With that he walked off to his office as Ian, Amy and Jack came through the station door. Jane filled them in on her epiphany this morning and the plan she had put into motion. They all seemed pretty confident that this was the best way to go. Jack confirmed that as soon as Eric got in they would be heading over to the college to speak to Jennifer’s friends to see if they could find the father of her baby. Jane also asked him to head over to Valerie’s work and speak to the girl that she was planning on moving in with. Jane asked Ian and Amy to dig a little deeper into their organization leader, find his history. Jane also asked them to print out a list of all current members of his organization and past members.
With all that was organized the rest of the day flew past in a haze. PC Jack Collins had located Jennifer York’s boyfriend he was 19 years old Steve Cooper. He had an alibi for the whole time while Jennifer was kidnapped and missing as he was in Benidorm for two weeks. He was aware that Jennifer was pregnant and they were planning on keeping the baby. Jennifer had said she was going to tell her parents while he was away because she knew how her father could be. They had been dating for two years, which confused Jack as to why the boyfriend hadn’t been mentioned earlier in the investigation particularly by Jennifer’s parents whom she was close with. His reply to this was that her parents knew I was on holiday so it was clear I didn’t have anything to do with the kidnap or harm that come to Jennifer plus they never took their love seriously. They thought it was something that Jennifer was going to grow out of. Jack said he was very sincere obviously very angry towards Jennifer’s parents but the affection in his voice when he spoke of Jennifer was very apparent. He was visibly upset about losing his girlfriend and their unborn baby. His parents were very supportive of him and were aware of the situation. Jack had also managed to track down the friend that Valerie was planning on moving in with as she was on a trip abroad for her company for two days. Jenise Edwards and Valerie were actually a couple; they met through work, which she then left the company that Valerie works for, as interpersonal relationships are not allowed. She didn’t mention it earlier as she was unsure whether Valerie had come out to her parents as she was planning to before they moved out but she left for the business trip before her and Valerie could discuss it. Ian and Amy seemed to have the hardest task out of all of them; they had managed to track down all the members of the seminar and organization with daughters so they had a possible list of who the next victim could be if Valerie turns up dead. But the actual leader of the group seemed to be a lot harder to track. But with much sleuthing from the pair they had found the cause of confusion and something that was a lot bigger than they had first realized. The same founder and leader was operating under many different alias running several different seminars all over the country. He started off in North Yorkshire with a seminar on saving the youth of today. Then 6 months later he moved down to the outskirts of Norfolk bordering on Lincolnshire where he ran a seminar called the youth and sin of today. Where 6 months later he made it to Essex where he started his seminar group under the name how to help the youth of today. The massive discoveries lead them to the fact that in each county three young girls go missing. Each one with parents on the seminar and organization register. Each girl has been found dead. The three girls from North Yorkshire were only found three months ago at a local park to where they all lived but they were buried. The 3 young girls from the outskirts of Norfolk were found two months ago at a national forest half buried half exposed to the elements. Each girl had died from exsanguination; each girl had suffered extensive torture. Everything about their murders screamed their guy. Ian had spent all day looking into the organization founder and his alias and the only thing they had learnt for real was that his first name was Thaddeus. Not exactly the most common name but the only one repeated throughout all the variations.
The undercover couple that went into the seminar had got some information but they hadn’t been entirely successful. They had spoke to a lot of the parents including the two sets of parents of the victims who were still attending the group as normal. They had found out how ever that they only refer to each other by first names and only ever speak about the children other than that they don’t know anything about each other. They spoke to the parents of the list with potential victims none of them were very forthcoming. They even mentioned to try and create conversation around the matter how scary it had been the last couple of weeks with the young girls going missing and that and how they were more concerned with keeping their daughter safe but the room only responded with agreement and nothing much was said. Both the undercover cops said it was very hard to infiltrate the system it felt like that because they had joint so late in the seminar sessions that they weren’t welcome or trusted therefor they struggled to get much more information than that.
“Great guys that’s been some excellent work today guys trust me this is good. I’m going to go talk to my supervisor he is going to need to know about the new escalation in victims. Find out what we need to do we may need to open up some lines of communication with the other police forces, see what head way they made with the investigation at their ends. But honestly great work.”
Jane felt the need to add in more praise she knew the whole team was feeling it because of how short the time seemed for Valerie. As she made her way upstairs to her supervisors office she prepared herself for the lecture that the case was getting too big for her team to handle and that he was going to bring in the big guys too solve this. As she knocked and waited at the door patiently she tried to prep herself to stay calm. As Jane entered though the story looked like it was going to unfold slightly differently. Jane could tell her supervisor was visibly under strain from the case. Unfortunately her team wasn’t the only ones that had realized there was a count down for Valerie Brook’s body to turn up. The media had picked up on it and created a giant countdown clock that was plainly disrespectful but were not responding to the police request to put it to an end.
