…

Detective Bryson goes to Bergman’s residence

…

The address in 84^th Avenue Jamaica, was between Jamaica Hills and Briarwood, and a little confusing because there was an 84^th Avenue, 84^th Drive, 84^th Road.  It led Bryson to a single two-story house with a driveway up the side to a garage.  It was not wide, but long, and painted a rather odd colour, and in need of updating.  It

He parked the car in the side alley and pulled out the key ring that was found on the body, and went up to the front door.  He stepped to the side and looked through the window, where there were several cracks in the Venetian blinds.  It was too dark inside to see anything.

The seventh key he tried opened the outer glass door and the last the front door.  There was no alarm, at least not one that was set.  It was clear, once inside, that no one else was in the building.  He switched on the light and was confronted with a rather untidy room with old furniture, and few modern comforts.

He put on the gloves he had brought, and picked his way carefully through the mess, trying not to disturb anything.  After a cursory inspection, he would call in the CSI team.

It was a room that wasn’t used often, with no television, a setoff shelves with a few books tossed in, and items of clothing tossed on a settee.  The room had a musty odour, as though it was not used, nor cleaned often.  Moving towards the back there was a dining room, with a large table covered in documents, newspapers, connections for a computer, a printer, a USB hub, and leads leading to missing devices, one of which was possibly a phone.  Other than the printer, there was no other hardware.

The kitchen showed signs of recent use, with dirty dishes and cutlery tossed hastily in the sink.  A look in the refrigerator showed a few items, some looking very stale, and a block of cheese that had turned green.  He didn’t check the milk, it looked off.

The papers on the table were haphazardly tossed, perhaps as a result of Bergman looking for something and not finding it.  It didn’t have the feel of someone else looking for something.

Further on was a passage leading to the back of the house and another entrance.  Back in the middle of the house were stairs going up and down.  Visible from the outside was a basement, and Bryson shuddered, a bad experience in his childhood to do with basements came back to haunt him.  It was going to take some effort to go down there.

Upstairs there were two very large bedrooms and a bathroom, the first bedroom showing signs of use, with clothes tossed on the bed, others tossed on the floor.  The closet doors were open, and clothes were hanging, half hanging, or fallen on the floor.  It looked like Bergman was in a hurry to find something that he believed was in the closet.

There was nothing in the other bedroom, nor anything of interest in the bathroom.  Overall, Bergman was very untidy.  The upstairs rooms had faded wallpaper, and in places, it was peeling off.  The roof was stained, and the bathroom had mould.

The whole ground floor and upstairs needed repainting, and the bathrooms modernized. And the wallpaper replaced or removed.  The carpet in the upstairs rooms was both stained and very dirty.

He went back downstairs and pulled out his torch, headed down the stairs to the basement.  At the bottom, there was a door, locked, and the first time through all the keys, not one unlocked the door.  He tried again and found that a little more elbow grease was required to turn the key in the lock.

Just to be on the safe side, not knowing what to expect, Bryson pulled out his gun and was ready, just in case there was a surprise.  He opened the door and pushed it open slowly.

Darkness,  And a very bad smell, like something had died down there.

He reached inside the wall and found the light switch, then turned on the lights.

The area he could see was surprisingly clean, and sparsely furnished, with a long table with boxed neatly set out.  Along one of the walls was a set of filing cabinets.  The floor was uncovered concrete, and the odour was most likely rising damp.

When he crossed the room to the table, he could see, in the other direction, a doorway that looked like an exit, and a free-standing safe, quite large, with the door open.  He went over to look inside, but it was empty.

There was no clue as to what might have been in there, but Bryson suspected whatever there had been, Bergman had taken with him, the day he died, or before that, but recent.

The boxes on the table had power tools in them and were probably part of the stock in trade.

On one box was a folder which Bryson carefully opened and looked at the first page.

Shipping dockets.  Some in the name of Phillip McGarry, and the rest in the name of Avondale Traders, Bergman’s company.

He tried the keys on the filing cabinets but none of them opened any of the cabinets.  Each appeared to be full because Bryson tried moving them and it was very difficult.  CSI would be able to get into them, and he would have to wait.

There was the noise of a car pulling into the alley beside the house and then stopping.  A few seconds later, two doors slammed shut.

