Please excuse the delay in posting this chapter but this was due to undforeseen circumstances. DISCLAIMER:
This is a story. None of the characters in the story exist and the events that take place are purely imaginary.
WARNING:
Do not read this story if you are in any way offended by acts of a homosexual nature.
Do not read this if you are under the legal age for accessing adult sites.
Always indulge in safe sex.
Chapter 4
While Kenny and Andy's day had started well and got better, the Commander's had started badly and did not improve much at all. Martin had hardly got off to sleep before the telephone ringing awaked him. Although his partner, Tom, stirred next to him, Martin got up quickly, knowing that the call was unlikely to be for anyone but him. He was right and he heard the voice of Superintendent Ron Alder,
"I'm sorry, sir, but somehow the press have got hold of Nick Trafford's name and we are being pestered from a statement. I'm trying to hold the line that we have not yet completed the formalities but they won't swallow that for much longer."
Martin knew that his deputy was right and, as he pulled on his clothes, he glanced at the time and then responded,
"You're perfectly correct, Ron. Tell them, I will make a formal statement at Scotland Yard in thirty minutes. That should still catch the last edition of the papers and be early enough for breakfast radio and television. I'm on my way."
Martin leaned down and kissed his lover and then went to the front door and quietly let himself out and, unusually for him, took the car and drove himself to Central London. By the time the Commander arrived a large number of members of the media had already gathered and some shouted questions at him as he drove into the parking area. Martin remained silent and went straight to the Press Unit and was met there by Ron Alder who looked somewhat upset by the course of events. Noticing this, the Commander said quietly,
"Nobody's to blame, it was bound to happen. I'd have liked more time but I doubt if we'll ever find out whether it was a careless remark by someone at the scene or simply good investigative stuff from the journalists. I won't say much now but give them enough to write their story. Let's go and face the wolves!!"
Martin entered the room to a battery of lights and the flash of cameras and then he read a short statement,
"Although we are still officially awaiting formal identification, I am now prepared to confirm that we believe the body found last night on Hampstead heath was that of Mr Nick Trafford, MP. We found a wallet and a House of Commons pass bearing his name among the effects on the body. I wish to extend our sympathy to the family of Mr Trafford who have been kept informed of developments and to his friends and parliamentary colleagues. At present I do not have anything further to add. However, I would like again to appeal to anyone who was in the area between seven and nine o'clock last night, regardless of why they were there, to come forward and please get in touch either directly with us or with your local police. It is possible that someone may not realise it but they could be in possession of what to them seems a trivial piece of information but which could prove to be vital information that could help us catch the killer. Thank you."
Immediately there was a clamour from the journalists but gradually a semblance of order broke out and Martin responded to the questions,
"Commander, do you know how Mr Trafford died?"
"We are obviously awaiting the findings of the post mortem but all indications are that he suffered a severe blow to the head."
Commander, do you know why the gay MP was up on Hampstead Heath? Was he cruising for sex?"
Martin frowned at the person who shouted this question and recognised a journalist from one of the more sensationalist tabloids and his mind imagined the lurid headlines that his answer was likely to produce however carefully he phrased his answer. After a pause the senior policeman responded,
"At present we have no idea why Mr Trafford was where he was. We do know that he was expecting to speak at a meeting elsewhere in North London a little later in the evening. If there is anyone out there who is aware of a prior meeting we would be grateful if they would get in touch. As for your second question, obviously we are not in a position to rule out any possibility at this stage but I find the idea that Mr Trafford was using the Heath to engage in sexual activities not a very likely explanation of his presence."
The journalist persisted,
"But you can't rule it out?"
Martin sounded irritated as he replied,
"No, I just said I'm not ruling anything out and, of course, the post mortem will indicate whether the victim had been involved in recent sexual activity. I am prepared to speculate at this time but I will say that the evidence at the crime scene did not point in the direction that you are asking about."
Another journalist entered the fray,
"Are you saying there was no evidence to support the theory that he was cruising?"
Martin regretted even allowing questions and wanted to cut matters short,
"What I am saying is that Mr Trafford was fully clothed when he was found and that we discovered no obvious evidence of sexual activity. We are as aware as you are of the purpose that some people have for going to the Heath but nothing points in that direction as far as this victim is concerned at the present time. Again, these matters cannot be conclusively determined until the results of the post mortem examination. I will give as much information as I can once that has been completed. Thank you, gentlemen."
