The Tooth Tattoo (21 page)

‘Because they can read music it doesn’t make them saints,’ Keith Halliwell said. The tension between these two never entirely went away.

‘Hold on,’ Diamond said. ‘All we can say for sure is that the string quartet looks like being the reason Mari came to Bath. She was a fan, so she must have known they were based here. Who killed her and why is another question.’

As if she hadn’t been interrupted, Ingeborg said, ‘I met the new viola player while I was doorstepping the colleges of music. He’s a Brit, thirtyish, friendly enough. We didn’t talk long, but he showed me where the quartet do their rehearsals out at the Michael Tippett Centre.’

‘Michael who?’ Halliwell said.

‘Only one of the greatest British composers of the twentieth century,’ Leaman said to the rest of the room.

‘He lived in Corsham and was a strong supporter of university music,’ Ingeborg said. ‘But I was telling you about the quartet. They teach a series of master classes and in return for a six-month residency give regular concerts.’

‘How regular?’ Diamond said.

‘Every two weeks.’

‘Not bad if you can get it,’ Gilbert said.

‘It’s not a cushy number,’ Ingeborg said. ‘There are hours and hours of rehearsing. They’ve got a reputation to keep up.’

‘Who are they?’

She tapped the poster. ‘The bald guy on the left is the first violinist, Ivan Bogdanov, a Ukrainian and one of the founder members. Lived in the west since he was a young man. Learned his music in the old Soviet Union and played with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra until he decided to defect.’

‘And the others?’

‘The second violin is Anthony Metcalf, from South Africa
originally. There isn’t a lot on the internet about him, except he joined about seven years ago and fitted seamlessly into the quartet. A very gifted violinist apparently. Their website suggests he’s the quiet one. The guy to the right of him is Harry Cornell, the one they replaced, so we can forget him.’

‘When did he quit?’ Halliwell asked.

‘About four years ago, I gather,’ Ingeborg said. ‘He was their viola player. They tried a number of replacements, but none of them cut the mustard until Mel Farran came along this summer.’

‘The large woman with the cello?’

‘Cat Kinsella, said to be among the best in the world and with several recordings of cello concertos to her credit, but prefers ensemble playing to the life of a soloist. She’s the other original member of the quartet along with Bogdanov.’

‘Those are the players, then,’ Diamond summed up, wanting to move on. ‘A mix of talented people who make very good music. They’ve got a strong fan base, which is where Mari Hitomi comes in.’

‘You said they give concerts,’ Halliwell said. ‘Are we assuming Mari came to Bath to attend one of them?’

‘Good question,’ Ingeborg said. ‘These soirées, as they call them, are supposed to be for the university community. They’re held in big houses like Dyrham and Corsham Court, and the tickets are distributed among the staff, with some music students included as well. They’re not open to the public.’

‘So if Mari wanted to hear the quartet …?’

‘She’d need to be smart.’

‘How?’

‘Depends,’ Ingeborg said. ‘A groupie – if that’s what she really was – would find a way. If you were nuts on one of them you’d break any rules to get up close. Slipping through another entrance and posing as one of the music students. Nothing would stop you.’

‘Ever go through a phase like that?’ Leaman asked Ingeborg.

She gave him a glare that could have pinned him to the display board. ‘That’s got sod all to do with it.’

‘Just trying to understand the female psyche. You sounded as if you were speaking from experience.’

‘My only ambition at her age was to get into CID. Shows how misguided I was.’

‘And who was your idol? The guv’nor?’

‘John, get back in the knife box,’ Diamond said. ‘We’re doing a job here. We know Mari left London on September twentieth. We believe she took the train to Bath instead of Exeter. There may have been sightings of her. With her picture in the paper we ought to find out soon if she was here long, if she stayed anywhere. But we also need to know what the Staccati people were doing, where they lodge, how they spend their time off, the company they keep and so on.’

‘Whether one of their concerts coincided with Mari’s time here,’ Ingeborg said.

‘You think she gatecrashed a concert?’

‘Tricky. They’re not listed on the website, being private. But if she found out they were performing she could have gone to the venue and waited outside.’

Keith Halliwell said, ‘A random killing. Someone sees this young woman hanging around on a dark night.’

‘A sex attack?’ Gilbert said.

‘Who can say?’ Ingeborg said. ‘The pathologist couldn’t tell us. She ended up strangled and dumped in the river, that’s all we know for certain.’

