by L M Krier
'Shall we walk?' Ted suggested. 'We've been rather a long time in one spot for my liking.'
'You're the marksman, I'll go with your instincts on this one,' Harry said, as they started to move. As they walked, Harry told Ted more about the cases he'd worked on. From what he said it was clear he had been close on a few occasions to finding those higher up, but had been blocked at every turn. For perhaps the first time, it made Ted realise the finer points of the Ice Queen. At least she listened to him and had not yet tried to put a stop to any of his lines of enquiry.
The two men talked for almost two hours. A lot of it was useful to Ted in terms of what direction to go in. Harry refused the suggestion of coffee, preferring to keep out in the open and on the move. When it was time for Ted to leave, there was some warmth in the handshake.
'I have to keep on the move, I'm in and out of lodgings all the time these days, but I'll give you my mobile number so you can keep in touch. Bring down some of the big bastards, for me Ted, because I couldn't do it.'
'You've got my number, and if you ever need a safe house out of the city for a while, give me a call,' Ted told him as they parted, and he headed back to the station for the return train ride north.
CHAPTER Forty-one
Ted's team members were all grinning widely when they got together at the start of the next day. Ted hoped they had news of a breakthrough for him. They had not made much progress the previous week. They were two men down on the case. Sal and Virgil were both tied up with a serious assault and rape which had taken them out of the office on the previous Sunday, when Ted had been in.
Although Ted had come back feeling encouraged from his meeting with Harry in London, there was still nothing concrete he could offer as a result. He was looking forward to some good news. He nodded to Mike Hallam to start the briefing.
'We were on a roll yesterday, boss. The leads and breakthroughs just kept on coming. I'll let Sgt Reynolds kick things off.
'The missing lad, Brett Anderson, turned up and I got to talk to him at length,' she began. 'It seems Aiden Bradshaw was operating almost like a rent boy in his own right. He'd been abused so often in his life he'd started to see it as a way to make money, which can happen sometimes. He probably thought he was in control until the end, poor lad.
'Anyway, Brett went with him to the Sorrento one time. He didn't know the name of the place, but he identified it from photos I showed him. He said there was some sort of party going on, and he also talked about the ballroom with the wooden floor. He had a lot to drink and finished up in a room with David Evans. Evans gave him more alcohol. He doesn't remember any more until he woke up later the same night and realised what had happened to him. He never went back.
'The very good news is that he immediately identified Evans from a photo. And, wait till you hear this, boss. I asked him about anyone else at the party. He told me there was a very tall man who looked like a vulture – his words. I showed him the photo of your Suspect A and he recognised him.'
On instructions from the Ice Queen, Ted had not yet released Danielson's name to his team, simply referring to him always as Suspect A. Only Steve knew who the man really was. Ted felt his hopes rising, sensing he now had Danielson in his sights, and Evans well and truly heading back to prison, hopefully this time for even longer.
Mike Hallam was still grinning like a Cheshire Cat. 'There's more good news, boss,' he said. 'We've started leaning hard on the hotel staff. I interviewed the receptionist, Chiara, yesterday, with Rob. She's obviously scared stiff, but it's clear she's not at all in favour of what's been happening at the hotel, and it's evident she was not aware of the full extent.
'She agreed to talk, but only if she's fully protected. She has identified both Evans and Suspect A and says she would be willing to talk about other visitors to the hotel, but only if she's kept safe. She knows what happened to the waiter, of course.
'As you were out for the day, boss, I went to see the Ice …' Mike stopped himself just in time. Everyone in the station called her the Ice Queen behind her back but he knew Ted would never allow such disrespect in a team briefing, '… the super, sir, and she's already had Chiara taken off to a safe house pending further questioning, which I thought you'd probably want to do.'
'Fantastic work, all of you, well done,' Ted said, pleased at so much progress.
Mike Hallam laughed. 'Oh, there's even more to come, boss,' he said. 'Steve and Sal have been busy tracking down who's behind the Sorrento Hotel. Sal?'
