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  Both Tom and Milner remained silent, hoping Mrs Burton would carry on in the same vein. When it was obvious that this wasn’t about to happen, Tom spoke. ‘Would it be possible for us to have a look at his business files and computer?’

  ‘Why would you want to do that?’ she answered, her voice rising. ‘What has his business got to do with the fact he’s missing?’

  ‘I really don’t know,’ replied Tom. ‘But what I have found, over the years, is that it’s always best to keep all options open until we know for certain. Our priority, right now, is to try to find out the most likely reason for your husband’s sudden disappearance. And to achieve that we need to look closely at every aspect of his life, however seemingly trivial or irrelevant. It might give us a lead as to who he was meeting.’

  After a brief pause Mrs Burton simply said, ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Thank you,’ answered Tom. ‘DS Milner will contact you to arrange a convenient time.’ He paused. ‘Were there any other unusual things that happened prior to his disappearance?’

  ‘What do you mean?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, did your husband, for example, have any health issues? Had he recently met any new people? Had he been staying away longer than usual? Anything, really, which was new or different from his normal behaviour.’

  Mrs Burton was briefly silent, clearly trying to remember. Finally, she said, ‘Nothing that I can remember. He stayed away on business sometimes, but, as I’ve already explained, that was quite usual, at least during the week.’ Once again, she became quiet before adding, ‘Well, at least that’s what he told me he was doing. Maybe it was a lie and he was with a woman.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry; it’s just that I don’t seem to be able to think straight any more. I’ve hardly slept over the past week or so.’

  ‘That’s quite all right,’ answered Tom. ‘Please take your time.’ He waited for her to say something else, but, when she didn’t, he spoke again. ’Do you have CCTV fitted around the house?’

  Mrs Burton seemed to be slightly taken aback by Tom’s question, although, when she spoke, she simply said, ‘No, we don’t.’

  Tom decided that now was probably a good time to finish. He stood up and offered his hand to Mrs Burton, who, without any great enthusiasm, simply went through the motions of shaking it.

  ‘We really appreciate you spending time with us,’ Tom said, handing her his card. ‘If there is anything you remember, however seemingly trivial, please call me on the number.’

  As they made their way towards the door Mrs Burton said, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe all this has happened. It’s a night-mare.’

  As they went out of the front door they could hear Mrs Burton sobbing uncontrollably.

  *

  ‘What do you think?’ asked Tom, as he and Milner were driving back to the station.

  ‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’ replied Milner. ‘Despite all that wealth, they had obvious problems just like everyone else.’

  ‘Why would wealth guarantee happiness?’ asked Tom. ‘It’s my experience that the more money a person has, the more problems there usually are.’

  Chapter 6

  Back at the station, and despite what he had said earlier, Tom was trying to reduce the number of emails that had accumulated whilst he had been away. Over the years he had developed the knack of being able to open an email, quickly scan it and then decide if it needed any action or response from him. This allowed him to press the delete button on a significant proportion of them. The remaining ones he left on his computer for further follow-up. Nonetheless it still took him the best part of an hour to get up to date. As he leaned back in his chair and stretched his back, DC Bennett appeared carrying a cup of coffee.

  ‘I thought you might like this, sir,’ said DC Bennett, handing Tom the cup.

  Although Tom was always careful to use full titles in front of other colleagues, he was happy to adopt a more informal tone when it was just the two of them, given their history. ‘Thanks, Gary,’ he answered, ‘although I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I will like it. I suppose it’s too much to think that the quality of the machine drinks might have improved whilst I’ve been away.’ He took a sip and with an affected grimace said, ‘Thought so,’ before continuing. ‘Have you been able to make any progress whilst we were with Mrs Burton?’

  ‘I‘ve started the ball rolling with regard to getting access to Mr Burton’s bank details. I should have them in the next day or so. From the information we have been able to get hold of I’ve also started putting together a list of all of his business clients. I understand from DS Milner that Mrs Burton has agreed for the techie boys to start looking at her husband’s computer. Hopefully that might throw a bit of light on possible reasons for his disappearance.’

