Flying Too High (DI Angus Henderson 12), page 29
‘You think?’
‘Those little hints you dropped about Doug Blackford giving him up must have helped change his mind.’
‘I’m not so sure. Doug Blackford is a serious criminal and I’m quite convinced Potter thought he wouldn’t give anyone up.’
‘Nevertheless, when the chips were down, he didn’t hold back.’
‘You’re right, and I’ve been wondering about that. Did he know the knife we found in his office would have Roger Maitland’s blood on it? If he did, he had nothing to lose by telling all.’
‘We haven’t had it back from forensics yet, have we?’
He laughed. ‘My reputation’s shot in that department. It’ll take weeks.’ He finished the beer in his glass. ‘You see, I’d assumed Potter killed Maitland for being the main barrier to him and his mother getting what had been denied, Jerome’s shares in Vixen. With Maitland out of the way, he could work on Adrian Chapman and in the end, he may have given them something.’
‘I thought so too.’
‘Thinking about it now, any award of shares in Vixen would have gone to his mother, not to Lucas, and as we all know, the two of them don’t get on.’
‘Of course.’
‘I believe him when he says he didn’t do it for the money, or getting the shares back. They weren’t a consideration at all. He killed Roger Maitland because he hated the way his father had been humiliated. It wasn’t about money or compensation; it’s nothing more complicated than cold-blooded revenge.’
‘A pint of Sussex Best for you, gov, and a G&T for the lovely Sally.’
‘Thanks Phil.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I can’t get my head around the gap,’ Graham said, ‘you know, the time between Jerome losing his job and Maitland being murdered.’
‘A couple of things were involved. Lucas was still in the army when his father was fired from Vixen, but more important was the blackmail racket Blackford executed with Maitland. He planned it to run for five years, extracting a million, but when Maitland stopped paying, Blackford then decided to kill him.’
‘Do we know why he stopped paying?’
‘He wasn’t short of cash, if anything he’d become richer than the year before. My guess is he felt emboldened, thinking he could counter any threat, perhaps because of his contacts in the military.’
He took a sip from his pint. The second, or third, in this case, never tasted as good as the first, but he enjoyed it nevertheless.
‘I don’t think they met as Potter said they did,’ Henderson continued, ‘Blackford contacting him about their shared interest in Vixen. I bet it was over an arms deal, Potter selling guns to Blackford’s lot, the Clapham Crew. He and Blackford got talking and realised they had something else in common. When Maitland stopped paying the blackmail money, Blackford then contacted Potter and told him if he wanted to kill Maitland, he would help him.’
‘The choice of knives rather than guns is a strange one. They had plenty, as both men bought and sold the things, and Blackford even had his own private collection.’
‘I think Blackford wanted Maitland and Grange to die slowly and in pain, and he persuaded Potter to go along with it. Also, guns leave irrefutable evidence not only at the scene, but on clothes and hands. Knives, if cleaned in bleach, or something similarly caustic, leave no such traces.’
‘Lucky for us Blackford’s knife wasn’t cleaned too thoroughly.’
‘And I think it’ll be the same for Potter’s. There’s a good dose of arrogance in both men, perhaps thinking no one would make the connection between them and Maitland and Grange, leaving them in the clear.’
‘Did anyone find out what happened to Barbara Hines?’
‘In every case there’s always one loose end. In this instance, I think this is it.’
The End
About the Author
Iain Cameron grew up in Glasgow and moved to Brighton in the early eighties. He has worked as a management accountant, business consultant and a nursery goods retailer. He is now a full-time writer and lives in a village outside Horsham in West Sussex with his wife and a lively Collie dog.
Flying too High is the twelfth book to feature DI Angus Henderson, the Scottish cop at Sussex Police.
For more information about books and the author:
Visit the website at: www.iain-cameron.com
Follow him on twitter: @iainsbooks
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Also by Iain Cameron
DI Angus Henderson Crime Novels
One Last Lesson
A popular university student is found dead on a rural golf course. DI Angus Henderson hasn’t a clue as the killer did a thorough job. That is, until he discovers she was once a model on an adult web site run by two of her tutors.
