Frozen Grave (Willis/Carter #3)(91)

‘So do we think Ellerman has a connection to Toffee? Why did he choose him for the mission?’ asked Tucker.

‘We’ve looked into Toffee’s past. He was a highflyer but he has no connection to Ellerman’s past or the people in it.’

‘Someone was watching him, watching 22 Parade Street, and singled Toffee out as someone they could do business with,’ said Carter.

‘They must have talked to him first. They must have trusted him,’ Tucker added.

‘Or known his weakness. Drink is what he lives for,’ said Willis.

‘But he liked to be seen as something of an intellectual in his lucid moments,’ said Carter. ‘He knew he was brighter than your average rough sleeper. If I had to choose someone to lure Olivia Grantham to her death, I’d probably have chosen someone trustworthy, someone who sounded right for the job.’

‘So did someone pick him specifically? Does the area count then? They could have had a connection to the area,’ said Tucker. ‘Or to the hostel . . . Faith and Light? What do we know about it?’

‘Run by a man called Simon Smith.’

‘What do we know about him?’

‘Rich kid, who went off the rails and whose parents are stinking wealthy but like to throw the odd charitable crust the peasants’ way – they seem to be using their son as a kind of experiment. He comes out of rehab and, instead of giving him a cushy number running one of their many other businesses like holiday complexes in Sardinia or glamping holidays in Italy, they make him run a homeless shelter in the East End. Can a parent really want to set their own kid up to fail?’ Instinctively, Carter looked across at Willis.

‘Does Simon Smith have any connection to Olivia Grantham or JJ Ellerman?’ asked Tucker.

‘I’m looking into it now,’ answered Pam. ‘But not so far.’

‘If Ellerman has paid someone or is our murderer, what is the motive?’ asked Tucker.

‘Money,’ answered Carter. ‘He has claimed to be buying Spanish property for renovation and he gets the women to invest. They wise up and ask for their money back.’ He passed Tucker a photo of Ellerman with a yacht behind him. ‘Why do these women find Ellerman so attractive? I don’t get it.’ Carter shook his head. ‘These women could do so much better than him – he’s just an ageing bullshitter who likes to flash the cash and sponges off women when it dries up.’

‘So far, the only thing we know for certain that these women have in common is JJ Ellerman,’ said Robbo.

‘We don’t know if they knew one another.’

‘No. But it’s unlikely,’ said Carter. ‘Pam?’

‘Yes. I have talked to all of the women now and, out of every one on the list, only Dr Harding says she knew one of the others and that was Olivia Grantham. None of the others were on that sex site. I can’t see how they would have met.’

‘Unless through Ellerman,’ said Tucker.

‘We have requested phone records for the dead women. They should be through to us soon and then we’ll be able to answer that,’ replied Robbo.

‘I still don’t understand how Ellerman manages to con all these women,’ said Carter.

‘Because he’s good at giving them what they want,’ said Tucker. ‘He researches them before he meets them. After all, he knows exactly what they’re looking for from the dating sites. He just becomes that.’

‘Plus, he keeps them hanging on,’ Pam chipped in. ‘If your whole relationship is based on a once-a-week meeting, of course it can last for a year or more because you’re never going to get to the point where it’s boring or where it’s confrontational.’ Tucker studied the photos of Ellerman.

Pam continued: ‘He makes it clear from the start that he is married, so none of the women can complain about that.’

‘And he uses his son as a con,’ said Tucker. ‘His dead son.’

‘Yeah . . .’ said Carter. ‘That’s macabre. To keep your son alive just so that you can cheat women into bed and out of money.’

‘Ruthless, inhuman and a life built on lies – not easy to juggle so many balls in the air without dropping the lot,’ said Tucker.

‘I agree. It’s an indication of someone who can step outside social and moral normalities without flinching,’ said Robbo. ‘We know he’s an accomplished liar. He’s a dangerous man. It’s hard to know what would mean anything to him.’

‘His wife,’ said Carter. ‘Whatever bubble he exists in, she’s in the same one. All this is for her as well as him. Keeping up appearances, maintaining that massive house for just the two of them. If they sold that, they could start again somewhere, but that would signal a defeat, a failure.’

‘Plus,’ added Pam, ‘the mortgage, the remortgage – they won’t come out with a lot. But what kind of woman stays in that situation, knowing that her husband is a complete charlatan?’

‘Willis and I went to see her and she seemed almost numb, depressed. She is one of those people who’s built a wall around herself.’ Willis nodded her agreement.

‘Is she on a lot of medication?’ asked Tucker.

‘My thoughts exactly. Her pupils were black pinpoints, she was puffy around the eyes. She must be on some doctor’s repeat prescription list,’ Carter said.