Missing pieces, p.19
Missing Pieces, page 19
Freeman said, ‘OK. I think James knows how Sylvie died – I know he’s said as much but what I’m saying is that I believe him, which is a different thing. I want him to tell us. Obviously it involves his brother, who we also need to speak to, but if that consultant,’ with a nod towards Tom Greene, ‘is the sort I think they are, Ronnie’s statement might be one we’re not keen on presenting to a jury. So what James can tell us could be vital. We cannot detain him now, not for hinting he knows the story – he’s free to go, and being smart, he knows it. But he’s willing to talk to us if we give him a little more time. I’m thinking twenty-four hours, not forty-eight.’
Waters saw the tiny nod of agreement from DI Greene.
Freeman continued, ‘We explain the conditions and keep watch. If he tries to see Ronnie, we’ll arrest him for… I don’t know, interfering with the course of an investigation.’
Sterling hadn’t finished with her dislike of James Leadsom. She said, ‘And what if he uses the time to disappear instead, ma’am?’
There was no immediate answer to that, and so Sterling continued, ‘I mean, it’s not impossible. He’s come in to find out how close we are, and we’ve sort of told him. He’s wealthy and he could have been preparing for this moment for twenty years. He could leave here today, never go back to Marsh Farm and be on a flight this evening.’
Clive Betts backed his sergeant and said Leadsom should talk now if he had information vital to an investigation. Would they be considering letting someone ordinary walk away in these circumstances – someone who wasn’t a millionaire? Serena said it was a gamble, and that they might win or lose their stake. John Murray wondered whether they should find out exactly what Leadsom intended to do with his forty-eight hours.
When it was Waters’ turn, he said, ‘It wasn’t James Leadsom’s DNA we found on Sylvie’s clothing. We’re assuming it was Ronnie’s but we won’t know that with certainty until we’ve completed a test – we’re also assuming that the staff at Wainfleet House will cooperate with that, but even if they do, it could be several more days before we get confirmation. What I’m saying is, the quickest way might be to give Leadsom what he wants, but there is an element of risk in letting him go. On the other hand, we have no grounds to charge him with anything. We’re discussing whether we should let him go but we have no grounds to detain him, ma’am. He is free to leave but he’s offering to come back and perhaps tell us a great deal.’
Ultimately the SIO would decide and take responsibility for the outcome – either in the form of glory or blame. If Freeman’s decision led to the best lead in twenty years disappearing, she would be heavily criticised – no one would be interested in the complex circumstances she had to consider in making this choice.
Freeman took another few seconds, and then said, ‘Tom, I want the Wainfleet House end tighter than a duck’s backside. Make it clear there is to be no contact between the brothers until further notice. Oh – and check whether Ronnie has a mobile for personal use. If he has and they won’t remove it, we might need to monitor it – Serena, that’s your department, so see what would be involved. We’ll offer James twenty-four hours before we introduce ourselves to Ronnie. As Chris says, it could be the quickest and most productive way, but I accept there is an element of risk. Thank you, everyone.’
Waters accompanied John Murray when he took James Leadsom back down to the reception area of Lake Central, in case anything more was said, but the man left in silence – he had accepted Freeman’s offer of twenty-four hours without demur and it was likely what he’d expected when he made his bid for forty-eight. He still looked middle-aged and tired but there was a sense of purpose about him now, and as they climbed the stairs, Murray and Waters discussed what advice Leadsom might be seeking before he returned to the station. Murray said, ‘Could be legal, could be financial. Probably a bit of both. I’d say it’s as much about his brother’s affairs as his own, though.’
Waters asked why and Murray said, ‘It’s my guess that when we find out how long Ronnie’s been in Wainfleet House, it’ll be before James bought Marsh Farm. He bought that place because it wasn’t far away.’
As they reached the landing, the door ahead of them opened and Freeman appeared. She was carrying her jacket and had an expression both men recognised now – she nodded as she passed them and carried on down the flight of stairs. They looked at each other in mild, mutual surprise and then a voice called up from the landing below – ‘Your DI will explain,’ before her quick steps continued on their way down.