He raced up the stairs, closing the door behind him, and reached the top just as the visitors opened the front door.

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

Detectives Bryson and Worthy visit Bergman’s Lawyer

…

Stuart, Stewart, and Barnes, Attorneys-At-Law, had upmarket offices in Queen’s brownstone, the sort of place that upstairs was a residence, and downstairs, offices, for what might be a family business.

There was a girl at a desk inside the front door, which was backed by a glass wall that showed several offices with doors open and a central breakout space that also doubled as a waiting area.

Worthy and Bryson had to push a button beside the front door and announce themselves before the door was opened.  Bryson assumed there was a CCTV camera above the door which showed who they were.

In the time they took to get in and front up to the desk, the girl had called Ray Stuart, Bergman’s legal representative, and he was coming down the stairs to greet them.

“I’ve been expecting you,” he said, approaching the two, then, “Follow me.”

They went inside and into the office on the left.  Once inside, Stuart closed the door, directed the two to seats opposite a large table, and then sat himself.

“I assume you are aware Alex Bergman is dead?”

“Yes.  Otherwise, why would you be here?”

“Are you surprised?  It seems others we have seen are not,” Bryson said.

“He was just a client, one of many.  Not particularly important, but problematic.”

“How so?”

“His financial affairs, and a difficult divorce.”

“Why difficult?”

“His business was bankrupt, he was personally bankrupt, and had he not died, you would be here for entirely different reasons.  The last time I saw him, two days ago, my only advice to him was to disappear.  I jokingly said, in parting, that the best thing that could happen was his death.  I read he died from a gunshot wound to the head.  Was it self-inflicted?”

“We don’t believe so.  No,” Bryson said.  “Rather brutal advice on your part though?”

“He was facing three civil lawsuits over business dealings, each of which had compelling evidence against him.  His wife had ample evidence of his infidelity and her claims would have bene taken seriously, and three other women had sworn complaints of blackmail.  Like I said, if he hadn’t died, you’d be here to arrest him for any one of a dozen other reasons.”

“You have documentation of these complaints?”

“Yes.  I’ll have copies of the relevant documents sent to you”.

Worthey handed him his card.  “Send them to that address, to me, thanks.”

“Did he have a will?” Bryson asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me what was in it?”

“The company goes to Richard Hollingsworth, not that it has any value, or assets, other than working funds and current stock.  What there is will just cover the expenses and current debt.  All that will be left is the company name.  His personal assets go to his daughter, Sandra, from an earlier marriage, but that will not amount to very much.  His current wife, Stacey, gets nothing.  He had transferred all of the assets she currently possesses to her a while back, so they are not her responsibility.  His current residence was not owned but rented, and I’ll be arranging the end of the lease, after, I assume, you do an inspection.”

Stuart scribbled the address down on a piece of note paper and handed it to Worthey.

“Did he have anyone who would want to kill him?”

“I’m sure his PA back at the office could tell you that better than I could.”

“Stacy?”

“No.  She hated him because of his infidelity, but not enough to kill him.  Her idea of punishment was humiliation.”

Bryson stood.  He’d heard enough.  “If there’s anything else you can think of, please call Worthey.  Thank you for your time.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

A deep dive into Bergman’s Timeline

…

Bryson rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.  This was going to be a day that never ended.  For some, the day ended while the sun was still shining, for others, they might as well be vampires.

There were so many potential suspects in the Bergman case, it was rapidly become a case of where to start.

The medical examiner’s report was sitting on his desk when he got back, and it didn’t say much more than he already knew other than the time of death had moved to a more specific window of between 10:30 and 11:00 pm.  It might be a little later, but the cold weather played havoc with the body.

But the time fitted the fact he had a meeting at 10pm, according to Wendy Anderson.  Who was he meeting, and how had it been set up, and why in the car park of the Brooklyn Zoo?  The broken CCTV camera could not be the only reason.

Still determined to be a close shot, through the window of the car, fragments of glass were found in the wound.  Death was instantaneous, a blessing perhaps.  He was in the driver’s seat, keys in hand, so he was preparing to get out.

The weapon could be a Glock 19, and 9mm ammunition.  One bullet was all it took to kill him.  Up close and personal, it was most likely the shooter someone he knew.