  ‘Let’s hope so,’ answered Tom. ‘We need something to work on.’ He fell silent for a moment. ‘Get hold of his recent telephone records. It would be interesting to see who he has been in contact with, particularly on the day he disappeared. In the meantime, I’d also like you to go back to his flat and conduct a thorough search. Speak again to the other people who live near him to see if you can get a description of some of the women who he brought back – particularly the last one. I also suggest you speak with some of Mr and Mrs Burton’s neighbours in Richmond and see if any of them have CCTV. You never know; something might have been caught on camera. Then check with the airports and ferries to see if there is any record of a Glyn Burton leaving the country. If he’s moving about then he will be spending money. So keep looking out for any cash withdrawals or credit card payments. It’s a bit ominous that, so far, there is no record of any payments. He doesn’t strike me as being the type of person who skimps on things.’ He paused. ‘But you never know. One other thing: I think we should go and pay a visit to his golf club, especially as he was there on the day he disappeared.’

  He suddenly became silent, mentally ticking boxes on his own investigation checklist. Finally, he simply said, ‘You’ve met Mrs Burton. What do you think? What are your instincts telling you?’

  ‘Well, knowing what I did about Mr Burton’s lifestyle, despite their obvious affluence, I felt sorry for her. She seemed a very lonely woman. He can’t have been an easy man to live with.’

  ‘I agree,’ replied Tom. ‘She didn’t give the impression of someone enjoying life. If it turns out he has gone off with another woman, maybe that will be a relief to her.’

  *

  It wasn’t long after DC Bennett had left that Tom’s phone rang. It was Jenny, Superintendent Birch’s PA. Jenny had originally started at the station as a temporary cover for the previous PA, who had been arrested for her involvement in a crime. It had coincided with the time Tom had been asked to temporarily run the station, until a permanent replacement could be appointed. It wasn’t a role which Tom was naturally comfortable with and it had merely confirmed that he was temperamentally unsuited to this type of office-based job. Nonetheless, one of the good things which had come out of his time in that role was his working relationship with Jenny. In addition, during that time, and to his great delight, Jenny’s relationship with Milner had, coincidentally, developed into something more than merely professional.

  ‘Jenny. How are you?’ he asked, genuinely pleased to hear her voice again.

  ‘Very well, thank you,’ she answered. ‘David . . . sorry, DS Milner told me last night that you were due back. How was your holiday?’

  ‘Very enjoyable. Thank you. Although it’s always nice to get back to something you are more familiar with,’ he answered.

  ‘That’s good. At least you’ve been able to get a bit of sunshine. It’s not been very nice here. Anyway, the reason for my call is that Superintendent Birch would like to meet up with you. He said that you were bound to be busy catching up on things, but if you had some time later today that would work for him.’

  ‘How about in half an hour?’ suggested Tom. ‘But only if you let me share in that superior coffee you all enjoy on the fifth
floor. We plebs down here on the second floor have to make do with that stuff which comes out of the machine. And pay for it, as well.’

  Jenny laughed. ‘I’m sure that will be possible. I’ll let Superintendent Birch know.’

  After they had ended their conversation, Tom suddenly found himself smiling. He still couldn’t quite believe, after the depths of despondency of a year or so ago, that he was now engaging in this type of conversation with the station superintendent’s PA.

  Thirty minutes later Tom was seated in Superintendent Birch’s office. It felt quite strange for him to be there as it wasn’t too long ago that it had been his own office, albeit temporarily.

  ‘Good to have you back, Tom,’ said Superintendent Birch, in a way which suggested he meant what he said. A smile appeared on his face. ‘I’ve been told that you are not someone who likes to spend time talking about their holiday, so I won’t waste your time.’

