Deadly Lies Ann Girdharry (read aloud .txt) 📖

to Treadgold, behind Grant’s back? Information which allowed Treadgold to cover his tracks? Grant’s instincts told him – yes. Although he had no proof against McGowan and the bigger fish was Treadgold. Grant intended to nail ACC Treadgold for corruption. All he needed was one scrap of intelligence and he could trigger an investigation of the man.

Patience is a virtue, Grant reminded himself, keep focused on Emily and Lisa. Bringing down Treadgold is for another day. And when that day came, Grant would be ready.

25

Ruby stood on a busy London street not far from Regent’s Park. Balancing a cake box, with her free hand she pressed the intercom for her friend’s flat. The name ‘Hawk’ was written alongside the buzzer.

Hawk was the nickname they had given him in the children’s home. Ruby had lived in the home for most of her childhood and she, Hawk and Soraya had formed an unbreakable trio. Hawk and Soraya were still her two best friends and the ones who knew everything about her.

The door opened with a click. Ruby stepped inside and the noise from the traffic shut off behind her.

Hawk was a recluse, probably due to the relentless bullying he’d received as a child and because he had a horrible family history. He lived in a massive posh apartment, with his cat, and he’d come a long way since their days together as kids. Hawk made literally piles of money working freelance as a technology and internet mastermind and he did work off-the-grid and off-the-record. Ruby didn’t know the details of his CIA contracts and his international networks. What she did know was that Hawk’s skills made him the perfect person to help with the Glover case.

The police needed phone records and credit card information on Jack and Alice Glover, and Ruby had asked Hawk to get intel using his own means.

Her friend sat in his living room. Hawk’s fat ginger cat was nearby. Surrounded by computers and screens full of data, Hawk gave a boyish grin and pulled off his headphones. His eyes went straight to the cake.

‘Hi, Rube, long time no see. You and Soraya are busy these days.’

She gave him a hug and was pleased he wasn’t as thin as he sometimes was.

‘You’re looking well. And hey, we’re never too busy for old friends. I’ve got my own place in Himlands Heath, you should come and see it.’

‘Maybe.’

She’d been asking him for ages and he’d been promising he would and then kept putting it off. It was difficult for him to go out.

‘I found some stuff for you on the Glovers.’ Hawk took in a deep breath of chocolate. ‘Oooh this smells divine.’ He dipped his finger into the cake topping. ‘And it’s de-li-cious.’

‘I’ll cut it in the kitchen. I hope you dug me up something interesting.’

‘You bet.’

When she came back, she carried two plates. One with an average-sized slice for herself and the other with two giant chunks.

‘It was the gooiest chocolate extravaganza I could find,’ she said.

‘Yummy. Well, let me give you the Glover rundown. It’s a lot of usual stuff – they’re a high-income, high-expenditure couple. Alice spends big on treatments – spas, stylists, beautician and the like. Jack spends big on entertainment – nothing smutty but a few subscriptions to clubs, posh restaurants, expensive weekends, golf membership, and boring stuff like that. And then there’s this.’

Hawk tapped at the keyboard and then flourished his hand at the screen. ‘Ta da.’

Ruby stared. ‘What am I looking at?’

‘The one on the left is Jack Glover’s phone record and this number here is a repeater.’ Pressing a key, Hawk highlighted all the instances of a particular phone number. ‘Most of these are text messages.’

‘I hope that’s his wife he’s talking to,’ Ruby said.

‘You’re kidding me, right? I said this was interesting. The number he’s contacting belongs to a Natalie Karnik.’

On a different screen, Hawk brought up an aerial view of the Glover’s street.

‘This is the Glover’s place and Natalie,’ Hawk pointed, ‘lives here. Right next door.’

‘Natalie gave the impression their fling had only just started.’

‘Nope. I’d say it’s been going on for at least two years. And then there’s this one little entry in Jack’s credit card details which I think you’ll want to check out.’

The bank statement took up the right-hand side of the screen. Hawk highlighted a line.

‘On the twenty-first of January, Jack Glover made a payment to a private clinic in Brighton. It’s called PG which stands for Pregnancy Guidance.’

‘Pregnancy Guidance, why is that important?’

‘Because it’s a euphemism. Most of their business is terminations.’

Jack Glover paid for a termination? With Natalie desperate for a baby it seemed unlikely it would be for her. Nor was it likely the candidate was Alice. But hey, it happened in January, shortly after the au pair was booted out, making Sylvie the prime contender.

Hawk was grinning and Ruby gave him a kiss on the cheek and she passed over the bumper plate of cake.

‘Hawk, I told you this before and I’m going to say it again. You’re a genius.’

26

‘You’ve given me vital intel and my hands are tied. You know I can’t use this information, don’t you?’ Grant said.

He was always amazed how a former university research assistant like Ruby could have such quality sources. She’d helped them out on a previous case and Grant suspected she had contacts from her days in the children’s home though he never wanted to pump her for details. All officers had their informants so why shouldn’t Ruby?

Ruby bit her lip. ‘In January, Jack Glover paid money to Brighton Pregnancy Guidance clinic. It was likely for a termination. It’s got to be relevant.’

‘Of course it is. It’s crucial. The problem is where you got it from. If the source is illegal it will be inadmissible in any future court case. For God’s sake don’t tell me how you got it because I don’t want to know.’

Leaning against the window frame, Grant stared down at the grey tarmac of the car park. Shit.