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A Foot in the Door - Conclusion, Chapter 2 |
| Written by Philip Neale | |
| Wednesday, 13 August 2008 | |
 With money in the bank and a new lifestyle on the horizon, David Marsh thought that all his worries were behind him. Then the phone rang and his troubles were just beginning.....
By August, David had left Surebright along with Roger Harding to set up their own business and initial deals indicated that the company was moving quickly in the correct direction. They had set up in the Home Counties away from any contractual restrictions imposed by their former employer, and David was relaxing at home after a meeting with the bank when his mobile phone rang. Usually it was from Roger to remind him of commitments for the following day, but the number displayed did not look familiar. The voice at the other end made him sit up with a start.
"David, its Jennifer. Look don't worry, there's no cause for alarm but I have a friend who could be in need of the same sort of service to the one which you provided for me earlier this year. The ‘installation' would be similar to mine and she is flexible with regard to contractual terms. Are you interested?"
David was dumbstruck. He was a salesman not a fixer, and the job for Jennifer had been more out of sympathy then with any thought as to financial reward. Now here, out of the blue, was an opportunity to expand what could become a pension fund for his old age. Jennifer had told him over the phone that no names had been mentioned at this point but that the woman was in a similar position to that which she had occupied a few short months ago. He bought himself a new mobile on a ‘Pay As You Go' package and told Jennifer never to call him again on his normal number. She gave him details of her friend and he agreed to call her to set up preliminary discussions. Telling Roger that he would be away up north for a few days on a sales trip, he set out up the M1 for Chesterfield and a service area meeting with Rosemary Davidson.
The facts were almost identical to Jennifer's situation and the fee for completion and the method of payment were identical. It was almost too easy to believe - the man (David declined the offer of his name, preferring to remain distant) worked in Manchester and after parking his car made the final leg of the journey from Trafford Park into the city centre by tram. From an earlier trip to the North West, David knew that trams had become very popular and were always packed. It would be quite easy to engineer a terrible accident for someone caught up in the crush of passengers for an approaching vehicle.
The job was over and done with minimal planning involved. David simply positioned himself two rows back from his target and ‘stumbled' into the man in front of him under the weight of a ‘heavy' suitcase, apologising profusely for his clumsiness. Instinct had forced this passenger into breaking his forward movement by placing hands upon the back of the person in front who in turn pushed Rosemary's husband into the path of the approaching tram. By the time of the impact, David was away from the scene with all other eyes on the horror unfolding before them. Back in his car outside Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, he called her with the result of his action. Three months later, with the insurance claim finalised he was £100,000 richer and back on the road in his normal business. He called Jennifer to ensure that no more recommendations were likely and chose to believe that he would hear no more. He didn't, at least not from her.
The business set up with Roger Harding was progressing very nicely, but David's accountant partner was becoming aware of the lack of paperwork relating to his business trip to Lancashire. At one of their weekly meetings he broached the subject, and finding himself in a corner David lamely explained that he had paid his expenses on his personal credit card, and that recompense could take place at the time of their annual bonuses. Roger frowned and let it pass, deciding instead to file it for future reference but to keep an eye on his associate's movements from now on. A phone call to his new mobile a few weeks later had David hurrying out early one afternoon with a vague ‘see you in the morning' parting line. Accountants are curious creatures by nature, and Roger was soon in David's private office looking amongst the papers on his desk. There was nothing of unusual interest there but his partner had, surprisingly, left his laptop switched on and logged in with just the cover pulled down. He had obviously forgotten about it in his haste to leave. Raising the cover, Harding was faced with a set of files which he had never seen before, one of which contained a list of passwords - he printed a copy of this. The eyes nearly popped out of his head when he came across David's offshore bank account details and the amounts of cash it contained.
