Chapter 19 #2
“All of it.” Wrigley made no effort to look at any of it. “Forensics have lifted some prints and they have a match to prints found in Amanda’s and Micky’s houses, so we can say that Amanda and Micky have more than likely touched some of this paperwork.”
“Any other prints?”
“A couple of unknowns. They’ve not dusted every single sheet, but they have done the folders and a few others.” He stood up, cup in hand. Coffee time.
I leaned over and pulled a handful of papers and folders closer to me. “Time to start looking.”
“What are you looking for, Mia?” Nick said.
“Anything to do with The Holding. If there are any accounts we should check them.” I thought of the school fees. “We know that Amanda and Micky left the bulk of their estates to The Holding; mismanagement of funds could lead to a motive.”
“You’re interested in this Andrew Smith, aren’t you?” Nick also took a pile of papers.
“Very. You know there were files in the original case that have been redacted?” I casually brought it up. “I asked Wrigley if I could get clearance to see them but got a flat no.”
“I had the same issue. Amanda was the treasurer for the group, wasn’t she?”
“She was. I think she and her husband were both paid a salary from The Holding, he had a role too which I think was full-time.” I began to glance through the papers in front of me, ledger books, invoices, the word ‘paid’ on all of them, with a handwritten invoice number that I fully expected to be related to an entry in the ledgers.
Some of the ledgers had wages, so I could confirm that Amanda was paid, and a couple of pages later, Peter Goodhew was too.
Then I found a stock inventory, a list of preserves, what they were and who made them, numbers relating to people who’d taken them, because in The Holding everything was shared, the money to keep the land going coming from wills and donations.
Inside the first cardboard wallet was something I wasn’t expecting; cut outs from newspapers about the fire, names circled and underlined.
Most were from the time of the fire, and a few from a few months after, when Lily was sentenced, her identity revealed by the local press.
“I don’t think Amanda moved on like we thought she did. ”
“You’d never move on from something like that, Mia,” Nick said, head buried in papers. “She lost all of her children that day, even if she didn’t like her husband. If the other kids hadn’t died, Amanda would’ve been my main suspect.”
“Maybe it was her.”
“Maybe. But who’d want her dead enough to strangle her from behind, tie up her friend and set the house on fire. And planning it – it wasn’t a spur of the moment decision.”
“That’s why I don’t think it could be Lily; she’s too nervous and I don’t think that’s an act.” I opened another folder. “This is odd.”
“What is it?”
“Printed pages from the internet about how to appeal for a miscarriage of justice. Look, there are bits underlined – new evidence; CCRC; grounds for appeal and she’s written here, see, Lily with the boy.
” I felt it then, that short shiver when something clicked into place.
“Amanda didn’t think Lily was responsible, or at least, she wasn’t on her own.
I’m going to speak to Lily again, see if she will shed any more light on that night. ”
“Why would she now if she hasn’t done before?”
“Maybe she never knew that her mother believed her to be innocent.” I carried on looking through what was in that folder.
“There’s more stuff printed here about people who’ve been charged and later found innocent.
And, hang on, there’s a letter here from GMP.
” I skimmed it over. “It’s dated six months ago, and it denies Amanda’s request for the full disclosure of all files pertaining to the arrest and conviction of Lily Goodhew.
Shit, she didn’t think Lily was responsible. ”
“Did they disclose the files?” Nick put his papers down.
“They sent some according to this, but there’s a long paragraph about sensitive files and what the cost would be to Amanda. Any sign of the case files in what you’ve seen?”
“No, just a lot of invoices and letters. I’ve seen a handwritten note that’s like a to-do list, not in Amanda’s handwriting.” He passed it to me.
“Call the Sup; buy fertiliser; weed carrots/parsnips – what’s sup? Could it be superintendent?” I put the note down.
“Who was it at the time? Gov!” Nick raised his voice to where Wrigley was fermenting with his phone and coffee. Probably checking the cricket scores.
“Yep.” He didn’t look up.
“Who was the superintendent for the Wethersett area seventeen years ago?”
“Graham Mercer,” someone yelled from the other side of the room. “And he was an absolute twat.”
“Well, there you go,” Nick said quietly. “Is he still alive?” He raised his voice.