Martin folded his paper and left the room ignoring further shouted question and returned rather in rather low spirits to the Press Unit. The Commander could already see the sensational headlines in the tabloids and this depressed him. Martin's pessimism was not misplaced. The last editions of the papers were delivered to the Press Unit and the tabloid headlines were as the Commander had predicted.
One headline read, quite moderately,
'BLACK, GAY LEFT WING MP FOUND MURDERED ON HAMPSTEAD HEATH'
However another read,
'WAS MURDERED GAY BLACK MP "CRUSING"?'
The tabloid headline was followed by a sub heading that ran,
'TOP MET COMMANDER "CANNOT RULE OUT POSSIBILITY"'
Martin inwardly groaned and the prurience of the coverage and the lack of balance. The carefully crafted appeals for people to come forward and give information had been ignored and Martin knew that many potential witnesses would be scared off by the possibility of unwanted publicity and in his heart of hearts the Commander could not blame them.
Martin had intended to attend the Nick Trafford's post mortem, which had been scheduled for early that morning and he wanted Mark Jamieson to come along with him. This would leave Mike Rickwood free to remain in command of the search for evidence from the scene of crime. However, the second unpleasant surprise of the day saw the Commander forced to make a radical change of plan. A summons came from the Commissioner requesting Martin to attend at meeting at which the Home Secretary would also be present and which was scheduled to start half an hour before the post mortem. The Commander had no option other than to ask Mark to go to the hospital and for the Superintendent to take another senior officer with him to attend as well. Meanwhile, Martin would have to be in the meeting with the Home Secretary and the Commissioner and he wondered what could be so urgent that his presence was needed at such an early hour. As soon as he arrived at the meeting, the Commander got the answer to his question. Sitting alongside Sir Thomas Brown and James Broadbent was another man whom Martin recognised. He was Donald Gough who was a member of Special Branch and a man who had crossed swords with the Commander on a number of occasions and between who there was a fair degree of animosity. Having offered the Commander a coffee, which he gratefully accepted, he Commissioner began the meeting,
"I don't think there is any need for introductions and we all know why we are here, so I want to get on as quickly as possible. The Home Secretary asked Donald Gough to come today because Special Branch have some information which may be of use in the investigation of Nick Trafford's murder. Perhaps you would care to share it with us, Donald?"
The Special Branch officer looked at the other three and then opened a small document case and withdrew a file before he spoke,
"As you may be aware, we have a role in the vetting and investigation of people who are being considered for promotion to the Government and Nick Trafford was certainly a `rising star' as far as some members of the present administration are concerned. Obviously they want to know about any skeletons that might embarrass the Party or the government. As things stand, Mr Trafford had a very colourful and controversial past but all out in the open, so the fact that he was gay, left wing and into various campaigning causes was well known. Whatever we might think about them, he appeared to be squeaky clean in the narrow sense of the investigation except for one thing. At very irregular intervals over the past few months, he has disappeared for a day or maybe two and we have not been able to find out where he goes or what he does. We tried to follow him but he always seemed to give us the slip. It is possible he was killed because of what he was doing on these mysterious days away. In the file I have here are details of the days and times of these occurrences and it has been agreed that in the circumstances you should be given access to the information."
Donald Gough slid the file down the table towards Martin who gave a grim smile of thanks but before he could respond, James Broadbent was speaking,
"As Home Secretary I have authorised this disclosure Martin as evidence of my wish for you to be unfettered in your investigation of the murder. I have also cleared it with the Palace of Westminster authorities that they will offer you and senior members of your team, specifically Superintendent Jamieson and Chief Inspector Rickwood, their full cooperation and assistance in getting into the Palace and MPs officers should that be necessary. Perhaps I ought to tell you that I saw Nick Trafford last night immediately after he had spoken in the House. I invited him to join me for dinner but he said he was going to speak at some party meeting. So he was alive and well in Westminster about eight o'clock. It's not clear to me why he was in Hampstead, I thought he said his meeting was somewhere further north. I guess you thought of that as well didn't you, Commander? I'm sure you did. Don't want to interfere in your conduct of the case but there is one other factor that I am concerned about and that is that the name leaked out so quickly, especially as I seemed to be reassured last night that it would be kept under wraps so to speak for as long as possible. Do you know yet how this happened?"
