Call to Arms Page 11

  Kay let him fume, and then changed tack. ‘Let’s move on to the half kilo of cocaine that was found in the Jackal’s empty fuel tank ten years ago. How was Jamie getting that into the country each time? Did you and he use the same method?’

  Ashton smirked.

  ‘Yeah. By the third time, we had it down to a fine art.’

  Kay raised an eyebrow as he flushed crimson and realised his error.

  ‘Well, well. I told you, Barnes. Mr Ashton can’t help crowing about his achievements. I knew he’d trip himself up one day.’

  Ashton’s solicitor spluttered, and rose from his seat. ‘Detective, I have to insist—’

  Ashton put his hand on the man’s arm and shook his head, his expression resigned. He waited until the solicitor had lowered himself back into his seat, then turned his attention back to Kay.

  ‘I was desperate, all right? I had credit card debt coming out of my ears, and my wife had divorced me. We’d only been together a couple of years, but we had a daughter, and my ex wanted maintenance payments off me. I didn’t know what else to do.’

  ‘How did you smuggle in the drugs?’

  ‘I wasn’t to know. Jamie organised all of that.’

  ‘Who were you selling it to?’

  He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. Jamie wouldn’t tell me.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘He said the less people knew about the arrangements, the better.’

  ‘So, he didn’t trust you?’

  ‘I didn’t say that.’

  ‘Well, it already seems to me that you have a habit of spreading rumours in order to protect your own position. Such as telling us about Penny Boyd’s affair with Jamie. Did you kill Jamie because he wouldn’t tell you who the supplier was?’

  His eyes wide, his head swivelled from Kay to Barnes, then back. ‘I told you before – I had nothing to do with his death. It was an accident, right?’

  ‘When was the last time you spoke with Jamie?’

  ‘About a week before he died. I think.’

  ‘Where were you on the night of his death?’

  ‘I was already back at the barracks. You can check the records, can’t you?’

  ‘How much more cocaine did you bring into the country after Jamie died?’

  ‘I didn’t. I told you. Jamie was the one that organised it.’

  ‘Explain how.’

  Ashton held up his hand to stop his solicitor interrupting again, then wiped at his eyes.

  ‘Screw it. I’m done for, anyway, aren’t I? They may as well hear it all.’ He sniffed, then straightened in his seat as his gaze met Kay’s.

  ‘When we were in Afghanistan, an American unit was tasked with guarding the caches of drugs that were found during raids around the province, and it was decided that the safest place to keep everything they found was in one of our storage sheds, because they were blast-proof. They placed guards on the door, of course, but Jamie and I knew them in passing and it wasn’t too hard to distract them. The storage shed was quite large, and it was where we kept all the spares as well as crated up anything that had to come back to the UK. When they first stored the drugs there, we had to have one of the guards accompany us while we went about our business, but over time they got complacent. They trusted us, see?’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘The first time, I think Jamie just did it to see if he could get away with it for a bit of a laugh. So, I kept on talking to the guards while he made some sort of excuse about needing something from the back of the shed. When he came back, he could hardly keep the grin off his face. Then later that day, he started panicking about what he was going to do with it. It wasn’t exactly as if he could take it back to them and tell them it was just a joke, could he?’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘That’s when he got the idea to get some more and smuggle it back. I don’t know – I think the farm was struggling at the time, and maybe Jamie didn’t want that in his future. Michael always said that the farm would be passed on to Jamie, and I got the impression he wanted something better than that to look forward to once he left the army. Anyway, he didn’t talk about it for the rest of our deployment – we only had about four weeks to go before we returned to the UK. When we got back, we were working to process all the parts that had been containerised and shipped back so we could get them fixed or replaced, when Jamie came up to me and told me he’d found a buyer for the cocaine. I don’t think I slept for two days after that, but he told me that if I kept quiet he’d give me a cut of the profit.’

  ‘How many times did this happen?’