They went directly to Tom Greene’s desk. Without being asked, he said, ‘She’s on her way to Wainfleet House.’
Waters and Murray exchanged more surprised looks, and then Waters said, ‘Alone?’
Greene nodded – ‘Yes. We talked it through… Briefly. At least I think we did. She says she wants to have seen Ronnie Leadsom before she hears what his brother has to say.’
It was difficult to know where to begin a response to that. Murray said, ‘But we’ve just agreed with James Leadsom that… If he finds out, he could refuse to say another word.’
And from Waters, ‘Is she going to interview him, sir? As the SIO?’
Greene shrugged an “I know” but said, ‘The DCI was very specific. She wants to have seen Ronnie Leadsom. Her agreement with the brother involved not speaking to him – that’s what she said to me. At her request, I’ve just arranged for her to meet with his consultant in about an hour’s time.’
Murray said no more but walked away, his disapproval evident. Greene watched him go and then said quietly to Waters, ‘Something seems to have got under her skin with this one.’
Chapter Twenty-One
Freeman said, ‘We believe him to be a key witness in a murder investigation.’
The man facing her across the desk was short but heavily built. She guessed him to be in his late forties, and he was one of those people who simply do not look as clever as they surely must be – put a toque on his head and he would be a baker, a wrench in his hand and he was a garage mechanic. He looked blankly back at her for a moment before he said, ‘But you don’t want to interview him? I’m not sure I understand the purpose of your visit.’
She had considered calling Yelena Kaminski and asking whether she knew of Henry Kerr but there were too many risks in that, personal ones. Yelena’s last text had said that with Isabel still under her care things would be too complicated but maybe later, maybe sooner rather than later… Maybe take a rain check, Yelena had said. That’s how they had left it; however well intentioned, calling her would look as if Freeman had changed her mind.
She said to Mr Henry Kerr – obviously a consultant who preferred the Mr to Dr, in the old-fashioned way – that she was hoping for some medical background on Ronnie Leadsom and that she realised this might be easier in person than over the telephone, because of the confidentiality issues involved. This didn’t seem to go down too badly, and he nodded as if in agreement. She could see files on the desk in front of him, and she just needed him to open them.
Kerr said, ‘And you would also like to see him, but you do not wish to speak to him?’
‘If that’s possible, yes. He doesn’t need to be told who I am or why I’m here.’
The consultant was weighing all this carefully, tapping his forefingers alternately on the cover of the topmost folder. He said, ‘May I ask why?’
Freeman knew she could lie with the best of them but it’s usually counter-productive in the end, especially with intelligent people. She said, ‘I’m going to be interviewing a family member soon, and they’re going to tell me things about Ronnie, including, I imagine, details of his medical condition. Seeing him beforehand will enable me to put what they tell me into context.’
‘By which you mean,’ Kerr said, looking at a laptop on his desk rather than directly at her, ‘to check whether they are telling you the truth…’
Freeman did not respond to that. He looked at her and said, ‘If I am going to divulge a patient’s private medical history, I need to know exactly to what ends it might be put, chief inspector.’
Still she said nothing. He took his hands away from the folders and leaned back, looking directly at her now, and adding, ‘I have given evidence in courts of law. I have no particular wish to repeat the experience.’
She said she doubted whether it would come to that but noted to herself that it might, of course, if Ronnie Leadsom was charged – Mr Kerr could find himself explaining why his patient should not stand trial. Still, that was a bridge they didn’t need to cross right now.
Kerr said, ‘The family member – is it James Leadsom?’
Ah. He didn’t need to check that in the file – he knows him, and that needs to be borne in mind now. She hadn’t yet asked how often Ronnie received visits and from whom, but it was clear that his brother and the consultant were acquainted. Freeman said, ‘Yes, it is. We’ve met today and have another meeting arranged for tomorrow. I’m preparing for that.’
