The Doll's House

O’Connor finally indicated that Lynch should sit down. ‘I’m all ears, Lynch.’


‘It seems the relationship between Becon and Hamilton’s widow was strained. She would have been more inclined to take the money from Jenkins than Becon.’

‘Sounds like this is going back to what Deborah Gahan said.’

‘There were certainly rumours about Jenkins and Lavinia Hamilton being close.’

‘So why did Becon want to play the hero?’

‘I don’t know, but three out of the four of them are now dead.’

‘Which shines a very bright light on Alister Becon, even if it is only rumours.’

‘He’s not an easy man to get answers out of, sir.’

‘Politicians rarely are, Lynch. But he won’t be playing games with us. He’s right in my firing line. It could also tie in with Kate’s theory about there being other players in the field. Alister Becon would be an interesting addition to the mix.’

Standing up, O’Connor walked across the room to clear his thinking. ‘We might not be the only ones with Becon in our sights.’

‘The killer, you mean?’

‘Yeah, the killer – or there’s another possibility, getting back to Kate’s theory.’

‘The guy’s description doesn’t fit. He’s a lot shorter than Jenkins, and I doubt he would be capable of bringing either Jenkins or Gahan down.’

‘Lynch, his types rarely do their own dirty work. They have minions for that kind of thing. If Kate is right, and there is string-pulling going on, we need to get everything we can on him. I want to run his profile by Kate.’

‘The guy has some Republican connections. He had a minor role in the gun-running scandal of the seventies.’

‘Good friends with people in that circle?’

‘You know the way it works. Once you’re part of that crowd, you’re never out of it.’

‘That’s all we need, Lynch, some Provo activity to get Butler hot under the collar.’

‘I’m only telling you what I heard.’

‘I know that, Lynch.’

‘Do you think they could be involved?’

‘I doubt it. It’s not their style. A couple of bullets to the head would do it for them. These killings are far too messy for those boys to be part of it. No, Lynch, I think Kate’s right. There’s something more going on here than simply taking a couple of guys out of it.’

‘The Republican connection does complicate the Becon situation.’

‘You mean it might make him feel even more bloody protected in his ivory tower.’

‘Probably.’

‘Lynch, see what Undercover can tell us about Becon and his friends.’

‘Will do.’

‘Mind you, I still want to know more about why Hamilton Holdings collapsed in the first place. If this thing goes back to then, we need to have a complete handle on the ins and outs of it. Anything else from the CAB guys?’

‘Hamilton invested high in some property company that went belly-up. Shoddy workmanship and a list of parties suing to strip Hamilton of everything he had. Becon’s name came up there as well, as a part-owner, only he was better protected than Hamilton with a limited shareholding. Hamilton took most, if not all, of the risk. Gahan had a minor part in it too.’

‘Right, Lynch, keep digging. In the meantime, I also want to find out why Alister Becon became so charitable.’

‘Guilty conscience?’

‘I doubt it, Lynch. His kind doesn’t do guilt. No, there’s more to this, I know it.’

‘As I already said, sir, I’m not sure you’ll get any answers out of him.’

‘Plenty of professional tribunal training, has he?’

‘I’m just saying.’

‘Well, let’s see how he feels about being the next potential victim. There’s nothing like a life-threatening event to concentrate the mind. Right, Lynch, what’s keeping you? We’re off for a little chat with Mr Becon.’

‘You’re in charge.’

‘Glad you understand that, Lynch,’ he said, with friendly banter in his voice. ‘Now get Becon on the phone. I don’t want to waste my time on a house call if he isn’t there.’

‘He’ll be there all right. I told him we might be paying him a visit.’

‘A regular mind-reader you’re turning into, Lynch. We’ll need to let Butler know we’re putting the squeeze on Becon. He won’t be happy about us upsetting politicians. He’ll probably want to keep in Becon’s good books for his new career – whenever the hell he gets out of this place.’

‘You heard those rumours too, sir?’

‘I hear everything, Lynch, even if I let most of the crap slide on past me.’

‘Right.’

‘Oh, and, Lynch, we’ll need to phone Kate Pearson along the way. See how she thinks this all fits in. Becon doesn’t strike me as someone harbouring a sense of personal failure. Maybe he isn’t our man, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t pressing someone else’s buttons.’

Stepping out into the night chill, O’Connor looked at the cars parked on either side of the road. ‘Did you happen to find out, Lynch, what type of car Becon drives in his spare time?’

‘A 2010 black Mercedes.’

‘And his wife, what about her?’