“Detective how did the undercover operation go?”
“Not so well it seems because our team only entered the organization so late in it’s seminar running in Essex they were not trusting or very cooperative in giving away any information. But that isn’t our biggest problem. We have been trying to look into the history of the seminar and organization founder but it turns out the name he is using is a fake. We have found several different web pages set up all with the same layout and information but all under different name titles. There was a seminar and group run in North Yorkshire and the other on the outskirts of Norfolk. Sir the problem is in both counties three girls have gone missing from each and all six girls have turned up dead.”
“ Oh dear so your saying this seminar group is travelling from county to county killing three girls and now they are in Essex and already on their second. This is a lot bigger than we first thought have you opened up the lines of communication with the Yorkshire and Norfolk police yet?”
“ No not yet sir I wanted to update you first on the situation.”
“Ok that’s good get onto the phone and confirm with Yorkshire and Norfolk police that we are working the same case. Because it’s active in our area at the moment we will take point on it so if you can get them to send over all case files and reports. Then you should consider updating the parents. Tell them that you have confirmed that the same person that has been responsible for the deaths of six other girls across two counties took their girls. Hopefully if you can make the parents realize they aren’t the only ones that have been taken in by this organization they might crack and tell you the information you need to know.”
“That’s a great idea sir thank you I’ll get right on it. Perhaps after we have confirmed it and spoken to the parents it maybe a good idea to hold a small controlled press conference. Hopefully it will let the rest of the organization members know and it could help slow the kidnap and murder of the third victim even if it is too late to save Valerie. Plus it might help sedate the media if they too become to rea
lize how big this case has become. Right now the focus is on the failings of Essex police if we can shift the fact that it’s not just been in our county it might improve the media relationship.”
“That will be fine Detective Sparrow just let me know when it is all arranged.”
Jane left the office feeling a little more relieved than when she walked in. The news that the case was bigger than they had originally thought had gone down a lot better than she had thought. And she felt even better for agreeing a workable action plan. Jane slumped back down into her office chair suddenly becoming to realize how tired she was when Amy approached with a cup of coffee.
“How did it go?”
“We have a lot to do.”
“Well what’s first Boss?”
With that Jane couldn’t help but smile with reassurance. She had a good team that worked hard and for the first time in the case she felt like they were going to catch this guy.
Chapter 12
Jane and Amy spent the next half an hour on the phone talking, Jane had chosen to speak to the North Yorkshire police and Amy was talking to the department for Norfolk. They both were willing to send over copies of their case files regarding the victims but none for their investigation. In return they had to send over copies of their case files regarding their victims and if all departments were in agreement that the cases were connected they would send the rest of the files. Ian faxed over both files regarding the victims including Jennifer York’s medical report to the two departments. And in return they received six files on the victims three from each department. All the victims were aged between seventeen and twenty-two. All were kidnapped from public places with friends when they stated that they didn’t feel well and wandered of on their own. Each victim was held for three days where they suffered severe torture and eventually passed away from blood loss. Like their first victim Jennifer York each of the other first victims at the separate counties was a young girl in the early stages of pregnancy. The second victim from each county was also like their second victim Valerie struggling with their sexuality. Unfortunately the medical records for theses young victims were painting a grim picture for what Valerie must be suffering. Each of the second victims at the different counties had been raped repeatedly. The third victim was an addict of some kind. The third young girl from North Yorkshire was an eighteen-year-old cocaine addict and the third from the Norfolk area was a nineteen-year-old alcohol dependent. Jane and Amy both agreed that these cases definitely seemed to coincide with the events that were happening in Essex at the moment. It was obvious five minutes later that both the Yorkshire and Norfolk police agreed with their assessment when the rest of the files regarding their investigation came through. Jane rang through to both departments to thank them for their cooperation and promised to keep them in the loop as their investigation progressed and when they made an arrest. Both departments wished her good luck with this as they said it was like chasing a ghost of a person you know exists but your are always one step too far behind.
“Ok now we confirmed it with the other departments were going to need to set up a meeting with both sets of parents. I say we leave that until tomorrow morning now as it getting a bit late. I think we should organize to have both sets of parents brought down here at the same time see if they play dumb at knowing each other or whether they come clean on that fact. After that we are going to hold a small controlled press conference and release the information that the investigation is on going and that we have tied it to six other murders across two counties. Now that is going to have to wait till morning now as well so I say we go home get some rest. I believe we are all expecting to receive a phone call later on this evening. But if in the event we hear nothing I will meet you all here bright an early at seven thirty am ok.”