The Commissioner's initial smile faded and he glared across the room for a second before once again, beaming at the other three as he responded,
"Thank you, Home Secretary, your support and assistance are much appreciated as I am sure the Commander would agree. We, on our part, will make every effort to unravel the mystery and expose the murderer as quickly as we can. Maybe that will put an end to the kind of headlines in today's morning papers, we can but hope!! In the meantime I feel sure that we will do our best to stop any leaks at our end and investigate the leak that has already taken place. Don't you agree, Martin?"
It was clearly Martin's turn to speak and so he made his guarded response,
"First of all, Donald, thank you for the file and also, thank you Home Secretary, for the arrangements you have put in place. I am grateful. Secondly, I agree with you, sir. In my view, the press have been less than helpful and I am concerned that they will scare off potential witnesses but I suppose they have an agenda of their own. I will, of course, try to find out if anyone from our team is responsible for the early release of the victim's name but I doubt if we will ever know for certain. I will ask Ron Alder to investigate and report back but it may not have been deliberate and it may not even have come from our side at all and merely been the result of a lucky guess or good investigative journalism. As far as the investigation is concerned, I can promise you that my team and I will do our best to resolve this matter quickly even though at present we have not much evidence to go on. The autopsy is taking place about now and that should hopefully put an end to some of the more lurid press speculation. I have Mark Jamieson attending that and I expect we will have some preliminary results quite soon. I will obviously be talking to Mr Trafford's office staff today and also to the other MP, David Newman and his staff as they shared the office with him. In light of the information from Donald and the file he has given us I will follow up on the information in the dossier and if possible I will be make a renewed appeal for witnesses based on the dates and places mentioned in there. Finally, Chief Inspector Mike Rickwood has a team out on Hampstead Heath combing the area for possible clues, any and other evidence such as the murder weapon and searching out witnesses. Naturally, I will report any developments to you, sir, as soon as I can. I assume that you will want to brief the home secretary personally but naturally I will be happy to attend should you wish"
Sir Thomas Brown again smiled at the group but it was clear that the meeting was coming to an end and Martin and Donald Gough got up to leave. James Broadbent, however, remained seated and said,
"There are one or two other matters I need to discuss with the Commissioner and as I'm here I thought it best to do them now but I can say this, Martin, I have told Sir Thomas that any additional resources you need should be put at your disposal. I'm sure I speak for everyone in the government when I say we would like this matter resolved as soon as possible and, I know I don't have to add, as tactfully as possible too!"
Martin nodded and as he left smiled and said,
"Of course."
Outside the room, Martin and Donald walked down the corridor, a wary silence bordering on hostility clouding them as they went. Martin eventually broke the strained silence and said,
"Is there anything else that your lot has got on Mr Trafford that I can or ought to know about?"
The Special Branch officer stopped and turned to look the Commander in the eye and responded, coldly,
"Nothing that is not already public knowledge, only what is in the file. What I said in the meeting was all we have. It is unfortunate that we were not able to solve the riddle of his disappearing act. I hope that you have better luck, I honestly do. I don't know if I'll be involved again in this case. I doubt it somehow. Anyway, good luck and, even though I cannot say that we are sorry to see the back of Trafford who seemed to us to be a dangerous man and not the sort to be in government, I hope you catch whoever did it."
"Thanks for that. I have a feeling I'm going to need all the luck I can get especially as I'll be under a lot of press and political pressure."
Without another word, Donald Gough left Scotland Yard and Martin returned to his office, calling first to see whether Ron Alder had any news. There was nothing more to report a summary of media coverage to date was being prepared and the Commander would receive it shortly. Martin acknowledged the efforts being made but motioned the Superintendent into his office and closed the door and said,
"I'm sorry to have to lumber you with this as well but the Commissioner wants a report on whether we were responsible for the early release of Nick Trafford's name to the press. I told him I doubted that we would ever know but I think we need to be able to provide him with some evidence to support that. I guess you better ask the men who were on duty at the murder scene last night and do a bit of digging. The leak could have come from anywhere or, as I said to Commissioner, it could have resulted from good journalism or a lucky guess. Do your best but I'll be happy if the result turns out to be inconclusive. On the other hand, if we do have someone on the team who is leaking information, then I want to know so that we can deal with it effectively and stop it right now!"
Ron Alder acknowledged his senior officer's request with a sigh but knew that Martin had no alternative and that if his last statement was correct and there was someone leaking information that might compromise the investigation, then it was vital they were discovered and dealt with.