  Tom was momentarily taken aback but resisted the temptation to ask who had mentioned this to Superintendent Birch. He quickly concluded that it was probably Jenny, although, he suspected, the original source might have been Milner. He made a mental note to speak with him about this later.

  As Tom did not reply, Superintendent Birch carried on, now in a less flippant tone. ‘I expect you would like to be brought up to speed with the situation regarding Commander Jenkins and Charles Cope?’

  ‘Well, I already know they were almost immediately released without, as far as I can make out, any formal charges being brought against them, and that DS Milner and DC Bennett have both been forced to sign a document preventing them from discussing what they know. I assume I will now have to do the same?’ Tom said in a resigned tone.

  ‘I’m afraid you will, yes,’ replied Superintendent Birch, placing a single typed page in front of Tom.

  Nothing was said for a moment, but, eventually, Superintendent Birch must have felt as though he had to offer some sort of justification.

  ‘I’m sorry, Tom. Frankly, I’m as disappointed and frustrated as you are, but it really is out of my hands.’

  ‘I doubt that very much, sir,’ answered Tom, irritably. He quickly scanned the page and then added his signature at the bottom, before handing it back. ‘Frankly, you can’t begin to understand just how disappointed I am. But,’ he quickly added, ‘I know there’s nothing you can do about it.’

  Superintendent Birch, quite wisely, did not immediately respond and, after a while, it was Tom who finally broke the silence. ‘I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have been so sharp with you. As I said, I know it’s not your decision and that you had no choice. It’s just that . . . well, I’m sure you know how I feel.’

  ‘To be honest, I’m sure I can’t possibly understand how you feel,’ Superintendent Birch replied, ‘but it is what it is. The powers that be have deemed this to be an issue of national security and, as such, have decided on this course of action. There’s nothing you or I can do which will change that.’ He paused. ‘I don’t have to remind you just how serious it is to sign these things and the likely consequences of non-compliance.’

  Recalling his earlier conversation with DS Milner and DC Bennett, he simply answered, ‘I understand, sir.’

  Chapter 7

  As Tom had found it difficult to concentrate after his conversation with Superintendent Birch, he’d had a brief discussion with Milner and then decided to leave early for the day. In fact, unusually, he was home before Mary and so made himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table and tried to make sense of the day’s developments.

  What now was becoming clear to him was that a total information shutdown regarding the arrests had been implemented whilst he’d been away. That, given the people involved, was not really surprising. What was ominous, however, was the fact that they had both been released, and without any bail being sought or granted. As far as he was concerned, this now had all the hallmarks of a cover-up.

  He was under no illusions. Even if he decided to personally continue progressing the case, the establishment would use all their considerable resources to prevent it from becoming public knowledge. If that meant undermining the evidence he had accumulated, then he didn’t doubt they would do just that. And, in truth, there were many opportunities to do so. His recent accusation regarding how he had been briefed against by Commander Jenkins during the Aphron case was a prime example. Although he was certain that it had happened, there was no definitive evidence. It would be his word against the word of Commander Jenkins, and he knew who was most likely to be believed. Then there was the unapproved use of the wiretap during his conversation with Commander Jenkins. As Sir Peter had pointed out, this, more than anything else, was a potential legal game changer. Worse still, he realised that what he decided to do next could also be a personal career changer.

  Despite his earlier burst of anger directed at Superintendent Birch, his recent holiday had given him time to consider what was important to him. He’d arrived back at work as relaxed as he was personally capable of, but the news that both DS Milner and DC Bennett had effectively been gagged had quickly reduced that relaxation. His subsequent conversation with Superintendent Birch had then removed it completely.

  He also knew, however, that a key part of his current state of mind was entirely of his own making. It had been his choice to short-circuit the whole process when he arrested both men. He also now realised that perhaps he hadn’t been thinking as clearly as he could, or should, have. His actions had been driven by emotion, bordering on outright anger – always a dangerous motivator.

