by Mark Bailey
Chapter 34.
When they returned to the interview room, Milly continued. ‘Looking at the information we have in our discussion so far, I’m taking the view that my sister’s murder and Nari Kim’s murder are related and connected by the people involved in them and the South Croydon Inn. There have been, and still are, many coincidences in play in this narrative and these coincidences exist, I believe, because the people are connected.’
‘You are assuming that Kerford and Dasti murdered Kim?’ asked Osborne.
‘Yes, I am at this stage. You have solved the crime of my sister by convicting Cailin Stewart who is no doubt guilty, even admitting in his rage to killing her. But other guilty parties, who were complicit in her murder, haven’t, and aren’t, being called to account. Two of the parties include Kerford and Dasti, and that’s apart from the murder of Nari Kim. Like I said, I believe that Nari’s murder and other ongoing criminal behavior is directly related to my sister’s death.’ Milly looked around for any reaction, but there wasn’t one. ‘I also believe the investigation you ran and conclusions you came to in the arrest and conviction of Cailin Stewart are all great outcomes based on the information you had available at the time.’
‘I think you are being a little patronizing, Milly,’ Windsor said, sounding defensive. She sensed then that Windsor was being too defensive … that he was playing more than a devil’s advocate role.
‘I think you are being a little sensitive, Rob. The information I have given you today could have you on the cusp of something big, especially as far as Sim Charles and what he represents is concerned. The only reason I am standing here this morning is that I have the inside running in my relationship with some of the people involved. You could never get the information from Gus or Deonaid Charles that I have, or from Joe Charles for that matter.’
‘I agree with you, Milly,’ said Osborne.
‘Getting away from Sim Charles for the moment and keeping in mind the assumptions we have already made, there are two irrefutable facts that tie both murders together that are beyond doubt. There’s the South Croydon Inn and Donald Raymond Kerford … if my theory is right. I’ll leave Dasti out because she isn’t tied to the others and is only linked through her association with Kerford and the inn.’ Milly looked up at her small but captive audience and stared at Greg Osborne. ‘They are the two common indisputable facts so far, and I’m guessing that everyone involved in these crimes can in one way or another be related to them. For that, we have P.C. Stone and her attention to detail to thank,’ said Milly, looking at Beth.
‘I agree,’ said Stopford and he started clapping. The others joined in briefly out of politeness, then stopped. That should take some pressure off me later, he thought.
‘You do know, Milly, that if Dasti and/or Kerford didn’t murder Kim, your theory is in pieces, don’t you?’ Windsor pointed out.
‘No, Rob, not really. We need to put this discussion today into context. I’m putting forward my opinion … or hypothesis, if you like … based on the evidence and my rational interpretation of it. I’m not stating a factual, chronological version of events here, not least because we don’t know all the facts. I’m happy to have my theory, as you call it, shot to pieces. Having said that, if you are happy to solve one murder and leave my sister’s murder where it is, then that’s up to you … it’s a police and judicial matter. I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you something. If you get Sim Charles, you’ll get ’em all, in my opinion, and you’ll get them on a lot more charges, as well as solving Nari Kim’s murder.’
‘Which I think is the point Milly is trying to make,’ interrupted Cosmo.
‘Sim Charles sits atop this whole thing on an empire of drugs, drug distribution and whatever else he has turned his hand to. If you get him, you’ll cut off the head of the serpent. He is the key to everything, and I believe my sister was murdered because of him and who or what stands behind him. I have something else,’ said Milly as she reached for her sister’s diary in her computer bag.
‘We’ve seen the diary, Milly,’ said Windsor.
‘I know you have, Rob, but I don’t reckon you’ve seen the things I have … I’ve got inside running remember. Anyone reading it would reasonably assume Sibby was in some sort of psychedelic trance when she wrote it.’
‘Yes,’ agreed Stopford. Milly looked at him as if to tell him to shut it.
‘Right, I won’t hand the diary around. I took photos with the camera on my mobile phone of some of the relevant pages last night and emailed them to myself … it was quick and easy.’ The pages appeared on the monitor. ‘The writings or ramblings in the diary speak for themselves in a way. Anyone, including me, who has looked at them has never got past the way things are written and the childlike way she has presented or depicted things.’ They looked at the screen.
‘It’s very interesting, Milly,’ said Osborne, who obviously hadn’t seen it before. The monitor showed a page with depictions of stick men with penises in various states of arousal running and chasing smaller stick figures — obviously children — most with blood dripping off them, and then there was a depiction of a woman with long hair hanging from a noose around her neck. Milly showed the page dated January 30, 2016, where there were entries of Sim Charles FB, and SCdcp fucking bastard and JCdcp by SC. The writings in January were also shown with emojis of teary faces and unsmiling faces.
