Nothing Ventured(71)

“Over the next few years, Beth was the only thing that was growing faster than the company. Despite the economic uncertainties of the seventies, we still felt confident about the future. However, I didn’t see the problem coming, even when it was staring me in the face. I knew Gary’s marriage was in trouble, and shouldn’t have been surprised when it ended in an expensive divorce. In the years that followed I saw so many women come and go that I couldn’t always remember their names. But I didn’t say anything, even when his behavior in the office caused one of our young secretaries to resign, while another threatened to sue the company and we ended up having to settle out of court.

“I was on the road five days a week drumming up business, so I didn’t realize the full extent of the problem until the night of the office Christmas party, when Gary got drunk and made a pass at my secretary, who was married. She resigned the following day, and the company gave her a generous settlement after she agreed to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

“Hamish and I made it clear to Gary that if he stepped out of line again, he would have to resign. To be fair, we never had another complaint from that moment, and a couple of years later Gary announced that he was engaged to the love of his life, and was looking forward to getting married again, and finally settling down.

“His fiancée, Bridget, was attractive and bright, and gave every impression of being devoted to him. But it turned out that she was only interested in his money, and it didn’t take her long to empty his bank account. She then broke off the engagement and went in search of her next victim, leaving Gary to pick up the pieces. Sadly, it wasn’t too long before the women in the office began once again to complain about his behavior, even when he was sober. But when Beth told me after a leaving party that she now understood why he was known in the office as ‘wandering hands,’ I finally lost my temper and accepted that he had to go.

“I would have demanded his resignation the next day if I hadn’t had an appointment in Coventry with a potential investor that had been in my diary for the past month. I called Hamish to let him know what I had in mind, and we agreed I should wait until I got back the following day, when we would issue Gary a joint ultimatum. Resign or be sacked.

“I had a fruitful meeting with my potential new client, and invited him to lunch afterward. Over coffee, he mentioned the sum that he was considering investing in RGK, which was even more than I had anticipated.

“But when I handed over my company credit card to pay for the meal, an embarrassed waiter returned a few minutes later and whispered that it had been declined. Not clever in front of a prospective investor. I paid with my personal card, but the damage had been done. I called my bank manager from the station and demanded an explanation. After all, the company had declared a profit of over a million pounds the previous year. He told me we’d exceeded our overdraft limit, and that he’d spoken to Mr. Kirkland about the situation several times.

“I immediately rang Gary and he denied that there was any problem. He suggested I drop by on my way home, and he would explain everything. As soon as I got off the train at Euston, I took a cab to the office.

“As I was opening the front door, a short, heavily built man, whom I thought I recognized, brushed past me and ran out into the street. I went up to Gary’s office on the first floor and found him lying spreadeagled on the carpet.

“I rushed over to him, but I didn’t need a medical degree to realize he was dead. His jaw had been broken, and there was a deep gash on the back of his skull. I was about to call the police when I heard a siren in the street outside, and moments later half a dozen policemen burst into the room to find me kneeling over the body. The next thing I knew one of them was reading me my rights.”

“Did you say anything at the time?” asked Sir Julian.

“Only that they’d got the wrong man. I assumed the whole matter would quickly be cleared up. I was driven to the nearest police station, and left alone in a cell for a couple of hours. Eventually I was taken to an interview room where two detectives were waiting for me.”

“Would that have been DI Stern and DC Clarkson?” asked Sir Julian.

“That’s right. I told them exactly what had happened, but it was obvious they’d already made up their minds, and nothing was going to convince them otherwise. But they did let slip during the interview that they’d had a tip-off from an anonymous caller, which explained why the police had got there so quickly.”

Grace made a note, and pushed it across the table to her father, who studied it carefully.

“And you pointed out during your trial that this was irrefutable proof that someone else must have killed your partner.”

“Yes, I also suggested that the man who’d come running out of the building might have been the same man who phoned them, but they weren’t interested.”

“And then what happened?”

“Stern asked me if I was prepared to make a statement. Of course I was, as I had nothing to hide. He wrote down my words, and I double-checked each page before signing it, not least because I could smell alcohol on his breath.”

Grace made another note.

“You claimed during the trial that your original statement was three pages in length, whereas the version read out in court was only two. So I have to ask, Mr. Rainsford, did you sign all three pages?”

“Yes, I did. The first two with the initials AR, but I wrote my full name on the third page.”