‘All options are open,’ Diamond said. ‘Meanwhile, we work with what we know. She was a fan of the Staccati, but was it one of them in particular that she idolised?’

‘Not the old Ukrainian guy,’ Halliwell said.

‘Why not?’ Diamond said with a touch of injured pride. ‘There’s such a thing as a father figure.’

‘Sorry I spoke.’

‘And if any of you are thinking not the big cello lady, let’s remember girl on girl is not out of the question. Okay, to be realistic, the second violinist looks the part.’

‘Eye candy,’ Ingeborg said.

‘Ike who?’ Leaman said.

She ignored that. ‘And you’re right, guv. My mind was wandering. Anthony Metcalf is the good-looking one. Isn’t that what you’re saying?’

‘The pin-up boy.’

‘Don’t forget the guy who isn’t on the poster,’ Leaman said. ‘The viola player, Mel Farran.’

‘He’s new,’ Halliwell said. ‘Mari wouldn’t have known about him.’

Ingeborg was quick to correct him. ‘Not all that new. These things get written up in music magazines and on the internet. She may well have heard of him and seen his picture. He’s nice looking too.’

‘Before anyone makes anything of that, here’s the game plan,’ Diamond said. ‘What we’ve heard from Ingeborg is useful, but basic. Most of it comes from the Staccati website. It’s their publicity material. By the end of the day I want the inside story from the people themselves.’

‘As soon as that?’ Leaman said.

‘This afternoon.’

‘There’s more to discover, that’s for sure,’ Ingeborg said.

‘You’re all in on this. Get them talking about themselves. They’ll be used to that, so make sure it’s not just the standard spiel. Interrupt, question, challenge, get to the truth of how this quartet functions.’

‘I thought we were focusing on Mari,’ Leaman said.

‘You won’t get many answers out of her,’ Halliwell said, and got a few smiles.

‘John’s got a point,’ Diamond said. ‘We’ll ask if they had any dealings with Mari before she arrived here and if she approached them in the hours leading up to her death. But that could be a short interview. This is our chance to get to know these people. Be alert to everything they tell you, suspicious incidents, strange goings-on. What they’ve experienced could be the key to this investigation.’

‘So how do we handle this?’ Ingeborg asked.

‘It’s our team taking on their team,’ Diamond said. ‘Keith, you can tackle Ivan Bogdanov. John, yours is Anthony Metcalf. Ingeborg has already met Farran, so she can deal with him.’

‘Does that leave me with the cellist woman?’ Paul Gilbert asked.

Diamond was kind enough not to say so, but you only had to look at the poster to see that the youngest member of the squad would be eaten alive by Cat Kinsella. ‘I’ll take her on myself. You can do some research on the mysterious violist who quit.’

‘There’s also a manager,’ Ingeborg said. ‘He seems to work from an office in London.’

‘We’ll catch up with him later. What’s his name?’

‘Douglas Christmas.’

Diamond couldn’t let that pass. ‘I may have sat on his knee. A hoodie with a big white beard? Forget it. You lot are way behind me.’

Ingeborg had checked with the university music department and found that the Staccati would be in rehearsal at the Michael Tippett Centre the same afternoon.

‘Perfect,’ Diamond said.

‘They may not welcome it,’ she said. ‘They’ve got one of their soirées tomorrow night. This could be their last rehearsal.’

‘They can do overtime. We have to.’

‘Musicians can be temperamental,’

‘So can I. Haven’t you noticed?’ He gave the matter more thought. ‘Let them know we’re coming and it shouldn’t take long. A concert tomorrow night, you said? Where are they playing?’

‘Corsham Court.’

‘I’m thinking I should hear this lot.’

Ingeborg didn’t comment. She had an inkling of what he would say next.

As if he’d just thought of it, he said, ‘Care to come with me?’

‘Well … ‘ she started to say.

‘Good, I’ll need someone to stop me from clapping at the wrong point. I’d prefer you to John Leaman if you can make it.’

‘John knows far more about classical music.’

‘But you’re better company. Have you got a little black dress? This sounds like a smart occasion.’

Ingeborg didn’t pursue the matter of the little black dress. She thought she had another escape route. ‘I heard these concerts are hard to get into. There’s a long waiting list.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll get Georgina to pull some strings. She moves in high circles.’

‘Perhaps she’d like to partner you.’

‘Get outta here.’

The team descended on the Michael Tippett Centre early the same afternoon. They commandeered four practice rooms for interviews before any of the musicians showed up. As a result they were able to separate the quartet as they arrived. A united front might have been difficult to deal with.

