The Kill Call

Rob Charlesworth, and finally there was Jake Gleeson.
    Well, the Gleesons were very well known. A whole tribe of them lived around Edendale, and every single one had a criminal record by their seventeenth birthday, including the girls. They collected ASBOs the way other families collected tokens from cereal packets. But the Gleesons were inhabitants of the council estates. They were more likely to be driving hot-wired cars around the streets than hacking cross-country in a red jacket and breeches.
    But then, maybe social origins didn’t matter when it came to hired heavies.
    ‘Any theories on who those horse riders were, Diane?’ asked Cooper. ‘Or are you still fixated on members of the Eden Valley Hunt?’
    ‘I’m not fixated on anyone,’ snapped Fry.
    ‘Well, I just meant to say –’
    ‘We’ll have to pursue the usual lines. Don’t forget that forensics show there was some kind of encounter at the field barn. And, most significantly of all, Mr Rawson was running away when he met his death. All of that seems to have been planned. The fatal outcome might have been planned, too.’
    The room was silent as she spoke. Cooper was surprised how serious Fry was about this case. In fact, how could she be so sure that Rawson’s death was planned? It wasn’t like her to go out on a limb this way, unless she was desperate to create an impression. Well, Fry had been left in charge of the enquiry so far, and he supposed she was keen to make a success of it. At the moment, everyone seemed determined to make a good impression on the new detective superintendent.
    ‘So we need to find out who Patrick Rawson was meeting. The appeals should go out today, asking the horse riders to come forward. And, of course, the man who made the 999 call.’
    ‘Is it likely? He must have something to hide, if only the fact that he lifted Mr Rawson’s phone. And, presumably, his wallet.’
    ‘It’s possible,’ said Fry stubbornly. ‘Also, anyone who stands to gain from Patrick Rawson’s death becomes a potential suspect from now on. We have to make a start on looking into his financial affairs. First glance suggests they’re going to be complicated. Mr Rawson seems to have had a finger in a lot of pies.’
    ‘Not all murders are committed for financial gain, though,’ pointed out Cooper.
    ‘Well, it does account for quite a big chunk.’
    ‘But there’s jealousy, revenge … Probably a few others, more complicated.’
    ‘Yes. In a way, I was hoping to find that he wasn’t staying at Birch Hall on his own. If there had been a woman involved in his trip to Derbyshire, it would have made everything look a whole lot simpler.’
    Fry looked around the team.
    ‘Any other progress? Gavin?’

    ‘We’ve still to analyse all his mobile phone records. There are an awful lot of calls over the last week, both in and out.’
    ‘His wife said he did all his business on his mobile.’
    ‘Yes, and his car seems to have been his office. We found a charger and a Bluetooth connection in the Mitsubishi. He was obviously the sort of man who liked to talk as he drove. Hands-free, though. He wouldn’t have wanted to risk getting banned for using a hand-held mobile while he was driving. Anyway, we’ve identified a few of the numbers, which look like business contacts. R & G Enterprises in Staffordshire. C.J. Hawley and Sons in South Yorkshire. And a more local one, Morris Brothers – that’s just a couple of miles away in Lowbridge. They describe themselves as general dealers.’
    ‘Keep on it.’
    Fry walked to the door, off to brief the DI. She paused, and turned.
    ‘Are you with us again today, Ben?’
    Cooper wasn’t sure from her expression what answer she wanted to hear. He hesitated for a moment.
    ‘Well, if you want me to be,’ he said.
       
    When Fry had left the room, Murfin leaned across to Cooper.
    ‘At least that means no HOLMES,’ he said.
    ‘Not yet. Someone else will have to make that decision.’
    Cooper knew that Fry would lose any influence in the investigation if HOLMES was activated. Once that happened, the Home Office protocols would dictate the direction of the enquiry. A collator would arrive from headquarters, and a specialist DS to task teams of detectives. But once you turned HOLMES loose, it could get out of control. It was liable to suck in anything that came within reach, like a basking shark feeding on plankton. Thousands of bits of information went into its jaws and were digested. Maybe