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  His fair-coloured hair was cropped in a style similar to Sharp’s normal cut, and his skin bore the traces of a long time spent in harsh sunlight in far-flung places. He strode across the tiled floor with an air of efficiency, a man comfortable with the rank he now held.

  ‘You’re from Kent Police?’

  Kay held out her hand. ‘DI Hunter. You spoke with my colleague, DC Miles, yesterday.’

  Stephen Carterton shook hands with both of them, and gestured to them to follow him.

  ‘You’re lucky. This week is the calm before the storm.’

  Kay’s eyes narrowed as he held open the door to their left, and motioned them to two seats opposite a desk.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  He smiled. ‘Exam week starts next week. Stressful enough for the students, even more stressful for us tutors.’ He pushed aside a pile of paperwork and a computer keyboard and then rested his arms on the desk. ‘Now, how can I help you?’

  ‘As DC Miles told you, I’ve reopened an investigation into the death of Jamie Ingram. New evidence has come to light, and we’re revisiting the witness statements from that time.’

  Carterton ran a hand over his jaw. ‘That was a nasty business. Motorbike accident, wasn’t it?’

  ‘That’s right. We’re trying to learn more about Jamie and his role in the Royal Logistics Corps, as well as speaking to family and friends. Can I ask what your role was at the time? I realise you provided a witness statement, but it’s useful to go over the information.’

  ‘Of course. I was a lieutenant colonel at the time, and commanding officer for the regiment – we were responsible for the management of critical spares to the brigade and the deployed forces around the world. As you can imagine, when we’re based in places such as Afghanistan, the wear and tear on equipment and vehicles can be catastrophic.’

  ‘When did you first meet Jamie?’

  ‘He came straight to us from basic training. I think his background – the farm, I mean – gave him a natural ability for planning and logistical work. It was almost second nature to him.’

  ‘What was his role?’

  ‘He was one of a number of people who managed the return of damaged parts, sourced replacements, and carried out all the administrative responsibilities associated with that. We use systems similar to logistics companies all over the world – it’s all computerised, and we provided an end to end service.’

  ‘So, there would be a paper trail for every piece of equipment?’

  ‘That’s right, yes.’

  ‘Were any anomalies discovered in the system during Jamie’s time?’

  Carterton leaned back in his chair and assessed her. ‘Now, what would make you say that?’

  Her heart skipped a beat, before she forced a smile. ‘I believe I’m the one asking the questions today. Were there any anomalies?’

  ‘Nothing that we could prove. It was unlike him, too. When he joined us, he was extremely diligent in his work and respected by those who worked with him.’

  ‘What changed?’

  ‘I’m not sure. It seemed to tie in with his third or fourth deployment to Afghanistan. Obviously, it’s a stressful situation for any soldier, but Jamie was never exposed to any fighting. His role was back at base, helping to ensure that those on the frontline were properly equipped, and if something was broken, it got replaced or repaired as soon as possible. When he came back from that deployment, he seemed different.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Cocky, rather than self-assured. As if he knew something no-one else did. His changing attitude alienated him from a lot of his peers. It got worse as time went on.’

  ‘How many times was he deployed before he died?’

  ‘About four or five in total.’

  Kay flipped through her notes. ‘We’ll be talking to his friends and colleagues over the course of the next few days. Did he have any close friends within the Corps?’

  ‘Well, despite putting a few noses out of joint with his attitude, he remained close to two men that he served with. Carl Ashton and Glenn Boyd.’

  ‘You say that he appeared cocky. Did you notice anything else?’

  ‘Come to think of it, yes. In the weeks before he died, his work began to get sloppy, which was unusual for him. It was almost as if he had something on his mind all the time. He seemed to find it hard to concentrate. Like I said, he wasn’t like that when he first joined us.’

  Kay closed her notebook. ‘It seems strange that in the space of a year or so, Jamie Ingram changed from being the perfect soldier to one that couldn’t care less about his work.’

