by L M Krier
'Mr Ross,' Ted began, 'in light of new information I have received, I think the time might have come to start talking to us.'
Ross looked anxiously at his solicitor, who shook his head firmly.
'First of all, Mr Ross, we have found your fingerprints on all of the hidden cameras in the hotel. Would you care to tell me how they came to be there?'
The tension between the man and his solicitor was palpable. Ross seemed as if he wanted to start talking but the looks Richards was giving him made it clear he was not at liberty to do so. This time he contented himself with a shake of the head.
'Next we come to what was found on your computer, Mr Ross,' Ted continued. 'We discovered a large quantity of indecent material of a serious nature, involving children. This material, which we have reason to believe that you may have made yourself with a view to distributing, is sufficient, should you be convicted of its possession, to get you a sentence of up to ten years in prison.'
Ross looked terrified, all the more so under the cold glare his solicitor threw at him. It seemed clear that all of this was news to the manager's legal adviser.
Ted put his arms on the table and leaned forward, making direct eye contact with Ross. 'Mr Ross, can I just say to you at this stage, whilst you are of course entitled to have your solicitor present at all times while you are being questioned, it does not necessarily mean that you are obliged to follow his advice.'
'You're out of order, Inspector, and out of your depth,' the solicitor told him, with barely concealed contempt. 'You're clearly on a fishing expedition, hoping to trap my client into giving you information when you obviously have very little. That is why I am continuing to advise him to say nothing.'
'Fair enough, Mr Richards,' Ted said pleasantly. 'Now, Mr Ross, we come to something much more serious. We have identified traces of your DNA on clothing worn by a young boy who was found raped and strangled not far from the Hotel Sorrento. This shows us that you, at some point, came into contact with this young boy.
'In addition, we found traces of the boy's DNA in a car belonging to Mr Iosif Petrescu, a waiter at your hotel, who was later found shot dead. Can you explain when and why you came into contact with this boy, Mr Ross?'
Ross opened his mouth and looked as if he was actually about to break the silence at last, but his solicitor rapidly cut across him. 'My client has nothing further to say at this stage, Inspector.'
'Then unfortunately, I have no alternative other than to arrest Mr Ross for possession of indecent images of children, and for involvement in the murder of Aiden Bradshaw. Mr Ross, you do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
'You will now be taken and formally charged. You will appear before a magistrates' court in the morning, where we will oppose any application for bail that your solicitor might make, on the grounds of the serious nature of the allegations against you.
'Do you understand everything I have said to you, Mr Ross?'
Ross was looking wildly about him, as if unsure what was happening. His solicitor was tight-lipped and saying nothing.
Ted and Steve saw Ross safely processed and charged, then went back upstairs to their respective desks. Ted finally felt as if he had achieved something. Maybe he might just get away at a reasonable time today and suggest to Trev that they go out for a meal somewhere.
'Have you found out anything else, Steve?' Ted asked him. 'I hope you haven't signed up to anything you shouldn't have?'
'No, sir, I don't want to do anything to jeopardise the enquiry so I've been waiting for the green light before I do anything,' Steve assured him. 'I've just been looking into that MP a bit more closely. It seems there have been several allegations made against him in the past but nothing has ever come of it. There is a lot of speculation that it's because he has friends in high places.'
'I've put feelers out, to see if there is any way at all we can find out if any of the people listed by the PIEdpiper are distributing material involving indecent images of children,' Ted told him. 'It's a bit like an elaborate game of dominoes at the moment. Once one of them falls, they quickly start bringing the others down all around them. At least that's what I'm hoping, and counting on.
'You've done some really good work lately, Steve, the superintendent was most impressed. Why don't you get off home now and do something to relax? Something that doesn't involve computers, perhaps.'
Steve smiled. 'Not sure I would have any idea of relaxation which didn't involve them, sir, but thanks, yes, I'll do that. See you tomorrow.'
