Witchmoor Edge

by Mike Crowson

"We've had our eye on the place for weeks and we've had our suspicions for months," Superintendent Walker said. "I thought we'd been successful in keeping our suspicions to ourselves."

  "I didn't get it from your end," Millicent said. "It was more a lucky guess."

  "Don't give me that," said Walker. "When I find out who talked I'll have his guts for bootlaces."

  Millicent thought it wiser to say nothing.

  "But now you know about the raid you may as well be part of it. Anyway, We have to get started," Walker continued. "Timing's all important. The past few weeks several suspect vehicles have left the place Thursday evenings after the front business closes but not long after. Sit in with Inspector Close and remember, you're along for the ride because Bob Cooke is an old friend and I owe him."

  "Okay," she said, remembering Cooke's remark about it costing him a lot of Brownie points. She hoped it was going to pay off. If it did, though, that said something about remote viewing which she'd really rather not face. The US army seemed to have bought the idea, but not the political element in the CIA. NASA had joined in the programme, but the US Navy - more probably one or more senior officers - hadn't approved. In fact, proving accurate probably said something about the nature of reality a lot of people would rather not face!

  Millicent sat in the back of the second car with Inspector Close, as she had been instructed and noted that there were four cars, mostly of plain clothes, CID people, as well as a couple of vans and At least one police dog she could see.

  "Big one, this," she said to Close, indicating the extent of the party.

  "We've been trying catch this bugger for a while," Close said. "Walker means to get him this time and God help us if he gets away with it."

  "Can you fill me in on the background?" Millicent asked as the convoy swept out of Bradford Divisional Headquarters.

  "The guy that owns this garage is called Stone. Danny Stone. He's been buying up wrecks from road accidents legit. They've got to be new and expensive models. Then he steals the same model cars, puts the legit plates on the stolen vehicles and sells them on with the logbooks and everything. Very hard to spot if it's done quickly and the sale is well away from the accident. Often it's not even the same country. We think he exports some of them."

  "And Bradford CID's been watching him?"

  "Stone runs this end of the racket, but there's a lot to it. Thursdays the buyer comes up with a couple of low loaders and trailers. The Super is hoping we get them all."

  "I hope he does get them," Millicent said, "but all I want is the Porsche a murder was committed in. I want my evidence."

  "I hope you get that too," said Close, and they fell silent as the convoy swept through back streets, avoiding the tail end of the rush hour traffic.

  "Here we are," said Close as the car pulled up, completely blocking a back alley. "We get out here and stand by. Everybody goes in together when all the exit routes are sealed."

  He took out his mobile phone and rang in.

  "Car two ready," he said into the phone. "You wait with the car and make sure nothing gets past," he told the two uniformed officers.

  Close and Millicent strolled easily up the alley, stopping short of the back entrance to a car sales lot. The other end of the alley was blocked by a van and four officers were walking towards them with a dog straining quietly at the leash.

  Close's mobile buzzed. He glanced at the message and called out, "Go!" At the same time the four approaching officers broke into a run. At the back entrance one of the uniformed officers took out a huge pair of bolt cutters and cut through the padlock and chain securing the back entrance. Two officers and the dog stayed at the gate while the other two ran on behind Close and Millicent, into the back of the building.

  A silver Porsche, two Jaguars and a BMW stood ready to load onto the vehicles and trailers. Walker and several other plain-clothes officers were in the office, where the logbooks and keys had apparently been set out ready to go with the vehicles when the police team had arrived.

  "Wrong number plate and wrong colour," Millicent said, disappointed as she looked at the Porsche.

  "It'll have been re-sprayed and the plates changed," Close said. "Look around outside. I'll bet you find the plates from your vehicle on a wrecked silver Porsche."

  It took Millicent only seconds to find the wrecked vehicle and head back to the office. Inside Superintendent Walker was confronting a defiant Danny Stone.

  "I don't have to tell you nothing 'till I get my solicitor," Stone was saying. "And he'll have me out in no time."

  "Fine," said Millicent breaking into the party. "You can answer through him as to why you stole a red Porsche in which a man was murdered. He'll not get you out too easily when the charge is conspiracy to murder."