While Martin had been with the Commissioner, Superintendent Mark Jamieson had invited Inspector Alison Young, Aly to her friends, to go with him to attend Nick Trafford's post mortem examination. Aly was a recent addition to the squad. Six months ago she had met the Superintendent at a training course prior to which she had taken the common view among the majority of Metropolitan Police officers that the Special and Sensitive cases squad was a mysterious group of weirdoes, led by an openly gay Commander. It was true that Martin Roberts was also regarded with some degree of admiration for his culture, intellect and caring attitude and as an officer that got results but, even so, the squad was not seen as a suitable career move for an ambitious officer. The meeting with Mark had changed Aly's attitude and she had decided to apply for a posting as soon as an appropriate opening became available. To her own surprise and perhaps some of her colleagues, she gained acceptance into the squad as one of its new Inspectors. Aly joined the squad at about the same time that it was announced that Mark Jamieson would be taking over the day-to-day running of it. Inspector Young was a woman of medium build, with a good complexion and a small well-proportioned face. What Martin noticed and Mark as well was that behind the innocent smile there was a sharp brain and a pair of shrewd and knowing eyes. Although not pretty Aly had an attractive quality that appealed to many different kinds of men She dressed smartly and looked quite formidable when she chose to be but was also sensitive and had a caring streak that Mark had identified at their first meeting, a characteristic that had led him to press Martin to appoint her. The Commander, aware that he would soon lose his immediate control of the squad, was happy to agree with his friend's recommendation.
When she was approached to go to the hospital with the Superintendent, Aly's heart had practically missed a beat and she could have bit Mark's hand off. This was her first really big assignment and, in less than no time after joining the squad, here she was, accompanying the Superintendent to the autopsy of the victim of the most highly publicised murder case in the country.
The pathologist, Stephanie Fox, was in many ways the opposite of what you would expect. She was a small woman, rather over weight for her age. She had a stern face that screwed up as she concentrated on the work in hand. She did not suffer fools gladly and was widely regarded as a bit of a dragon and very few technicians, photographers or even junior doctors ever seemed pleased to be assigned to work with her. On the other hand, Stephanie was a real expert and little if anything escaped her enquiring mind. If you wanted an autopsy done to perfection then you could not do better than have it performed by this pathologist. Dr Fox had already begun the examination by the time the two Police officers arrived and Mark and Aly stood at one edge of the room nearest the examination table as the doctor continued with her work. Stephanie spoke authoritatively to her assistants and into the microphone that was used to record her observations. She had nodded a brief greeting to Mark on his arrival and had also taken in and made a small acknowledgement of the new face that accompanied him. Mark took the opportunity to formally introduce Alison Young and Stephanie paused, smiled and nodded again before returning to the work in hand. As she did so, the pathologist said,
"No real need to update you on the time of death, it was around nine last night. Your men were on the scene I would say only a few minutes after he died and the person that found him was there even quicker. The cause of death is also obvious, a head wound. I can also tell you that the victim died as a result of being struck with a single blow from a small, heavy object. The weapon was made out of metal -- there are no traces of wood -- it was rounded and he was hit from behind and above. I would also say that Mr Nick Trafford's killer was right handed and that he knew exactly what he was doing. The victim was probably killed a short distance from where he was found and then dragged under the tree. It's possible the killer hoped that the body would not be discovered until the morning."
Mark spoke for the first time,
"Do you mean when you say that the killer knew what they were doing that it was a professional hit?"
"I can't say that, Superintendent, as you well know. I'd say that's a matter for you and your colleagues to find out as a result of your investigations, but what I can say is that the killer knew exactly where to hit to cause instant or near instant death."
Martin smiled and changed the subject,
"Anything else you can tell me? Were there any signs of drugs or too much to drink? What about food, can you say when he last ate? What about sex?"
A slight note of exasperation entered the pathologist's voice as she responded,
"Oh Superintendent, you always ask far too many questions! I've sent bloods off for testing and we should get the results back by later today. I found no puncture marks to the skin so if he did take drugs it would have been orally. I will also let you know about that and the food but you know what politicians are like, they're like your lot, eat on the hoof as and when they can. As for sex, no obvious or immediate signs for example on his clothing whether there are any other signs will have to await a fuller examination of the body but that also will be in my report. Given the angle the media are taking I expect that is your main current interest as well. So if you don't mind I'll get on with the rest of my examination. You're welcome to stay, of course, either of both of you, but if you have more pressing matters I won't be offended if you go. Give the Commander my warmest best wishes and tell him that I'll do my best to get as full a report as possible to him by the end of the day."
