CODE TO MURDER, page 2
“Is that a door behind the curtain over there?” enquired Ben.
“Yes, it’s an adjoining door to the next room, but it’s locked,” answered Julie.
“No key card or anything?”
“No, the hotel only ever unlock it if someone has booked a suite as opposed to two separate rooms. I’ve already confirmed with the hotel that this wasn’t the case here.”
“Do we know who’s in the next room?”
“One of Mr Anderson’s colleagues: the CEO of the business, Richard Pettigrew. One more thing that is a bit odd, sir: we also found two small metal screws and a metal backplate on the floor just in front of the door,” said Julie, pointing at them. “I don’t see anything obvious that they are from.”
Ben looked around the room. “No, me neither,” he said. Switching his gaze to the desk he then asked, “What is that little green top lying on the desk?”
Julie took a closer look. “I think it’s the top of a USB memory stick, but there’s no sign of the stick itself or, as I said, a laptop or a phone.”
Memory sticks are not that expensive. I wonder if there was valuable information on it, and that’s why it was taken along with the phone and laptop, wondered Ben.
“Could they be downstairs in a meeting room or something?” asked Ben.
“We can ask his CEO,” suggested Julie.
“Okay, let’s go and do that now.”
As Ben and Julie left the room and headed downstairs, Ben asked, “What else do we know about the waitress?”
“Amy Robbins. I spoke to the hotel manager about her. He says that although she hasn’t worked here long, they are really pleased with her: very reliable and enthusiastic.”
“Hopefully she’ll be able to tell us what happened when she comes round.”
“I’m afraid it might be if she comes round,” replied Julie, the concern clear in her voice.
That gave Ben a chilling thought.
We might possibly be looking at not one but two murders.
CHAPTER 4
When they reached the ground floor, Julie took Ben into the meeting room where the CEO, Richard Pettigrew, was waiting.
“Good evening, Mr Pettigrew, I’m Detective Chief Inspector Ben Fitzpatrick. I’m sure the death of your colleague has come as a bit of a shock to you, but I have a few questions if that’s okay?” said Ben.
“Certainly,” responded Pettigrew, “James was more than a colleague, he was a close, personal friend. We were at university together and set up the business together. I am devastated. I still can’t believe it. I haven’t been told much about what happened other than that he possibly fell, is that true? I know James was feeling a bit unwell today and thought he’d maybe taken some sort of dizzy turn or something.”
“If he was unwell, should he not have gone home?” asked Ben.
“I said that to him, but he insisted he was okay to work. James was very conscientious and this was an important couple of days for us in terms of setting strategy.”
“Okay, well we are still trying to establish what happened. Can I ask how many people are here from your company?”
“Nine of us: myself, James, our chief financial officer, marketing manager, product manager and four regional sales managers. It was an away day and night, to get out of the office and discuss strategy for the next year.”
“I understand the rest of the team were downstairs, but Mr Anderson was up in his room. Why was that?”
“James had already given his presentation to the team in the morning, and since he had a lot of work on, after lunch in the restaurant he said he would be heading up to his room to get on with it.”
“And when did you last see him?” quizzed Ben.
“I went up to see him just before three, when we stopped for a coffee break. I popped up to see how he was getting on and to update him on some of the feedback from the sales and marketing meeting.”
“And how was he at that time?” asked Ben.
“He seemed okay, said he had got a fair bit of work done and he was feeling a bit better.”
“How was the day today? Any friction or arguments?” continued Ben.
“No, of course not, just usual healthy debates and opinions about strategy. Why do you ask?” responded Pettigrew, raising his eyebrows, surprised at having been asked that question.
“Do you know if anyone else saw James this afternoon?” asked Ben, deliberately avoiding answering Pettigrew’s question.
“I’m sorry, but are you suggesting James didn’t fall; that there was something else to it?” asked Pettigrew.
“I’m not suggesting anything, Mr Pettigrew. At this stage, we are trying to establish all the facts to find out exactly what happened. So, do you know if anyone else in the team saw James this afternoon?”
“I don’t know,” said Pettigrew, perplexed, and wondering what Ben wasn’t saying.
Ben went on, “Tell me, is James married?”
“Yes, he’s married to Diane. They live in Dollar. He has a seven-year-old daughter, Kayleigh. They’ll be distraught. This is horrible . . . I didn’t want to phone Diane or go and see her until I knew what had happened.”
“I’ll do that,” said Ben, “I’ll head over to see her shortly. One final question, Mr Pettigrew: we didn’t find a phone or laptop in Mr Anderson’s room – I assume he would have had these items?”
“Yes, of course.”
“He didn’t leave them downstairs or lend them to anyone?”
“No, he didn’t. If they’re missing, you need to find them. They have valuable company information on them.”
“We intend to,” replied Ben. “My team will be taking full statements from everyone and if we need anything else we will come and see you and your team at your offices over the next day or two. I trust they will all be there?”
“I will make sure they are. If there is anything at all we can do to help just let us know. Please tell Diane how sorry I am and that I will be round to see her tomorrow.”
