The Dentist, page 13
‘But you think he didn’t do it.’
‘Oh no,. Wawryniec, I don’t think he didn’t do it, I know he didn’t do it,’ said Cross.
Cross felt he didn’t need to say any more. He’d just let the builder ruminate on what had been said. If he’d correctly calculated his guilt about, well, all of it really, and the knowledge that the detective opposite him was convinced that the man charged was innocent but would go down for it, it might persuade him to reveal whatever it was he’d been withholding.
‘You never paid Hilary back.’
‘What?’
‘The £500.’
‘No.’
‘So maybe this is your chance. To pay them all back. Hilary, Leonard, and Jessica. She’s a mother now.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Tell me. Tell me what you didn’t tell MacDonald. Whatever the consequences might be for you.’
There was a long pause as he thought this all through. He drank his new coffee down in one. Ottey was trying to figure out what Cross thought was missing. What she didn’t know was that he was also in the dark. His logic, his analysis of Wojtchak’s inconsistent behaviour on the day, and the gaps therein, told him that something was missing. Something Wojtchak presumably thought at the time would get him in trouble. Something that may or may not be material - either way Cross needed to know to complete the picture. Wojtchak finally looked up.
‘I was there. After. I found her.’
Cross said nothing. His expression didn’t change. He was calculating what to say next. A single misinterpreted word could easily get in the way of what Wojtchak was about to tell him. There was also a chance that he may think that Cross knew this already, even though he wouldn’t have a clue how the detective may have found out. Cross didn’t, but he wasn’t going to give him any intimation of that. Wojtchak looked at him, now unsettled. This was not something he’d told anyone before, let alone the police. With no response forthcoming he inevitably decided to continue.
‘I didn’t tell anyone because I thought they wouldn’t believe me,’ he said.
‘So tell me what happened. What did you find?’ asked Cross.
‘I knew something was not right when I got there. The front door was a little bit open. I went in and called. No answer. I walked through to the kitchen - that’s where she always was, Mrs C. She called it her office. She was always cooking or baking. Always organising the family from there.’
‘And?’
There was a pause as he drew the exact picture in his mind of what he’d seen that day, not wanting to get any detail wrong.
‘She wasn’t there. But I was on time. She would be there. Then I saw the garden table – it had tea things on it. I went out. There was a cake and a couple of plates with a slice of cake on each. A cup had fallen on the floor, smashed. I went to pick it up and that’s when I saw her.’
‘On the ground.’
‘I saw her ankle first. I could tell she was dead but I knew she hadn’t fallen. She was lying on her back. People don’t fall like that and…’
He faltered as he pictured the scene.
‘… there was no blood.’
‘What did you do then?’
‘I ran.’
‘You just left her there?’ Ottey interjected. Cross sighed. She had immediately given an impression of disapproval, which was of no use and certainly no help in the situation.
‘I panicked, but I called the police.’
‘It was you. Why?’ Cross asked.
‘I didn’t want the girls to come home, or Leonard, and find her like that.’
‘You could’ve said something before. You’re a witness to the scene. You might’ve seen something that was material to the investigation,’ added Ottey.
Again Cross had to dial back his instinct to ask her to be quiet.
‘Let’s concentrate on that. What can you remember?’ he asked.
‘That’s easy. I’ve gone through it in my head over and over. I ran. But not through the house. By the side gate.’
‘Where did you go?’
‘I ran for ages, then I look for a phone box.’
‘Why not use your mobile?’ asked Ottey. Cross would have to say something to her in a minute.
‘Because I didn’t want them to have my number, I suppose.’
‘Did you see anything in the immediate vicinity of the house,’ asked Cross.
Wojtchak looked a little abashed at this point, as if he knew what he was going to say was something he should’ve mentioned at an earlier juncture. But he’d gone this far.
‘There was a car. Driving away.’
‘From their road? The Carpenters?’
‘Yes. But fast. It was in a narrow space and it hit the car in front, before it drove off. Make a big noise.’
Ottey looked at Cross – this was a huge development. A car had been seen speeding in the area, but no-one had placed it in the actual road and like so many other leads MacDonald had closed it down after nothing materialised.
‘Do you remember anything else?’
‘Yes. It had one of those license plates, you know the ones with red letters, over the number plate.’
‘Trade plates,’ said Ottey.
‘Did you see the driver?
‘No, the sun was reflecting. White with shadows of the trees.’
‘Low winter sun. That makes sense at three in the afternoon and it was a cloudless day. Are you sure they were trade plates?’
‘I think so.’
‘It could have been just some papers on the dash.’
Wojtchak thought for a moment. ‘No, it was definitely what you said.’
‘Trade plates.’
‘Yes.’
On the journey back to Bristol, Ottey could tell that Cross wasn’t in a mood to talk. But it wasn’t in his normal, everyday shut-off, just not wanting to communicate kind of way. Something she had explained to him was often perceived as rude in a two-way enclosed social situation, such as a train or car journey. This, though, was different. It was obvious his mind was working through the various ramifications of what he’d just heard, coalescing it with what he had read in both the police and Leonard’s files. This was exactly what he was doing.