Mark smiled as he received the answer given in the doctor's most formidable style and indicated that he and Aly would indeed be leaving by saying,
"Thanks for that, Dr Fox, I certainly will pass on both messages and we will indeed look forward to reading the report. I will take you up on the offer to leave but if you need us urgently you can always give me a call."
The pathologist did not rise to the bait but instead resumed her examination, directing her assistant as the Y-incision was made. Mark motioned to Aly and the two police officers made a silent withdrawal from the autopsy room. The Inspector who had watched the exchange somewhat open mouthed spoke for the first time,
"Is she always like that, sir?"
Mark grinned and said,
"That was mild, Aly! You should see her when she's really annoyed!! But she'll do a great job and it will be thorough and informative. I think we ought to let Mike Rickwood know that we are not looking for a bloodstained piece of wood any more. I think his group should be split between searching the immediate area and doing house-to-house calls looking for witnesses. Would you get onto him and say I suggested that, please? I'm going to see what happened at the Commander's meeting this morning."
"Yes, sir", the Inspector responded and immediately fished out her phone and called Mike,
"Hello, sir, it's Aly. The Superintendent has asked me to let you know that the pathologist says that Mr Trafford was killed by a blow from by a metal object, so there is no need to waste time looking for a wooden club. The doctor also says that he may have been dragged a few yards from where he was killed and then left under the tree in the hope of being undiscovered until the morning. Mr Jamieson suggests that you have another search around and pinpoint the spot where the victim dies, and then after you've given that a thorough examination, scale down the search for clues and do more house-to-house calls." Mike responded cautiously,
"OK, Aly if that's what Mark and Martin want. I've already got quite a few local guys doing the house calls and there may still be something around here to find but I'll send a few more off to join them and after we've completed the final finger search I'll come back to the Yard. Hope to see you later this afternoon."
Aly said quietly down the phone,
"OK, sir, thanks and I'm glad you didn't blame the messenger!"
Mike had spent most of the morning supervising the combing of the area near where the body had been found. He had already discovered and examined the most likely area where the murder had taken place and his men had examined every inch of ground within a wide radius of the spot but had turned up little of value and nothing that pointed to the identity of the killer. The enquiries around the neighbourhood had also produced little of interest. A lot of people living in the neighbourhood had either been out or, if they had been in the area, had remained inside their homes and had seen and heard nothing out of the ordinary. Mike had expected little from these house-to-house enquiries and was not surprised that the results had been so unforthcoming. He was desperate to return to Scotland Yard and join the others in what he hoped would be the more exciting and fruitful avenues of investigation. However, he knew he had to stay until every house had been contacted or the decision was taken to abandon this approach for the time being.
At Scotland Yard, Martin Roberts had returned to his office and had decide that he would start to find out more about Mr Trafford's political interests and was planning to visit the dead MP's parliamentary office where his political researcher was expecting a call. Sitting on his desk was a large envelope addressed to the Commander and he opened it to find the promised passes for the Palace of Westminster. Three individual passes were in the envelope along with three separate letters from the Palace authorities indicating the rights and privileges afforded to the holder of the pass as well as a copy of the letter from the Home Secretary requesting the arrangement for the senior police investigators. Martin took his pass and carefully stored the remaining two in his safe where they would await the return of the other two recipients. The Commander expected that Mark Jamieson would return first as, of old, Martin knew that the pathologist liked to work on her own. As if on cue, the phone on the desk began to ring and the Commander answered it,
"Martin Roberts."
At the other end of the line, Mark responded to the familiar voice in a cheery manner,
"We've been dismissed from the presence of Stephanie Fox and Alison and I are on our way back to the Yard. We are looking for a metal object not a wooden club. I've told Mike Rickwood and he's going to concentrate on a final search and then do more house-to-house. Shall I come in to see you when I get there? Have you anything for Alison to do?"
"Yes to both, Mark", the Commander responded, "Ask Alison to go up and join Mike on Hampstead Heath and help him work that angle. I want them back later because I want to have a meeting to thrash out how we proceed. You and I will visit the late MP's office and chat to his staff."