So Bergman’s timeline so far looked like this:

09:00 Bergman comes in for a half hour and then leaves

12:00 or thereabouts, pick up a rental car from Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn

Home perhaps in Jamaica?

19:03 Calls Wendy as he is leaving his residence, on his way to James Anderson’s

On average takes 45 minutes to drive from Jamaica to Prospect Park Zoo a few minutes more to Anderson’s

20:30 Bergman arrives at James Anderson’s

21:05 Text message from Bergman to Wendy after leaving Anderson’s.

22:30 Approx, Bergman murdered in carpark

Then the questions:

Why did Bergman rent the car in the name of Megarry?  Was it because he used that name to pick up women, and had he arranged a liaison?  They wouldn’t be the first people to drive to a certain spot, meet, one leaves their car, and they go off to someplace else.

Who was Bergman meeting and how had the meeting been arranged?  The second phone?  The search would have to be widened to near the carpark, though the chances of finding it discarded were little to none.

They would now need the phone records of Wendy Anderson, James Anderson, Stacy Bergman, and Richard Hollingsworth.

More was needed on the relationship between brother and sister Hollingsworth.  Both could want him dead for various reasons.

That was as far as the scribbled notes got when Worthey walked in.  He looked tired and jaded.

“I’m sure the world is mostly populated by assholes,” he said, throwing himself into his chair.

“And this assumption has been caused by?”

“Hotel concierge.  They see everything, know everyone, and yet are happy to cite confidentiality ad their credo when it suits them.  If I offered them a few hundred dollar notes they’d sing like canaries.”

“We don’t have that kind of money.”

“But Stacy Bergman does, or at least her team of PI’s.  He’s had six different women he’s taken to dinner in the last month, and the favourite, Wendy Anderson.  And a week ago they had a very loud bust up in the restaurant.  She stormed out, they haven’t been back since.  Her that is, not him.  He was back two nights later with another woman.”

“How did you come by this tidbit?”

“One of the front counter staff took pity on me.  She didn’t like the concierge, reckons he’s a little handy, so the price of information was to warn him about being more circumspect around the female staff.”

“So, all was not well in paradise.  Probably the photos and veiled threats.”

“A viable suspect, too.”

Worthey looked up at the whiteboard Bryson had been writing on.  “OK, I came up with this brainstorm, that the rental should have a GPS, so I went to the rental office and, success.  We know where the car was from the moment, he picked it up until the moment he parked at the Zoo,”

He pulled out his notebook.

“Left the rental office at 12:08 pm.  Arrived at 84th Avenue Jamaica at 12:43, with one-stop, presumably a gas station, I checked the coordinates.  Left Jamaica at 19:23, stops to get takeaway at 19:40, leaves there at 20:04, and arrives at Anderson’s at 20:43.  He’s there until 20:58, then leaves, drives to the Zoo Car Park arriving there at 21:21.  He doesn’t take the direct route, he just seems to be driving in circles, killing time.”

“Good.  Fill in the timeline to reflect those times.  Then check his phone records for calls, in or out for the time he was home, the time he was getting takeout, and the time after he left Anderson’s.  Any word on the CCTV camera between Anderson and the Zoo?”

“Not yet.  There doesn’t appear to be anyone home.  I’m in the process of finding who lives there so I can track them down.”

“Excellent.  First thing tomorrow, you and I will visit Bergman’s lawyer.”

“Mrs Anderson?”

“She can wait a little longer.  I want more information before I see her again.  she’s going to be the type who needs to be served with a fait accompli.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

A deep dive into Bergman’s Timeline

…

Bryson rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.  This was going to be a day that never ended.  For some, the day ended while the sun was still shining, for others, they might as well be vampires.

There were so many potential suspects in the Bergman case, it was rapidly become a case of where to start.

The medical examiner’s report was sitting on his desk when he got back, and it didn’t say much more than he already knew other than the time of death had moved to a more specific window of between 10:30 and 11:00 pm.  It might be a little later, but the cold weather played havoc with the body.

But the time fitted the fact he had a meeting at 10pm, according to Wendy Anderson.  Who was he meeting, and how had it been set up, and why in the car park of the Brooklyn Zoo?  The broken CCTV camera could not be the only reason.

Still determined to be a close shot, through the window of the car, fragments of glass were found in the wound.  Death was instantaneous, a blessing perhaps.  He was in the driver’s seat, keys in hand, so he was preparing to get out.