Trade plates - that had to be significant. Trade plates were basically used to save people in the motor industry from having to register and tax every vehicle that came to be in their possession temporarily. As well as car dealerships the type of businesses that might use them was quite small. It included car repairers. Cross felt this was unlikely – to use someone else’s car in the commission of a murder just seemed too risky. Manufacturers of trailers, obviously immediately discounted, and valets. With valets they barely existed in that area at the time and even now there was only one which offered a collection and delivery service, which might require their use. He had read about the car in the police files – there had been a couple of sightings – variously described as a Mercedes, an Audi and a Jaguar, so obviously an up-market saloon car of some sort. No number plates had been noted down but then as Cross realised, why would they be, if no crime had been witnessed? To most of the witnesses, it had been an annoying man showing off in his flash car by driving through the neighbourhood way too fast. No-one had taken particular note of the driver either, though it would seem by common consent that it was a male wearing sunglasses. Again, why would they. But trade plates? He needed to corroborate that because, if Wojtchak was right, that could be important. He then needed to find some of the original witnesses and try and jog their memory.
The other interesting thing was the damage caused to the parked car. It hadn’t been mentioned in the police report, but Leonard had discovered one of his neighbour’s cars had indeed been damaged and he’d managed to narrow it down to around that time in the afternoon. The family’s nanny had been returning from picking up the children from school and had noticed it. Another neighbour had heard a loud crash around that time, but when she had looked out of the window there was nothing to see. Leonard had been convinced it was the killer’s car, as he had told MacDonald, on several occasions, to no avail. MacDonald had thought it not worth following, no-one could say when it had occurred - it could have been done hours before. This seemed an odd omission to Cross. To him it seemed, in a case where there were very few leads, this was an important one that should have been followed up. He would ask MacDonald. Of course, had Wojtchak made known the existence of trade plates, he was sure that would have made a material difference to MacDonald’s attitude.
As for Wojtchak, his story made sense to Cross. Even the cellmate confession. It had such a banal reasoning that it had the ring of truth about it. The way he had referred to Hilary as “Mrs C” implied a genuine familiarity over a length of time which belied the possibility of his doing her harm. She’d found him a job. Lent him money, which he was in the process of returning when he discovered her body. He was close to her and the family, but to Cross’ mind not close enough for there being any emotional context to the possibility of his killing her. Cross’ reading of his behaviour in the café was that of someone genuinely contrite in not having revealed that he was there at the time during his questioning. Thank God he hadn’t picked up the broken teacup when he saw Hilary’s body. His fingerprints would have placed him at the scene and that, together with the absence of any other suspect, and in the context of his being seen in the vicinity of the house at the time of the murder, being known to the victim – which would’ve been seen as her reason for giving him tea – made Cross think that he would’ve likely been convicted for a crime he didn’t commit. It occurred to him that in such tiny details lay the difference between justice and a gross injustice. If Wojtchak was guilty of anything, it was the fact that, had he come forward earlier, maybe they would’ve found the killer and Leonard would still be alive. He held himself, in part, responsible for Leonard’s death. It clearly affected him. Cross also felt it was a sad state of affairs that someone like Wojtchak had such little faith in the Justice system providing exactly that – justice – that he felt unable to call it in and wait with the body till the police arrived.
Chapter 23
Wojtchak’s honesty had struck Cross as refreshingly helpful. The same could not be said about Catherine’s husband, Alan. Cross and Ottey met with them in their living room. He wanted to interview them both together at their home, to watch Catherine’s reaction. He was fairly sure what Alan’s would be from what he’d already seen. He was completely charming, but this charm had a fragile quality to it, as if he was hiding something not far from the surface. As if he was wary of being challenged at any moment. He was on guard, defensive.
‘How would you describe your relationship with Leonard?’ asked Cross.
‘Well, I hadn’t seen him in years,’ said Alan.
‘I meant before he disappeared.’
‘Cordial.’
‘Quite a formal choice of word to describe your relationship with your father-in-law.’
Alan laughed, ‘Father-in-laws are always a bit guarded with their daughters’ husbands don’t you find? The cuckoo in the nest.’
‘Gosh, is that how you saw yourself – as an unwelcome intruder?’ Cross asked.
‘They got along just fine,’ Catherine interpolated. ‘He wasn’t a difficult man to get along with, he was a kindly man – too kind some might say.’
‘So I believe. Better than you got on with Hilary?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Not quite as ‘cordial’?’
‘I wouldn’t say that, no.’
Cross produced some photocopied sheets.
‘These are pages from Hilary’s diaries.’
Cross noted this made Alan uncomfortable.
‘Isn’t that an invasion of her privacy?’ asked Catherine.
‘When someone’s been murdered, Mrs Gosling, those niceties rather pale into insignificance don’t you think? She remembers the first time you met: “tried too hard, bless him. I think he’s quite taken with C,”’ said Cross.
