by Jay Nadal
Karen nodded at Jade who excused herself from the interview room for a few moments whilst she organised for officers to visit the café to search for the evidence. Once Jade was back in the suite, Karen continued the interview.
Karen went through Molly’s statement again, asking further questions. She found no evidence to link her to Taylor or Macholl other than through Harry. Molly’s desperate plight touched Karen. She was young and naïve, a victim of coercion and abuse. A troubled and broken home life left her vulnerable. It was something Karen often witnessed. Sad tales in the impoverished areas of London, where greed, money and survival collided with violent consequences.
Molly glanced between the two officers, searching for anything in their faces that would help her understand what would happen next. Every cell of her being demanded she run, run as far as she could from the interview room, from Shoreditch, and London. A mixture of confusion and sadness fused together to create uncertainty in her mind. She felt light-headed and sick in the stomach.
“What will happen to Harry?” she asked.
“We don’t know yet. We are still to interview him,” Karen replied.
“Harry is no different. He’s just as sad and as lonely as me. That’s why we got on so well. We needed each other. Can I wait for him?”
Karen didn’t have the heart to tell her it was unlikely that Harry would be released.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. We don’t know how long we’ll be. It’s not very comfortable here, so I suggest that you go back with this lovely lady who’s looking after you, and we will be in touch with you very soon.”
46
After doing the introductions and caution for the tape, Karen took a few moments to study Harry Coleman. He was tall, well built, with full lips and a strong, chiselled jawline. He had a constant scowl etched on his face, and despite that, still bore evidence of being a young adult with an acne-ridden forehead. He didn’t display the same nervousness she had witnessed in Molly. He appeared more relaxed with his back pushed into the chair, and his hands resting on the table with his fingers interlocked. There were no signs of a tremor in his fingers.
It had been two hours since Karen and Jade had interviewed Molly. They’d taken a break in between the interviews to compare notes, and to gather as much evidence as possible before starting their interview with Harry. The wait had paid off as they sat across the table from Harry and a duty solicitor, appointed upon his request. Harry sat in a white paper oversuit after they had removed his clothes for evidence and analysis. His eyes flicked between the two female officers, but again Karen sensed no nervousness in his demeanour.
Harry remained calm. Too calm.
“Harry, how well did you know Jack Taylor?”
“Not very well. I hadn’t spoken to him much. He hardly gave me the time of day when I went around there to see Ben. Whatever I heard, Ben told me.”
“What did Ben tell you?” Karen probed.
“How much he hated him. What a bastard he was to his mum.”
“Did Ben tell you about Jack assaulting him?”
Harry shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe.”
“He did, or he didn’t. Which is it?”
Harry cleared his throat and licked his dry lips. He paused for a second to take a sip from the styrene cup of tea. “Yes, he did. He told me that Jack had beaten him a couple of times. Even though Ben hadn’t provoked him other than to protect his mum, Jack beat the shit out of him or smacked him in the mouth a couple of times.”
“So did Ben at any time ask you to seek revenge on his behalf?”
Harry shook his head. “No.”
Karen changed direction. “How much contact did you have with Dean Macholl?”
“Not much. He’s not been around for the last six years.”
“And before that?”
“I used to see him around. He used to come and see Mum quite a lot, and then when she got together with Jack, he stopped contact.”
“When did you find out that Dean Macholl was your father and Ben was your half-brother?”
“Ages ago. And that’s why I had to protect Ben.”
“Does Ben know about it.”
“No.”
“So you couldn’t stand by and see your half brother being used as a punch bag.”
Harry nodded. “Ben wasn’t brave enough to fight back. Jack was making his life a misery.”
Karen started revealing some information they had just received from forensic analysis. “The gun we recovered from Molly’s apartment has your partial fingerprints on it. It’s the same gun used to shoot Jack Taylor and Dean Macholl. We also have CCTV footage that places your car in the vicinity of Jack Taylor’s house around the time someone killed him. Were you responsible for shooting Jack Taylor and Dean Macholl?”
