Cold Justice (Willis/Carter #4)(85)
‘None.’
‘I’m going up to see if Sandford has arrived at the farm. Meanwhile, if you and Willis can work out who you’re going to bring in first. Eb? I’ll be back in an hour and then I want us to go and have a chat with Cam Simmons.’
Chapter 36
After the meeting, Carter went out to Stokes’ farm to meet Sandford who’d arrived. Willis stayed behind to work with Pascoe.
‘Sandford, thanks for coming,’ Carter said as he approached. ‘I appreciate it.’
Sandford had come down from Archway at Carter’s request. His tall white-suited frame looked reassuringly familiar, even in such an alien environment.
‘Yeah, it took a while with the trailer. Couldn’t you have got someone more local?’
‘I could, but then why break up a winning team?’ Carter grinned and slapped Sandford on the back. ‘Plus, this isn’t just about the obvious. This could be linked to Samuel’s disappearance and I need people who understand that. I need to keep it tight.’
‘So what are we looking for here? Seems to be a busy farm? I saw all the machinery parked up back there.’
‘It gets mended here.’
Sandford was taking his equipment out of his car. He was directing proceedings. He’d brought a team of three others with him and a trailer full of equipment.
‘Yeah, it’s a problem,’ said Carter. ‘Basically anyone can get access to this farm and not come in by the front door. Tyre tracks are not easy to pin down. It’s a narrow lane where tractors go and everyone drives on the same track. We have already found the murder weapon, a spade, probably taken from the the pit over there. It was left in clear view.’
‘Get suited up and you can come in with me so far. I need to know some background here,’ Sandford said to Carter.
Carter took out a suit from the back of Sandford’s car and joined him in the field.
‘Well?’ asked Sandford. ‘You’re supposed to be solving a crime here, not creating a new one. Why did you want me down? Has this murder anything to do with Samuel’s abduction?’
‘If Samuel is here, then yes it does. I think this shows a breakdown in society here. A deal of some sort has been broken. Jeremy Forbes-Wright had an odd relationship with the people of this village. I expect Robbo’s told you that Toby was accused of an attack on a local girl, Kensa Cooper in 2000? Yet it was never investigated. Jeremy lived the life of Riley here. He came down with his VIP friends and basically did whatever he liked. I think it’s all about the money. Now, he’s dead, and the money is going to dry up and someone is trying to squeeze Jeremy’s son.’
‘Robbo filled me in with the story. But they can’t hope to gain anything, money-wise? They cannot get the house, Toby is the only heir.’
‘They definitely want it though,’ Carter said. ‘The man that died here, Martin Stokes, he provided escorts for Jeremy Forbes-Wright. It’s possible some were under age. I need you to look through Stokes’ private papers and find anything that might help us regarding the house and goings on. Stokes is a cousin to Raymonds, the ex-police sergeant here. If he didn’t make money directly from it, Raymonds certainly knew all about it and didn’t stop it. Plus, he didn’t investigate the attack on Kensa and he concealed the death of her infant.’
‘Why haven’t you got him locked up?’
‘Because I’m waiting.’
‘Whose was the horse?’ asked Sandford. ‘What happened to it?’
‘Belonged to Kensa. She’s a sad character. She lives in a caravan on the edge of Penhal. Stokes and his son Towan put her horse in a ring with a prize stallion just for the hell of it. They baited the stallion with a mare in season. That old horse was the only good thing in her life. She’s suffered rape and humiliation and hasn’t had any justice in her entire life. Now they’ve killed her best friend for fun.’
‘Bastards.’
‘Yeah. I want you to use this excuse to search through this farm. I have a horrible feeling that Samuel won’t be alive for much longer if I’m right about the internal politics of this place,’ Carter said.
‘Where do you want me to start in the house?’ asked Sandford. ‘It’s a big property.’
‘I say we start in the main living areas and work our way out.’
‘Where have you set up shop?’ asked Sandford.
‘We’re setting up a temporary police station in the old tourist office – going back to what it was originally. Three rooms and one cell. The body has gone to Penhaligon,’ said Carter, ‘there’s a well-equipped mortuary there. They were waiting till you got here to start the post-mortem. I don’t want them to realize I’m not interested in investigating Stokes’ death. Now you’re here, we’ll say you’ve seen it.
Are you booked into the hotel?’ asked Carter.
‘Yes. The Penhal?’
‘You’ll like it, it’s all nautical themes, badger’s-bum beer and not a flat-screen TV in sight.’ Carter grinned.
‘What makes you so sure Samuel was brought here to Penhal?’
‘Because we’ve exhausted every lead in Greenwich and we have the kind of set-up in this place that could make it happen. This is the village that Raymonds built and now it’s pissed off with him – the worm is turning.’