  "I don't know nothing about a murder."

  "If you don't tell us right now where you got that vehicle you're obstructing the police in a murder enquiry. That's conspiracy."

  "I told you, I don't know nothing about a murder."

  Stone was getting rattled, Millicent was getting angry and Walker and Close were staring open mouthed.

  "You may or may not know about the murder," said Millicent with menace and growing anger, "but you do know where you got that fucking car and you're going to tell me. Now."

  Stone was shaken but sullen. "I bought it off a bloke called Koswinski," he said. "All fair and above board."

  "Where's the log book?" Millicent demanded.

  "He hadn't no log book that's why I swapped the plates over, but he had the keys."

  Millicent turned to Walker. "Do you mind if the Porsche goes to forensic straight away?" she asked. "You can keep the car itself as evidence, but I need the forensic report the day before yesterday."

  "That's fine as far as I'm concerned," Walker agreed. "We need a full report on these vehicles anyway. We'll just make your one that bit more thorough and have two copies done."

  As they strolled outside Close remarked, "That was superb. I think we had all the evidence we needed but you broke him down in seconds."

  "You don't know how much I wanted to get my hands on that vehicle," Millicent answered. "Now I need a ride back to Headquarters and I'll go get myself an unpleasant little yob called Koswinski. I've had that little bugger in once, or rather one of my DCs has, and he forgot to mention one or two little things in his statement."

  "If you treat him like you did Stone you should get some answers."

  "Stone was a complete stranger who just happened to have some information I needed," Millicent said. "Koswinski is an aggressive little bastard behind gang rapes, drugs and fights. I've wanted the little turd for a year or two and this time I think I've got him." Millicent's dark eyes were flashing.

  Back at Bradford Divisional Headquarters, Millicent arranged for officers from Witchmoor Edge to go out and pick up Koswinski and then went for a bite in the canteen before driving back to her base. By the time she arrived Koswinski was in the interview room with a uniformed constable.

  "Wait in with us. I'm going to need a witness," Millicent said and started the tape rolling. "DI Hampshire interviewing John Koswinski in connection with the murder of Simon Hunter, arson at Cartwright's Wharf and theft of a vehicle used in the murder."

  "Now, "she said, "How about you tell me the rest of what happened at Cartwright's Wharf last Saturday. The bits you didn't mention to DI Hammond."

  "Don't know what you're talking about."

  "I've just come from interviewing Danny Stone of Stone's Autos in Bradford and I've taken all the crap I'm taking in one day."

  "Don't try to bully me, you black bitch."

  "My dear little boy," Millicent began dangerously" Danny Stone admitted buying from you a Porsche in which Simon Hunter was murdered." She continued with increasing volume and venom, "I want to know where you stole it, who was around when you stole it. How you came to kill somebody at Cartwright's Wharf during the afternoon of last Saturday. In short, everything. Every detail. If you don't tell me no
w, nice and easy, I'll charge you with conspiracy to murder, car theft, arson and murder of a person unknown and I'll question you through your solicitor."

  Koswinski was taken aback but he was, in the famous words, shaken not stirred.

  "You may as well know," Millicent continued with rising anger, "that I know you were behind that gang rape in Shipley last New Year. You got off because you intimidated witnesses. You probably only planned it because no decent looking woman would want to have it away with a prickless little creep like you. I've been waiting for you ... now you're here. Tell me what I need to know or I'll enjoy nailing both you and your dodgy solicitor."

  She got up, saying to the officer. "If he decides to talk I'll be in my office. If he hasn't talked in ten minutes, charge him with theft, conspiracy to murder and obstructing the police then lock him up until his solicitor comes."

  With that she walked out, leaving Koswinski stunned and open-mouthed.

  In the event it was seven minutes before Koswinski agreed to talk, but once he did Millicent got most of what she wanted.

  "Where was the car?" she demanded perfunctorily, before she had even sat down.

  "Outside the warehouse, up an alley at the side."

  "What time was this?"

  "About half past five or six oclock. No, half past five or a bit before, because I must've got to Danny Stone's by just turned six or he wouldn't have been there."