  Ashton swallowed. ‘After that first time? Every deployment until that half kilo got discovered by accident. Until Jamie got killed.’

  ‘How much money did you receive for helping Jamie get past the guard detail in Afghanistan?’

  ‘Fifteen thousand pounds.’

  ‘That doesn’t seem a lot to risk your army career for.’

  He lifted his chin until his eyes met hers. ‘Fifteen thousand pounds, every time. That half a kilo was the smallest amount he’d ever brought in. They never found the rest.’

  Twenty-Six

  Carys looked up from her desk as Kay returned to the incident room.

  After leaving Barnes to arrange to have Carl Ashton moved to the holding cells, she’d been summoned to headquarters to participate in a three-hour management workshop.

  She and the other delegates had spent the afternoon fighting off lethargy and boredom while they feigned interest in an overly-enthusiastic presentation on how to manage their workloads, and wondering when they could return to their desks to do exactly that.

  ‘I managed to get hold of someone from the Crown Prosecution Service to come over here,’ said Carys as she approached. ‘She’s in Sharp’s office.’

  ‘That’s great, thanks. Gavin – anything on that lead Glenn Boyd gave us about the bloke he reckoned was helping Jamie at this end?’

  The young DC swivelled round on his chair to face her.

  ‘I spoke to the man’s wife. She confirmed he died of a massive stroke two years ago. Completely unexpected, apparently – he wasn’t unhealthy, and had kept up a fitness regime since leaving the army. I’m waiting on a phone call from the tax office to see what his financial situation was like before he died, in case he was receiving money from the drug dealing.’

  ‘Okay. Let me know if you find out anything that’ll help us.’

  ‘Will do. How did you get on with Carl Ashton?’

  Kay gestured towards Sharp’s office as Barnes appeared, loosening his jacket. ‘We’re about to find out if we have enough evidence to charge him, so I’ll let you know.’

  Kay closed the door as she entered the room after Barnes, and was relieved to find Jude Martin reclining in the visitor’s chair next to Sharp’s desk.

  The CPS advisor worked closely with the officers in Kent Police to ensure cases that were brought before a court were properly managed from the moment a suspect was charged.

  Dressed in a light blue suit and a cream blouse, her light blonde hair fashionably short, the woman exuded confidence and authority.

  ‘Jude – good to see you. Thanks for coming over.’

  Jude rose to shake hands with them both before retaking her seat next to Sharp’s desk. ‘All right, Kay. Carys said you had an interesting one for me. Let’s have it.’

  ‘We’ve got a suspect downstairs in relation to a cold case from ten years ago we’ve been tasked with investigating, but it’s not straightforward and I could use your advice.’

  Kay proceeded to give the CPS officer an overview of the investigation to date, and the outcome of the interview she and Barnes had conducted with Carl Ashton. ‘What are our options?’

  ‘Well, there’s no evidence to suggest that Ashton is currently dealing in drugs to keep his business afloat. However, we’ve certainly got enough to work with to speak to the Inland Revenue regarding the financing and ongoing accounts reporting for the business. They’ll be i
nterested to hear about the cash payments, for a start.’

  ‘So, no prosecution for the historical smuggling?’

  ‘I didn’t say that. Ashton admits to taking his share of the profits from the importation of those drugs and using it to kick-start his business. That’s money laundering. He might not be part of a large syndicate, but we can still charge him under a subset of the law for self-laundering those funds.’

  Kay exhaled. ‘Good to hear.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m sure we can make his life unpleasant for quite some time. I’ll be in touch.’ Jude smiled, rose from her chair and tapped Kay’s arm with her folder.

  Kay showed her out to the reception area, and then returned to Sharp’s office to find Barnes staring at the whiteboard.

  ‘So, we have Jamie’s partner in crime sorted out as far as the supply is concerned,’ he said. ‘But still no sign of the buyer – or Jamie’s murderer.’