Ted headed back to his desk thinking he might well do the same, if he could just shift the pile of paperwork which was awaiting his attention. He had made quite a dent in it when his mobile phone rang. The caller display told him that it was Trev phoning him and he smiled, thinking perhaps he had had the same idea of going out that evening.
As soon as Trev began to speak, Ted could tell by the thickness of his voice that he was in tears. 'Ted? Can you come home? Please. It's John. He's been killed. Someone's hanged him, in the back garden.'
Ted was shocked rigid. John was one of their seven cats, like family to them, especially to Trev, who doted on them.
'I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can.'
CHAPTER Twenty-nine
Ted pushed his elderly Renault to the speed limit all the way home. He left the car on the drive rather than putting it away and went straight into the house. Trev was sitting at the kitchen table, looking shell-shocked. The body of the little cat was lying on a work surface near the back door. There was a noose around its neck, and the end of the rope had been cut.
Trev got up as Ted came into the kitchen, threw his arms around him and buried his face against his partners shoulder. 'God, Ted, it was awful. John wasn't in the house with the others when I got home so I looked out of the window and I saw him hanging from the cherry tree.'
Trev was still in tears. Ted had no idea what to do or say to make it better, so he just hugged him fiercely.
'I cut him down,' Trev said. 'I didn't know what to do. He was already dead. Who on earth would do something like that to a little cat like John?'
Ted had his own suspicions, but there was no way he was going to voice them, certainly not now. His trained eye was checking out every detail of the kitchen as he asked, 'Was everything else as normal when you got home? Was the alarm set?'
Trev lifted his head and looked at him, his face tear-stained. 'You think someone got in through the house? But the alarm was set, how could they, without setting it off?'
'I'm just trying to understand what happened,' Ted told him. 'Look, you take the others into the sitting room and put the telly on, take your mind off it. I'll make you a cup of tea, then I'll go and lay poor little John to rest in the garden.'
'Don't put him near the tree,' Trev said quickly. 'I couldn't bear that.'
Trev scooped up an armful of cats, shepherding the rest along, and obediently left Ted to it. Ted got a spade and a cardboard box from the garage. He put on a pair of gloves before carefully putting John in the box, after taking off the tight noose from around the cat's neck. He didn't for a moment imagine that there would be fingerprints anywhere, but he was not taking chances. He carried box and spade into the garden but before he started to dig, he got out his mobile and called Kevin Turner.
'Kev, it's Ted. I'm at home, we've had a break-in. Can you send someone round for prints?'
'Sorry to hear that,' Kevin responded. 'Much taken?'
'It seems like nothing was taken, but they killed one of the cats,' Ted told him.
There was a pause then Kevin said, 'Ted, is this a wind-up? You know I don't have the manpower to investigate every break-in on the patch and you want me to send a team round for a dead cat? Look, I'm sorry about the moggy but come on, can you imagine what the Ice Queen would say if she got wind of that?'
'Kev, you know I wouldn
't ask unless it was something serious,' Ted said. 'I think this is related to the case. It's too much of a coincidence that it happened on the day I charged Ross with involvement in Aiden's murder. I think it's a warning to me.'
'I still can't put that on the paperwork, the Ice Queen will think we've both lost the plot. Surely they must have taken something?' Kevin said, hinting heavily.
'You know what, you're right, I just noticed they took all my Bisley shooting trophies,' Ted told him.
'Right, I'll get a team over as soon as. In fact, I'll pop in myself shortly, I was just on the point of leaving,' Kevin told him. 'And seriously, Ted, I am sorry about the little moggy.'
Ted dug a hole at the end of the garden, well away from the cherry tree, and laid the box containing the little cat into it. He had a look all round the garden. He could see no signs of anyone having got in over the high mesh fencing that he and Trev had put up to keep the cats from straying onto nearby roads. He was certain whoever had done it had come in through the house, and that meant a professional, if they had disabled the alarm then reset it, and done it all in broad daylight. He didn't hold out much hope of them having left any evidence, but when Kevin's team arrived, he showed them around and left them to it.
