LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 20

      It had been over five days since Father Nolan had been set on fire. Unusually, the murder was still being reported as a suicide, with limited information released to the public. The decision to do so had been justified on the grounds that the killer probably assumed that they had got away with it, and would therefore not be on their guard. Hopefully, this would increase the likelihood that they would slip up. How much longer the subterfuge would be allowed to continue was a decision well above Warren’s paygrade.

      However, although Warren and Grayson ran a tight ship at Middlesbury, the number of seconded officers involved was rising rapidly, increasing the risk of a leak that the death was suspicious. And if the investigators themselves didn’t let something slip, how long would it be before members of staff and residents at the abbey started to question the ongoing presence of so many police and forensics officers?

      In those five days, a lot had been accomplished, but after the first flurry of activity, the team was starting to get into a routine. It would be unfair to say that they were in a slump, but Warren knew that they could end up that way if he wasn’t careful. Fortunately, this morning’s briefing had two new, exciting leads.

      Warren passed over to Moray Ruskin.

      ‘This is Lucas Furber, a new potential suspect. On January the ninth he gained entry to the abbey grounds and threatened both Deacon Baines and Rodney Shaw. He was clearly intoxicated and may have been suffering from mental health problems.

      ‘Significantly, he seems to have something against religion, specifically Christianity, although we have no evidence either way about his views on other religions. Witnesses reported that he was shouting about them all being “hypocrites”. It is also claimed that he accused them of “knowing about it” and “doing nothing” and telling them to “seek forgiveness”. We don’t know as yet what he was referring to.’

      ‘Are we sure it’s specific to religion and not just authority generally, or the world at large?’ asked Hutchinson.

      ‘Priests wearing dog collars seem to be a specific trigger for him. Apparently, the confrontation in the abbey grounds escalated significantly when Baines arrived on the scene – the arresting officers have confirmed that his dog collar was visible. A minister at the Middlesbury Outreach Centre told me that Furber seemed uncomfortable when he wore his collar, and that he too had been abused by Furber when he was under the influence. Again, he said that he would “burn in hell.”’

      ‘We should look into his past and see if there are any links between him and some of these cases of abuse that are becoming public knowledge,’ said Sutton.

      Was it Warren’s imagination, or did he look satisfied that his stated distrust of the church might actually be justified?

      Warren gave himself a mental shake, ashamed at even thinking such a thing.

      ‘Well, he certainly sounds like someone we should be interviewing,’ said Richardson. ‘Any idea where he is?’

      ‘Unfortunately, no,’ replied Ruskin. ‘The last reported sighting was early January, when he was kicked out of his accommodation. Assuming he’s still in Middlesbury, he’s either sleeping rough or using one of the shelters. I’ve organised a team of community support officers and homeless outreach volunteers to try and track him down.’

      ‘Excellent work, Moray,’ said Warren. ‘Next up, the groundsman Rodney Shaw. He was already a person of interest given his previous convictions and unconfirmed reports that he was heard arguing with Father Nolan. That wasn’t much more than gossip, however a witness in a bookmaker frequented by both men reported an uncomfortable meeting between the two of them; CCTV footage from the bookie is being processed to confirm this. It’s possible that Shaw was ashamed to be seen there and might have tried to silence Father Nolan.’

      Warren looked around the room.

      ‘So far it’s pretty tenuous, but last night Mags found that he was lying about his whereabouts on the night of the fire. It’s far too soon to pull him in for questioning yet, we don’t want to tip him off, but I want to know what he was doing that night and why he lied about it.’

      ‘Could he and Furber have been working together?’ asked Pymm.

      ‘Interesting idea, look into any links between the two men,’ said Warren

      ‘Shaw has historic drug convictions, perhaps they know each other that way?’ suggested Pymm.

      ‘Maybe,’ conceded Warren, ‘although witnesses to the confrontation in the abbey grounds gave no indication that they knew each other then. In fact, it seemed to be quite a violent encounter. However, that was nearly two months ago; much can change in that time.’