The weapon could be a Glock 19, and 9mm ammunition.  One bullet was all it took to kill him.  Up close and personal, it was most likely the shooter someone he knew.

So Bergman’s timeline so far looked like this:

09:00 Bergman comes in for a half hour and then leaves

12:00 or thereabouts, pick up a rental car from Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn

Home perhaps in Jamaica?

19:03 Calls Wendy as he is leaving his residence, on his way to James Anderson’s

On average takes 45 minutes to drive from Jamaica to Prospect Park Zoo a few minutes more to Anderson’s

20:30 Bergman arrives at James Anderson’s

21:05 Text message from Bergman to Wendy after leaving Anderson’s.

22:30 Approx, Bergman murdered in carpark

Then the questions:

Why did Bergman rent the car in the name of Megarry?  Was it because he used that name to pick up women, and had he arranged a liaison?  They wouldn’t be the first people to drive to a certain spot, meet, one leaves their car, and they go off to someplace else.

Who was Bergman meeting and how had the meeting been arranged?  The second phone?  The search would have to be widened to near the carpark, though the chances of finding it discarded were little to none.

They would now need the phone records of Wendy Anderson, James Anderson, Stacy Bergman, and Richard Hollingsworth.

More was needed on the relationship between brother and sister Hollingsworth.  Both could want him dead for various reasons.

That was as far as the scribbled notes got when Worthey walked in.  He looked tired and jaded.

“I’m sure the world is mostly populated by assholes,” he said, throwing himself into his chair.

“And this assumption has been caused by?”

“Hotel concierge.  They see everything, know everyone, and yet are happy to cite confidentiality ad their credo when it suits them.  If I offered them a few hundred dollar notes they’d sing like canaries.”

“We don’t have that kind of money.”

“But Stacy Bergman does, or at least her team of PI’s.  He’s had six different women he’s taken to dinner in the last month, and the favourite, Wendy Anderson.  And a week ago they had a very loud bust up in the restaurant.  She stormed out, they haven’t been back since.  Her that is, not him.  He was back two nights later with another woman.”

“How did you come by this tidbit?”

“One of the front counter staff took pity on me.  She didn’t like the concierge, reckons he’s a little handy, so the price of information was to warn him about being more circumspect around the female staff.”

“So, all was not well in paradise.  Probably the photos and veiled threats.”

“A viable suspect, too.”

Worthey looked up at the whiteboard Bryson had been writing on.  “OK, I came up with this brainstorm, that the rental should have a GPS, so I went to the rental office and, success.  We know where the car was from the moment, he picked it up until the moment he parked at the Zoo,”

He pulled out his notebook.

“Left the rental office at 12:08 pm.  Arrived at 84th Avenue Jamaica at 12:43, with one-stop, presumably a gas station, I checked the coordinates.  Left Jamaica at 19:23, stops to get takeaway at 19:40, leaves there at 20:04, and arrives at Anderson’s at 20:43.  He’s there until 20:58, then leaves, drives to the Zoo Car Park arriving there at 21:21.  He doesn’t take the direct route, he just seems to be driving in circles, killing time.”

“Good.  Fill in the timeline to reflect those times.  Then check his phone records for calls, in or out for the time he was home, the time he was getting takeout, and the time after he left Anderson’s.  Any word on the CCTV camera between Anderson and the Zoo?”

“Not yet.  There doesn’t appear to be anyone home.  I’m in the process of finding who lives there so I can track them down.”

“Excellent.  First thing tomorrow, you and I will visit Bergman’s lawyer.”

“Mrs Anderson?”

“She can wait a little longer.  I want more information before I see her again.  she’s going to be the type who needs to be served with a fait accompli.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

Detective Bryson talks to Richard Hollingsworth

…

The first order of business, once Bryson arrived back in the office, was to call Richard Hollingsworth.  At 6:30 pm where he was, it would be about that in the morning.  Bright and early, just the time to catch people off guard.

He dialled the number.

It took twelve rings, almost to the point where the answering service kicked in, but a sleepy Hollingsworth answered, “Yes?”

“Richard Hollingsworth?”

“Who is this, and do you realise what time it is?”

“My name is Detective Bryson from the NYPD.  I’m calling to advise you if you do not already know, that your employer, James Bergman died as a result of a gunshot wound yesterday.  I am sorry for your loss.”

