The ring was insured for five grand and Hodgson had a photograph of it. It’s a nice-looking piece. That was circulated to all the likely jewellery buyers, including pawnshops, but nothing’s shown up.’
I could see her frown, and her pursed lips, in my mind’s eye. ‘Go on, Lottie,’ I challenged, ‘tell me what you’ve got in mind. See if you’re wondering the same as me.’
‘If you insist,’ she responded, ‘although I’ll only have your word for what you’re thinking. I’m wondering whether all the other items were stolen to disguise the fact that the laptop was the real target.’
‘Then take my word for it,’ I told her. ‘But I’m not even wondering. I’d bet your house on it. A laptop’s worth bugger all in sell-on value. The dogs in the bloody street have got laptops these days. You may assume that Hodgson’s burglar was after the Dell, and I reckon that you can assume also that either it was password protected and he couldn’t crack it or there was nothing on it apart from email files of his phone bills. And so he came back,’ I concluded. ‘And here’s where I leave you behind, DI Mann,’ I went on, ‘for I might even hazard a guess at who he was.’
‘Are you going to share that?’ she asked.
‘Not yet. Do something else for me first. If the CSIs did their job, they went over the garage and they found a Samsung Galaxy phone lying in his car. If they didn’t, it’s still there. Either way,’ I said, ‘you should get hold of it and see what’s on it. If I’m right, then I’ll share, and as far as Chief Constable Martin’s concerned it was your idea all along.’
Forty-Two
‘Thank you for joining us, Mr Sullivan,’ Sammy Pye began as the visitor took a seat in his small office, facing him across his desk. Haddock made up a threesome, looking on from a chair beside the window, through which the low morning sun shone into Sullivan’s face.
‘You’ll remember us, DCI Pye and DS Haddock.’
‘Of course, and thanks for the lift,’ the man replied, taking a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses from the top pocket of his sports jacket and slipping them on. ‘That’s better,’ he murmured. ‘Now I can see you guys properly.’
‘Sure,’ Pye said. ‘Would you like a coffee?’
‘No thanks, I’m fine. Anyway, I’m not here for coffee, am I?’
The DCI smiled. ‘Not exactly. We want to give you an update on your stolen car. And we have a couple of questions. We’re recording this for the purposes of our investigation. Although you’re here voluntarily, we’ll be happy if you feel you want to have legal representation.’
‘To hell with that,’ Sullivan retorted. ‘I have nothing to worry about, so I don’t need a lawyer. As for an update, I’ve had that from the papers. You’re dead certain it was the lad Francey who stole it?’
‘One hundred per cent,’ Haddock replied.
‘I see,’ he muttered. ‘The other guy I told you about, the man King who came to see the Bristol: did you get anywhere with him?’
‘No, but frankly we haven’t been looking. He stopped being of interest quite early on.’
‘Good, for he turned out not to be a time-waster after all. He phoned me on Monday evening and said he wanted to buy the Bristol, subject to a road test and independent inspection. We’ve done a deal.’
‘Then we’re happy for you.’
Sullivan frowned. ‘Okay, so you’re sure it was Dean Francey that took the Beamer, and used it to kidnap that poor wee girl. Are you working up to telling me you think our Maxwell might have been involved too?’
‘No, there’s no evidence of that at all,’ Pye said, ‘and it’s never been in our thinking. But that’s not to say that Francey acted alone. We believe that Anna Hojnowski was his accomplice.’
‘The girl that was in the car with him when he was found?’
‘The very same. You probably knew her as Anna Harmony.’
All the colour drained from Sullivan’s face, in an instant. ‘You what . . .’ he gasped.
‘Anna Harmony,’ Haddock repeated. ‘You did know her, didn’t you?’
‘Well, yes, but . . . I never knew that was her real name.’
‘You had a party at your house about a year ago, and she was there, wasn’t she?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, so what?’
‘It wasn’t a casual invitation, was it? You knew her before that.’
‘Yes,’ Sullivan admitted.
‘She worked for you?’ Pye asked.
‘In the factory, that’s right. But I never knew her real name; I didn’t hire