'Steve's done the donkey work on the computer, I've just been chasing up the leads, with some help from Maurice. The actual owner is a man called Robert Smith, a convicted paedophile, did twelve years for serious offences against young boys. He was the manager of a children's home, now moved to Sicily and never sets foot in Britain, probably very wisely.
'There's a board of directors for the hotel and one of the names is a certain Miriam Danielson. The name meant something to young Steve, but I know he's been sworn to secrecy and he's said nothing. But I think that's good news for the enquiry.'
'The only reason I haven't told you all who Suspect A is at this stage is that it is a very delicate enquiry. While I hope you know I trust all of you implicitly, there have been leaks and we have lost witnesses ,so I don't want to endanger any of you or take risks with the enquiry,' Ted told them. 'I'm going to talk to the superintendent now about the possible arrest of a high ranking police officer, not in this division, as a result of what you've found out. So I think it had better be drinks on me after work for everyone. If we pull this off, this will be the highest ranking officer, to my knowledge, to be charged with offences of this nature.'
Before Ted went in search of the Ice Queen he made a quick phone call to Trev to ask if he wanted to join them for drinks that evening. Trev was popular with all of his team and often joined them at their usual watering hole, The Grapes, which a literary-minded graffiti artist had converted to The Grapes of Wrath on its pub sign.
The Ice Queen listened attentively to everything Ted had to report. His conversation with Harry the previous day had made him take a step back and consider his boss in a new light. He had to concede that she did always listen to him, even if she did not agree with everything he said. So far, instead of putting him under pressure to ignore senior officers, she seemed to be doing all she could to help him catch the big fish. He'd finally believe it if and when Danielson was behind bars.
'It sounds as if you and your team now have enough to justify us going and bringing in the chief superintendent. I will sort out an arrest warrant and search warrants for his home, his computers and any other premises or property he has, then I think you and I should go and bring him in. I'll phone ahead on some pretext to make sure he's there. Shall we say tomorrow?'
Ted hesitated awkwardly. 'Er, ma'am, sorry, but I have my first appointment tomorrow,' he still found it difficult to use words like counselling or therapy. 'I could cancel it?'
'Absolutely not, out of the question,' she said firmly. 'I don't intend to pry at all into your reasons for needing help, but I strongly suspect you are someone who finds it hard to admit when you do need it. I imagine it's taken you some effort to build up to taking this step, so I don't want to do anything to delay your appointment.'
Ted couldn't hide a rueful grin. She certainly had his number.
'The chief super will keep until Thursday. It will give us more time to prepare thoroughly. Give me everything you have on him by the end of the day and I'll get warrants sorted,' she told him briskly. 'By the way, I must say you are looking better already than you have been of late. The first step is always the hardest. It goes on getting easier after that,' she said, in her most encouraging tone.
There was an air of optimism about the whole team that evening in the pub, and it was nice to see them all relaxing over a drink. Even better for Ted, now Trev was back at his side. Away from the office, Ted rid himself of his tie and unbuttoned his shirt collar so he, too, could relax.
The team were all mak
ing a big fuss of young Steve, much to his embarrassment. His computer skills had brought them on a lot with the case, especially the link to Suspect A through the Sorrento's board of directors. Danielson had probably thought himself clever in using his wife's name. Ted wondered if she actually knew anything at all about her husband's other life. From what he had seen on the video, he suspected there was no longer any intimacy in their relationship, and she might willingly turn a blind eye to what he got up to.
Ted wasn't feeling as apprehensive as he thought he would be about his first session of talking about his past on the next day. The Ice Queen was right. Taking the first step, talking to Jim, had been hard, but the hardest part of all had been picking up the phone to ask for help.
He looked fondly at Trev, who was laughing and talking with Sal and Rob, no doubt recounting his recent adventures in Berlin. He realised that getting help was something he should have done long ago. It had put an intolerable strain on their relationship, one which he now hugely regretted.