Twenty minutes later, Martin and Mark were approaching the parliamentary office of the late Nick Trafford and they paused outside the door. Mark knocked and a muffled voice shouted for them to enter. The office was small and both senior officers were surprised to see two desks cramped inside the limited space. At one desk sat a small, dark haired woman and opposite her at the other desk sat two men. From the briefing notes he had read beforehand and the information he had received the night before from the officers that had contacted the dead man's researcher the Commander assumed correctly that the woman was Diana Robinson. Smiling grimly, Martin stretched out a hand and said,
"Diana Robinson? Please accept my condolences on the death of Mr Trafford. You may be interested to know that he was my constituency MP and I am sure that many of my fellow electors will share this moment of grief and distress."
Ms Robinson took the Commander's hand and Martin felt a rather limp grasp as she struggled with her own emotions. However, the researcher recovered quickly and said,
"Thank you, Commander. As you can see, Nick shared an office with a colleague. May I introduce David Newman, MP and his researcher, Colin Smart."
The two men stood and shook hands and Martin was slightly surprised by the MP's appearance. He was young looking, hardly more than thirty and taller than the Commander had expected, with light, almost blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. After a few moments hesitation, David Newman said,
"I understand that you'll want to speak to Diana alone. We'll make ourselves scarce for a while but I will need to be back here shortly as I have some things that need to be attended to urgently."
Martin smiled and responded,
"Thank you, Mr Newman, I am grateful and I'll try not to keep you from your work longer than I have to, but I would like to talk to you as well if I may. However that can wait until after I have spoken to Miss Robinson here. Could you and Mr Smart spare us a few minutes before we leave?"
The MP looked back at the senior investigating officer and said seriously,
"Of course Colin and I will be available. Anything we can do to help solve this terrible crime we will gladly do."
After the MP and his researcher had left, Martin and Mark sat where they had been sitting and the Superintendent asked gently,
"When did you last see Mr Trafford?"
Diana Robinson spoke softly in reply,
"About four-thirty yesterday afternoon. He was about to go into the House to speak in the debate. He told me not to wait around for him, as he was out that evening, so I did some more correspondence spoke to the party office in the constituency and left about five-fifteen. I got home about an hour later and the first I knew anything was wrong was when someone from your investigation contacted me late last evening."
Mark nodded and then said,
"Do you know what Mr Trafford was doing last night?"
Again Diana smiled slightly and then replied,
"As you probably know, Superintendent, one of his engagements was a debate with your Commander about the merits of the Government's new bill on Policing and Criminal Justice. Before that he was scheduled to speak at a meeting of Labour activists in North London. I believe he left the House shortly after he had finished speaking, I don't know where he went after that, there's nothing in the diary apart from the meeting I told you about."
Mark appeared to accept the explanation offered at this time. Although he could see that Martin was not entirely satisfied, the Superintendent changed the subject,
"Obviously Mr Trafford was interested in the current legislation about the police and criminal justice but can you tell me whether he had any other major projects that you were investigating on his behalf or that he, himself was investigating?"
Diana looked straight back and said without emotion,
"There were always constituency matters to be looked into and visits and tours of Parliament to be organised both of which duties I shared those between myself and the constituency office. Nick is, sorry was, deeply interested in immigration and civil rights issues and he had a number of general matters he was investigating recently, but most of our effort was on the legislation you mentioned, that took up quite a lot of time."
Marin intervened for the first time,
"So, Ms Robinson, you have no idea where Mr Trafford went on any of the following days this year, March 3 and 4, April 23 and 24, May 10, June 14 and 15 and, most recently October 20 and 21?"
If Diana Robinson had felt any surprise at the Commander's question, she did not register it and he voice was as steady as before when she replied,
"I can't be sure but I think those were the same dates that the other policeman, the man from Special Branch, asked about a few weeks ago. I told him then and I will tell you the same thing, there is nothing in the diary for that particular day and Nick never mentioned to me any engagements that he had on those days. I knew most of his programme of visits but he may have made other arrangements that I did not know about."
Martin picked up on the last point and asked,
"Do you mean personal or political activities?"
The political assistant again seemed unperturbed by the question,
"I am his political assistant, not his social secretary. I was referring to political activities. As an MP something can come up that needs some work done on it and only the elected member can deal with the matter. Sometimes he would tell me about things like that but, if I was working on another matter he might not."
The Commander looked less than satisfied by Diana's response and said,
"Are you saying you knew nothing of Mr Trafford's activities when he was absent on these days? I would remind you that we are looking into your employer's death. You might have wanted to say what you have just said to Special Branch, I can understand that, but now that sadly Mr Trafford is dead, you can be more forthcoming. I would also assure you that, unless the matter is directly relevant to our enquiries, the information you give us will go no further than myself and Superintendent Jamieson."