“Fucking unfortunately,” bounced back like a tennis ball. “Benter than a six and a half bob note, he was.” The floating voice came closer. “I’m Jimmy Knight, joining on secondment.”
“Nice to meet you, but why are you here on a Sunday?” I frowned, not having heard we had new bodies joining us.
“The missus is shopping so I thought I’d drop in and see what life’s like in the big city. I’m moving over from Rochdale. New DC.” He was in his forties, slightly grey haired and with the build of someone who was into cycling, and the tan to go with it.
“I’m Mia McAllister, this is Nick Sweeting. When did you work with Graham Mercer?”
“When I joined the force, so about twenty years ago and just before he got his promotion. He was on the take; one of the sergeants who was about to retire whistle blew but it got shot down. He was everything that was bad about the force but obviously knew enough about other people to never be challenged.” He checked his phone, which was ringing.
“The missus. She’ll probably want to buy something expensive.
” He shook his head. “Or she’s already bought it. ” He cancelled the call.
“What do you mean by he was on the take?” I asked.
“Bribes. He’d look the other way for a fee.
Never anything huge, I don’t think, but pubs that served after hours, that sort of thing.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he lost evidence a time or two; I remember a couple of allegations that came in against young lads whose dads had money, and the charges would magically disappear.
” His phone rang again. “I better get this else she’ll buy something else.
Hiya, love, where are you up to?” He answered the phone and headed away from us.
I looked at Nick. “That tallies.”
Wrigley had come over to us, taking a break from the cricket. “What tallies?”
“The redacted files. I’ve thought from the start that the original case wasn’t investigated properly. No other lines of enquiry were explored and it was only circumstantial that it was Lily.” I watched Wrigley’s expression sour.
“She never presented a case for the defence, Mia.” Wrigley didn’t sit down. “I heard what Jimmy said, and he’s right, there were always rumours about Graham Mercer. He retired about ten years ago, and now lives in a house you can’t afford on a copper’s pension in Andalucia.”
“Did you think he was bent?” Nick said, leaning back in his chair.
“I didn’t think he was a straight cop, but policing was different back then, almost. There are still bent cops and cops who’ll take advantage if they think they can get away with it.
” He paused, looking upwards at an imaginary object.
“I’d focus on Lily still, or someone that was owed money or, if there’s any suggestion of someone being coerced to name The Holding in their will.
Skint, grieving relatives are always a good line of enquiry. How recent are those accounts?”
I tried not to show I disagreed with what he was saying. “Nothing newer than five years ago, but there’s more to go through. Lily’s in the clear for Friday night though. Unless she got someone else to lock Cade in the building.”
“How likely is that?” Wrigley looked keen.
“Unlikely. I can’t see her in the state that she is mentally being able to execute something like that.”
“But she can run a profitable garden design business. Give her a bit of a push, see if you can get her to talk about her mother.” Wrigley seemed to relax.
“It looked like Amanda was investigating the Roselea fire.” I briefed him on what we’d found.
“If one of my kids was accused of setting a fire and killed the rest of the family, I’d want them to be innocent, else what does it show about me as a parent?” Wrigley checked his phone again. “Bollocks. Another wicket.”
I caught Nick’s eye and wondered whether we were both having the same thought about Wrigley’s retirement not happening a moment too soon.
“I’m going to go and see Lily.” I put the pile of papers that were on my knee back on the table.
“There was a wooden box we found in the shed at Amanda’s current house.
I’ll take that with me; see if she knows what it was for.
” I grabbed my stuff, needing to head down to property to sign the box out.
“A talking point.” Nick nodded. “I’m going to get my head around these accounts.”
“See if you notice anything that looks like payments to a school.” I could trust Nick, but I’d only ever trust someone so far.
He looked puzzled. I ignored it, picked up my laptop and stuffed it in my bag. “I might be back; it depends on how long it takes to speak to her.”
“Do you know where she’ll be?”
“Not exactly, but I have a good idea of where to start.”
Wilmslow felt like a foreign country after spending a morning running through a village made of weather worn grey stone. Immaculate houses with gated drives and cars that if you had to ask the price of; you couldn’t afford.