Like all partners, they knew the details of each others remuneration package, and these figures couldn't possibly be any part of that. Within his hands he held much of David's private wealth and the means to acquire it without leaving a trace. He used the passwords to access all the files, and satisfying himself that he had full and complete control over all funds, closed the computer down for the day, tidied up and went home to consider his next move. At the same time David was on his ‘private' mobile to Rosemary, the mystery caller that afternoon. Like Jennifer before her, she had a ‘friend' who required the help of someone discreet and willing to benefit by a six-figure sum for certain services. He tried to explain that this was not something which he had ever intended to carry out on a regular basis and that he would, regrettably be unable to office any assistance . After a muffled conversation at the other end, during which time he deduced that the ‘friend' was present, Rosemary relayed the message that the fee would be double his usual charge.
Leaning on his elbow and with his head in his hand, David tried one last time to dissuade both women from the course of action which they were pursuing, but when the final offer of £250,000 came back as a reply he couldn't refuse. This, he stated, was to be the final job and no further recommendations were to be made to any more deserving individuals. Both women agreed, and arrangements were made to meet with customer number three to discuss details. On his way to another ‘business trip' which Roger accepted rather easily, David wondered where all these women were coming from and was sure that somewhere a smart detective would make a connection of some kind to link him to all three events - or was he just becoming paranoid?
When an overweight man falls from a ladder forty feet up the side of his house and dies as a result of a massive skull fracture with no-one else anywhere near, there is not usually much cause for suspicion of foul play. For David this was an unexpected bonus since this was not the method which he had planned to use in disposing of the unwanted husband, but since he had not informed the wife of his chosen technique it really made no difference, and in the course of time he collected his fee for a job well done. He became a little uneasy some time later when a call came from Cecily (the beneficiary of his latest assignment) informing him of a visit to the house by the local CID. A neighbour had reported seeing an unknown man at the house during the days immediately prior to the fatal accident, and further enquiries had revealed the name of his company on an advertising sticker in the rear window of his car.
Back home, he had no option but to sit tight and wait for the enquiries to hit a dead end, but when a connection was made back to Rosemary and then Jennifer things took a turn for the worse. He received a visit from Inspector Dennis Marks, head of homicide and his sergeant Peter Spencer. Questions as to his relationship to Jennifer Riley and Rosemary Davidson were detailed and lengthy, but any evidence of a connection beyond that of a business deal for double glazing was circumstantial at best and the detectives left with nothing more than when they had arrived. Still, Marks had started to get one of his feelings that there was more to this then some randy salesman and a few desperate housewives. Like all criminals Marsh would slip up, they all did in the end and it would just be a case of putting the pieces together.
David decided to take the rest of the week off, and left a message for Roger at work to say that he would be back in on the following Monday. When that day came he returned to the office to discover that Harding had, himself, decided to take a leave of absence but had left no indication as to his proposed date of return. Initially this was no cause for concern, but when he switched on his laptop and accessed his private files Marsh got the shock of his life. His on-line offshore account had been emptied of its entire contents including the newly received funds from Cecily - a total of £450,000 and a call to Roger's flat was redirected to the House Manager's office where he was informed that Mr Harding had vacated the premises the previous week without leaving a forwarding address.
He put the telephone back down in its cradle as his attention had now been drawn to flashing blue lights outside the office window. Two police patrol cars had pulled up behind an unmarked vehicle from which DI Marks was exiting with a smile on his face. They entered the salesman's office to find him sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.
"They all screw up in the end, Mr Marsh. Overconfidence breeds sloppiness - what made you think that a hole drilled through a ladder rung wouldn't be spotted? I'm sure that the power drill we found in your victim's garage will match it. I said to my sergeant that it would only be a matter of time. We already have statements from the three ladies concerned implicating you in all of the deaths. You'd better be coming along with us. Cuff him please constable."
As he sat in the squad car on its way back to the station, David pondered upon the irony of being caught as a result of the only death of the three for which he was not responsible. He wouldn't even have the comfort of knowing that he had £450,000 waiting for him when he eventually did come out of gaol.
Copyright 2008 Philip Neale |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 13 August 2008 ) |
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