‘Now, these messages are spread around, and throughout the diary, on various dates as depicted on their pages and to my untrained eye there is no pattern to any of them. As well as the rather incoherent style of writing, one of the consistent themes throughout the diary is a reputed love for JC or Joe Charles and her absolute hatred of SC or Sim Charles.’
‘What do they mean, Milly?’ asked Cosmo who thought he could see where things were going.
‘I had a visit from Giles Ryon in my office last week. He said he wanted to meet me and all the usual nice stuff, so we talked away, and while he was there he claimed, he believed, there was ongoing contact by phone between Nari and Crawford, as he called him.’ Cosmo nodded, they had already discussed the phone calls in Milly’s office. ‘He also said,’ and Milly turned to her notes, ‘in his words … I believe that this Crawford or Kerford or whatever name he goes by is involved in more than Nari was letting on. I believe he makes and distributes child porn …’
‘He made similar claims to us, Milly,’ said Windsor.
‘Up to that moment I, like you, had been quite bewildered by my sister’s diary, and then I thought about Giles Ryon’s claim, and I was taken by three words. The three words are “distributes child porn,” and if you look at the diary entries, you will see “dcp” written numerous times.’ They all looked at the diary depictions on the monitor.
‘Another “lazy eyelid” moment?’ asked Osborne.
‘Correct,’ answered Milly.
‘What significance do you see in the dcp diary entries, Milly?’ asked Windsor.
‘Sorry, Rob, I need to explain myself first. Deonaid Charles claimed that Sim visited Sibby in Dundee weekly, if not fortnightly, beginning immediately Joe went to prison. In her words, he was helping Sibby come to terms with Joe’s imprisonment, and she believed he was very good to my sister. Sim’s trips from Dundee are backed up by Gus Charles, so I believe that Sim told Sibby that Joe at least was distributing child porn.’
‘Why would he do that?’ asked Windsor.
‘Because Sibby held the key to the rest of Sim’s life … she had everything on him. She also hated him because he was the reason Joe was in prison. Joe told me Sibby knew everything, so Sim needed to keep Sibby quiet until he could get rid of her. You even have an interview with John Russell where he claims to have heard Sim threaten to shut Sibby up permanently … or words to that effect.’
‘That’s right, Milly, we do,’ confirmed Windsor with a nod of his head to Osborne.
‘As soon as Sibby died, he stopped his trips to Dundee. Then, there are no money transactions in an
y of Sibby’s accounts between Joe going to prison and her death, except for a bus ticket or something …’
‘A train ticket from Scotland to London,’ clarified Stopford.
‘So I believe Sim was giving her cash; she wasn’t working, and the Russells had cut her allowance off. By implicating Joe in distributing child porn, Sibby believed she would have sealed Joe’s fate to decades in jail if she ratted on Sim Charles.’
‘Do you think Joe was involved in distributing child porn, Milly?’
‘Not for a second and I don’t know if Sim was either … but then there is the Kerford connection involving Nari Kim, so who knows? It was a brilliant line to take with Sibby, though. In distributing the stuff, Sim would only have to say, for example, Joe was carrying it in the car with him, when he was delivering the drugs and that it had nothing to do with him … with Sim I mean. It was a lie, Rob, one I believe sent Sibby totally off the rails and one that she could never come to terms with. The lie was something he used to keep Sibby quiet until he got around to shutting her up permanently. Then along comes Cailin Stewart and Donald Kerford and Dasti for that matter. As well as the cash and lies, Sim would have kept Sibby in drugs so that would explain her behavior before she died. Then, depending on his relationship with Stewart, they could have increased the strength of the drugs Sibby used at the Croydon Inn to put her out to it before Stewart stabbed her.’
‘But we can’t even tie Sim to drugs … can we?’ asked Osborne.
‘Not with Sibby now, but we can if Joe cooperates and Gus for that matter and then there is everything else … his whole miserable existence. He’s never worked he’s … anyway, don’t get me started. I believe if Joe suspected anything in our discussion, he would drop his brother in it immediately. To get him to help, maybe you could promise him a reduced sentence?’ Then Milly told them of the alleged ziploc bags of drugs Gus Charles had in his possession with Sim’s fingerprints.
‘You’ve provided a lot of information, Milly. Why do you think Sibby used depictions and letters instead of writing what happened in her diary?’
‘In case someone read it. She might as well dob him in as write it down, especially when the diary was left where Ella Russell could find it. I believe Ella would dob Joe in straightaway if she thought he was guilty … there’s no love lost there. Perhaps Sibby believed if we found it she would already be dead and that we would eventually work it out without directly implicating Joe. You’d never get a conviction in a British court just on “dcp”.’