“Gunshot wound?  Dead?  This is not a prank, is it?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“Crank calls at the office.  Bergman wasn’t exactly a well-loved person.  And, to be candid, I’m not surprised.”

A sentiment held by nearly all those who worked with him or were close to him.  This Bergman seems to be a bad piece of work with a lot of enemies.

“May I ask a few routine questions so we can get an idea about the man and his business?”

“It’s early, but I’m awake now.  Go ahead.”

“What is your role in the company?”

“He makes the deals with the suppliers, and I go and fill the orders in person, and arrange for the shipping.  Can’t trust these people to do anything correctly, or economically.”

“The office PA says you are in Manila?”

“Yes.  Been here for a week, and it’s driving me up the wall.  I’m due to return in two days’ time.  I’m not sure what I’ll be returning to.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The company is all but bankrupt.  Stacy, my sister, has been taking funds from the accounts and basically left very little for operating expenses.  No doubt you are aware she is divorcing him.  It’s very acrimonious.  What she’s been doing had to be illegal.”

A note, Stacy has been embezzling funds, with the hope of destroying the business?

Can you think of anyone who would want to kill him?

“Just about every husband on the planet.  And a few business rivals.”

That sounded like what he had heard from the PA and he had to wonder f she hadn’t called him the moment he walked out of the office so they could get their stories straight.

“Do you know what he was doing the last few days?”

“No.  He doesn’t tell me anything unless it impacts what I’m doing.”

“Was he due to go on a break or holiday?”

“Not that I’m aware of.  Have you spoken to Ann in the office yet?  She had access to his diary, though he doesn’t always write stuff down because I think he conducts some of his personal business during the day.”

“When you say personal business, you mean liaisons with women?”

“Not for me to say, but one time when I rang him, he was definitely not at work?”

“Would you know the name of his current girlfriend?”

“Ask my sister.  She put a tribe of private detectives on his tail to see what he’s up to and she has reams of reports and dozens of photographs.  She’s obsessed with taking him down, one way or another.”

“Would she kill him?”

A brief moment of silence.  If he has to think about it, Bryson thought, then he must think she might be capable.

“Yes, but she wouldn’t use a gun.  After all isn’t a woman’s method of murder, poison.  she’d definitely poison him.  But, in this instance, no.  She needs him alive to suffer the humiliation she was planning to put him through.  Him and his latest unknown woman.  Like I said, ask her.  She knows everything.”

“One last item.  You say the company is bankrupt.”

“All but.  He was in the process of getting Chapter 11.  You might want to talk to his lawyer.  Ann will have it.  Is that all?”

“For the time being.  Thank you.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

Detective Bryson talks to Richard Hollingsworth

…

The first order of business, once Bryson arrived back in the office, was to call Richard Hollingsworth.  At 6:30 pm where he was, it would be about that in the morning.  Bright and early, just the time to catch people off guard.

He dialled the number.

It took twelve rings, almost to the point where the answering service kicked in, but a sleepy Hollingsworth answered, “Yes?”

“Richard Hollingsworth?”

“Who is this, and do you realise what time it is?”

“My name is Detective Bryson from the NYPD.  I’m calling to advise you if you do not already know, that your employer, James Bergman died as a result of a gunshot wound yesterday.  I am sorry for your loss.”

“Gunshot wound?  Dead?  This is not a prank, is it?”

“Why would you ask that?”

“Crank calls at the office.  Bergman wasn’t exactly a well-loved person.  And, to be candid, I’m not surprised.”

A sentiment held by nearly all those who worked with him or were close to him.  This Bergman seems to be a bad piece of work with a lot of enemies.

“May I ask a few routine questions so we can get an idea about the man and his business?”

“It’s early, but I’m awake now.  Go ahead.”

“What is your role in the company?”

“He makes the deals with the suppliers, and I go and fill the orders in person, and arrange for the shipping.  Can’t trust these people to do anything correctly, or economically.”

“The office PA says you are in Manila?”

“Yes.  Been here for a week, and it’s driving me up the wall.  I’m due to return in two days’ time.  I’m not sure what I’ll be returning to.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The company is all but bankrupt.  Stacy, my sister, has been taking funds from the accounts and basically left very little for operating expenses.  No doubt you are aware she is divorcing him.  It’s very acrimonious.  What she’s been doing had to be illegal.”

