man in his late thirties approached and introduced himself. ‘DS Forbes? I’m Rob Hughes.’ Our host spoke loudly and with authority.
‘Hello,’ said Katy, standing up. ‘This is Sarah Needham. I explained about her role to you yesterday afternoon.’
‘Hi,’ said Rob, jigging from foot to foot, looking like he was struggling to contain his innate enthusiasm.‘I understand you used to work here?’
I explained my history with QexChem, although I sensed that Rob wasn’t really listening as he looked past me a couple of times, apparently more interested in people signing in at the desk. As soon as I paused, Rob took the opportunity to tell me about his own career, and I learnt that he had joined the company five years ago. He had the build of a keen gym-goer, and slightly bulging grey-green eyes which I found were making me feel uncomfortable. On closer inspection, I noticed a slight tic in his left eye. Was he more nervous than me? A closely cropped cut of his blond locks was combatting the advance of male-pattern baldness.
‘Shall we?’ he said abruptly as if conscious that he had spent at least two minutes of his precious time talking to us.
We stepped outside through the door held open by Rob, and a strong gust of wind hit us with force, so I quickly donned my raincoat. Rob seemed immune to the chill in the air and marched ahead towards the research building. Maybe his boundless enthusiasm was a source of heat for his body. I allowed Katy to walk alongside him, as I tagged along behind, happy to forego any further conversation with Rob.
‘So, I’ll introduce you to someone who is going to look after you today. Sorry I can’t be on hand personally, but I’ve got back to back meetings,’ said Rob, with a sense of pride that he was so much in demand. ‘I must say I was a bit surprised that you wanted to visit us again. I hope there isn’t a problem?’
‘Just a few things I’d like to check, sir,’ said Katy. ‘There’s no need to be alarmed.’
‘Oh, sure. No, I’m not criticising,’ he laughed nervously. ‘After all, we scientists like to be thorough. It’s in our DNA.’
I found myself rolling my eyes at his last comment, as I disliked that over-used phrase. Everything was in one’s DNA nowadays, and the expression was joining the ranks of other such commonly used phrases such as, “at the end of the day” and “we are on a journey.”
‘Hi, Stu!’ Rob called to another employee who was approaching along another path. ‘Catch you at eleven! Looking forward to it!’
We entered the research block and followed a group of young people who had just arrived at work. Everyone we had seen so far appeared to be in their twenties and thirties, and I was beginning to feel ancient. My mood began to slip, and I wondered whether I should have accepted Katy’s appeal for help.
‘We’ve booked a small room next to the admin area for you to use today,’ said Rob. ‘My assistant will give you a key so you can lock your stuff away in there. If you need to speak to anyone, please use that room rather than the office areas. Sound does travel, and well, we don’t want gossip, do we?’
I felt like replying that gossip was probably what we did need, but I smiled, and Katy thanked him for his offer.
‘I’ll just go and find the chemist who is going to be your host today,’ said Rob, hurrying through the office area, almost at a running pace.
I shrugged off my coat, and Katy and I placed our belongings down on the table.
‘Here’s the key,’ said a youngish woman. ‘I’m Caz. Anything you need, just ask. I sit over there.’
Katy thanked her, and I sat down for a few moments. Checking my phone, I saw Craig had sent me a short text wishing me well, along with lots of hearts and kisses. I quickly typed a message telling him that I was OK, and that we were about to go into the laboratory.
Rob Hughes returned, accompanied by a familiar face.
‘Hi, Harry,’ I said, standing up as the pair stepped into the room.
For the first time that morning, Rob looked slightly taken aback. ‘Oh, you know each other?’ he said.
‘Harry showed me around the department when I was here this week to discuss a careers evening that I’m organising,’ I explained.
‘Oh, I see. Well, that’s excellent!’ Rob’s confidence had returned, and he clapped his hands, making me start. ‘DS Forbes, Harry Todd, who will be accompanying you around the laboratories and assisting you today.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Harry. Thanks for giving up some time this morning,’ said Katy. ‘I really appreciate it.’
‘No problem. Happy to help,’ he replied.
‘Great stuff!’ enthused Rob. ‘I’ll touch base with you later.’ And with those upbeat comments, he disappeared out of view.