On an impulse, he moved across the room, took Trev by the elbow, excused himself to the others, and led him aside.
'Once this case is over, let's go away on a little holiday,' he said. 'We'll get someone in to look after the cats and we can go anywhere you like.'
It was rare for them to get away for much of a holiday, but Ted was determined that they should.
'Anywhere?' Trev asked with a laugh. He knew Ted didn't really share his love of travelling, especially by air, so he appreciated the offer. 'All right, then, deal. You catch the bad guys, I'll start planning where we should go.'
CHAPTER Forty-two
Ted took Jancis Reynolds with him to the safe house to interview the hotel receptionist, Chiara. Both he and the Ice Queen thought it would be safer to talk to her there, without risking her being seen going to the police station. She was being watched twenty-four hours a day by armed close protection officers. The Ice Queen was determined not to lose another potentially valuable witness.
They took with them the means to record and film the conversation, together with photos for the witness to look through. To those of other known sex offenders on their patch, Ted had added a few still shots of Rory the Raver, David Evans, Simon Danielson and, just on the off chance, one of the Knave of Clubs.
It was clear from the outset that the woman was extremely scared. Ted was at pains to reassure her that she was not currently under suspicion of any crime. He was also anxious to point out to her how completely her life would change if she did testify, and was placed under the Witness Protection Programme.
'I don't care if I have to leave this place and never see it again. I honestly had no real idea of what was going on at the hotel,' she told him. 'I knew there were sometimes children hanging around, but I swear I didn't know how bad it was. We were all told to keep our mouths shut about anything we saw. I thought it was just because some of the guests were celebrities and VIPs.'
'Celebrities like him?' Ted asked, showing her a picture of Rory the Raver.
'Oh yes, he came a few times. But he wasn't there the night the little boy died, I'm sure of that,' she said.
'Are any of these faces familiar?' Ted asked, spreading out a few more photos, mostly local sex offenders, including David Evans, but with a few stock photos in there to test her powers of observation. They included some of people who were long dead. If she picked any of those, he would know her testimony was not infallible.
Her hand went unerringly to the shot of David Evans. 'He's been a few times too, I recognise him, but none of the others.'
'What about any of these?' This time his selection included Simon Danielson and, on a long shot, the MP for Danielson's local constituency.
'Oh I know him,' she said immediately, pointing to Danielson. 'Hard to miss him, or forget him. He's very tall and used to lurk around looking like a vulture waiting for the lions to finish. Him, too, although not often,' she said, indicating the MP.
Ted risked an exchanged glance with Jancis. Full score so far. He decided to go for broke. 'Anyone here?' he asked, spreading out a random assortment of photos which included a snapshot of the Knave of Clubs.
This time she hesitated slightly, poring over the pictures, pulling some closer to study in more detail, pushing others aside. Finally she put a finger on the one of the Knave of Clubs. 'This one, I think. I'm pretty certain I've seen him at the hotel, only once, I think, but quite recently.'
'Could you be more specific about a date?' Ted pressed.
'He was there at the same time as The Vulture, I'm pretty certain of that, as I think I remember them exchanging a few words. I don't know who this one is but I think he must be another celebrity, because he had a couple of men with him who seemed to be like bodyguards,' she said.
'Can you tell me what happened on the night Aiden Bradshaw died?'
'There was a block booking for a firm, Parish's Pies. They've been before. It's like their works dinner dance, that sort of thing. They had a meal but they mostly went off to bed early. I was on the reception desk till midnight, it's not manned through the night.
'Just as I was getting ready to leave, someone came downstairs looking for Mr Rossi. Then there was a lot of commotion, a bit of a sense of panic really. I thought perhaps something had been stolen in one of the guests' rooms. Mr Rossi came back down looking very worried, but he told me to go, practically bundled me out of the door, and said he would deal with whatever it was.