Anthony Metcalf was the first. A glaze came over his eyes and he allowed himself to be escorted into a side room by Leaman. As a result, Ingeborg was able to inform Mel Farran when he showed up that interviewing was already under way.

She’d met Mel on her previous visit here. Knowing who she was, he should have been calm, if not relaxed. So it came as a surprise when he appeared startled and on the verge of panic, clutching his violin case to his chest as if Ingeborg was about to snatch it away.

‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘You’re not in any kind of trouble. We’re looking for help with an ongoing enquiry.’

Still twitchy, he allowed himself to be shown into the woodwind room.

Ivan Bogdanov was difficult in another way. ‘It’s out of the question,’ he told Halliwell. ‘We have a performance tomorrow and we need to practise.’

‘The sooner we get through, the more time you’ll have,’ Halliwell said.

‘And if I refuse?’

‘I arrest you and do it at the police station, ask to see your work permit and proof of identity, take your fingerprints and DNA.’

This put a swift end to Ivan’s protest.

Diamond was left to meet Cat Kinsella when she appeared, short of breath, grasping her cello. ‘Sorry, young man,’ she told him as he brandished his ID. ‘No autographs now. I’m late for rehearsal.’

He told her what he was there for. Shaking her head, she allowed him to escort her to the remaining practice room. Once she had rested her cello case against the wall and perched herself precariously on a stool behind a drum kit, Diamond drew up another stool and showed her a picture of Mari.

‘Ever seen this young woman before?’

She shook her head.

‘She’s a major fan. We think she came to Bath specially to see you.’

‘Not me, detective. One of the guys, possibly, but not me. I don’t have female fans, nor male, now I think about it. I’m past all that.’

‘The passions are on their side. You’d only find out if they threw themselves at you.’

She chuckled at that. ‘Get real. I’m a cellist. I don’t strut about the stage in skimpy underwear and sequins.’

‘But you won’t deny there are classical music groupies out there who follow the quartets?’

‘There may be a few crazies. Is that really what she was? She looks normal enough in the picture.’

‘She could have had a crush on one of you.’

‘You’d better find out from the men.’

‘We’re doing that right now. Have you ever performed in Yokohama?’

‘Never.’

‘Anywhere else in Japan?’

‘Tokyo a few times.’ Her face softened as she thought
back. ‘There’s a place called Katsushika Symphony Hills. I remember it because of the Kat bit. Huge. Two halls, one seating over a thousand and the other three hundred. In my innocence I thought they’d booked the small hall for us. I was wrong. Every seat was taken in the thousand-seater, including one in the front row occupied by an urn containing the ashes of a man who’d booked to see us but died a few days before.’

‘That said a lot.’

‘Actually, no. Not a damn word.’

He smiled. ‘So if Mari had come to see you, she’d have had to travel to Tokyo. That’s not a vast distance from Yokohama.’

‘I’ll take your word for that. Geography passed me by when I was in school. Let me tell you something about quartet playing. You have the score on a stand in front of you with a little light over it. If you look up and you can see anything at all above the light, it’s rows of identical heads looking faintly like the beads on an abacus. You don’t recognise people.’

‘Thanks for explaining,’ Diamond said, genuinely pleased she was speaking more freely than she had at the start. ‘Let’s talk about the quartet. You were one of the founders, right?’

‘With Ivan, yes. Back in the last century, that was, when I was young and easy, as the poet said. To be truthful, I wasn’t easy, I was bloody difficult. Always have been. I’m surprised Ivan ever asked me to join, but the time was right and I jumped at the chance.’

‘You were a soloist before?’

‘Going right back, I was one of those child monsters, an infant prodigy. We’re Liverpool Irish, the Kinsellas, and my dad played the fiddle around the pubs. My mum was red-hot on the squeezebox. They got me started early and pushed me hard. Recorder, flute, piano, violin. I can knock out a tune on almost anything. Don’t ask me why, but I was drawn to the cello. There are all kinds of Freudian theories I draw the line at discussing in polite company, or police company, come to that. I started to play when I was nine and must have looked ridiculous wrestling with it. You need to be an
athlete. It’s easy for a cellist to get musclebound. But I adored it – the sound, the sweet, rich voice was all that I wanted. So at a young age I got through the drudgery of mastering the thing and won a scholarship to music school in Manchester. You must have heard of Chetham’s.’