Buried Secrets: The Freeman Files Series: Book 11 by Ted Tayler (highly recommended books txt) 📗

“The only one I knew was Alan,” said Maddy. “The other four were on the same submarine. Bob said he’d written their names on the back, but I never took the photo out of the frame to check. Why would I? I didn’t know them from Adam.”

“I understand,” said Gus. “What about a brief description?”

“Three of them were Alan’s age. The man standing next to Alan was tall, well over six feet, with dark hair, possibly mid-forties. The next guy was the shortest, perhaps five feet six inches, with ginger hair, and freckles. Then there was the heaviest one, blond hair, cut short. He was five feet, nine inches. The last guy was closer to six feet, well-muscled, crewcut, dark hair.”

“Any distinguishing marks?” asked Gus.

“Terrible Hawaiian shirts,” said Maddy, “apart from that, nothing dramatic. No large tattoos that I could see. I’m sorry, I’m not much help, am I?”

“Never mind,” said Gus. “I have another question. On the Friday before Alan’s funeral, you dropped a box into Elizabeth. Can you remember what it contained?”

“Oh, that was a box of rubbish from the factory. Alan’s ex-boss drove out to Biddestone one evening and told me that Alan had collected his bits and pieces together from the office and in his hurry to leave, he must have forgotten it. The cleaner found it on a chair beside his desk.”

“Can you remember when that was?” asked Gus.

“Friday, two days after Alan died. I was in no fit state to deal with it then. I spent the weekend with Anna and Wayne, and it went clean out of my head. A week later, I suddenly realised I still had it. I couldn’t see any reason to keep it, so I had put it into the boot of my car on Monday morning. In the end, it was Friday before I remembered to drive to Corsham and gave it to his Mum. I thought it might have sentimental value.”

“It wasn’t all rubbish,” said Gus. “We found the names and addresses of Alan’s friends. Maybe the men in that Happy Valley photo.”

“That’s interesting,” said Maddy. “I expect Bob will want to write to them. He didn’t have the opportunity at the time. Do you know? Running through that photo's details just now, I remember commenting on those shirts when we were with Bob and Elizabeth the Sunday before Alan died. I glanced towards the place where it usually stood, and it had gone. Alan asked his Dad a question on a different subject, and I never got the chance to ask Elizabeth why she moved it.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” said Gus. “What was it about Happy Valley that made it so important? Or was it one of the men in the photo? Could they have been the person Wayne said they saw by the pond on Saturday afternoon?”

“I do not know, Mr Freeman,” said Maddy. “Was there anything else? I need to get the children’s tea before Chris gets home.”

“We won’t keep you much longer, Maddy,” said Gus. “It didn’t take my team long to discover your true identity, Jenny. You changed your name from Jennifer Forsyth to Madeleine Mills when you escaped Marsden and Kyle Ellison. We established yesterday that Ellison had a motive to kill your partner. We haven’t checked yet if he had the opportunity. I agree that your husband, Chris, would have been in danger if Ellison was the aggressor. We’ll move on to other potential leads once we’ve confirmed that Ellison had an alibi for the time of Alan’s murder.”

“I don’t want my original name to come out, Mr Freeman,” said Maddy.

“There’s no reason for us to tell anybody that you changed your name, Maddy,” said Gus. “I presume Chris does not know?”

“No, he doesn’t,” said Maddy. “Nor did Alan. Anna and Wayne only ever knew me as Maddy Mills. I told you I wanted to leave my old life behind me.”

Maddy Telfer ended the call. Gus sat and thought for a while.

“That sounded useful, guv,” said Blessing.

“What did I learn?” asked Gus. “The box with the pocket diary left the factory on Friday afternoon, and Alan’s former boss took it to Biddestone. Maddy told us everything was a blur for the first four or five days after the murder. She spent the weekend with Anna, got home on Monday morning and thought she would let Alan’s parents have the few personal items that were in that box. Maddy says she forgot the box until Friday and delivered it to Elizabeth. Alan’s mother was distraught at the loss of her only child, so she put the box in a cupboard under the stairs and forgot it.”

“The timing is perfect, guv,” said Blessing. “Bob Duncan went to work on Monday and learned that Alan quit his job. He called Maddy on Monday evening, and she notified the police. DI Banks and DS Tallentire had already interviewed Maddy and Alan’s parents on Thursday and Friday. When they discovered the money, the box was outside in Maddy’s car. If they talked with Bob and Elizabeth the same day, or the day after, Elizabeth wouldn’t have realised the pocket diary's possible significance. When Banks and Tallentire spoke to Alan’s ex-boss and his work colleagues, why would anyone mention the box of miscellaneous items? It was like that trick that conjurers used to do on TV.”

“Which cup is the ball under?” said Gus. “Yes, the trick is to move the ball without the audience seeing it. Each party involved acted in total innocence in this particular matter. I can’t attach blame to anyone, certainly not Banks and Tallentire. It is what it is, but we can still take advantage of the diary and any secrets it contains.”

“Did Blessing miss anything, guv?” asked Neil Davis.

“I wouldn’t blame either of you