  Carterton gave a mirthless laugh. ‘He wasn’t a perfect soldier, Detective. Didn’t Sharp tell you that Jamie Ingram was under investigation for dealing Class A drugs?’

  Sixteen

  Kay stood on the doorstep to Sharp’s house, fuming.

  She and Carys had arrived back in Maidstone two hours before, and after returning the keys for the pool car to Sergeant Hughes on the front desk, she had sent Carys home and then made her way up to the incident room.

  She had paced in front of the whiteboard in Sharp’s office, her fists clenched as she processed the revelation Jamie’s ex-commanding officer had provided.

  Finally, she had snatched her bag from the desk and stormed from the building, phoning Adam to let him know she would be home late.

  A shadow appeared behind the frosted glass to the front door a split second before a light flickered to life above her head, and the door opened.

  Sharp’s jaw clenched when he saw her. ‘Hunter. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.’

  She glared at him. ‘You’ve got some explaining to do.’

  She saw his shoulders rise as he took a deep breath.

  ‘Rebecca’s out to dinner with some work colleagues. Come on through.’

  She stomped over the threshold, then waited while he shut the front door and followed him through to the kitchen.

  ‘Do you want a glass of wine?’

  ‘No, I do not want a bloody glass of wine.’

  He turned and folded his arms across his chest. ‘Okay. What’s going on?’

  ‘I’ve spent the afternoon talking with Jamie’s ex-commanding officer, Stephen Carterton. Why didn’t you tell me you were investigating Jamie for supplying Class A drugs?’

  ‘Because I wanted you to carry out your own investigation. To see if you came up with another reason for his death.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Tell me everything you know about Jamie Ingram. All of it, this time.’

  He waved her over to a circular table that took up one corner of the kitchen and waited until she sat before he pulled out a chair opposite hers and sank into it.

  ‘I didn’t want to believe it at the time,’ he said, staring at the tiled floor. ‘I’d known him since he was a toddler. Watched him grow into a young man. He was smart, hardworking, and kind. You don’t see those qualities in enough people these days. I never told you, but Rebecca and I could never have kids, so Jamie and Natalie became favourites of ours.’

  Kay emitted a groan. ‘So, when I was going through everything last year, that must’ve hit a nerve. Why didn’t you tell me, Devon?’

  ‘You said it yourself. You had enough to worry about. Surely you must’ve wondered, though.’

  ‘I always presumed the photos on the shelf in the living room were ones of your kids.’

  ‘Michael and Bridget asked us to be godparents to Jamie and Natalie when they were born. We couldn’t say no.’

  Kay inched forward on her chair. ‘All right. Back to Jamie and the drugs. When did you first suspect something?’

  ‘About a week after he returned from Afghanistan – it was his fourth tour there – he turned up on our doorstep with a new motorbike. I asked him about the finance on it, and he laughed and said he’d bought it outright. It worried me for days afterwards – I knew he’d never be able to afford that on an army wage. I made some discreet enquiries when I got back o
nto barracks the next day, and it turned out the bike wasn’t the only thing Jamie had purchased that week – one of the girls who worked at the pub near the married quarters was showing off an expensive-looking pair of diamond earrings. Apparently, Jamie had bought them for her. I didn’t even know he was going out with her.’

  ‘So, he was flashing his money around to impress everyone, you mean?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘Carterton told us that Jamie’s attitude changed, too – he was starting to verge on the point of being arrogant.’

  ‘That’s true. And again, out of character for him. It was almost as if he thought the army wasn’t good enough for him anymore.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I began to watch him more closely. Back then, the Royal Logistics Corps was based at Deepcut in Surrey. Jamie used to travel from there to his parents’ farm in Kent when he was on leave – I think he liked the familiarity of the place in between postings, and I know Michael was always grateful for the extra pair of hands. This time, Jamie didn’t go to the farm. He hung around the barracks, as if he was waiting for something.’

  ‘Or someone.’

