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“I’m not blinkered,” said A
“But he is a suspect as well,” said Banks.
“In what? The bloody tractor theft?”
“In that, yes, and in Morgan Spencer’s murder, until we prove otherwise.”
“Rubbish,” said A
“Maybe so. All I’m asking is that you keep an open mind.”
A
“You never mentioned this before. What happened?”
“She said she trapped it in the door.”
“You don’t believe her?”
A
Banks sighed. “All right. I want you to keep on top of Alex Preston,” he said. “Short of shadowing her. You think she’s holding something back. It’s no good thinking you’re protecting her by keeping it to yourself.”
“She might have let slip to Michael about Beddoes being on holiday,” A
“But you said that was what, three years ago? Why would he find out just now?”
“I don’t know. I’m not saying he did. I’m keeping an open mind. Maybe it’s so open the dust’s blowing in. I’m just saying it’s another thing to consider when you look at Michael Lane as a suspect. Or his father, for that matter.”
“Frank Lane?”
“Yes. Have we checked his alibis? Do we know for sure he’s telling us the truth about everything? He’s certainly not rolling in money, and he’s no great love for Beddoes. What if the father had something to do with the tractor theft? Have we forgotten about that possibility?”
“Hmm, not entirely,” said Banks. “We’ll keep it on the back burner. What do you think happened to Alex?”
“Du
“You don’t believe she does know where Lane is, do you?”
“No, Alan, I don’t. The poor woman’s beside herself. That much I accept as true. You can’t fake that, not unless you’re an exceptional actress. Tears, yes, but it’s much more than that.”
“OK.” Banks held his hands up in surrender. “Let’s assume she doesn’t know where he is. Someone thinks she does and comes to ask her? Breaks a finger when she won’t, or can’t, tell?”
“Which raises another important question,” said A
“Oh?”
“How did whoever did it know who she was and where she lived?”
“Through Michael Lane, I’d guess.”
“That’s right. Meaning that Lane probably is involved with whatever’s been going on. Involved enough that the people he works for know where he lives and who with.”
“There is another possibility,” said Banks.
“What’s that?”
“That it’s Alex they know, Alex who’s working with them. And she’s spi
“No way,” said A
“The question is,” said Banks, “do we put someone on her 24/7?”
A
“Hell, we got to use the new helicopter today, didn’t we? It seems since we got our new home secretary and police commissioner, we only have to ask. Enjoy it while you can. It won’t last. What I’m saying is that if you think Alex Preston is in danger, then we obviously need to keep an eye on her.”
“It was probably just a low-level thug, not the boss himself.”
“Even so. And there’s something in it for us. He could lead us to the boss.”
“OK,” said A
“OK,” Banks said. “And in the meantime, after the postmortem, why don’t we go pay Alex a visit before we check out Venture in Leeds. Winsome can take Gerry or Doug and have a chat with someone at Vaughn’s about Caleb Ross’s pickup schedule and who might have had access to it. Ross probably drove a circuitous route. How long had he had this particular load in his van? How long did his round take him? Once we have the list, we’ll have to check every farm he called at, and even then there’s no guarantee anyone will know anything. I don’t know, but I imagine it’s easy to sneak another black bin bag or two among the pile if you know where it’s kept. Ross is also bound to have left the van unattended here and there, and it wouldn’t have taken long for someone to add a few bags to his load.”
“Have you ever thought that Ross himself might have done it?”
“What? The killing in the hangar?”
“Yes. Or at least prepared the body for incineration with the animals after the killing. Why not? He had the best access.”
“It’s an interesting possibility. And he certainly might have known what he was carrying in the back of his van. You’re heading in the right direction. He could be more involved than we think. What more perfect cover than his job for tipping off criminals where to find unguarded livestock, or when farmers will be away leaving expensive equipment in their garages and barns? And if that’s the case, he might have been co-opted to dispose of the body himself.”
“As long as we don’t have to go back to that bloody valley of death and help them look for the head.”
“Not if I can help it,” said Banks. He waved his empty glass. “Another?”
“Why not?” A
“Umbria. It was Umbria.” Banks felt himself blushing as he walked to the bar. Behind him, he heard A
WHEN ALEX finally stopped crying, A
Banks had been right about A