‘Are there any of the current group you don’t know very well?’
‘Jonathan Matthew,’ said Roth straight away. ‘Faith’s brother. She brought him into the group, for some reason.’
‘Yet you had him staying at your house the night before the walk. Didn’t you, sir?’
‘Yes, but that’s why, you see. We wanted to get to know him better. It didn’t really happen, though. He said very little over supper. No, Jonathan will take a bit more work, I’m afraid.’
More work? Cooper thought that was an odd way of putting it. Jonathan Matthew had presented a bit of a challenge for Darius, then. He could expect to be worked on more.
‘Do you think he’ll be coming back?’ asked Roth.
‘Perhaps not.’
‘Oh well. And there’s Nick Haslam too. Nick is still a bit of an enigma to us. Sophie introduced him to the group. She used to come with her previous partner, Jake, but Nick is more recent. I don’t mind that — we encourage new members, of course. But it means we don’t always know much about them.’
‘Does he have an interest in the history of the Mass Trespass?’
Darius shrugged. ‘If he has, it isn’t obvious to us. Quite the opposite, in fact. You’ll have to ask Sophie about him.’
‘I will.’
Something else seemed to strike Roth, and he looked towards the teddy bear again.
‘Nick does have a peculiar sense of humour,’ he said. ‘He likes to pull my leg about the original organisers of the Kinder Mass Trespass being Communists. On Sunday, he arrived for the walk wearing a Russian Army hat. I imagine that was meant to be a joke at my expense.’
‘I’ve seen that on the photographs,’ said Cooper.
‘As I say, a peculiar sense of humour.’
The steam seemed suddenly to be gone out of Darius Roth. His shoulders slumped, and a lock of hair fell over his eyes.
‘What does this all mean?’ he said. ‘Is someone threatening me? Do they mean to do me harm?’
‘I’m not sure, sir,’ said Cooper. ‘But if I were you, I wouldn’t stand on any high places or sudden drops for a while.’
‘Point taken.’
Roth produced his own set of keys to lock the chapel door.
‘Will you want to examine the scene for evidence? The bear...?’ he said.
‘Yes, we’ll send someone along to check for fingerprints, which might help. We’ll let you know when to expect them.’
‘Very good.’
‘So what will happen next to the club?’ asked Cooper as he watched Roth turn the key in the lock.
‘Happen? Well, we’ll have to set a new date.’
‘A new date? You mean you’re going up onto Kinder again?’
‘Of course. It’ll be a way of honouring Faith.’
‘I see.’
‘Besides, we didn’t complete the walk. We haven’t fulfilled the tradition.’
That sounded honest too. But Cooper wondered how long you had to do something before it became a tradition. Was eight years enough? It was as if Roth believed he’d been doing the walk every year since 1932, a beacon of tradition for most of the last century, literally following in his ancestor’s footsteps.
‘Don’t you think it’s a good idea?’ asked Roth.
‘It’s hard to say. Will it be the same group as before?’
‘Yes. Well, with the one obvious exception. Poor Faith. So what do you think?’
Cooper hesitated. It was a strange idea. If he knew that one of his party was a killer, would he want to venture out onto the moors with them? Most people would have said no. But it didn’t seem to bother the Roths.
‘I can see you’re a bit concerned,’ said Roth. ‘So here’s an idea. Why don’t you come with us? I take it you’re a walker? Or perhaps even a hiker?’
‘It depends,’ said Cooper, ‘on the circumstances.’
Roth smiled. ‘I bet a hike across Kinder Scout is nothing to you.’
‘Thank you for the invitation,’ said Cooper. ‘But I think I’ll probably be too busy.’
As he and Villiers walked back to their car, Cooper turned to see if Darius Roth was out of earshot.
‘Have you noticed how Mr Roth always talks about “us”?’ he said. ‘Meaning himself and his wife, as if he doesn’t expect Elsa to have an opinion of her own or a different story to tell.’
‘Yes, I did notice that,’ said Villiers. ‘And at the same time, Elsa seems content to go along with whatever Darius says.’
‘That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her own thoughts. She may just be reluctant to express them.’
‘Do you think Elsa Roth might have a few secrets she could share with us?’
‘Yes, if she could be persuaded. But that’s doubtful. She has a serious vested interest in Darius. I think she might already have told me as much as she’s ever going to give away. And that was intended to direct attention away from her husband.’
‘She’s the quiet one,’ said Villiers. ‘You know what I think.’
‘And I always value your opinion, Carol.’
Villiers laughed. ‘You value it but don’t always take any notice of it.’
‘Not quite true.’
Cooper smiled to himself. It wasn’t true at all. Villiers was wrong on that subject. He always tried to take notice of everything, no matter how insignificant it might seem.
26
On the way back to Edendale, Ben Cooper tried to put out of his mind the recurring image he had of Darius Roth as a kind of charismatic cult leader, gathering loyal followers around him. It was probably unfair, though it was an image Roth himself did nothing to dispel. He might even cultivate it. Everyone had a role they tried to play, didn’t they?
As he steered the Toyota across the divide between the Dark Peak and White Peak, Cooper thought of all the criminals who’d lived and died in these villages. Abney, Bradwell, Hucklow. Their histories were full of individuals who’d played their roles to the end. Murderers, thieves, conmen. They’d all thought they’d get away with their crimes. And some of them had, of course. Those were the names that didn’t make it into the history books.
He turned to Carol Villiers as they were passing her home village of Tideswell.
‘You know that Saturday night,’ he said. ‘The night before the walk. Millie Taylor and Karina Scott stayed in the Roths’ guest accommodation at Trespass Lodge, didn’t they?’
‘Yes. Mr Roth said he didn’t want them having to pay for a hotel.’
Cooper nodded. But Jonathan Matthew had been there too. The potential black sheep. Perhaps Roth had wanted Jonathan right under his roof.
‘Mr Roth presents himself as a benefactor, doesn’t he?’ said Villiers. ‘I think that’s the role he aspires to. Despite his talk of working-class roots, his dream is to be a wealthy patron surrounded by grateful recipients of his generosity.’
‘That’s interesting too,’ said Cooper.
‘Is it? Why?’
‘Well, if that’s true — and I think you’re right, Carol — then Millie Taylor and Karina Scott wouldn’t be enough for him. He’d want to spread his patronage around, gain more grateful recipients who owe him a debt.’
‘I see. So...?’
‘So who else was he a benefactor to?’ said Cooper. ‘Which of the walking group owed Darius Roth so much that they might kill for him?’
‘Or resent their benefactor.’
‘Ah, you’re thinking of the crucified teddy bear. That does suggest someone who felt very bitter against Darius Roth, to say the least.’
‘Whoever it was, perhaps he had something on them.’
‘A kind of hold over them?’ said Cooper. ‘Yes. Take the Gould brothers, for example. They’re the longest-standing members of the group. Why are they so loyal to Darius? What kind of hold does he have over those two?’