Imposture (DI Gardener 6)

“One year?”

“Yes, it was paid BACS from a bank account that is now closed. In fact, it was closed shortly afterwards.”

“I accept that,” said Gardener. “I know how careful these people are, but is it possible to keep hounding Hertz and see if they can dig a little further, find something that might point us in another direction? Find out which bank it was and then pursue them and see what they can tell you.”

“What about the house clearances?” Thornton asked. “He must have used something big for those. Do Hertz have a large white van on hire anywhere in that area?”

“Maybe using the same account?” added Anderson.

That point brought the team to a halt. Gardener realised it was something that had been overlooked so he seized the opportunity. “I want someone on that first thing in the morning. And while I’m thinking about it, Patrick, when you’ve finished here go to the press office and get them to put out an appeal for that green Evoque. If anyone thinks they have spotted it they are to give us a call.”

Gardener quickly changed topics. “What about industrial units, have we gained any ground?”

The response was negative again. They had very obviously been busy with all the online stuff, but now the spa town of Harrogate had come into the equation more than once.

“My gut feeling tells me that we might need to concentrate on units on industrial estates in Harrogate.”

Gardener turned and updated the whiteboards. When he’d finished he addressed the team.

“Keep digging into these vehicles. Now we need to concentrate on the industrial units in Harrogate. That place could be the key to everything here.”

He glanced at Colin Sharp. “Anything on their personal vehicles?”

“Zoe Harrison’s car stood out like a sore thumb. It was a Ferrari Diablo.”

“Oh my God,” said Bob Anderson, “crime certainly does pay.”

Sharp nodded. “CCTV shows it leaving the airport on February 15th, around midday. I fed the information into the system but there haven’t been any pings since that day. Anthony Palmer had a 7-series BMW. This is interesting, CCTV shows it being driven away on Sunday of this week, also around midday, which was, of course, the day before he landed back in the country.”

“Meaning it was stolen,” said Reilly. “Why didn’t he report it?”

“Good question,” said Rawson, “obviously had plenty to hide and didn’t want us lot sniffing around.”

“So how did he get home?” asked Gardener.

“Had to be a taxi,” said Benson.

“Maybe,” said Gardener. “Job for you, Paul. Find the taxi driver or the bus driver that took him home. We know for a fact that he is still at large, so he wasn’t abducted and taken to wherever the others are, still making him a possible suspect, or victim. What about Michael Foreman’s car?”

“He had an Audi TT. According to the caretaker of his apartment block it was parked there for a few days and then it pretty much disappeared after he moved out.”

Gardener bristled. “He never told us that before, did he? Check the system for pings. One of these cars may have been seen somewhere.”

“If we go with your gut feeling, boss,” said Reilly, “that somewhere could be Harrogate.”

Gardener nodded. “Colin, I believe you were also checking the pay-as-you-go phone that Anthony Palmer had in Beckett’s Park.”

“A bit of news on that. It was bought at the O2 shop in Leeds. Receipt made out to Alec Prince.”

“There we go again,” said Patrick Edwards. “Same initials. Anthony Palmer, Alfie Price, Alec Prince.”

“Can we get any more on that?”

“Afraid not. Pay-as-you-go.”

“No cameras in the shop?” asked Rawson. “I find that hard to believe.”

“They do have cameras,” replied Sharp, “but they don’t cover all of the shop, and the only shot he was seen in, he had his back to the camera.”