The consultant was considering his position carefully, and as an investigating detective you have to be aware of the different situations your questionee might be in; why might Mr Kerr be considering this particularly thoroughly? Isabel had spent two years in a private psychiatric nursing home but it was nothing like Wainfleet House. This place was in the premier division in terms of its facilities and therefore also its fees. James Leadsom was, presumably, still a very rich man and perhaps a generous one – was that why Mr Kerr was taking his time?
But a decision had been made. He said, ‘I can give you a summary of Ronnie’s situation. I don’t imagine you need the details at this stage…’ and Freeman thanked him. She listened, having decided that to take notes might send the wrong message – Kerr had not yet agreed to let her see Ronnie Leadsom for herself.
He explained that his patient had advanced cirrhosis. There had probably been more than one cause but Ronnie had suffered from hepatitis C for a substantial period of time before his diagnosis. Freeman asked about the other possible causes – did they include alcohol or drug abuse? From what she knew about Ronnie’s lifestyle twenty years ago, it seemed likely.
Kerr said, ‘We manage Ronnie’s liver condition here but his consultant for it is in Lincoln. You would need to speak to her if you have further questions.’
Freeman accepted this passively, hoping the consultant would feel he was in control of the interview; besides, she knew that the quickest way to catch hep C is by sharing a needle – she would be surprised if that particular two plus two didn’t make four. She said, ‘But you are his consultant psychiatrist, Mr Kerr. How long has Ronnie been a patient here at Wainfleet House?’
‘A little over three years.’
‘And before that? Was he in treatment somewhere else?’
Yes, said Kerr, but again he would not be able to divulge details about the work of other doctors, she would need to- ‘Yes,’ she said, despite herself, ‘speak to them directly. I understand. In layman’s terms, Mr Kerr, what’s wrong with him, psychiatrically?’
He was still choosing his words with care. He said slowly, as if this might help her to understand, ‘Ronnie has a number of issues. These have developed over time and are deeply rooted. Various therapies have been tried but with, it must be said, limited success. He does not cope well with daily life as you and I know it. Here at Wainfleet we use a combination of approaches and therapies…’
Freeman thought, Jesus, we’re into the sales pitch. She said, ‘Have you established the original cause, the trauma?’
Kerr gave her an indulgent smile and said, ‘The trauma?’
‘Yes. This is complex post-traumatic stress disorder, isn’t it? At some point you work back to the original event and confront it. Has Ronnie ever shared that with you?’
Still with the aggravating smile, he said, ‘I cannot imagine how you think you are able to diagnose the condition of someone you have never met. I’m sure your training as a police officer is comprehensive but even so I-’
Almost as if she had heard none of that, Freeman continued, ‘I’m suggesting it’s complex PTSD because you’ve prescribed the paroxetine.’
The smile disappeared. Kerr said, ‘The paroxetine?’
‘Yes. Only two selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are licensed by the FDA for treating complex PTSD, and that’s one of them. As far as I know, the situation here in the UK is no different.’
Kerr was reviewing his pieces – a couple seemed to have disappeared from the board. He said, ‘I see I’m dealing with a police officer who does their homework. Ronnie’s situation is that he is trapped somewhere in stage two, alternating between denial and numbness, some of it self-induced. This is unusual so long after the event. We have not fully explored the trauma itself…’
As he talked, Freeman thought she could explain that her knowledge came not from a cramming session but from lived experience, but she did not want to drag Isabel and Yelena into this. She waited until Kerr had finished speaking, and then said, ‘I’d be grateful if you could tell me about Ronnie’s visitors. Then perhaps I could see him before I leave?’
Serena said in answer to the question, ‘Almost exactly two years, ma’am. Marsh Farm was sold then for a million and a quarter, according to the details I found on Zoopla.’
Freeman nodded – this all made sense. She said, ‘And Ronnie has been in Wainfleet House for three years. So he was there first and then James moves up to be close by. The consultant told me he visits Ronnie two or three times a week. So much for them not being close.’