Until this moment, Diana Robinson had looked stonily back at her interrogators but, for the first time, there was strain and emotion showing in her face and her voice began to crack as she replied,
"Commander, I have told you all I know. If I knew more I would willingly share it with you, but I don't. I'd like to believe your assurance that anything I did tell you would remain confidential but judging by today's headlines I'm not so sure."
Martin nodded and in part accepted the rebuke but he needed to ask one last question,
"Can you shed any light at all as to why Mr Trafford was on Hampstead Heath last night, given that it was not on the direct route to his meeting?"
The political assistant had regained her composure and sadly shook her head,
"No, Commander, I can't think of any reason at all. I only wish I could!"
It was clear that, for the time being, there was nothing more that the two senior police officers could learn from Diana Robinson and Martin indicated that this was the case,
"Thank you, Ms Robinson, I'm sorry if the questioning has been distressing. Please if you remember anything, however trivial it might seem to you but which you think might be of use, get in touch with me. Here's my card."
Diana Robinson took the offered card and Martin said, sympathetically,
"I really am sorry about Mr Trafford's death. He was a good MP and, as I said earlier, he will be missed. Would you mind if we used this office to talk to David Newman?"
The dead MP's political researcher nodded her head and rose slowly, Martin stretched out his hand and Diana shook it with rather a weak grip. Then she was gone and, after a few minutes, David Newman stepped back into the office and said,
"Thank you for seeing me now, Commander, I am grateful as I have another important meeting in a short while, which I can't really miss. I expect that you would like me to tell you what I know about Nick. Well, I suppose it will seem strange for me to say this, but he and I were the greatest of friends, despite the fact that we disagreed on almost everything. Nick was on the radical left wing of the party, gay and a sympathiser with the Palestinian cause, whereas I'm a middle of the road `New Labour', married with a family and a supporter of Israel. People found it strange that I would want to talk to him, let alone share an office with him. But, of course, we were elected on the same day and I hadn't met him but knew of him and, when we did bump into each other, there was a sort of chemistry between us that made us click, even though, in our different ways, we were potential future rivals. I found that Nick was the most engaging, annoying man I had ever met but he was brilliant company, a great debater and an excellent and reliable colleague, I shall miss him greatly."
The Commander acknowledged the honesty of the response from the man who had shared an office with the dead MP, but Martin wanted to get some more specific answers,
"Would I be right in saying that Nick Trafford was a man that attracted as many enemies as he did friends?"
David Newman did not answer immediately, but then replied,
"He was a prominent MP and all politicians have enemies, some known and some unknown. However, I would say that Nick had more friends than enemies, certainly more than I have!"
Martin accepted the point and then turned to another issue,
"Did you and Mr Trafford work on any matters together?"
The MP looked back at the Commander and said,
"Very occasionally, but we were always talking about the issues of the day and problems that we were working on. There was one thing that we agreed upon and that was the new legislation about the Police and I know he was looking forward to the debate with you on the night that he died."
The senior Police Officer smiled for a moment and then responded,
"I was looking forward to it as well. However, did Mr Trafford tell you anything about his meeting prior to the debate or where he was going before that?"
David Newman shook his head and said,
"I knew he had a meeting in North London with Party members and he was planning to speak in the House before he went. I assumed he would have gone somewhere for dinner and from there on to his meeting."
Martin acknowledged the point and then said,
"He never told you of anything that he was working on that might endanger his life, or even anything that might have taken Mr Trafford to Hampstead Heath?"
Again the youthful MP paused before replying,
"No not at all. He wasn't the sort of person who went off for casual sex if that is what you're implying. I don't think he was doing anything dangerous, but, as I said, before, I didn't tell him everything and neither did he."
The Commander wrote the name down and then said,
"Thank you for that, Mr Newman. A final question before I finish. Are there any other Members of Parliament that Mr Trafford was close to that we might talk with to find out what else he might have been working on?"
David Newman smiled and said,
There were a couple of members that he was involved with Miles Youngman and Nigel Burrows, you might want to talk with them. However, I know that they aren't about today, as they both are off on some official parliamentary visit somewhere, but, when they return, they might be able to throw some light on Nick's other interests. Another thing is that he sometimes, perhaps surprisingly, also talked to his `pair', Marcus Driscoll, about things that he wouldn't talk to me about. You might want to talk to him about these sorts of things. Although old Marcus is a Tory, he can be quite friendly and I know he liked Nick very much. I also happen to know that he's in the House at the moment, so you should be able to catch him today."
