Free Hot Seat by Simon Wood Page A

Mansell’s second-place finish at the 1988 British Grand Prix in the vastly underpowered and temperamental Williams Judd. It has to be one of the top ten drives of the modern era. I found the framed print, or what was left of it, by the kitchen. The glass had been broken and the back ripped from the frame.
    I held up the ruined picture. ‘Found it.’
    â€˜No, no, no.’ She scrabbled across the room and snatched the frame from me. ‘It’s gone. They’ve got it all.’
    â€˜What’s gone? Who’s got it all?’
    She let the frame slip between her fingers and hit the ground. ‘Jason wouldn’t tell me what he was doing. I just know something happened with his team.’
    â€˜Townsend Motorsport?’
    â€˜No, Ragged Racing. It was why he left. He wouldn’t talk about it, but he was very upset.’
    Ronson thought Ragged was cheating. Had Jason caught Rags in the act a year ago? Gates claimed that Jason was straight. If that were true, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with cheating. If Jason was trying to get evidence, it explained why he’d been trying to break into the transporter that night. If he’d gotten it, that would have been a problem for Rags. It’s easy to deal with a spy or blackmailer. You slap one around and pay the other off. An honest man is different. There is no paying off that kind of person. Rags’ reputation was massive. He couldn’t risk seeing that destroyed. Jason’s murder would make sense under those circumstances, which seemed like a stretch at this point.
    â€˜Jason has been digging into Ragged Racing for a year?’
    â€˜No. Only the last few months, I think.’
    So, Jason walked out on the team a year ago, did nothing for months, then went on a private crusade. Why the time gap? I tried to make sense of that. Rags could have promised to be a good boy, then when Jason found out he wasn’t, he made it his aim to expose the truth. It was a nice theory, but that was all it was – a theory. I needed something to back it up. If I told any of this to Gates, it would be Rags hanging from an engine hoist.
    â€˜And you don’t know what set Jason off?’
    â€˜He wouldn’t say. He cut me out of his life, saying it was for my own safety. I hated him for it, but it looks like he was right. Silly sod.’
    â€˜Jason had been gathering evidence. Did you ever see any of it?’
    â€˜Not really. I knew he took some pictures and hid them in the frame. I walked in on him and that was when he said it was over between us.’
    â€˜I didn’t find a camera.’
    â€˜You wouldn’t have. He didn’t have one. He used the one on his phone.’
    Jason should have had his mobile on him when I found him. ‘Did the police give you Jason’s belongings?’
    â€˜No. I’m not next of kin.’
    But Andrew Gates was.
    â€˜OK, thanks for your help. I have to go, but do you want a hand tidying up?’
    She reclaimed her purse and pulled out her mobile. ‘I’m calling the cops.’
    â€˜Maybe we shouldn’t. I’m sure Andrew wouldn’t want that.’
    â€˜No. Andrew definitely wouldn’t. Are you going to scurry back to him to tell him all you learned?’
    â€˜Yes. I don’t have a choice.’
    â€˜Just leave my name out of this.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜What did he tell you – that he sacrificed his life so Jason could live an honest one? Don’t believe it. If he told you they were close, he’s a bloody liar. They hadn’t spoken in a year. Are you really going to find Jason’s killer?’
    â€˜Yes. In spite of Andrew.’
    Carrie smiled and raised her phone. ‘I’m calling the cops, but I won’t tell them you were here.’
    I headed for the door.
    â€˜Word of advice, Aidy. Jason loved his brother, but he didn’t trust him. And you shouldn’t either.’

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