A note, Stacy has been embezzling funds, with the hope of destroying the business?

Can you think of anyone who would want to kill him?

“Just about every husband on the planet.  And a few business rivals.”

That sounded like what he had heard from the PA and he had to wonder f she hadn’t called him the moment he walked out of the office so they could get their stories straight.

“Do you know what he was doing the last few days?”

“No.  He doesn’t tell me anything unless it impacts what I’m doing.”

“Was he due to go on a break or holiday?”

“Not that I’m aware of.  Have you spoken to Ann in the office yet?  She had access to his diary, though he doesn’t always write stuff down because I think he conducts some of his personal business during the day.”

“When you say personal business, you mean liaisons with women?”

“Not for me to say, but one time when I rang him, he was definitely not at work?”

“Would you know the name of his current girlfriend?”

“Ask my sister.  She put a tribe of private detectives on his tail to see what he’s up to and she has reams of reports and dozens of photographs.  She’s obsessed with taking him down, one way or another.”

“Would she kill him?”

A brief moment of silence.  If he has to think about it, Bryson thought, then he must think she might be capable.

“Yes, but she wouldn’t use a gun.  After all isn’t a woman’s method of murder, poison.  she’d definitely poison him.  But, in this instance, no.  She needs him alive to suffer the humiliation she was planning to put him through.  Him and his latest unknown woman.  Like I said, ask her.  She knows everything.”

“One last item.  You say the company is bankrupt.”

“All but.  He was in the process of getting Chapter 11.  You might want to talk to his lawyer.  Ann will have it.  Is that all?”

“For the time being.  Thank you.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023

…

Detective Bryson interviews James Anderson

…

Before Bryson visited James Anderson, he checked out the residence, the proximity to the park where Bagman’s body was found, a distance of two and a half miles, which to him didn’t constitute ‘near’, and whether there were any CCTV cameras along the way.

He made a note of several and sent to report back to Worthey who was sinking under the weight of several investigations at once.  His chief was not allocating more men to the case yet unless he found compelling evidence that needed more personnel.

They had also obtained James Anderson’s phone records, and there was little or no damning evidence there.  No calls to or from Bergman, and three in the last month to and from Wendy, his wife.  James had no social media presence, was a high-flying lawyer who came to earth with a thud after a breakdown, after the death of their son coincidentally and was now battling an acrimonious divorce.

He was currently not working, except as a pro bono lawyer at a local courthouse.  A check of his finances showed that he had put away funds when he had them, and made wise investments, but had left himself exposed to what might be described as an opportunistic wife who was seeking an extravagant settlement.

In contrast, Bergman’s financial situation could be best described as distressed, and the company basically insolvent, and a meeting with his lawyer would no doubt confirm the rumours Worthey had found that he was about to declare bankruptcy, a state that would cause a whole new collection of people distress and a motive for murder.

But killing him before then would not do them any good, so he doubted it was one of them.

Perhaps when Wendy fleeced her husband, he was going to blackmail her for the funds to keep his businesses afloat.  Stranger things were known to happen.

The residence was old and decrepit and showed that Anderson was not necessarily a man of means.  Bryson knew otherwise, but it might mean he was just careful with his money.

Bryson had called earlier and was expected.  It was clear from that phone call, the first, that Anderson knew of Bergman’s death; he had seen it on the news.  A point to note, he didn’t seem particularly distressed.

Anderson answered the door, and then showed him into the lounge.  Inside the house was better than the outside, though dated and tired.  It was reasonably clean, but that might be because of the visitor.  It didn’t look like Anderson had many visitors.

“I’m going to say from the outset that I have had a preliminary interview with your wife, Wendy,”  Bryson said this to gauge James’s reaction, which was minimal, as though he expected it.

“Was it interesting?”

An odd response to his statement.  “Not very informative.”

“No.  They have been friends for a long time.  I was included once upon a time, but I’m sure you’ve discovered in your preliminary investigation that the death of our son drove a wedge between Wendy and I and drove her into his arms.”

A different kettle of fish, Bryson thought, with this one.  He sought to get ahead of the narrative.

“How did that make you feel?”

