by L M Krier
‘Guv, on the surface, he behaved exactly as you would expect him to in the circumstances. He appeared distraught when we got there. Kicking at the front door and rattling it. He was bleeding from the knuckles of one hand where he told us he’d been thumping at windows, trying to get back into the house after the door slammed shut on him.’
‘Did he offer that information, or did you ask him about it?’
Jezza pounced on the detail first, before Ted, who was thinking the same thing.
‘He made a show of noticing the blood when he was telling us what had happened. As if he’d just seen it, at that moment.’
‘Genuine, do you think?’
‘Hard to tell, really. You know people can behave very strangely when they’re in shock.’
‘Was it only blood or did you see an injury?’ Jezza again.
Val Gabriel had a lot more years of service than Jezza. She tried to keep her tone neutral as she replied, ‘It wasn’t really our main priority. We’d been told there was a dead child inside and a woman who had already made one attempt to kill herself, so we were more concerned about gaining entry than checking him for injury. He was a paramedic, after all, so he’d know better than us if it needed attention.’
Ted cut in before things had the chance to get heated.
‘He’d just come off shift, I think. So was he planning to go out again? Only wasn’t his car on the road, rather than in the driveway, or even in the garage.’
‘We didn’t ask about that specifically, guv,’ Ron Hardy told him. ‘I did wonder if he’d moved it, thinking about getting an ambulance there. Y’know, thinking like a paramedic, he might have wanted to leave the driveway clear for that. He might have been on autopilot and done that like by reflex. We didn’t ask though, sorry.’
‘It may not be important but Jo, can you make a note to check up on that. What was the husband’s reaction when you gained entry?’
‘He ran straight to the woman, then started wailing and shouting because she had the knife sticking out of her chest. We let him check her, because we thought he’d know what he was doing. He said she was dead, recently. He’d already told us that she’d been alive but unconscious, with only the superficial wound to her wrist, when he ran out of the house.’
Ted was thinking of the contamination of the crime scene. The transference of blood from the husband to the weapon and to the wife’s body. It was going to present some problems for the post-mortem and the various forensic results. Not the fault of the first responders, though. They had no reason to suspect things were anything other than they appeared to be. They still might not be.
‘Thank you. Did anything else strike you as out of the ordinary in any way?’
When they both said no, he let them go.
‘Jo, still on Damson Drive. How did things go with the search of the property yesterday? And any news on when the PMs will be?’
‘Nothing at all out of the ordinary so far, but me and Steve are going back again today, to make sure there’s nothing at all we could have overlooked. And both PMs are tomorrow.’
‘Steve, are you happy enough to cover them both? It will be the Professor doing them, for a case like this, so you should be able to put your questions to her as she works. She’ll at least listen.
‘Jo, while I remember, I’m going to a briefing late afternoon today about Thursday’s attempt to round up Data.’
‘Today? Are you sure that’s wise?’
‘I checked the timings carefully and it’s doable. It’ll be fine.’
‘If you say so, boss,’ Jo told him with a grin. ‘On your head be it.’
The briefing was taking place in the office in a smart building which Gina Shaw used for her cover as an advertising and marketing consultant. Apart from a discreet nameplate on the door, the setting was anonymous. When Ted saw the half dozen officers who arrived one by one to join her, all male, he knew there would be a back way in. The way most of them were dressed, they would stand out as unlikely clients of such an enterprise. Her colleague Ian Bradley was not among them, but Gina had previously told Ted that he was currently working off the radar, in deep cover, so he was out of contact for the foreseeable future.
‘This is DCI Ted Darling, from Stockport,’ Gina told the others.
There weren’t enough chairs in the room for all of them so they were variously perching where they could or leaning against walls.
Compared to the others, except for Gina, Ted was seriously overdressed; freshly showered and wearing his best suit with a shirt and tie. He was determined to get it right for the evening. Trev had told him the restaurant was posh and had insisted on sorting his wardrobe. Ted hadn’t wanted to run the risk of not having enough time to change after the briefing. Gina had been complimentary of his outfit. The rest of the team members’ looks told him their opinion of him.
‘Ted’s here because he and his team have already tried and failed once to get their hands on our boy Data, so I thought it might be useful to hear his experience first-hand.’
‘Bit careless, that,’ one of the officers said with a note of scorn.
‘It was a well-planned op. As well as yours is doubtless going to be. We had every entrance of the park where it was happening covered. The one thing we weren’t aware of is that the supposedly blind dwarf we believe is the supplier for the drugs Data sells, and the buyer for the porn films he produces, is protected by some Albanian ex-Special Forces types. We managed to arrest one of them shortly afterwards, but I can’t emphasise enough to you how dangerous these people are.
‘Their role will be to ensure that someone as valuable to them as Data never falls into the hands of the police and risks leading us straight to him.’
‘Albanian Special Forces? For real, or is this some sort of a wind-up?’ the same team member asked, not bothering to hide the scepticism in his voice.
‘I’m completely serious, I assure you,’ Ted told him. ‘A mistake was made in our investigation – entirely my fault – so we didn’t pick up on that connection as soon as we should have. Our interest in this gang was purely for the cuckooing, which included serious abuse and sexual exploitation of a young woman with learning disabilities. It was because of a sudden death in her flat that we found the connection to the drugs gang and passed the info on to you.