There was an uncomfortable silence as Harry studied the faces of those around the table. His eyes trailed down to Jade’s hand and the pen she held. She had been jotting notes as Karen conducted the questioning.
“No.”
“Are you sure about that? Because your car was picked up less than two hundred yards away from Dean Macholl’s apartment on the night he was killed. Now I don’t believe in coincidences. I put it to you, Molly Brennan sneaked out the handgun and passed it to you on both occasions.” Karen slid across the table still images of Molly exiting Harry’s car empty-handed on the night that Taylor was shot dead before returning fifteen minutes later carrying something. “You shot both victims and then returned the gun to her.”
“No comment.”
Karen sighed. She hated when suspects ventured down the “no comment” route. But she had to keep pushing.
“Do you blame Jack Taylor for your mum’s death?”
Harry’s eyelids twitched. She had touched on a raw nerve. And despite his calm facade, his emotions boiled just beneath the surface. He tried to relax his hands, but an involuntary force inside him curled his fingers into tight-fisted balls. Karen spotted the change in his body language as his shoulders tightened, and his jawbones flexed.
“After all, it was Jack Taylor who pulled the trigger, and your mum died because of it. I guess anyone in your position would naturally feel angry and revengeful?”
A groan rumbled deep within Harry’s throat, before he tapped the side of his fist on the tabletop.
“Come on, let’s make this easier for all of us. We can keep you here for twenty-four hours and then apply for an extension. But the evidence is stacking up against you.”
Harry wasn’t budging. His eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened into a thin line.
“There’s gunshot residue on the items of clothing we recovered from your flat. It’s a match for the handgun retrieved.”
“That doesn’t mean they’re my clothes.”
Karen smiled. “Hair fibres and particles of skin we recovered from inside the clothes are a DNA match for you. So, we have your partial prints on the gun. We have your car in the vicinity at the time both men were murdered, and we have gunshot residue on the clothes we recovered from your flat. That’s more than enough to charge you with homicide.”
A knock sounded at the door. Brad popped his head in and beckoned Karen outside. Reluctantly Karen paused the interview and stepped out into the corridor.
“This bloody better be good, Brad. Coleman was just about to crack. I know it,” she spat, frustrated at the interruption.
Brad looked confused. “Sorry, boss. You said you wanted to know as soon as the search had been conducted at the café?”
Karen shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “Sorry. Sorry. Yes, you’re right. My mistake. What have you got?”
“I’ve just heard back from the officers. They found a box with a sizeable amount of cash stashed at the back of the freezer. There is at least a couple of grand there. Also, several large bags of what they believe to be amphetamines. They’ll be sent away for analysis, but it’s probably something like ecstasy or MDMA.”
Buoyed by the
results, Karen rejoined the interview and continued where she’d left off.
“You see, I think this has all been about revenge. Taylor killed your mum. Whether that was intentional or an accident, he’s still responsible for pulling the trigger that led to your mum’s death. And Dean abandoned you and your mother when Jack came on the scene. You both weren’t worth fighting for in his eyes? So, I think this is about settling scores. Am I correct?”
Harry slammed his fist on the table again. He was falling apart at the seams, his cool exterior showing the first signs of cracks. “They killed my mum! And they have never shown a day of remorse. They used her, like they used everyone. They had to pay the price. Taylor and Dean took away the only thing I had in my life, my mum. Why should they get away with it?”
“Did you kill Jack Taylor?”
Harry nodded. “Yes.” Malice and hatred coloured his tone as he spat the word out. “I killed the bastard. And I would do it again, if I had the chance. I’ve got nothing to live for, and I’ve got nothing to lose.”
“What about Molly?” Karen asked. “Doesn’t she mean anything to you? Do you not think she’s been through enough already?”
Harry fell silent for a few moments as he stared into nothingness beyond Karen.
Karen pushed further. “If Taylor used your mum, did you use Molly?”
Harry sneered at Karen. “Of course, she means something to me. I couldn’t have done this without her?”