“I don’t feel.  Not since Jimmy died.  I don’t blame myself for his death but regret not doing more to prevent it.  She was always in love with him, or the notion of it because Bergman was never a one-girl guy, he always had a string of them available.”

“Yet she married you,”  Bryson said it, and regretted saying it the moment it left his mouth.  And he was trying so hard not to get involved.

“A moment in time I’m sure she’s regretted many times since.  Except that she had more money to play with while with me.  Bergman was hopeless with money.  His business is on the rocks, and his wife is in for a shock if she expects anything in a settlement, other than a mountain of debt.”

A mental note: how does Anderson intimately know the financial status of Bergman?

“Your relationship with Wendy, I take it it’s over?”

“The moment we left the hospital when Jimmy died.  She blamed me for it and there was no other reason.  Nor could she be told, by the police or by the medical staff.  And whenever drugs were mentioned, it was me who drove him to them.”

“You’re living apart then?”

“She has the apartment we shared.  I moved out.  It was easier that way.  We don’t speak all that often, and since the divorce, rarely.  I’ve been on my own for about a year and a half now.”

“She mentioned you are refusing to sign the divorce papers.”

“I’m still waiting for her to clarify her situation with Bergman.  Once I sign the papers, she gets the settlement.  I don’t have a problem with that, but I do have a problem if Bergman is waiting in the wings to take it off her, or worse, she gives it to him to throw down the drain he calls a business.”

“Which brings us to your relationship with Bergman.”

“None.  That pretty much ended when we separated.  She was seeing him behind my back long before that, though, but it wasn’t a surprise.  I used to care, but like a runaway train, standing in front of it isn’t going to stop it.”

Interesting analogy.

“When did you last see him?”

“Last night.  The bastard turned up on my doorstep and virtually told me to sign the divorce papers or else.”

“Or else what?”

“He didn’t say.  I sent him packing and told him not to come back.”

“What time was this?”

“About 8 pm.  He was making such a noise he roused the neighbours.  You can go and ask them.  Old man Bentley saw him get in his car and leave.”

“Wendy says you own a gun?”

Bryson noted the change in Anderson’s demeanour, not overly defensive, but he knew it was coming.

“We do and both of us had training on how to use it, and as far as I’m aware, it’s still in the safe upstairs.  Has been for a long time because there’s been no reason to take it out.  In fact, I haven’t checked to see if it’s still there for years now.  I don’t like guns, and it’s only there in case we needed to defend ourselves.  It’ll still be in the gun safe here.”

“I thought the apartment was your primary residence.”

“No.  We bought that just before Jimmy died.  I’ve never stayed there.  If I had, I would have moved it there.”

“Can I see it?”

“Of course.”

Anderson led the detective upstairs and into the room where the gun safe was.  Bryson looked into rooms as he passed them, and briefly stopped at one.

“Jimmy’s.  Haven’t touched it since he died.  Too many painful memories in there.”

They moved on to the room at the end of the passage, a study, then Anderson opened it.

Everything else was there, except the gun.

Bryson could see the genuine surprise on Anderson’s face.  That was not something that could be faked..

“It’s been in here forever, still in its packaging, and bullets removed from the clip and stored elsewhere in the house.”

The papers that came with it were still in the safe, so Anderson pulled them out and handed them to Bryson.  It would detail what sort of weapon it was.”

“I can assure you I have no idea where it is, or why it’s missing.”

“Who has the combination to this safe.”

“Only Wendy and I.  Hang on.”  Anderson rummaged through the papers and stopped at a passport.  “Her passport is missing.  She’s been here recently.”

“She has keys to the house?”

“She has the keys to everything.  And all the alarm codes as well.  I can ask the security company to give me the access records for the last year if you like and you can see all the comings and goings.  We both had separate codes, and I never told her mine, and she never told me hers.”

“OK.  I’ll get forensics to come and have a look around.  There might be some prints we can get which might be a help, but that’s doubtful given you just opened it.  If you can think of anyone who might also have had access, or might know where it is, other than your ex-wife, call me.”

“Like I said, it’s been here for years, and it’s the first time I’ve used the safe in about six months when we needed the passports to go on a holiday.

“OK.  That will do for now.  Don’t leave the city.  Make sure that data from the security company gets to me.”

“Certainly.”

…

© Charles Heath 2019-2023