‘The reason for my presence here today is to emphasise that these people are clever, highly trained, and ruthless. They spirited Data away from under our noses. If they get the slightest whiff of a police presence, they’ll do the same again on Thursday. And don’t overlook the possibility that they’ll treat Data as expendable, if it comes to protecting their operation. They’ll do anything it takes to stop him being arrested and interviewed.’
‘Couple of things there, Ted,’ the same officer again, sounding increasingly truculent. ‘First off, take a look at us. None of us in here looks remotely like most people’s idea of a copper. We do this all the time. We know what we’re doing. Second, this Data is a valuable asset. They’re not going to want to lose him. So surely they won’t be thinking of taking him out.’
‘All I’m saying is that as a last resort, they might.’
The debate rumbled on, sometimes getting heated. Ted was trying hard not to step on any toes, but he was determined to make the rest of them consider all possible outcomes for the operation. He didn’t realise how long they had been talking until the alarm he’d set on his mobile went off. He took it out of his pocket to cancel it then looked apologetically at Gina Shaw.
‘That’s my time up. Thank you for listening, at least, everyone. I hope you’ll bear in mind what I’ve said, and I’ll see some of you again on Thursday, hopefully for a positive outcome.’
Ted had allowed plenty of time. It should only take him ten minutes to drive to the restaurant, and he’d still left himself quarter of an hour to spare in case of difficulties in finding a parking space.
Even that was easier than he feared, so he found himself walking into the restaurant ah
ead of the appointed hour.
A waiter showed him to the table, presented him with a menu and asked if he wanted an aperitif. Ted settled for sparkling mineral water.
Trev wasn’t there. For once, it was Ted who was left sitting on his own like Billy No Mates, wondering if this was going to be the ultimate revenge from his partner.
The taxi arrived five minutes early. A good start. Trev had been hovering in the window, looking out for it. He turned to the cats as it pulled up outside.
‘Right, boys and girls, your other daddy has promised to take me out to a lovely restaurant and spoil me rotten. Which means, of course, that he won’t turn up. I don’t know why I even bother getting ready. But just in case, I’m off now, and I need you all to promise to behave yourselves. And if he does stand me up again, which is highly likely, I intend to get quite outrageously bladdered at his expense, so I apologise in advance if I return in a deplorable state.’
He went out to the taxi and slid into the front passenger seat next to the driver. The man checked the address with him as he pulled away then added, ‘I’ve heard that’s a nice restaurant. Special date? Some lucky young lady?’
‘Actually, my husband’s taking me out to dinner because he’s always letting me down for such things. It’s not his fault. His job’s very demanding. He probably won’t turn up, yet again, but I don’t want to be late arriving or I’ll never hear the end of it, if by some miracle he does make it.’
‘Oh, sorry, mate, no offence intended. What time’s your table booked for?’
‘Seven-thirty, and none taken.’
‘That should be no problem, we’ve plenty of time.’
Not very many minutes later, the driver was mumbling profound apologies and Trev was nearly climbing the side of the taxi when they found themselves stuck solid in heavy traffic at the scene of a collision, which had clearly happened moments before. With seemingly no way to go forwards or to get round the incident.
‘I’m really sorry, mate, I usually get an early tip-off of anything like this but it looks like it’s very recent. With a bit of luck, we’ll get round it in a bit. Do you want to give your bloke a ring, to tell him what’s happened?’
‘It’s fine, don’t worry. He won’t be there. Certainly not on time. And he’s in a meeting, so there’s no point phoning him, he won’t answer the call anyway.’
They were stuck for a good twenty minutes before they were finally waved through. The driver used all his skills and local knowledge, helped by his sat nav, to take every shortcut he could find to make up lost time. Trev was still more than fashionably late by the time he got to the restaurant. He thrust the cash at the driver, generous tip included, brushing away his protests and saying he’d ask for him again if he needed collecting after the solitary well-oiled dinner he was anticipating.
As the waiter showed him to the table, Trev was stunned to find a rather smug-looking Ted sitting waiting patiently for him. Ted stood up to greet him and Trev smothered him in a hug.
‘You came! I can’t believe it. I’m late because we got stuck in traffic. But you’re here. Thank you.’
‘I said I would,’ Ted smiled, taking his phone out of his pocket and putting it on the table. ‘And look, phone switched off. I’m at your exclusive disposal for the whole evening.’
Trev’s grin turned mischievous.
‘In that case, let’s gobble our food quickly. Or ask for a takeaway, and get home as soon as possible.’
Chapter Twenty-one
‘Right, DC Ellis, first of all, thank you for arriving on time. This is your first PM with me. Have you done others previously?’
‘No, Professor,’ Steve told her, remembering not to call her ma’am.
‘A quick run-down of my rules first, then. It’s quite normal to puke, but please don’t do it in my autopsy suite. Secondly, contrary to rumour, I don’t bite, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, even while we’re working. I’m perfectly capable of multi-tasking. I know you have some doubts over this case, so it’s my role to tell you if they have any foundation. But only based on forensic findings. I don’t do speculation. Although I have been known, on occasion, to postulate hypotheses.