  As he sat there, he couldn’t help asking himself, if he could turn back the clock, would he have done anything differently? He quickly, though, put this thought out of his mind. He might have acted out of anger and emotion, but that was how he felt at the time. Anyway, he couldn’t turn back the clock and so he had to now manage the situation as best he could.

  Suddenly he was shaken from all these thoughts when he heard the front door open. A short while later Mary appeared in the kitchen.

  ‘Your car was on the drive,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t believe you’d got home first.’ She then became more serious. ‘Is everything okay?’

  They hadn’t been living together for long, but she was perceptive enough to know that when he arrived home early it often meant bad news. She seated herself alongside him.

  ‘Everything is fine,’ he answered as positively as possible. ‘There wasn’t much going on and so I thought I’d come home early.’

  He could see that Mary was not entirely convinced, and his suspicions were confirmed when she spoke. ‘What is it? I would have thought that there’d been more than enough going on whilst you’ve been away. And anyway, I can tell when you’re holding something back from me. Is it related to the arrests of that politician and senior policeman?’

  A thin smile appeared on Tom’s face, and this was followed by a short laugh. ‘I can’t keep anything from you, can I? And we’re not even married.’

  ‘What is it?’ Mary repeated, with a greater degree of assertiveness.

  ‘Yes, you’re right,’ he replied, ‘it does relate to the arrests.’ He went on to tell her about Milner and DC Bennett and then his own conversation with Superintendent Birch.

  ‘Mary,’ he then added, in a tone which was serious but not too alarming, ‘I’ve no doubt already told you more than I’m allowed to, but it is what it is. It’s important, though, that this is as far as it goes, and I think it’s best for the time being that we don’t discuss it again. It’s not that I don’t want to; it’s that I’m legally not allowed to.’

  He waited for a response, but, when none was forthcoming, he said, ‘Why don’t we go out for a meal? It would be a shame to waste the time we have.’

  ‘Okay,’ she answered, although without any great enthusiasm.

  Chapter 8

  ‘Anything happened that you think I should know about?’ asked Tom. It was the following morning and he, along with DS Milner and DC Bennett
, was seated in his office.

  His evening with Mary had been a strange one. Whilst they had both tried hard to forget about their earlier conversation it had proved to be very difficult. In fact, they had talked about things which they normally wouldn’t have just to ensure that they didn’t stray anywhere near the subject.

  The closest they did get was when Mary asked him if he had thought any more about retirement. He would soon be at the age when he could take retirement with his maximum pension entitlement and so, in that sense, it was a natural question. In truth, although he had said to DCS Small and Sir Peter that he wasn’t ready to retire yet, the thought of retirement had suddenly become more appealing. But he knew it wouldn’t be possible until the situation regarding Commander Jenkins and Charles Cope had finally been resolved, one way or the other. That assumed, of course, that the decision was his. So he had simply said that financially it would make sense to at least wait until his next birthday. That much was certainly true, but they both knew what had been unsaid was just as important, if not more.

  ‘A quiet night, actually,’ answered DC Bennett, in a way which suggested a degree of disappointment. ‘The usual stuff, but nothing which would make the headlines.’

  ‘That’s good, then,’ replied Tom, his mind turning back to yesterday’s visit to Mrs Burton. ‘Any update on our missing person?’

  ‘Nothing yet, although I have asked for details of his company’s finances as soon as possible. Also, I’ve arranged with Mrs Burton for the techie boys to go around and copy the data on his computer. I’m planning to go and visit their neighbours just to see if they saw anything unusual. It will also give me the opportunity to see if any of them have CCTV. Nothing regarding any credit or debit card payments since he went missing, though.’

  ‘Not even on petrol?’

  ‘Nothing at all, sir,’

  ‘Isn’t that a bit ominous?’ asked Milner. ‘You would have thought, given his lifestyle, he would have used the cards by now.’