I felt a bit embarrassed at Rob’s unfailing optimism and enthusiasm. Katy and I were here to look at a scene where someone had died, not to offer an equity stake in the company. Being positive was an admirable trait, but Rob hadn’t shown a jot of sadness at the loss of one of his employees. He’d not even mentioned Joshua Hanson’s name. I hadn’t expected the senior management to be weeping and rending their garments, but his cool detachment didn’t sit well with me. Was he one of those cold and unfeeling people I’d heard about who often rise to senior positions? Rob had by now disappeared off to attend to matters of high importance, leaving the three of us to find the lab where Hanson had spent his last hours.
‘I did tell Rob that I’d met you the other day,’ Harry, said to me, ‘but I don’t think he bothers to remember things which aren’t of significance to himself.’
‘That’s OK. I suppose he’s very busy,’ I replied tactfully. Rob no doubt had a selective memory and chose to remember facts which would boost his prospects.
We passed workstations with scientists engrossed in their laptops, but I felt sure I could feel their eyeballs tracking us. I could imagine myself in their place with my curiosity in overdrive wondering what was afoot.
‘Right, here we are,’ said Harry.
Katy broke the “Police Do Not Cross” tape, and Harry unlocked the door to the laboratory.
This was it. I just hoped I would be able to make a useful contribution.
Chapter 22
We put on safety spectacles before entering the lab, and once inside, Harry gave us visitor lab coats to wear and pointed out the boxes of disposable gloves. I could feel my armpits begin to prick with sweat, and I became conscious of my shallow breathing. Although I had been in the laboratory environment a few days ago, this felt completely different.
‘Would you like me to stay in here or sit outside?’ asked Harry.
‘As long as you’re happy, I think it would be best if you left us to have a look around,’ said Katy. ‘Sarah can advise me about any safety aspects.’
‘OK, that’s fine. I’ll sit at the desk right there,’ said Harry. ‘I can see you through the glass and if you need me, just call me. Obviously, don’t raise the fume-hood front and if you need to handle any of the flasks or vials, I’ll come back in.’
‘Thanks,’ said Katy. ‘Can I put some paperwork down here?’
‘Yes, that’s fine. All this area is designated clean. Oh, look, the sign has fallen down,’ said Harry, standing up a laminated sheet. ‘The other benches are classed as dirty, which means we can’t guarantee they are uncontaminated,’ he added.
‘I understand,’ replied Katy. ‘Thanks for your help.’
Harry left us, and I waited by the clean area.
‘So, these photographs were taken when Hanson was found. Are you OK looking at them? There’s no blood or anything gory,’ said Katy.
‘Yes, it’s OK. I’ve seen dead people before,’ I added.
‘He was lying here.’ Katy walked over to the area in front of Hanson’s fume hood, glancing at the photograph. ‘There’s no white chalk in a body shape like in the films,’ she joked. ‘The post mortem shows he had banged his head on the bench there where there is the number two yellow marker. He must have tripped over that stool as he went down, and there were other traces of skin tissue on the metal base, so he must have banged his head on that too.’
I glanced at the photograph and the floor in the lab. Poor Joshua lay with his mouth open, and his eyes rolled back into his skull. Death wasn’t pretty, unlike the films showing a corpse appearing to be sleeping peacefully on a mortuary slab.
‘So, he fell backwards and banged the back of his head?’ I said.
‘Yes. That’s right. Unfortunately, on the exact spot where his skull had a weakness.’
‘So, could he have caught his foot as he stepped back, lost his balance and then have fallen back against here?’
‘In the absence of anyone else, that seems the most likely,’ said Katy.
‘If there was any sort of altercation someone must have been standing here. Between his fume cupboard and him?’ I said.
‘Yes, or to the side, I guess. It could have been a casual push or a slight tug on his sleeve. Then he could have caught his foot on the stool, and that could have caused him to trip.’
I sighed. ‘It’s difficult to say, isn’t it? Either scenario is possible.’
‘Yes. I’m not expecting you to come up with anything insightful from this. I’ve thought about it a lot, and I can’t see from the evidence how we could work out exactly what happened in a split second. So, what I’d like you to do, Sarah is to have a wander around. Look at Hanson’s work area and see if anything looks to you out of the ordinary. Forget I’m here.’
