Hope to Die

‘What I think we can all agree,’ I say carefully, ‘is that right now we have a lot of theories and very few facts. We don’t know what this man was doing there, we don’t know if they were expecting him and we don’t know how or why he ended up dead. They could even have lured him there with the express intention of killing him.’

General murmurs of demurral here, and I get it – I find that hard to believe too – but we can’t afford to close down any possibilities. Not yet.

I wait for the noise to settle. ‘But whatever the answers to those questions, in my opinion they all point to the same conclusion: they knew him. Even though they’ve flatly denied it, they knew who he was.’

I look round, drilling down the point. ‘There’s a connection between these people – there has to be. If we can establish what that is, we’ll find out why he’s dead. And that means finding out who the hell he is.’

Gis makes a face. ‘Easier said than done, though, boss. We can hardly put his picture in the paper.’

‘So let’s find some other way,’ I reply, over a couple of ghoulish wisecracks. ‘Starting with how he got to Gantry Manor in the first place. It’s miles from anywhere and he had no car.’

‘Unless the Swanns moved it?’ asks Sargent.

Baxter’s shaking his head. ‘There wouldn’t have been time – not with all that laundry they were doing.’

I nod towards him. ‘Right. So no car and I doubt very much he was on foot. Not at that time of night, down an unlit lane. So what does that leave us with? A cab?’

Quinn nods. ‘That’d be my bet.’

Gis turns to him. ‘I guess I could get the Oxford Mail to run a follow-up based on that.’

Ten minutes later Gis has nearly finished doling out tomorrow’s tasks and the room is starting to clear, but I’m still at the whiteboard.

‘What is it?’ says Quinn, appearing at my shoulder. My first assumption is that he just wants to get an inside track Gis doesn’t have, but I check myself. It’s all too easy to treat Quinn like a cliché, largely because he spends so much time acting like one. But there’s more to him than that, all the same.

I gesture towards the pictures of Swann and his wife. ‘Make sure someone’s doing some digging on these two as well, will you?’

He nods. ‘OK, I can do that.’ He hesitates. ‘Any particular reason?’

I shake my head. ‘Nothing specific. I just can’t shake the feeling I’ve seen them somewhere before.’

* * *

Oxford Mail online

Monday 22 October 2018 Last updated at 16:44

Police appeal for witnesses in relation to fatal Wytham shooting

Thames Valley Police have issued an appeal to anyone who might be able to help them identify a man who was shot dead at Wytham last night. Officers were called to an isolated property on Ock Lane, on the outskirts of the village, after a member of the public reportedly heard gunfire emanating from the property.

Detective Sergeant Chris Gislingham told us: ‘We do not know who this man was, or how he travelled to Wytham last night. He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, and he must have friends and family who are concerned about his whereabouts. That’s why it’s important we identify him as soon as possible. We’re particularly interested in hearing from any taxi or minicab drivers who might have dropped off a male passenger in Ock Lane yesterday evening. You can contact us in confidence on 01865 0966552, or at the TVP social media feeds.’

DS Gislingham declined to comment on the circumstances that led to the victim’s death, or on reports that the shooting was the result of a burglary gone wrong. The identity of the householders has not been made public, but neighbours have said they are an elderly couple who have lived at the property for at least ten years. ‘They seem like very respectable people,’ said one neighbour, who asked not to be named. ‘They keep themselves very much to themselves. They must have been terrified, at their age, finding an intruder in the house at that time of night. I mean, it’s everyone’s worst nightmare, isn’t it?’

DS Gislingham advised anyone with concerns about their home security to download the Thames Valley Home Security Guide at https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/police-forces/thames-valley-police/areas/advice/home-security-guide/.

* * *

Telephone interview with Suresh Gupta

22 October 2018, 6.15 p.m.

On the call, DCT. Hansen

TH: CID, DC Hansen speaking.

SG: I’m ringing about that bloke – the one at the station, yeah?

TH: I’m sorry – I’m not sure –

SG: That story on the Oxford Mail website? My brother-in-law saw it and showed it me. It said to ring if you’d picked him up.

TH: Oh, I see, hold on a moment, let me get a pen. What’s your name, sir?

SG: Suresh Gupta – I’m on the cab rank at the station.

TH: And the number you’re calling from is the best one to contact you on?

SG: What? OK, right, yeah, it’s my mobile.