‘Good point, Milly, good point,’ said Osborne looking very deep in thought. ‘It may also have something to do with the size of the diary with four or five days to a page. Using letters and depictions and even emojis would save a lot of writing space.’
‘Yes, I agree Greg. I also believe there is another diary somewhere … from July up until she died, but that’s a mystery we may never solve. So,’ continued Milly tearing her thoughts away from the prospect of another diary, ‘I could go on for the rest of the day and night. I believe my biggest contribution to this discussion is not just the extra insights I have provided. There’s something else. Gus Charles told me he believed his son Sim Charles was one of the biggest criminals in Scotland and the U.K., and I agree.’ Milly added the U.K. for effect. ‘I believe if you bust this thing open too soon and get a conviction for Dasti and Kerford, that’s all you’ll get. You will never get Sim Charles.’
‘We can all see your point, Milly,’ agreed Windsor.
‘Sim Charles has thumbed his nose at you guys, at Scotland Yard … you haven’t even got a mugshot of him or his D.N.A. on your database. Even his own mother thinks he’s relatively innocent and that Joe is more culpable. Have you thought for a minute that Joe Charles was a qualified doctor who was going to marry my sister who had also finished her medical degree? They didn’t need money; they had a partnership in a medical practice for crying out loud … a license to print money. No, Joe was doing his brother a favor in carrying the drugs in my opinion. By solving one crime here, I believe you will be solving three.’
They all sat for a bit, thinking and considering. Osborne was the first to move as he looked at his watch. ‘We have a lot we need to consider here, Milly. Thanks for your input. I wish I could add you to our team.’
‘I’m afraid that’s my lot, Greg, even though I would love to stop and help out. I’ll be flying out to Brooklyn, New York, on Monday. I’m needed over there for work.’
‘How long will you be away?’ asked Windsor.
‘As long as it takes to sort the problem out.’
‘Alright, I’m sure you will be in contact with Rob or Greg Stopford.’
‘No doubt.’ As they left the room, Stopford stayed back.
‘What’s the go, Milly? You shouldn’t joke about things like going to Brooklyn; it’s not funny.
‘I’m not joking, Greg. I’m needed over there, so I have to go.’
‘You’re needed here, Milly.’
‘I’ve done all I can, mate, and your saying what you said to P.C. Stone sealed the deal for me.’
‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’ he replied, looking quite dismayed.
‘Of course I am, Greg.’
‘What about the P.I. position and … you know, the other stuff?’
‘I haven’t died you know, and I’ll leave my chastity belt on until I return, Greg.’ He looked relieved, and they sat and talked for a bit during short spells of silence.
‘I agree with everything you said today, Milly, and I think the Super and Rob did too. You’ve really helped us. You’ve really made a difference.’
‘Thanks, Greg. We’ll be in touch at least weekly. Stick with it and with a bit of luck I reckon this could be huge for all of you. There’s a lot at stake, and if you can get Sim Charles, you’ll take a very bad man off the streets. He’s ruined a lot of lives including some in his own family.’
‘How long will you be away?’
‘I may not come back, Greg.’
‘Oh, please, Milly, don’t say that. You’ve really grown in stature in my eyes. You changed me and the way I look at things … and I really like, um … I … um …I really like you, Milly.’ He started to get teary as his mood darkened, and so did Milly. They quickly embraced before anyone disturbed them.
‘I really like you too, Greg … but … I’m really sorry; I have to get going, mate.’
‘That’s alright, Milly,’ said Stopford as she got up to go. ‘I’ll wait for you. I really want you back in my day. You’re a … a … I don’t know, Milly … I suppose you’re a girl changed.’
TO BE CONTINUED
Letter from the author Mark Bailey
Dear reader
Thank you for choosing to read Girl Changed. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review as reviews are important. It doesn’t have to be long, just a few words to help others discover my writing.
If you were intrigued by the character of Dr. Milly McTaggart, you really need to read Book three of THE GIRL TRILOGY, Girl Vindicated.
Milly continues her journey of self-discovery … for her and her dead twin, Sibby. There are many coincidences, but they can be explained because as she suspects, everything and everyone is linked. She continues putting the pieces together as police ramp up their investigation. She pokes and prods, pushes and persists, tying things together, dismissing nothing. Another murder and an untimely death produce more evidence as police close in. Will Milly be a girl vindicated?
If you would like to receive an e-mail as a reminder when Book three of THE GIRL TRILOGY Girl Vindicated is released, please sign up to the mailing list at the link below. Your address will never be shared with others, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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