It was five minutes past nine on the following morning, and Freeman had begun the briefing with an explanation but not an apology. She had said, ‘On reflection after yesterday’s meeting, I felt that James was likely to be holding too many of the cards when he’s back here this afternoon. We have to assume he’s going to tell us a story that involves Ronnie in Sylvie’s death in some way. Is anyone expecting it to go off in some other direction?’
There had been a couple of shaken heads in response. She continued, ‘I agreed with James that I wouldn’t speak to his brother before today’s interview. I didn’t agree that I wouldn’t investigate further Ronnie’s medical records, which James already knows we have. To do that, I had to speak to his consultant. I know from experience that I would get much more cooperation and detail in a face to face situation than I would in a phone call, which is why I went to see Henry Kerr. At that point I’m in the same building as our key witness but I don’t take a look at him?’
When you put it like that, thought Waters… He glanced to his left but Murray seemed to have got over his annoyance with the senior investigating officer. Most likely, as with the rest of them, he was waiting to hear more about what Freeman had found at Wainfleet House.
Freeman said, ‘Right. So I won’t give you all the details about Ronnie’s situation, just a summary. They’ve labelled it complex post-traumatic stress disorder, which everyone’s heard of these days but which no one completely understands, even the doctors. It’s how some people react to a catastrophic event in their life. Basically, Ronnie has locked the door from the inside and has managed at the same time to throw away the key. The drugs he’s on are to keep him calm in there while the therapeutic cognitive approaches all involve: a – finding the key, and b – very carefully turning it in the lock, because you never know for certain what will happen when you open the door.’
Waters wondered whether anyone else had seen it – the fact that Freeman seemed to know more about this than she could have learned from a cautious consultant yesterday afternoon. She saw him watching her, saw the quizzical look on his face and turned away, inviting questions from the rest of the team.
Denise Sterling said, ‘A couple of things, ma’am. I don’t know about anyone else, but if I killed someone, that would definitely qualify as a catastrophic event in my life.’
Serena said, ‘Except Clive – you’d soon get over that.’
Denise agreed – ‘Yeah, except Clive, obviously.’
The object of their murderous intent nodded resignedly and a ripple of light relief went around the room. Waters saw Greene use the moment to check his watch and screen – a lot needed to be put in place before two o’clock this afternoon, when James Leadsom was due to return to Kings Lake Central.
Denise said, ‘That being the case, it’s possible that Ronnie killed her, isn’t it? That that’s the traumatic event? And he’s sort of imprisoned himself for it. Did this consultant say how long ago Ronnie’s trauma was?’
Freeman said, ‘No. But I got the sense this goes way back.’
John Murray said, ‘Twenty years is a long way. DS Sterling could be right, ma’am.’
In this chaotic and increasingly upside down world, certain things could still be relied upon – Detective Constable Murray would never use the Christian name of a more senior officer in a meeting.
Sterling said, ‘And the second thing is, if James tells us that, he’s been concealing it all those years. You could argue he’s perverted the course of justice.’
Freeman looked towards Tom Greene, who said, ‘By concealing evidence… We would be on shaky ground if all he’d done was not reveal what Ronnie might have told him. A story isn’t evidence in that context. From what I saw of James Leadsom, he isn’t likely to be intimidated if we try to play it that way, ma’am.’
She nodded and said, ‘So… I saw Ronnie Leadsom yesterday.’
The consultant hadn’t been enthusiastic about giving her a tour of his establishment but had admitted that it was not unusual for him to show visitors around. He took her along the corridor which led to Ronnie’s room, putting on something of a performance as if she were the relative of a prospective patient – the irony must have struck Cara Freeman at some point in this. Each client – Kerr’s word – had what was in effect a small apartment rather than a single room. Kerr knocked twice on the door and then opened it respectfully, announcing himself but discovering that the room’s owner was not at home. Freeman caught a glimpse of the décor and furnishings – it wasn’t difficult to see what James Leadsom’s money was buying.