  ‘I know. We’re missing something, Ian, and it’s bugging me. Keep me posted on what Gavin finds out about that bloke’s tax records, okay?’

  ‘No problem.’

  Kay sighed, and led him back out to the incident room. ‘I’ll ask Carys to double check everything we have on the ex-adjutant and his wife, too in case they’re working together to cover something up.’

  ‘Uh-oh.’

  ‘What?’

  He jerked his chin, his gaze moving away from hers. ‘Looks like Larch wants that update now.’

  She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Oh, great. Perfect timing.’

  ‘Good luck. I’ll catch you on Monday morning.’

  ‘Yeah. Thanks, Ian.’

  Twenty-Seven

  ‘My office.’

  Kay followed Larch as he stalked out of the incident room and along the corridor, fighting down a sense of panic.

  After all, she had a result – even if it wasn’t the exact one that they were hoping for.

  Carl Ashton would be charged in accordance with the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines set by Jude, and at least she had solved the mystery of half the supply chain for the drugs.

  She knew what the DCI was like, though.

  It wouldn’t be enough.

  She fought down the rising panic in her chest. She had to prove that she was capable of leading a major enquiry, and she had to get Sharp’s Professional Standards investigation dropped.

  Larch had stopped, and held open the door to his office for her.

  ‘Thanks, guv.’

  ‘I’ve just had a meeting at headquarters with the chief superintendent,’ he said. ‘She’s reiterated that she is expecting results before the end of the tax year in order to be able to apply for more funding for West division. That gives us a little over six weeks to get our house in order, Hunter. So, what have you got for me?’

  ‘We’ll be charging Carl Ashton with historical supply of Class A drugs, not to mention the theft of those drugs from a secure facility in Afghanistan and money laundering from the proceeds of sale. Jude Martin from the CPS is going to look into how best to do that, given that the theft happened while he was employed by the army. Ashton will also have his file passed to the Inland Revenue due to the fact that he used money generated by the sale of those drugs to fund his business, and failed to report other cash income.’

  Larch wrinkled his nose. ‘Not exactly the fireworks we were after, is it?’

  ‘I realise that, guv. We still need to find the buyer, too.’

  ‘Any leads?’

  ‘No. Not at the present time. It’s my intention to conduct a review next week of our investigation to date, and I hope to have a way forward once I’ve done that.’

  ‘You’d better have a meeting with the family, too, so they can be brought up to date before the media gets wind of Ashton being arrested.’

  ‘I’ll make an appointment to speak with them as soon as possible.’

  He sighed, and tugged the tie at his neck, coiling the material around his hand before dumping it on the desk between them.

  ‘Close the door, Hunter.’

  Kay frowned, but did as she was told before returning to her seat.

  ‘What’s going on, guv?’

  ‘What I’m about to tell you stays within these four walls, is that understood?’

  ‘Okay, yes.’

  ‘We need to get Sharp back here as soon as possible. There are going to be some changes happening here soon, and I have to make sure this station is left in capable hands.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Kay felt her heart rate ratchet up a notch.

  Larch appeared uneasy, as if he didn’t know what to say, his usual brusque tone missing. He took a deep breath.

  ‘Hunter, my wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s quite advanced, and to be honest, her chances aren’t good.’

  ‘Guv, I’m so sorry.’

  He shook his head, as if to compose himself. ‘I’ve spoken with the chief superintendent. I’ll be taking a sabbatical, starting in a week or so. So, as you can see – I need Sharp back here before I go. The chief superintendent has agreed with me that if we can clear his name associated with those trumped up accusations Harrison’s made, then he should be acting DCI in my absence.’

  Kay leaned forward, and rested her elbows on her knees while she stared at the carpet.

  ‘I don’t know what to say, guv.’

  He choked out a bitter laugh. ‘That’s got to be a first.’

  ‘What are you going to do? I mean, what do you do?’