'I heard the next day, of course, about a little boy's body being found not far away, but even then I didn't really connect it to the hotel, I honestly didn't. And I had more things on my mind. The whole computer system was down. Mr Rossi said it had crashed but he was getting it sorted. But everything was wiped, we lost all the hotel records, everything. The men who came to fix it seemed to make it worse, if anything.'
'What about the waiter, Iosif? Was he there that night?'
'He was on duty, yes, but that was the last time I saw him,' she said. 'Poor Iosif, he was a kind man but not at all bright. We were all shocked when we heard what had happened to him. Shocked, and terrified. We were starting to wonder what we were mixed up in, but Mr Rossi kept telling us to keep our mouths shut and we would be fine.'
Ted started to gather up the photos. 'Thank you, you have been of great help to us.'
'Enough to keep me safe?' she asked anxiously.
'We are doing everything we can to protect you, hence the armed officers with you twenty-four hours a day,' Ted reassured her. 'I know it's not easy for you, being cut off from friends and family like this, and I'd like to thank you for being brave enough to speak up.'
'I have no family,' she said, 'that's why I came to England for a new start. But perhaps it's time for me to start all over again, somewhere else. I swear to God I knew nothing of what was really going on. I like to think I'd have been brave enough not to stand by and let that happen to children without doing something.'
'Bingo, boss,' Jancis said as they walked back to the car. 'She seems like a very credible witness.'
'As long as we can keep her safe until she testifies, if she's willing to,' he replied.
Ted had deliberately chosen a Wednesday afternoon for the first of his counselling sessions. He suspected he might be in the mood to let off steam afterwards and it his day for the dojo after work. He'd also left himself time to nip home and change into his casual clothes before turning up for his appointment. He knew he was going to find it hard enough to sit indoors and talk about himself to a virtual stranger, without feeling he was being strangled by his shirt and tie at the same time.
Countless times during the day he considered picking up his phone and cancelling, not sure he could go through with it. But he knew he owed it to Trev to get some professional help at last, and he also knew both Jim and the Ice Queen would be on his case if he failed to attend.
Just in case he found it even harder than he expected, he put a bag of Fisherman's Friend in his pocket as he left the house.
He arrived promptly for his appointment and obeyed the sign on the door telling him to ring the bell and enter. The waiting room was decorated in soft creams and sages, intended to create a calming ambience, with pastel water colour prints as focal points. There was no one else there so Ted hoped he wouldn't have long to wait or he feared he would simply turn tail. He was too on edge to sit down.
The door to an inner room opened and a pleasantly smiling woman emerged, hand outstretched to shake his. 'It's nice to be able to put a face to the voice on the phone, finally,' she said. 'Why don't you come in and sit down. Then in your own time you can tell me how I can help you.'
It felt to Ted like the longest half-hour he had ever spent, and he didn't manage to say very much. When he got home, Trev was waiting anxiously to hear how it had gone. He had the kettle on ready and was making Ted's green tea when he walked through the door.
Seeing Ted's despondent look, he didn't say anything, just folded him in a hug and held him.
Eventually Ted spoke, his voice muffled against Trev's chest. 'I felt so stupid. I just couldn't start to speak. I sat there like a lemon most of the time, although she kept telling me that was fine.'
'Of course it was fine,' Trev said reassuringly, 'it was the first time and it was a big step. Next time will be better, and every time after that. Come on, drink your tea and let's go and equip some more kids for the big wide world.'
Ted was unusually quiet on the walk down to the gym, and even Trev's efforts to cheer him up were falling short. Hopefully a hard training session would lift his sombre mood.
Flip was the first of the children to arrive for the training session, again with his foster mother in tow, and he ran across the gym in obvious delight to see Trev back. But it was always to Ted he turned, and this time he did so beaming with pride.
'Look Ted, me foster mam's bought me a judogi,' he grinned. The judo outfit was slightly too big for him. Ted had suggested they leave him a bit of room to grow into it. 'Is me belt tied right?' he asked anxiously.