“Okay, Mr Pettigrew, I will do,” confirmed Ben, and started to walk away.
“And keep me posted about what is happening,” said Pettigrew, in a manner that suggested he was used to being in charge, with people answering to him.
“As and when it is appropriate to do so, Mr Pettigrew,” replied Ben without turning round.
“Okay, Julie, I want to have a chat with the hotel security manager, then I’ll head off to break the news to Mrs Anderson. I’ll leave you to do the necessary here: statements from everyone in the hotel, guests and staff, contact details, where they were this afternoon and evening, the usual stuff. Once we have everything and forensics are done, you can free up the stairs and other areas cordoned off and give the hotel manager the go-ahead to get back to running the hotel. I see him over there pacing up and down impatiently. Now, the man who was stopped by security – I assume he is under arrest at the station?” asked Ben.
“Yes, and already shouting for his solicitor. He seems to know the drill and I’m guessing we’ll have his details on record.”
“Check whether any of the items found in his bag belong to our victim.”
“Already being done.”
Julie led the way to the office of the security manager.
“Hello, Mr Marshall, I am Detective Chief Inspector Fitzpatrick. You’ve certainly had a busy evening. Can you tell me what happened from your perspective?” said Ben.
“Of course. I was down here in my office and spotted a man walking quickly past reception and towards the door. We have had a number of reported thefts from guests’ rooms in recent weeks and I’d noticed him in the hotel more than once. He looked a bit suspicious. I’ve got a gut feeling about these things. I’m ex-force, you know: Strathclyde Police. I challenged him and he started to run towards the exit, but I stopped him. Myself and a colleague restrained him and he dropped his bag. When we looked inside it was full of what looked like random electronic items taken from guest rooms. So, we phoned you guys.”
Barely pausing for breath, and with a sense he was enjoying being in the spotlight in front of a DCI, he continued.
“Next thing I know, there’s a guest running down to reception in a panic. He was heading down for his dinner and found Amy lying unconscious on the landing between the first and second floors. I had actually seen Amy going through the double doors towards the service lift after I stopped that thief. Reception phoned an ambulance and I rushed up to where Amy was. She was unconscious and looked in a bad way. A real shame – such a bubbly and friendly young girl. Her boyfriend came in shortly afterwards, wondering why she wasn’t out yet after her shift. I told him what had happened and he went in the ambulance with her. The paramedics were here quickly.”
“And when was the gentleman in room 202 found?” asked Ben.
“I was coming to that,” Mr Marshall said impatiently. “Not long after the paramedics took Amy away, another guest phoned reception and said they had found someone lying dead on the floor in room 202. Reception phoned me and I ran upstairs. It was a little girl playing with a ball that found him. She screamed and her dad went to see what was wrong. I told them to stay in their room and sure enough, the chap was lying on the floor with blood on his forehead, clearly dead, but I checked for a pulse anyway. It has been all go for me this evening, you know.”
“Did you touch or move anything in the room?” asked Ben politely.
“Of course not, I know the score. Like I said, I’m ex-police, what do you take me for?” replied the security manager, in a somewhat cocky manner.
“I closed the door, came downstairs and made another call to you guys. Doesn’t look like no accident to me,” he continued.
“Why do you say that?” enquired Ben.
“Like I said, copper’s instinct, you know? The guy we caught stealing things no doubt did it. The guest probably walked in on him. Not bad, eh? I’m doing all your work for you here. You could have saved yourself a visit – caught the culprit for you. In fact, I should get a reward.”
Julie could see Ben’s expression changing. She knew Marshall had touched a nerve.
A lack of concern or respect for victims would always solicit a response from Ben. And it came.
“Really, a reward? Well, let me tell you this, Mr Marshall. I am about to go and break the news to the man’s wife that her husband and father to her seven-year-old child won’t be coming home tomorrow, you have a colleague critically ill in hospital, and all you are concerned about is telling me how great you are and your copper’s instinct, doing our job for us and wanting a reward? A bit of humility and thought for the poor man’s family and Amy wouldn’t go amiss.”
Ben walked off.
Julie saw the look of anger on the security manager’s face quickly fade into embarrassment, putting his head down as he glanced up at his colleagues at the other end of the room who were staring straight at him.
Julie caught up with Ben at the exit.
“Right, Julie, you finish up things here. I’ll go and see Mrs Anderson then I’ll head home after that. Get the team organised for a briefing first thing tomorrow at the station. One last thing: can you make sure forensics check for prints on the radiator controls and find out from the hotel what level the housekeepers would set the heating at and if they did so this morning?”
“Okay, sir, will do.”
Just as Ben was about to leave, one of Joan’s team came through and handed Julie a forensics evidence bag, “Joan found this in the victim’s back pocket.”
“It’s a print of an email,” said Julie as she passed the bag to Ben, who read the email out loud. The message was short and to the point.
‘I know what you did and I will make you pay!’
CHAPTER 5
Julie went back inside while Ben got in his car and drove off to do a task he’d done many times before, but which never got any easier. It was something he could have delegated, but always felt that, out of respect for the victims and their families, he should do it personally. For him, the job was about more than just catching criminals. Looking after the victims of crime was just as important to him, and he went above and beyond what was required of him to help in any way he could.