  ‘The doctors say she has about four months, if we are lucky. The minute I leave here, I’m taking her to France for a long weekend – friends of ours have a cottage in the country, and it’s one of her favourite places. I’d like her to see that again before it’s too late. After that,’ he shrugged, and wiped at his eyes, ‘I don’t know. I suppose we’ll have to see how things go.’

  Kay sniffed, and Larch shoved a box of tissues across the desk towards her.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘We haven’t always seen eye to eye, Hunter. But I respect Sharp, and he obviously respects you. So, what are you going to do to get him back?’

  Kay blew her nose, scrunched up the tissue, and tossed it into the waste paper basket.

  She took a deep breath, and forced herself to refocus.

  ‘Right. Okay, well, I don’t believe that Carl Ashton had anything to do with Jamie’s death. He was reliant on Jamie for that extra income from the drugs they were bringing in. He confirms that he has no idea who Jamie was selling to, and after interviewing the adjutant, I don’t believe he was involved either. The senior officer who probably helped Jamie smuggle the drugs into the country died some time ago, and again, from speaking with Ashton I don’t think that man knew who the buyer was, either. With the restricted time we’ve had to investigate this, we haven’t yet had a chance to speak to Jamie’s friends – the non-army ones. Starting next week, we’ll begin interviewing them. Hopefully that will shed some light.’

  ‘Is there anything to suggest that Sharp covered this up?’

  ‘It appears that Sharp tried to raise the matter with Harrison ten years ago, but was ignored. From talking with Sharp, it transpired that the investigation into Jamie’s activities had only recently started when he was killed. Sharp had very little evidence to support the theory Jamie was responsible for the drugs found in the empty fuel tank. He believes that’s why Harrison refused to consider the possibility that Jamie was murdered. There’s nothing on the database about the drug dealing, and it was only brought to my attention once I’d spoken with Jamie’s old commanding officer. Sharp then confirmed it.’

  Larch nodded, and leaned back in his chair while he contemplated the ceiling.

  ‘I’m not prepared to hand over the running of this station to a complete stranger. We need Sharp back here. You need to find that buyer, Hunter. That’s the key.’

  ‘Will do, guv.’

  ‘Dismissed.’

  Twenty-Eight

 
Kay blinked back tears and tried to focus on the traffic in front of her.

  She had turned down the radio upon starting the ignition, the cheery music at odds with her bleak mood.

  Her arm ached, reminding her that she was still weak, and still needed time to heal. She knew she was pushing herself health-wise, but she couldn’t give up now.

  The shock of Larch’s news reverberated in her thoughts, and she wondered when it would be made public to the rest of the personnel working at the station.

  She realised that he hadn’t told her whether Sharp was aware of the circumstances that were now dictating the urgency of the investigation. She suspected not – knowing Larch, he wouldn’t want to get Sharp’s hopes up, in case Kay failed.

  She swallowed, bile rising at the thought of letting him down.

  When she had raised the idea of pursuing the cold case, she could never have imagined that it would thrust her into the front line so quickly, or with such catastrophic consequences if she couldn’t prove that Sharp was right, and that Jamie Ingram had been murdered.

  A car horn honked, and she realised the traffic lights had turned green.

  She pressed her foot to the accelerator, cursing as a bus chose the exact same moment to pull out in front of her from the supermarket car park, and banged the heel of her hand on the steering wheel in frustration.

  The bus driver drove off oblivious to the minor accident he had nearly caused, and she checked her mirrors before pulling away once more.

  Her thoughts returned to the conversation that she had had with Zoe Strathmore, the psychiatrist.

  She would never admit to the nightmares, nor to her misgivings about her role, and she resented having to keep the appointment. She hadn’t slept properly since, and her exhaustion was starting to have a telling effect on her body.

  She sighed and realised that the ten-minute journey to her house was going to take twice as long – the pouring rain and poor visibility had slowed traffic to a standstill through the town centre. All she wanted to do was get home, and curl up on the sofa with Adam and a glass of wine. She didn’t even know if she wanted to eat.