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Book: SECRET CRIMES a gripping crime thriller full of suspense by MICHAEL HAMBLING
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Authors: MICHAEL HAMBLING
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today. People start drifting away on Sunday afternoon. It’s only the real hard-core fans and locals who’ll stay to the bitter end this evening.’
Sophie thought for a while. ‘Do people stick to the same kind of music? Could we find out who was playing at the Red Lion on Friday night and predict where they’re most likely to be this lunchtime?’
Marsh shrugged his shoulders. ‘Worth a try. Leave it with me.’
‘What’s really bugging me is the fact that we can’t trace either of the two men. Which means their names could be false. In fact, I bet they are. There’s something strange about the whole set-up. Has Jimmy made any progress on other music festivals?’
‘He got started, ma’am, but only very late yesterday evening. Maybe someone else could take over collating the statements? Then he could get stuck into it right away.’
‘Fine. I’ll put Jack Holly onto it if you’re happy. You and I need to go back to the hotel. I’m still not certain how Shapiro might have found out about getting into the place from the back entrance. That’s assuming he returned and was somehow involved in what happened to Sarah. From what Ed Wilton said, he was only there for fifteen minutes. He spent that time sitting in the bar sulking, not exploring the building. And the barman backed Ed up. So how did our man discover that door? The route through the garden couldn’t have been obvious. It was completely dark outside by that time.’
She put photofit images of the victim and the two suspects into her bag, and the two detectives left.
As they arrived at the hotel, the night porter was just going off duty and he had nothing to add to his previous statement. He confirmed that he’d only seen Shapiro coming in after eleven with the three others, and he left a short time afterwards. He did add that he only came on duty at ten, and that it might be worth checking with the receptionist who had finished her shift at ten thirty. This receptionist, Maria, had been off duty the previous day but her colleagues had told her about what had happened. The two detectives remembered her from their visit the previous year during their investigation into the death of her fellow hotel worker, Donna Goodenough.
‘I remember the two ladies checking in,’ she said. ‘They were one of the last. We’d normally get people checking in much later than that, but not for the music festivals. Most people don’t want to miss the Friday evening gigs.’
Maria raised a hand to her pale face. She looked miserable. I can’t blame her, Sophie thought. Only a year since the nightmare of having a close friend murdered, and this happens. Most people make it right through from birth to death without a murder ever impinging on their lives, and this poor girl has had to cope with two inside twelve months. She was clearly upset but listened carefully to Marsh’s questions about Friday afternoon’s check-ins.
‘There was nothing unusual? Nothing that caught your attention in any way?’
‘Not with them, no. Both of the ladies seemed really nice.’
Is there something else then?’
Maria nodded, her long, dark curls swaying slightly. ‘One of our other guests still hasn’t appeared. He had a single room for the weekend. I checked him in on Friday and he was seen once or twice during the evening, but not since. His room wasn’t used again last night, according to the senior housekeeper.’
‘What was the name?’
‘John Renton. He gave a Portsmouth address.’
‘Maria, please could you ensure that nothing in the room is touched or removed? And let me know tomorrow whether he returns or not?’
The two detectives checked the booking details and obtained a description of Renton. They had a brief word with the senior housekeeper and then left the hotel for a visit to the town centre pubs.
* * *
‘Yeah, I remember them. Two guys on the patio up at the Red Lion, with fags. I remember the roadie asking them to shift cos they was getting
Sophie thought for a while. ‘Do people stick to the same kind of music? Could we find out who was playing at the Red Lion on Friday night and predict where they’re most likely to be this lunchtime?’
Marsh shrugged his shoulders. ‘Worth a try. Leave it with me.’
‘What’s really bugging me is the fact that we can’t trace either of the two men. Which means their names could be false. In fact, I bet they are. There’s something strange about the whole set-up. Has Jimmy made any progress on other music festivals?’
‘He got started, ma’am, but only very late yesterday evening. Maybe someone else could take over collating the statements? Then he could get stuck into it right away.’
‘Fine. I’ll put Jack Holly onto it if you’re happy. You and I need to go back to the hotel. I’m still not certain how Shapiro might have found out about getting into the place from the back entrance. That’s assuming he returned and was somehow involved in what happened to Sarah. From what Ed Wilton said, he was only there for fifteen minutes. He spent that time sitting in the bar sulking, not exploring the building. And the barman backed Ed up. So how did our man discover that door? The route through the garden couldn’t have been obvious. It was completely dark outside by that time.’
She put photofit images of the victim and the two suspects into her bag, and the two detectives left.
As they arrived at the hotel, the night porter was just going off duty and he had nothing to add to his previous statement. He confirmed that he’d only seen Shapiro coming in after eleven with the three others, and he left a short time afterwards. He did add that he only came on duty at ten, and that it might be worth checking with the receptionist who had finished her shift at ten thirty. This receptionist, Maria, had been off duty the previous day but her colleagues had told her about what had happened. The two detectives remembered her from their visit the previous year during their investigation into the death of her fellow hotel worker, Donna Goodenough.
‘I remember the two ladies checking in,’ she said. ‘They were one of the last. We’d normally get people checking in much later than that, but not for the music festivals. Most people don’t want to miss the Friday evening gigs.’
Maria raised a hand to her pale face. She looked miserable. I can’t blame her, Sophie thought. Only a year since the nightmare of having a close friend murdered, and this happens. Most people make it right through from birth to death without a murder ever impinging on their lives, and this poor girl has had to cope with two inside twelve months. She was clearly upset but listened carefully to Marsh’s questions about Friday afternoon’s check-ins.
‘There was nothing unusual? Nothing that caught your attention in any way?’
‘Not with them, no. Both of the ladies seemed really nice.’
Is there something else then?’
Maria nodded, her long, dark curls swaying slightly. ‘One of our other guests still hasn’t appeared. He had a single room for the weekend. I checked him in on Friday and he was seen once or twice during the evening, but not since. His room wasn’t used again last night, according to the senior housekeeper.’
‘What was the name?’
‘John Renton. He gave a Portsmouth address.’
‘Maria, please could you ensure that nothing in the room is touched or removed? And let me know tomorrow whether he returns or not?’
The two detectives checked the booking details and obtained a description of Renton. They had a brief word with the senior housekeeper and then left the hotel for a visit to the town centre pubs.
* * *
‘Yeah, I remember them. Two guys on the patio up at the Red Lion, with fags. I remember the roadie asking them to shift cos they was getting
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