Episode 21 - Detention

Two plain clothes detectives had parked outside the Crightons' bungalow on Gary’s orders and gone into the house. He was not taking any more chances. Betjeman Crighton was hand-cuffed and pushed onto the back seat of the police car. It drove off leaving Mr and Mrs Crighton standing desolate on their doorstep.

Gary sent a text to confirm to Cleo that Betjeman Crighton had been picked up.

A tense wait followed. Jessica sat on the sofa fidgeting nervously.

Cleo was glad she had not insisted on going back to Laura’s bungalow.

Robert arrived home and was understandably shocked to see Jessica. After picking up the police gun by its nozzle, he went into the kitchen to see about supper, but first submerged the weapon in dishwater, an act Cleo found amusing, having followed him and witnessed the procedure.

“What the hell…” she said.

“Hidden from sight,” Robert replied. “Whose is it anyway?”

“Jessica pinched it from the back pocket of the security guard who was supposed to be guarding her.”

“That’ll show your favourite cop up, won’t it?” said Robert. It was worth having Jessica at the cottage if it served to humiliate Gary.

“I didn’t know you were capable of such mean thoughts,” said Cleo.

“You’d better do some explaining for when the cop turns up, Cleo.”

“I told him not to come,” said Cleo.

“He’ll smell a rat, Cleo. You usually can’t wait to see him.”

“That’s not true,” said Cleo.

“Denying it won’t help” said Robert.

***

Cleo put him in the picture as well as she could. Robert was convinced that the police should collect Jessica rightaway since the cottage was no place for a wanted criminal. Private investigators didn't do well if they had criminal records either, he told Cleo. “And innocent people don't run off with loaded police weapons to protect themselves,” Cleo retorted.

“Did you say loaded?”

“You can tell by the weight, Cleo.”

"But don't you understand, Robert? Jessica is innocent."

“Isn’t Gary coming then?” said Robert. “I wonder what he would think of his favourite sleuth harbouring a wanted criminal.”

“I told you I cancelled Gary’s invitation. I told him I had a migraine.”

The doorbell rang and Jessica dashed into the little guestroom.

“There he is,” said Robert. “Talk of the devil…”

***

So Gary had come anyway. He obviously smelt a rat. Robert felt vindicated.

"You can come out now, Jessica," Gary called out from the hall.

"How did you know?" asked Cleo.

"You are an open book, Cleo. You didn't think I was fooled by all that junk on the phone, did you? You’ve never had a migraine in your life. I’m surprised at you lying like that. I thought you trusted me.”

Jessica reappeared.

"It's not her fault. I came here to prove I didn't kill Jason," she said.

"And did you, Miss Finch? What you did rather substantiates my suspicions and has bored deep holes in our security. Where's the gun? I hope you didn't use it."

"It wasn't loaded."

Robert went into the kitchen, retrieved the gun and wrapped it in a tea-towel, and presented it to Gary.”

“It’s wet,” said Gary.

“I submerged it in dishwater,” said Robert.

Gary looked incredulously at the barrel. The gun was loaded.

“I hope you didn’t hold up these nice people, Jessica,” said Gary.

“What if I did?”

“”She didn’t, Gary. She hardly knew how to hold a gun.”

“But she knew how to pinch it,” said Gary. “Security is in a fine old mess now. I should be thanking you for what you did, Jessica. You blew holes in security even if you didn’t blow any into anyone here.”

Gary removed the bullets and made an effort to dry the gun.

“Some security cop, leaving his gun hanging out of his back trouser pocket,” Jessica commented.

“Exactly, Jessica. I’ll discipline that cop and I’m glad you came here,” said Gary in quite a kindly voice.

"You mean you believe me?"

Jessica looked nervous.

"Judging from what Betjeman Crighton garbled, he had been planning to kill both of you and wished he had got you as well. It was sheer luck that Jason could not defend himself, and he would probably have dealt with you if you hadn't run off. I think he feels omnipotent with Laura Finch out of the way."

"Did he kill her, too?" Jessica asked.

"I don't know yet. We have two separate crimes on our hands. It could be a coincidence that the victims were mother and son."

"This is terrible, Gary. I'm sure the Crightons had no idea," said Cleo.

"I don’t suppose they had. He was their golden boy. We noticed that when we made inquiries after Mrs Finch's death, but we didn't see him then because he was away on a trip."

“I don’t think he can have been away,” said Cleo. “Did you check?”

“We will now,” said Gary. He might be satisfied with current progress, but Cleo certainly wasn’t. She was missing something that should have been staring her in the face.

***

Jessica looked relieved. She had told Cleo that she had seen Betjeman on the day Jason was killed. Cleo decided that there was no point in discussing that now, but she would put her mind to it as soon as possible and get her thoughts straight before Gary could challenge their validity. Betjeman was not away on a sabbatical!

***

I'll have to take you back to headquarters, Jessica," Gary said. ”Your backpack is there waiting for you and I can stay in one of the guest-rooms on the third floor and eat in the canteen. You should be free to go where you like by the weekend. We just need to go over your statement and make sure we've covered all the details.”

“Oh, and Cleo, will talk about the meaning of negligence someday soon, won’t we?”

“Mine or yours?” retorted Cleo, and Robert could have applauded!

***

When Gary had packed Jessica into his car, he waved rather facetiously and drove off with a roar.

“You’d like that car, wouldn’t you?” said Robert.

“Are you planning to buy me one?”

“It’s probably too expensive. Second-hand maybe, one day.”

Cleo turned to Robert and said "I think…"

"Don't think now, Cleo. Let’s just get those steaks cooked."

"Not sausages? It's a good job Gary has left. I'd invited him to sausage and mash before cancelling."

"I wish you wouldn't get too friendly with Gary."

"Why not?"

"That's why."

“I do believe you are jealous, Robert.”

“Should I be?”

“What do you think?”

***

Cleo longed for the day she could tell Robert that she no longer wanted to marry him, but that day had not yet arrived and her affair with Gary was on the back burner, as far as she was concerned. She wondered if Gary really was convinced that he had solved Jason's murder all by himself, or even taken the steps that had led to a probable solution.

Even while distracting herself by playing cards with Robert, she kept on coming back to the idea that something in the Finch case did not fit, assuming now, as she did, that mother and son were not killed by the same murderer or for the same reason.. She would have to go through all the truth-finding steps again after a good night's sleep.

Robert’s confession that he was jealous of Gary was something else she would have to think about. Did it have anything to do with Gary always seeming to know when she had was planning something, though he would not be able to say what. But the first person to hear about any ideas would have to be Gary from now on. She would stop discussing cases with Robert. After all, it was thanks to Gary that she acquired information that would not normally have been available to her and was invaluable, an Robert was only playing at detection to humour her.

“I’m off to bed,” Robert  announced.

“But you’re winning, Robert.”

“And that’s the way it has to be, Cleo.”

***