  "Regular client, were you? Bradford CID will be interested. How did you find the car? Was it easily seen?"

  "Not really, no. I only saw it from inside the warehouse. I were meeting Jason Oyawinde."

  "Jason Oyewinde? Are you sure about the name?"

  "Yeah. He’s half-black same as you. Anyway he was selling some stuff, but he wanted too much for it. We sat around for a while listening to his ghetto blaster ..."

  "What?"

  "CD player".

  "I know what a ghetto blaster is. What had he got it plugged into?"

  "How d'you know it were plugged in to owt?"

  "Because I think I understand something that has been puzzling me," Millicent said obscurely, thinking of the wire from a street lamp the fire investigation branch had found.

  "He had a wire from a street lamp to this CD player. Real smart it were. Anyway we sat around and listened to music for a while and I bargained with him, but it were no use. He wanted too much, so I grabbed at it and he ran off down the steps. They must've been rotten or something, because the steps broke up and he fell. He wasn't moving or nothing and I couldn't get down, so I went outside to try and get at him from the canal side. That's when I saw this fancy car with the keys in it. I took it to Danny Stone because he wouldn't ask no questions."

  "What did you do about Oyewinde?"

  "Yeah, well," Koswinski, having the grace to look a little shame faced. "I forgot about him until later on. That's why we went back to the warehouse that night."

  "So you went to look for him eventually?"

  "Well, I sort of had that in mind when we went there to have another bevy. When Musworth found the tramp I forgot about Oyewinde again."

  "You left him to die, did you?" Millicent asked. "Great mate you are."

  "I think he were dead already. He fell a long way," Koswinski said. "Anyway, he weren't no mate of mine."

  Millicent didn't comment, instead she changed the subject to something that had occurred to her before, but was now a real interest. "Think very carefully," she said, "The conspiracy charge could rest on this. Did you see or hear anyone while you were in the warehouse?"

  Koswinski shook his head. "No. But as I were just going there to meet Oyewinde a bloke passed me on a motorbike."

  "Out of the side street by the warehouse?"

  "Yeah."

  "Would you know the motorcyclist again?" Millicent asked.

  "He were wearing a helmet, so I never saw him."

  "What else was he wearing besides a helmet?"

  "Bike jacket and jeans, I think. I weren't taking much notice."

  "What was the bike like?"

  "Medium sized. Not big and flashy nor an old wreck. Reddish I think. Like I said, I weren't taking much notice. I were thinking about Oyewinde. I thought it were probably one of his customers."

  And maybe not, Millicent thought. It might have been Alice Dent fixing the timing device. I bet the fire was meant to destroy the car as well as the body. Clever scheme, whether it was a scratch plan to cover up a spur of the moment murder or part of a thorough plot. Unfortunately for the plotter or plotters, Koswinksi had happened around and Musworth had drowned. It sounded as though the death of Oyewinde was part accident, part Koswinski and nothing to do with the arsonist, though.

  "All right," Millicent said. "I'm charging you with theft of a car. The CPS can decide whether there's a case to answer over Oyewinde's death." She turned to the officer. "I'll charge him and we can keep him overnight. DC Hammond can deal with statements and things in the morning."

  Millicent still wasn't finished, though time was getting on. She went back up to the incident suite and rang Bradford CID to let them know about Koswinski's apparent familiarity with the Stone set up. Close was still there and she agreed that they could have young thug in Bradford as soon as Tommy Hammond had finished with him next morning.

  "And thanks for letting me join your raid," she said to DI Close.

  "We got all we needed," Close said. "I'm glad you got your evidence too."

  "We have to get lucky once in a while," Millicent said, and rang off.

  All that remained was to glance through the results of door-to-door enquiries around the area where Knowles lived and decide that next morning had better start with a whole team review of where they were at. On the way out she left a note for Chief Inspector Cooke in case he wanted to join the briefing.

  She selected a tape by the medieval music specialists Fifth Element and drove home in a much calmer mood, reflecting on her remote viewing success and the implications.

  Chapter 12: Friday 17th August (am)