With that they all made a break for the door and headed on home. After such a long day in the office chasing information they all needed their space to clear their heads. When your working a case like this it becomes important to let it go when you leave work too many good police officers can’t do that and it near on kills them. Jane was planning on calling Perry and having a nice relaxing bath. What she needed more than anything was another turn in bed with Perry to really help her forget. Jane also and a slight feeling that things between Ian and Amy had gotten a little more serious. Jane was pleased she was able to give them a few more tasks to do over the last couple of days together. They made a great team and managed to stay professional through out. Jane wasn’t quite ready to let her partner wander off completely though Jane hated to admit it but she needed Amy for a lot of the interpersonal things when it came to the parents.
Jane arrived home and decided what she really needed was something to eat she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. She had rang Perry but he was still taking care of business and couldn’t make it for another couple of hours yet so she set to making herself something to eat. She found herself some old pasta in the cupboard and a sauce nothing that required a trained chef to cook as Jane often admitted herself she was a lousy cook. Jane often joked that was one of the reasons why her husband had left her. Truth of the matter is he wanted children Jane didn’t. So he went of and found himself a younger more willing model. Jane later regretted the decision more so that she hadn’t really put any thought into it. She was always just so adamant that she didn’t but at the time she was more married to her career and still is now. She was too busy making her way through the ranks at the police to even notice the fact that her husband was miserable and having an affair. Jane suspected that because of her mum and dad’s violent relationship she never really trusted men. Never wanted to completely rely or depend on one. Her mother always used to say to her that no man likes a woman that’s too independent and doesn’t let him take care of her. Even her mum had managed to find a man again and settle she said she was truly happy. But Jane as much as she had Perry to a degree it was never going to be what others class as a relationship.
Jane couldn’t believe the train of thoughts her mind had gone down it had been a long time since she had thought of her ex husband. It made her sad to think of him the life she could have had if only she had allowed it. Her ex husband was actually a psychologist that used to aid the police in their investigations his expertise being profiling. Jane had made it clear that if Essex police wanted to keep her on they would have to find a new psychologist to assist after their divorce. She didn’t want him any where near the station. But Jane wandered now that the case had gotten so big that as much as Dr Tad Woodrow had been helpful whether her ex husband would have any different insights. But the question was how desperate was Jane was she really willing to ring him after ten years and ask for his help. She answered her own question with the fact that the phone was already in her hand.
“Darren its Jane”
“Jane it’s been ten years and you ring me now. What do you want?”
‘I need your help. I know I have no right to ask and you know I wouldn’t ask unless I was really desperate. Please Darren I really need your help.”
“Ok Jane what is it.”
“Really that easy after all these years you will still help me now.”
“Jane you have never been one to ask for help even when we were married. It may have been ten years but I know you. I can hear it in your voice what do you need?”
“Have you been watching the news? This case Darren it’s got way bigger than the public realize and this guy its like hunting a ghost. We know who he is but all we have got is circumstantial evidence we have got nothing to tie him or anyone to any of the victims. He’s smart Darren and this case just got a whole lot bigger we tied the cases of the two girls down here to six other murders across two counties. I don’t know what to do all I have is circumstantial evidence and a theory and that’s not enough to get me a warrant to search anywhere but I don’t even know where to search to ask for a warrant. I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Ok Jane I’ll help why don’t you
come over to me bring the case files I’ll have a read through them see if I can help.”
“Thanks Darren.”
With that Jane realized that Perry was meant to be coming over this evening and she felt rather guilty. She quickly sent him a text telling him where she was going and that she would phone when she got in. Hoping that Perry wouldn’t mind that she was asking her ex husband for help he text her back saying no problem and be safe and that he hoped he could still see her tonight.
With that Jane readied herself to go to Darren’s as much as she wasn’t interested in Darren that way any more the prospect of restoring some self-pride kicked in and she decided to get changed. She didn’t want to show up at his new place looking like a mess, she put on a nice fitted dress that showed of her figure and pulled her hair back in a bun the way she remembered Darren liked it. She still had a bottle of perfume one of the last presents that Darren had gotten her when they were married she could neither bring herself to throw it out or use it but tonight seemed like the right occasion to. The strange thing is Darren only moved about fifteen minutes away but in the ten years they had been separated they had never bumped into each other. Jane found herself feeling nervous about seeing him again would it stir up all the lost feelings or would both of them just remember the anger and pain and make it awkward.
Jane pulled up to his front door he lived in a nice neighborhood one where Jane had imagined they would live when they first got married. It was a three-story town house. He used the ground floor as an office space as he had become a practicing psychologist again after finishing his work with the police. Jane did find it uncomfortable even just standing on the door step this was the house he had bought with his new partner Amber, Jane wondered how she would feel about her entering her home but decided not to dwell on the thought for too long as she rang the doorbell. To Jane’s surprise a small young girl answered the door Jane never heard whether her ex had had children now she knew.
The Organisation (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 1) Page 8