Alan laughed and turned to Catherine, who smiled grimly, as if more concerned about what might come next.
‘But then there was the fall out. What exactly was that about?’ asked Cross.
‘I’m not sure I’d call it a “fall out” really,’ said Alan.
‘So how would you describe it?’
‘Well it was a disagreement. Just one of those things.’
Ottey had been looking over Gosling’s shoulder at some photographs on a grand piano.
‘Big enough to mean they didn’t attend your wedding?’ she asked.
Cross looked at her inquiringly.
‘Hilary and Leonard aren’t in the wedding pictures,’ she said by way of explanation, ‘Just your parents I’m assuming, Mr Gosling.’
‘That must’ve been a little sad for you, Catherine - your father not giving you away,’ said Cross.
‘It was resolved later,’ Alan said.
‘Even so, that’s quite a statement,’ said Ottey.
‘Perhaps, Mr Gosling, you can tell me what the problem was from your point of view,’ Cross asked.
‘It was just a disagreement over how the family business should be run.’
‘Why would you call it that at the time? It wasn’t a family business. It was Leonard’s dental practice, managed by Hilary before she stopped to become a full-time writer.’
‘I think you’re being pedantic,’ said Alan.
‘People often say that. Forgive me but I think accuracy often makes things much clearer. You didn’t approve of the way Hilary ran the practice, is that fair?’ Cross asked.
‘She started out as a dental nurse,’ Alan replied. Catherine instinctively looked at her husband, hurt on her late mother’s behalf, possibly.
Why would you say that?’ asked Cross.
‘Because it’s true.’
‘Leonard would have started as a dental student as indeed did your wife. I started as a trainee policeman. We all started somewhere,’ Cross pointed out.
‘It wasn’t her background.’
‘I see, but that wouldn’t necessarily disqualify her would it?’
‘Catherine worked there. If that’s not a family business, I don’t know what is.’
‘She didn’t join the practice till well after you met. She then had to leave as relations were so bad, and didn’t rejoin till some time after Hilary’s death, when you became the practice manager.’
‘Group manager,’ he said.
‘Practice manager at the time,’ this time it was Catherine who corrected him, Cross noted.
‘You weren’t completely convinced, were you Catherine?’ he asked.
‘I wasn’t initially. It seemed a betrayal somehow. Of my mother.’
‘That’s perfectly understandable.’
‘Did you agree with your husband’s plans for the practice?’
‘It made sense. It was a thriving practice. I’ve always been interested in dental health so, from my perspective, if we could spread our standard of dental care wider, it was a win-win,’ she said.
‘But that wasn’t what interested you Alan. What I mean is, you saw it purely as a business opportunity,’ Cross said.
‘Dentistry is a business. Calling it anything else is simple sophistry,’ he replied.
‘Would you describe yourself as an ambitious man?’
‘Is that a crime?’
Cross smiled. ‘It is strange how often we hear that response in answer to a simple question. I suppose it must be, because we’re police and it’s an expression that readily comes to mind. But you are, no? Ambitious?’ he went on.
‘Yes.’
‘And you felt Hilary had had no ambition for the practice before she left.’
‘Like I said, she had no business background. She couldn’t see the potential. Not her fault.’
‘Unlike you.’
‘Indeed, I’ve been involved in several businesses, a portfolio if you like. But my main business is basically the family dental chain now.’
‘Expanded quite substantially.’ Catherine chipped in.
‘Successfully?’ Cross asked.
‘I think the results speak for themselves,’ said Alan.
‘How would you describe success in business, Ottey? I know it’s not your background, but what is your lay woman’s understanding of success in business?’ asked Cross.
‘Healthy profits, happy workforce, good turnover,’ she said.
‘Would you agree, Mr Gosling?’ Cross asked.
‘Absolutely.’
‘And how exactly would you define healthy profits?’
‘What’s your point?’
‘My point is you certainly made a healthy profit from your businesses before you met Catherine did you not?’
Gosling didn’t answer.
‘Company cars, expense accounts, handsome remuneration – all at the expense of your investors; at their expense because the businesses never actually turned a profit themselves, strangely. The investors became aware of it and, when they did, you simply sought investment elsewhere until, that is, your reputation went before you and you ran out of potential investors. Then, of course, you simply declared yourself bankrupt.’
‘Twice,’ interjected Ottey.
‘The refuge of the unscrupulous,’ Cross commented.
‘They were difficult times,’ said Alan.
‘For your investors undoubtedly. And that’s where you underestimated Hilary, the former dental nurse with no business background. Because she did her research and found out you weren’t exactly as successful as you made out. That’s why she wouldn’t agree to your proposal. Not because of the plans themselves, although I’m sure she had her doubts about those, but because of you - a twice-declared bankrupt.’
Gosling said nothing and Cross just, as was his way, looked at him long and hard, trying to read the signs.
‘Which made it so difficult for your fiancée. She was forced to make a choice between her mother and her future husband. That’s why Hilary didn’t come to the wedding - not because she didn’t like your business plan, but because she didn’t approve of you per se.’