  ‘Yes. Anyway, about three days before he was due to ship back to Afghanistan, he got a phone call from his sister. It was Bridget’s birthday, and Natalie had arranged a surprise party for her. Rebecca and I were invited as well, so I was able to keep an eye on Jamie without him suspecting me.’ He sighed, and straightened. ‘Anyway, nothing happened then. It all kicked off when he came back six months later.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘A container load of parts was returned from the frontline to be reconditioned. I was in my office on barracks that morning, and suddenly all hell broke loose – there were dogs barking, people shouting. I ran outside to see what was going on, to find that the container had been unsealed in the logistics area, and two of the drug dogs were going crazy. Jamie was there, along with another private, and their faces were absolutely ashen.’

  ‘Drugs?’

  ‘Hidden in the empty fuel tank from a Jackal – a four-by-four vehicle the Royal Logistics Corps uses in Afghanistan.’

  ‘How much?’

  ‘Enough.’

  Kay’s lips thinned. ‘Official Secrets Act?’

  ‘No. Need to know.’

  ‘You’re joking, right? Devon, I’m trying to help you out here. How much?’

  ‘Just under half a kilo of cocaine.’

  Kay felt her jaw drop. ‘Jesus. What happened next?’

  ‘We locked the place down, conducted a search of all the dormitories – turned them upside down, in fact. And the married quarters, including mine. Jamie and the other private, a guy by the name of Carl Ashton, were interviewed – extensively, I might add – but we had nothing on them. We found no money, no evidence of who might be involved, nothing. Jamie denied everything, and of course because he was only responsible for opening the container in the first place under observation, we couldn’t lay charges without evidence.’

  He folded his hands on the table. ‘Jamie died two weeks later.’

  ‘Who else did you suspect at the time?’

  ‘The private that was opening the container with Jamie – Carl. He must’ve had some help higher up, too, to get everything through the checks the first time. I never suspected Carterton, but I had my doubts about his adjutant, Glenn Boyd.’

  ‘Why didn’t you pursue this after Jamie died?’

  ‘We never discovered how they were doing it. We couldn’t prove anything. After that incident, no drugs were ever discovered again. Jamie had to have been the ringleader.’

  ‘But Harrison is right, then – you did cover up the information about your investigation when Jamie died?’

  ‘Wrong, Hunter. I didn’t cover anything up. At the risk of losing a long-time friend in Michael, I told Harrison about our concerns, but he wasn’t interested because we had no proof and he couldn’t be bothered to look into it himself. That’s why Jamie’s death was ruled as accidental – no-one ever pursued the fact that his death could have been caused by someone else.’

  ‘You didn’t raise it when you joined Kent Police.’

  He slammed his palm on the worktop, his eyes blazing.

  ‘Because Harrison was still a senior officer and would override me. The only reason I told you about this whole mess in the first place was because you demanded to know why Harrison has a vendetta against me. If he’s going to try and drag my name through the mud in order to get us back for his being investigated for his conduct over the Jozef Demiri case, then I want to make sure his abominable handling of Jamie’s death is sorted out once and for all. I want my job back.’

  Kay leaned back on the chair, stunned.

  ‘Bloody hell, Devon.’

  Seventeen

  Kay paced the room, unable to sit still at her desk.

  She checked her watch. Barnes and Gavin had been summoned to a safety demonstration, and wouldn’t be back for another half an hour.

  Their frustration had been palpable.

  She had arrived at the station early that morning, wanting to speak to the small team in private about the direction the investigation had taken, but so far other work commitments had prevented any of them having the time.

  She sighed, and made her way to Sharp’s office. Standing in front of the whiteboard, she wrote the names Stephen Carterton had given her the previous day on the right-hand side of the board, and began to strategize how to proceed.

  She turned at the sound of voices as Barnes pushed through the door and held it open for Carys and Gavin.

  ‘Big fat waste of time that was,’ he said. ‘What’s the point in a safety demonstration of new stab vests when we still have to use the old ones for another six months?’

  ‘Glad I missed the invite,’ said Kay. ‘Take a seat. There have been some interesting developments.’

