'This picture was taken on the night Linda Hope died?'
'Liz says yes, it must have been, although she says she doesn't remember much about it, and to be honest, she does look totally out of it.'
'Was the picture taken on a phone, by somebody at the flat?'
'I'm assuming so. The number was withheld, but I presume we can still get it from the phone company. There were another couple of texts with vague threats, I've noted the times and dates, hopefully we'll be able to pin them down.'
'Don't you have the phone?'
'I kind of promised Liz nobody else would look at it unless absolutely necessary. She's really upset about all of this, as you can imagine. However, she did tell me something new. Apparently it all seems a bit unreal, but she vaguely remembers hearing the doorbell ring, and one of the guys talking to someone she thought sounded older, more mature and well-spoken than the others. She thinks this guy opened the door of the room she was in, just enough to look at her and Linda, but not enough that they could see him. She got the feeling there was something a bit scary about this guy. The other thing she told me..... and she emphasised she would never stand up in court and repeat this..... she thinks she kind of remembers someone on top of her at one point, but it was vague, like remembering something from a bad dream.'
'And she can't describe him in any way?'
'The only thing she can remember, and she says this sounds really stupid, but she remembers thinking that at least he smelled nice.'
That definitely rules out Darren Hill, Ann thought to herself.
'There was a hint that the girls may have been offered money to go to the flat,' Kit added, 'I got the feeling things were a bit tight at home, and going with older boys in flash motors who were throwing money around may have been tempting, but I couldn't pin her down on that.'
'That's ok, you've done really well Kit, we'll chase up the phone companies and hopefully get some names. You never know, with a bit of luck this could be the breakthrough we've been hoping for.'
Chapter 7
Another day, another public meeting for James Wellington, with today's discussion concerning proposals for the disused Rutherfords factory. Keith Boswell,(who else) was leading criticism of plans to demolish the building, and sell the site to property developers.
'And we know which property developers will be top of the list if James Wellington has his way, don't we?'
Boswell was in full flight.
'His friends, the Hills of course, who seem to have an awful lot of influence when it comes to council decisions. Many local people are angry that rather than fighting to attract companies to make use of the factory, restoring jobs and financial security to the area, Wellington and his cronies on the council seem only to be interested in lining the pockets of these gangsters.'
'Firstly,' retorted Wellington, 'I would point out a harsh fact of life to Mr Boswell..... the companies making the kind of goods formerly produced in this factory are now manufacturing them in India, China and Eastern Europe, And that's why it's to the benefit of the people in this area that we take a fresh look at the options for the best use of this factory, and I am working solely in the best interests of the local community. Secondly, I have never made any secret.......' Boswell interjected,
'The reason goods are being manufactured elsewhere is that the last time your party was in power you virtually destroyed manufacturing in this country! Unions demanding fair pay, proper holidays and the like, asking for workers to be treated like human beings instead of a commodity on a balance sheet, you couldn't wait to put a stop to that nonsense. Far better to let the City set the pace, give the banks and other financial institutions free rein, “speculate to accumulate”, “greed is good”. Reward on-paper profits with obscene bonuses, that's the way to make this country great again. Hah! How these “backward-looking” countries who invested in people and manufacturing must be laughing at us now!
Again and again we see money poured into the financial sector, the banks and other huge institutions who favour the few, into the pockets of the greedy, and those already rich beyond most people's wildest dreams. And again we're seeing this happen at the expense of the manufacturing sector which could be supporting jobs for the many, generating income for local shops, creating opportunities for small businesses, benefiting local communities and reducing the financial burden on local councils!'
Wellington heaved a theatrical sigh,
'As I was saying, I have never made any secret of my friendship with Samuel Hill, and I have always excluded myself from any decision making processes where there was the slightest possibility of a conflict of interest.'
'The third point I would like to make is that while Sammy admits that in his younger days, he, and some of his family, did occasionally sail a bit close to the wind, those days are very much in the distant past, and in the many years that I have known Sammy and his family, I have never known them to be anything other than open and honest in their business dealings.'
Boswell was looking astonished,
'Are you seriously asking us to believe that the Hills are all reformed characters, have you not heard about recent accusation regarding their involvement in the death of a young schoolgirl?'
Wellington shook his head dismissively,
'I would point out that these are unfounded allegations which have been whipped up by the media, and I for one certainly don;t believe them. I should also point out that through their businesses, the Hills have brought far more jobs to this area than Mr Boswell ever did during his brief stint at Westminster. In fact I find it tragic that Mr Boswell is willing to allow his personal..... and it is clearly personal..... animosity towards myself and the Hills take precedence over the best interests of the people of this area, as well as apparently supporting the criminal behaviour of those who seek to blacken the name of local businessmen, in the despicable guise of dispensing vigilante justice!'
Boswell was immediately back on his feet.
'If drug-dealing, car-theft, mugging and burglary are the preferred career choice of people in this area, then the Hills have certainly done their bit to bring jobs here! And let's face it, once this factory site is redeveloped, what other jobs will there be in this area? And, as far as dispensing vigilante justice is concerned, perhaps what we have seen recently is the result of ordinary, decent people becoming sick and tired of seeing the likes of the Hills and their lackeys appearing to be immune from the official legal system. I definitely don't believe these particular leopards will ever change their spots!'
'I really feel that Mr Boswell ought to learn to moderate his public attacks on the Hill family,' warned Wellington, 'As I suspect the day may come when they reach the end of their patience, and perhaps Mr Boswell may find himself in court defending what could almost be construed as incitement to commit acts of aggression against Sammy Hills and his family.'
'Is that a threat?'
'Enough, gentlemen!'
Elspeth Johnstone, the formidable chair of the planning committee drew herself up to her full height and declared,
'I don't know about the Hills or anyone else's patience, but I am certainly reaching the end of mine. Could we please remember, this is not a political debating chamber, nor is it the school playground. We are here to discuss proposals for the future of the Rutherfords factory site, and with that goes the responsibility for the future of the many people affected by this decision. If you gentlemen cannot behave responsibly, you will be asked to leave.'
Wellington appeared ready to argue, but decided against it.