Kevin wasn't far behind. When Ted let him in, Kevin went first into the living room and shook hands awkwardly with Trev, mumbling, 'Sorry for your loss, Trev,' as he wasn't sure what the correct form of condolence was for a dead cat.
Ted led him into the kitchen. 'Do you want a drink? There's some decent wine open, I think.'
'I'm not much of a wine drinker,' Kevin confessed. 'Wouldn't mind a cuppa though, as long as it's not that poison you drink.'
Ted made tea for everyone then showed Kevin out into the back garden so SOCO could get on with lifting prints. The two men sat down in the steamer chairs on the small patio.
'So, what makes you think this is connected to the case?' Kevin asked. 'Why couldn't it be your friendly local dog fighters, for instance? You got a couple of them put away not long ago and they must know where you live.'
Ted shook his head. 'This is a bit too subtle for scallies like that. If it had been them, I would have expected to see the mesh fence down somewhere around the garden where they climbed in. It looks as if whoever it was came in through the house, and knew how to deactivate and reactivate the alarm. They got in in broad daylight. That suggests professionals to me.'
Kevin was looking sceptical. 'Bit far-fetched, isn't it? A paedophile ring thinks you're getting too close to unmasking big names so they send someone round to hang a cat? Good luck with convincing the Ice Queen of that.'
'Anyone who knows anything about me knows those cats are like family to me and Trev,' Ted told him. 'And it's the fact of coming into our house and doing that. That's a warning, more than revenge, which I would expect from the dog fighters.'
'So what with wiping computers and killing cats, what sort of people do you think we're up against?' Kevin asked.
'I've no idea,' Ted replied. 'But I know a man who might, and I think it's about time I went to see him.'
'Oh, by the way, I've been going through the stills from the hidden cameras at the hotel,' Kevin said, with an expression of distaste. 'Dreadful stuff. Not really identified anyone as yet but we may have a bit of luck. There's one delightful character who appears a few times, without ever managing to get his ugly mug into a clear shot, but he has a birthmark, and it shows up. Like a big port wine stain, at the top of his left thigh.'
Ted's hand twitched involuntarily and his mug flew out of his grip to smash into a dozen pieces on the paving slabs of the patio. Ted grimaced and made a show of shaking his arm. 'Damn cramp,' he said, 'I think my salt levels must be low. All that sweating I do at the dojo and in the Ice Queen's presence. I'll just clear that up.'
He came back with a dustpan and brush. Kevin was looking at him strangely.
'Are you all right, Ted?' he asked. 'I mean, I know the cat was a bit of a shock and an upset, but you seem very jumpy just lately in general.'
'Yes, I'm fine, it's just a combination of this case and having to dress in a monkey suit and kowtow to the Ice Queen,' Ted told him. 'I never thought I'd miss Jim Baker's ugly mug quite as much as I do.'
Kevin drained his tea and stood up. 'I'd best be getting off,' he said. 'Sorry again about your little cat, Ted. We'll see what, if anything, the fingerprints reveal. If you're right about them being professionals, I doubt we'll find anything. Don't forget about that birthmark though, it may just give us a lead.'
After Kevin and SOCO had left, Ted went back into the sitting room and sat down next to Trev, putting his arm around him and hugging him close.
'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'I've laid him to rest. I will do whatever I can to find who did it.'
'Is this something to do with work?' Trev asked him. 'With a case you're working on?'
Ted sighed. He wasn't about to lie to his partner. 'I don't know,' he said, 'but it is possible. We seem to be up against some very nasty types. I may need to go away for a couple of days, three at the most. Would you be all right if I did?'
'If you have to,' Trev replied. 'Just not yet though? I don't want to be on my own at the moment. Is that all right?'