Martin smiled at the young MP and drew the interview to a close.
"That has been most helpful, Mr Newman and thank you for your time. I certainly will follow up all the last leads that you have given me as soon as I can. Can you tell me how I can contact Mr Driscoll?"
David Newman stood up and walked to the door of the room and opened it, saying,
"Well, either Colin or Diana should have the number, if you'd like to ask them, they'll get it for you. I'm sorry I can't do it myself but I have to go to my urgent meeting."
Martin thanked the MP for his assistance and followed him out of the room and watched as David Newman disappeared out of the building and back into the Palace of Westminster. Half an hour later, having arranged over the telephone an appointment to see the MP, the Commander, who had been joined by his friend Superintendent Mark Jamieson, found himself in the parliamentary office of Marcus Driscoll. After the Conservative MP had invited them to sit in two very comfortable armchairs, Martin said
"Thank you for seeing me so promptly, Mr Driscoll."
The Conservative MP was older than his `pair' by at least two decades and looked as though he had lived a good life devoted to parliamentary affairs and excellent food and wine. A former junior minister, he now was reconciling himself to the fact that after a period in opposition he was unlikely to return to front line politics ever again. On the other hand, he had acquired several lucrative company directorships and was comfortably off. Taking the other chair in the room for himself, Marcus Driscoll replied to the Commander's opening remark in a slightly exaggerated, but cultured voice,
"Always happy to help the Police and even more so when it's a fellow like Nick Trafford. I liked him enormously even though I found his political views absolutely abhorrent on most points. He was good company and I accepted him as a `pair' rather than the chap he shares an office with. I didn't like that other fellow, David Newman, at all, far too pushy, if you know what I mean. His sort often are, you know."
Martin looked across at Mark and frowned. The Commander noted his friend's face started to flush with anger, but tried to signal that he did not want his friend to rise to the bait. Unaware of this, Marcus Driscoll must have caught the end of Martin's frown and mistook it for a look of puzzlement on the commander's face and so the MP added by way of explanation,
"Although he doesn't look it, David Newman is Jewish and very ambitious and happy to push people out of the way to get on. That's not just my opinion, Nick said as much to me not long ago."
Martin looked impassive as he asked,
"I see, but you're not suggesting that Mr Newman had anything to do with Mr Trafford's death are you? Wouldn't it be true to say that both men were equally ambitious and keen to get on?"
Anxious to extricate himself from the situation, Marcus Driscoll backtracked,
"I was talking metaphorically and I'm sure Nick was too. The fact that I do not much care for David Newman should not be regarded as an accusation of wrongdoing. I was merely reporting a conversation with the deceased man."
Martin moved away to another more pressing matter, asking the same question that he had put to David Newman,
"Did Mr Trafford ever tell you of anything secret that he was working on that might endanger his life?"
Marcus Driscoll looked shocked at the question and waited for a few moments before answering,
"Certainly not, Commander. I doubt if he would have told me if he had been. We always talked in very general terms, exchanged gossip and the odd criticism of colleagues but we never really got into anything so detailed."
Martin looked across at Mark and then stood up and handed the MP his card,
"Well, thank you, Mr Driscoll. It's been interesting and if you think of anything that Mr Trafford said to you that might throw some light on our investigation I'd be grateful if you could get in touch."
Martin Driscoll looked at the card and walked to the door with the two senior Police Officers,
"I'm sorry I haven't been much help so far, Commander, but rest assured that, if I think of anything that could be helpful, I'll let you know."
As soon as they were outside, Martin smiled grimly at his friend and said,
"Thanks for not losing your cool in there. I know you were very close."
Mark looked equally determined as he replied,
"Yes, I was very close. That kind of snide anti-Semitic remark makes my blood boil. Ruth has had that sort of thing all here life from people like Marcus Driscoll and it' very hurtful."
Martin sympathised with the Superintendent's point of view,
"I was surprised we didn't get some gay bashing remark as well, but then he like Nick Trafford! Anyway, let's go back to the Yard and see if anything else has turned up. I'm hoping so, because so far we haven't made much progress."
As they walked towards their offices, Mark glanced at the evening paper billboard that seemed to sum up the position rather succinctly,
GAY MP MURDER: POLICE BAFFLED.
In the opinion of the Superintendent, nothing more needed to be said.