‘As we have two autopsies to perform, my colleague, James, will be working on the young boy, whilst I work alongside on his mother. If you could manage to observe both of us without getting in the way, that would be very much appreciated.
‘Like you, we are truth-seekers, James and I. It is our job to present you with factual evidence of what happened to these poor unfortunates.
‘Now, I haven’t yet had time to share your thoughts with James, DC Ellis, so perhaps you would be kind enough to go over them again for him? That way they will be recorded, along with my comments, which might be helpful to us in the future.’
Steve could feel himself instantly flushing behind the face mask he was wearing. He wished he could control it, but had never found a way to do so. He was always waiting to be jumped on and shot down in flames for everything he said.
‘Before you start, DC Ellis, can we call you something other than that?’ James asked him. ‘It’s a bit of a mouthful. I’m James, so what can I call you?’
‘Steve. My name’s Steve,’ he began, then stumbled on, setting out his theory about the woman’s death, painfully aware as he did so that it sounded implausible even to his own ears. At least both James and the Professor were giving the appearance of listening politely, apart from the odd aside they made for the voice recorders, with basic details about the victims they were examining.
‘I see,’ James said, when Steve had finished, keeping his tone neutral, so Steve had no way of judging what he was thinking. ‘Well, I have to confess, if you’re right, this is quite the most bizarre case I’ve ever heard of. Not to mention audacious. Because if the mother did kill herself while he was outside, whether or not he had somehow convinced her to do it, he surely has a cast iron alibi, being with the police at the time?’
‘Unless we can show he killed the boy, not her,’ Steve told him, a stubborn tilt to his chin now. ‘Speaking of which, I don’t know if the information is useful to you but the first responders said the husband was bleeding from one hand. He said he’d done it trying to break into the house when he got shut out. But I imagine that will mean that his blood will be on either or both bodies, and possibly on the knife too. And him drawing attention to it might simply be a way of him establishing a reason in advance to explain his traces on the bodies and on the weapon.’
‘Deviouser and deviouser, said Alice,’ James commented.
‘Without realising how bad her grammar was,’ the Professor responded, clearly finishing off an old joke between the two of them.
Then she went on, ‘I have to confess to having been sceptical when DC Ellis outlined his theory to me at the scene. It still sounds implausible in the extreme. However, I do agree that the strange positioning of the woman’s body in relation to the first superficial cut to her wrist had occurred to me, too. She was definitely lying down when that injury was inflicted, but with the arm which was injured stretched out to the side. And clear evidence that it had been in that position at the time the cut was made.
‘Because I never take anything I see at face value, I decided to do some experimentation at home, to try to recreate how easy – or not – it would be to inflict that sort of an injury on oneself whilst lying on one’s back on the floor.
‘In one of those “don’t try this at home” warnings, I should stress that this is definitely not something which should be attempted with an extremely randy young Staffy puppy in the house. Even after Spilsbury was removed to a place of safety, I found it a really counter-intuitive way of trying to inflict serious harm. I was using an extremely sharp kitchen knife, although I put the protector over the edge of the blade to be on the safe side.
‘The most logical thing to do was to move my left arm across my chest in order to bring the knife down across it. But we know from the blood patterns at the scene and
on the body that she didn’t do that. Which begs the question, why not?’
‘Could it be that, if she had been drugged with something, then she was still very weak from the effects? Perhaps dizzy? Might that have affected her actions?’ James suggested.
‘Dizzy would be a possible explanation. Weak I’m finding harder to accept as a factor, because either way would involve lifting one arm and moving it. You actually have to move yourself more to roll towards the arm, rather than to lift the arm towards the knife.
‘You’ve checked, Steve, of course, which was her dominant hand, I take it?’
Steve felt himself flushing an even darker red than before as he mumbled, ‘Not yet, Professor.’
‘Please do so. It could prove pivotal to your theory. Sometimes I would be able to give you a suggestion based on a slight difference in muscle development between the two arms. This lady was so thin that it becomes more difficult to do so.’
‘What if she didn’t make that cut herself at all?’ Steve suggested hesitantly. ‘What if she was unconscious at the time, and she only came to later to find the boy dead next to her and her with a wound on her wrist?’
‘We won’t be able to address that hypothesis today, I’m afraid,’ the Professor told him. ‘For that we will need the results of the blood tests as well as having the information on what the knife can tell us, in terms of fingerprints.
‘From my initial observations at the scene, I believe that the knife was withdrawn immediately from the boy’s chest. Had it been left in place, I would have expected to see far less external bleeding and subsequently to find more blood in the chest cavity. The knife would effectively form a damn, to an extent. I should be able to confirm that theory for you once we look inside.’
‘I’m about to crack the boy’s chest, Professor, if you’re happy for me to do that now? Do you want to have a closer look externally before I do so?’
She paused in what she was doing and went to join James at the table he was working on. Steve also moved closer, fascinated by it all. Relieved, too, that he had so far not encountered mockery from either of the pathologists for his ideas. And that he was too enthralled to think of feeling ill.