As Ben drove along, he reflected on what he had seen and heard at the hotel. There was no way it was an accidental death. The missing laptop and phone, the open door and even the position of the body on the floor – it just didn’t seem right. Maybe, despite his cocky attitude, the security manager did have a copper’s instinct after all. Having a thief rushing out of the hotel immediately before the body was found would on the face of it seem to be more than a coincidence, and maybe the evidence from forensics would point in that direction and the case would be tied up quickly. But would the threatening email point in a completely different direction?
And what happened to Amy? It surely couldn’t be another coincidence that she was knocked over around about the same time. Something else was niggling at Ben and he didn’t know what. He just had a feeling there was more to this.
Maybe he was tired. The holiday felt long gone now.
As he passed a road sign indicating the miles to Perth, the direction in which he appeared to be travelling, Ben hit the brakes suddenly and the car came to a shuddering stop.
Dazed, Ben took a moment to gather himself before considering where he was.
Somehow, he had veered on to the wrong road and was driving in completely the opposite direction to where he was supposed to be going.
How did that happen?
He quickly turned the car around and headed back the right way.
I’d better focus on the road, he thought.
Half an hour or so later, he arrived outside the home of James Anderson. It was an old stone building, in keeping with the area, painted white and quite pretty, even in the dark, with hanging baskets of flowers adorning the front of the house. PC Natalie Gordon was already waiting for him in her car. Ben was pleased it was Natalie. She was an excellent police officer and had a good way with people – a very experienced family liaison officer.
They opened the white wooden gate and walked up the path and Ben rang the bell. By this time it was getting on for ten at night. The door was opened by a woman, who looked to be in her late thirties, slim and petite with short brown hair and seemingly surprised to see anyone at the door at that time of night.
“Can I help you?”
Surprise turned to apprehension as she registered Natalie’s police uniform.
“Are you Mrs Diane Anderson?” Ben asked.
“Yes,” she replied warily.
“I’m Detective Chief Inspector Ben Fitzpatrick and this is PC Natalie Gordon. Can we come inside?”
“What’s happened?” she asked, fear now showing in her face.
“It would be better if we went inside,” said Ben, gently.
They walked through to the sitting room and Ben told Mrs Anderson how her husband James had been found dead in his hotel room earlier that evening. She was understandably distraught and while PC Gordon tried to offer some comfort Ben decided there was no point giving any more details about what happened. Though it seemed unlikely, it could after all still turn out to be an accident so no need to make it any worse for Mrs Anderson at that stage.
It was after eleven by the time Ben got home and Clare was already in bed. As he slipped into bed and lay down beside her, Clare, who he’d thought was sleeping, said, “Did you phone the doctor today?”
“No, sorry, love, I forgot . . . I’ll do it in the morning.”
Clare sighed, then went off to sleep.
Ben tried to sleep, but his mind was preoccupied by the new case, as well as the incident on the road earlier. There were also the unresolved issues from his previous investigation – the Cameron case – which their holiday had failed so subdue.
It seemed tonight, sleep would be just out of reach.
CHAPTER 6
Ben, Julie and other members of the team had gathered at the police station for the briefing to discuss the case.
“Amy Robbins still hasn’t regained consciousness. She remains critical and scans show there is a possibility of a bleed on the brain and they may have to keep her in an induced coma for some time. They will keep us posted on any change,” said Julie.
“That’s not good,” said Ben.
“Okay, folks, listen up, please. So far, all we know for certain is that James Anderson was found dead on the floor of his hotel room, having suffered a blow to the forehead. He also had a print of an email in his pocket from someone who says they know what he did and will make him pay. Julie is already trying to track down where it came from. The fact that he printed it out makes me think he was going to show it to someone, maybe even confront them with it. We need to determine who.
“We won’t have the forensics or pathologist reports until later today or even tomorrow, but I don’t believe this was an accident, and so this is a murder inquiry. Julie, what’s the situation with the man who was suspected of stealing from guests’ rooms?”
“His name is Michael Manson. He has previous convictions for petty and opportunistic theft, some from hotels. No record of violence.”
“Maybe he’s never been caught in the act before? Maybe James Anderson walked in on him in the room and there was a struggle?” suggested Detective Constable McCallum. Kevin was in his late forties and had been in the police force for around twenty years, but had no aspirations to progress beyond his current rank. Not the most dynamic member of the team – more slow and steady – but Ben knew he could surprise everyone with moments of inspiration from time to time, and was a good team player.
“Could be,” continued Julie. “The bag he had when he was stopped by hotel security was full of items from guests’ rooms and we also found his car outside the hotel. It was full of items stolen from other hotels in the area. However, we’ve still not found James Anderson’s laptop or phone . . . and his wallet was still in his jacket pocket, with all his cards and money still inside. That begs the question, therefore, if Michael Manson did take the laptop and phone, even if there was a struggle and he left in a hurry, why weren’t they in his bag? Where else could he have put them? And if it was a robbery gone wrong, why not take the wallet too?”