Ted hugged him closer. 'I'm not going anywhere right now. I'm here for you.'
CHAPTER Thirty
From talking to Kevin Turner, Ted was starting to think that Ross's activities with the cameras in the Hotel Sorrento were a freelancing sideline of his own, without the knowledge of anyone higher up. Kevin told him there were two distinct types of shot in the stills he had seen. He had not yet braved looking at the videos.
One lot, such as the ones that were found in Rory the Raver's house, were good-quality shots, with the adult involved clearly visible and in focus. That suggested that whoever was behind the camera was in the room, and filming with consent. Ted suspected Ross was selling these, a suspicion partly confirmed by the search of his home, where bank statements showed he had been squirrelling away nice little lump sums of money.
The other shots were clearly covert, using the hidden cameras operated remotely, without the knowledge and consent of the participants. Ted strongly suspected those had been taken for blackmail purposes, which would explain the reaction of Ross's solicitor, and the obvious change in their relationship after the hidden cameras were mentioned.
These were not always successful. Often it was hard to see the faces of those involved because of the camera angle, but sometimes there were distinguishing features, like the birthmark. They would probably be enough to blackmail anyone involved, certainly sufficient to panic them into paying up.
Jancis Reynolds had recognised the face of one of the young boys in some of the shots and had gone off to try to track him down. They wanted to make sure he was safe first and foremost, but he might be able to provide useful information.
Ted called Mike Hallam into his office after the morning briefing to talk to him about Evans.
'How did you get on with Evans?' he asked him. 'Does he have a computer?'
'Had a laptop in his flat,' the DS told him. 'He was very quick to close it when I came in. I didn't refer to it at all. Just said I wanted to ask him a few more questions, which I did.'
'How long has he been out now?'
'Just over a year, boss. He served the full ten years, no chance of remission because the charges were so serious, and he showed no signs of remorse.'
'I'll sort out warrants to seize his computer and search the house. I want you to go back and bring him in for more questioning. Take Virgil with you, he can look solid and intimidating when needed, in case Evans has any ideas about trying to make a break for it,' Ted told him. 'Inspector Turner passed some new information on to me, from the films on Ross's computer. One of the suspects has a birthmark, on their left thigh, quite a noticeable one.
'When you bring Evans in, take his clothes away, tell him it's for forensic testing. Make sure someone is there while he undresses, look out
for that birthmark and let me know. There was no mention of a birthmark on the waiter and I doubt it would be worth blackmailing him, he wouldn't have been earning enough.
'I'll chase up more forensic results from the hotel. It's possible Evans hasn't been there all that recently but with any luck, if their housekeeping is not flawless, he may have left a stray hair or a finger print behind somewhere. A think he's small fry, in a sense. There are much bigger fish out there to catch, but he'll do for starters, so let's see if we can nail him before the end of the day.'
'Sir, he did ask about you,' Mike began, picking his words carefully. 'Is there anything I need to be aware of about you and him?'
'Nothing at all,' Ted said brusquely.
'It's just that, some of the things he was saying …'
'Don't even go there,' Ted said warningly. 'Water long under the bridge, not remotely relevant to this case, and don't believe everything he says. Now, once we've got him safely into custody, I might need to disappear for a few days. I'll sort it with the superintendent. I'm sure you can hold the fort while I'm away. It's very likely I'll be out of phone contact but you can always liaise with Inspector Turner in my absence, he's fully up to speed.
'There are aspects of this case which are way outside my experience. But there is someone I know who would probably have the knowledge I need. It just that he's a little, shall we say, unorthodox, so I can't say exactly how long I'll be away.'
Ted's next stop was to see the Ice Queen to talk about taking a few days off. With Evans on his way in, and the likelihood that they would be charging him, he felt it gave him a reasonable bargaining point.
She looked surprised when Ted mentioned time away. She arched an eyebrow and looked at him in that searching way she had which made him feel like squirming.