  She waited while they settled before taking a deep breath.

  ‘It transpires that Jamie Ingram was under investigation for drug dealing.’

  Barnes and Gavin swore under their breath.

  ‘Where did you get that from?’ said Gavin.

  ‘Jamie’s old commanding officer told us, and Sharp confirmed it. Turns out, they didn’t have enough evidence to charge Jamie at the time, and then he was killed. Sharp says he mentioned it to Harrison before the coroner’s inquest, because he felt it had a bearing on Jamie’s death. Harrison chose to ignore the information, and so it was never fully investigated.’ She tapped the whiteboard with the end of her pen. ‘These two people are now the focus of our investigation. All three men served with the Royal Logistic Corps. Carl Ashton was present with Jamie when a container load of spare parts from Afghanistan was opened. Half a kilo of cocaine was discovered in the empty fuel tank from one of the four-by-four vehicles that the army use in Afghanistan.’

  ‘Jesus,’ said Gavin. ‘What was the street value of that ten years ago?’

  ‘Lots,’ said Barnes, and gestured to Kay to carry on.

  ‘Sharp confirmed the find occurred after Jamie’s fifth tour in Afghanistan. The time before that, he bought his motorbike – a top of the range model that he shouldn’t have been able to afford on a soldier’s wage. In addition, the barmaid at the local pub was sporting a new pair of diamond earrings.’

  ‘So, you’re saying that Jamie was smuggling cocaine into the country within the spare parts?’ said Gavin.

  ‘Exactly, but he must have had help. It would have been too risky to plant the drugs at the base in Afghanistan, and then ensure the container got through customs without a hitch before being opened at the barracks in England. Carterton provided another name – Glenn Boyd. We need to interview them both now as a priority.’

  ‘Will we be able to, given that they’re army?’ said Carys.

  ‘Both were demobbed within six months of Jamie’s death, and both live in the area. That means we have jurisdiction.’

  ‘What were their roles at the time?’ said
Barnes.

  ‘Ashton was a private. Boyd was Stephen Carterton’s adjutant at the time. Jamie would’ve needed someone higher up to protect the operation, and Sharp suspects there was something going on between him and the adjutant prior to the drugs being found.’

  ‘Based on what evidence?’

  ‘Apparently, six months before the drugs were discovered, Jamie was back at the barracks in Surrey and Sharp found Boyd beating the crap out of him one night behind the depot. He and his RMPs had to break it up. They were lucky, apparently – no charges were laid.’

  ‘What happened there, then, I wonder?’ said Barnes.

  ‘It was put down to personal differences at the time,’ said Kay. ‘Sharp said they thought Jamie had become arrogant over the course of that year, so maybe Boyd felt he needed pulling into line. It wasn’t until afterwards that Sharp wondered if there was more to it.’

  ‘Have we got addresses for them?’

  ‘Yes. When personnel leave the army, they are still regarded as reservists for twenty years, so the army has up-to-date details for them at all times. I spoke with Carterton this morning, and he got the records for me.’ She placed the pen on the desk, then leaned against it. ‘What availability can you give me to go and interview these two?’

  ‘I’m clear now that the court case is out of the way,’ said Barnes. ‘I’ve got some bits and pieces to clear up, but nothing urgent.’

  ‘I can’t,’ said Carys. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. ‘I got back yesterday to a heap of emails, and one of my burglary cases is being reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service later this afternoon.’

  Gavin held up his hand. ‘Count me in. I can help with one of them.’

  ‘Okay, great. I’ll set up the two interviews, and I’ll let you have the details later today. Carys – if you need me to review anything about that case of yours, you’d best let me have that within the hour, as I might not be available tomorrow.’

  ‘Thanks, will do.’

  ‘Right, then we’ll look at having a further briefing tomorrow night. That’ll have to do for today – I’ve got a meeting to go to. Barnes, Gavin – I’ll ask Debbie to set up the interviews and confirm with us in due course. Keep an eye on your emails and text messages.’