Driving into Darkness
A gang of car thieves are smashing down doors and stealing expensive cars. Their violence is escalating and the DI is fearful they will soon kill someone. They do, but is it cover for something else?
Fear the Silence
A missing woman is not what DI Henderson needs right now. She is none other than Kelly Langton, the former glamour model 'Kelly,' and now an astute businesswoman, so the tabloid press are baying for a result. Her husband stands accused, but then another woman goes missing.
Hunting for Crows
A man’s body is recovered from the swollen River Arun, drowned in a vain attempt to save his dog. The story interests DI Henderson as the man was once a member of a rock band he liked. When another former band member dies, exercising in his home gym, the DI can no longer ignore the coincidence.
Red Red Wine
A ruthless gang of wine counterfeiters have already killed one man and will stop at nothing to protect a lucrative trade making them millions. Henderson suspects Daniel Perry, a London gangster, is behind the gang. He is cautioned to tread carefully, but no one warned him to safeguard those closest to him.
Night of Fire
A body is discovered burned to death, the victim a member of a Lewes bonfire society. Henderson suspects another society is behind it, and with Bonfire Night approaching, he fears it will provide cover for another heinous act. It does, but not one he was expecting.
Girls on Film
A photographer is abducted from her rural studio. DI Henderson finds several witnesses, but no motive. He’s convinced the answer lies in the photographer’s busy lifestyle: previous boyfriends, environmental campaigning or in the photographs she took. Problem is, her back catalogue runs into millions.
Black Quarry Farm
Holidaying in a rented house at a beautiful vineyard, an innocent couple are shot to death in their beds. Suspicions falls on workers at the vineyard, including the owner, who counts several serious villains as friends.
Blood Marked Pages
A Brighton-based crime author is found stabbed to death in his home - a burglary gone wrong, or a reader taking exception to one of his books? Items scattered over the lounge suggest the killer was looking for something - but what?
Dying for Justice
A defence lawyer is found stabbed to death in his office. DI Henderson realises his late-night appearance wasn’t to further the case of a needy client, but to sleep off a heavy night’s boozing. Was his murder collateral damage during a burglary, or the work of a disappointed client desperate for revenge?
Pictures of Lily
A single bullet wound to the head killed Lily Osborne. Henderson is puzzled, as her ordinary lifestyle is at odds with her brutal slaying. Is it a case of mistaken identity, or was Lily keeping a secret the DI has yet to discover?
The Essential DI Henderson Box Set – Books 1-4
The Essential DI Henderson Box Set2 – Books 5-8
Matt Flynn Thrillers
The Pulsar Files
Matt Flynn of the Homeland Security Agency, is hunting the sudden UK appearance of a Serbian hitman. The only incident that might interest a top-notch sniper is a hot-air balloon crash in Oxford. It killed five people, including three members of the same family.
Deadly Intent
A dissident terrorist group are hell-bent on starting civil war in Ireland. Alarm bells sound when it’s discovered they have purchased a large consignment of weapons from Syrian rebels. Matt Flynn and Rosie Fox of HSA are ordered to stop them.
No Time to Lose
Matt is hunting the kidnappers of David Burke, a senior MI5 man. He attacks and disables a Turkish terrorist group but then another man goes missing, this time a senior detective. Matt knows both victims and soon realises the connection is a voice from the past that won’t let go.
Sharma & Jackson Crime Thrillers
Eyes on You
Two men try to abduct Norwich businessman, Sean Morgan in Paris. After spending a night on the cold streets, the police take him back to his hotel. There, a gunman is waiting. Norwich police are treating him as a missing person, but is Sean really innocent or is he harbouring a dangerous secret?
All books are available from Amazon
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A Small Request
If you have read any of my books, I would be grateful if you could please leave a review on Amazon. It’s the best way for you to voice your opinion about something you loved, liked or hated, and it helps other readers to make an informed purchase decision.
Iain Cameron, Flying Too High (DI Angus Henderson 12)