‘OK. Well, of course, I will, I’m just not sure whether I’ll spot anything significant.’ My confidence was waning, and my anxiety levels increasing.
‘That doesn’t matter. Perhaps there’s nothing to spot, but at least I’ll be happy we’ve been thorough. Later, I want to speak to everyone who worked closely with Hanson, and I want you to observe them. If they come out with any technical details, you can explain them to me.’
Katy went to sit down on a stool across the other side of the laboratory, and I stood in front of Hanson’s work area. It felt strange as if I was about to do some chemistry. I looked at his reactions which were underway, doubtless deteriorating and due for disposal once the police returned the laboratory to its occupants. Hanson had marked two reactions with a code number, which would refer to his notebook number and page of the experiment.
‘Katy? Could you take a photograph of his work area? I might want to think about things when we leave here, and my memory isn’t that good.’ I showed Katy the shots I wanted. ‘Can you take his bench area as well? Also, this area with his reagents?’
Katy snapped away and checked she had good shots.
‘I’d like to have a record of all his bottles of chemicals, so I’ll need to move these. I’ll get Harry to come back in.’ I went over to the window and beckoned to him, and he immediately came in and supervised us. I removed the bottles of reagents from Hanson’s shelves and lined them up on the bench. Katy took a series of photographs, making sure she captured everything.
‘This is Josh’s tray of samples he kept as references, and these are ones which are ready to go off for testing,’ said Harry. ‘Look, these are in special vials with a unique barcode on them.’
I nodded. ‘There’s no need to photograph those,’ I said to Katy.
‘Can I look through Joshua’s drawers and the cupboard there?’ I said to Harry.
‘Sure,’ he replied. The drawers held the usual bits of equipment, tubing, scissors, cable ties, adaptors, plastic bags, rubber stoppers and seals, and so on. I crouched down on my haunches as I rummaged around in the cupboard, hoping I would be able to get up again without too much trouble. There were a few items of laboratory hardware, some clamps, some plastic bowls, a torch and a black bin bag. I dragged it to the front of the shelf and realised there was a box inside it.
‘Interesting,’ said Harry. ‘Here, let me take it off you.’ Harry put it on the bench and withdrew the box. Inside the box were about six bottles of reagents, some sealed and unopened. ‘What are these doing in here?’ said Harry sounding a bit annoyed. He set them out on the bench in a row, and Katy photographed them.
‘Can you see the labels OK,’ she asked me, showing me her mobile.
‘Josh shouldn’t have stored these in his cupboard,’ said Harry. ‘All reagents and chemicals are meant to be stored on the bench in case they start to go off or fall over. Apart from solvents, that is, which are stored in special fire-proof cupboards.’ Harry indicated the solvent cupboards labelled with the customary flammable or corrosive signs.
‘So, why would he do that?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. Wait a minute, I’m going to check something,’ Harry replied, walking over to a computer in the corner of the laboratory. He switched it on, then went back to collect the box of chemicals.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Katy.
‘I can trace these on the system using the barcodes.’ He showed one of the bottles to Katy.
‘Like the sample vials?’ she said.
‘Er, no, that’s a different system. Sorry, it’s a bit complicated. Ah, come on. That’s it,’ said Harry. He clicked on an application on the screen, then picked up a scanner like checkout staff use in shops and scanned the barcode. Harry pursed his lips as he read the information on the screen. Then he clicked through a few other menus. He did the same with the remaining five bottles, then leant on the bench with both hands. Katy and I waited for Harry’s announcement.
‘So, according to the tracking system, these bottles don’t exist,’ said Harry.
‘Oh, there’s a glitch in the system?’ I said.
‘No. Josh ordered them in over the last few weeks. When chemicals arrive on the site, someone in the storeroom assigns them a barcode before delivering them to the chemist. Then, whenever someone borrows them, they are reassigned to that chemist, so we know where they are in the building. From what I can see here,’ he said, nodding at the monitor, ‘as soon as Josh received them, he deleted them off the system.’
‘Why would he do that?’ I asked.
‘I don’t know. It’s very naughty. It’s as if he didn’t want people to know that he had them.’
Chapter 23