“That doesn’t sound like someone in love with her. You pulled her into your plot for revenge which has now made her an accessory to the murder of two men.”
“I was trying to make her life easy. We’re surrounded by dickheads. By using Finch’s gun, we could drop him in the shit and get him out of her life for good. She was all up for that.”
Karen reflected for a few moments. It was hard to tell whether Harry had used Molly for his own gains, or whether they had naïvely concocted some kind of Bonnie and Clyde scenario in their minds.
“And why did you shoot Dean Macholl?”
“He was just as much to blame for my mum’s death as Taylor. Dean was a coward. He promised my mum he would always protect her and protect me. But he didn’t stop Taylor from shooting my mum. Taylor pulled the trigger, but Dean was just as guilty. As soon as my mum ended up with Taylor, Dean forgot about us. It’s almost like he… gave up on us.”
Karen sat back in her chair. She’d got the confession.
“I never got the chance to say goodbye to her,” Harry whispered.
47
The team gathered around the incident board for a final debrief. A feeling of excitement and relief rippled amongst the whole team as over twenty officers and support staff grabbed any free space to sit or perch.
“Well done, team. We’ve got a great result.” Karen started off her speech, beaming with a big smile. “Two murder cases solved, a handgun off the street, over ten thousand pounds in cash seized, and probably the same amount again in drugs.”
A collective round of applause rang out as the team congratulated each other.
“We’ve also got Finch charged with possession of firearms and drugs. More importantly, we’ve also charged him with a range of sexual offences against both an adult and a minor.”
“That’s one less perv roaming the streets,” someone muttered from the back of the crowd.
The comment was met with a number of nodding heads and mutterings.
“Absolutely. He was forcefully grooming Molly Brennan and had we not arrested him as part of our investigations, then I suspect Molly’s fate would have turned out a lot worse.”
Karen wrapped up the final few pieces and confirmed the sequence of events. The long task of preparing the case lay ahead even though Harry Coleman would be appearing in front of the magistrates’ first thing in the morning.
Karen noticed the DCI lurking towards the back of the group whilst she did the debrief. He followed her into her office, and she groaned as he swung through the door.
“That was a good result, Karen. The team worked hard. My treat to a round of drinks down the road. Everyone seems in a good mood, so let’s make the most of it. Well deserved, including you.”
The last thing Karen wanted was to stand around in a pub and toast their success. Despite an impromptu celebration being good for team morale, she felt physically and mentally exhausted. Her head ached, and her eyes felt like they had sandbags attached to the lids. She had run on adrenaline for the last few days and now the chemical drained from her body, leaving exhaustion in its wake. She didn’t want to be considered a party pooper, but a glass of red wine, a hot soak in the bath and a little binge on Netflix seemed more appealing to her.
“I’ve got a few phone calls to make, sir, and then I’ll join you.”
Karen found the team squeezed into a corner of the pub. A collective cheer sounded around her as the DCI brought over a large tray of drinks and announced, “Sip these slowly, because it’s the first and last drinks I’m going to buy you lot.”
His instruction was met with a round of jeers as a clamour of hands reached across the tray. Karen had opted for a gin and tonic and enjoyed the light taste as it trickled and hit the spot. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of stress melt from her shoulders.
“You look shattered, boss,” Jade remarked as she nudged Karen in the arm.
Karen rolled her eyes. “I think that’s an understatement. I could go to sleep now and not wake up for two days. I can’t be arsed with the thought of getting on the Tube and heading home. If only we could click our fingers and teleport our bodies in a matter of seconds. I would pay good money for that.” She laughed.
Jade agreed as she took a large gulp from her wine glass. “I would say we could grab a bite to eat on the way home and you can crash at mine, but I’m meeting someone.”
Karen waved it off with her hand. She wondered if Jade was meeting a fella, despite what she’d told Karen earlier. The noise in the pub grew louder as more people arrived. And with the surrounding din, she found it hard to hear what Jade was saying. “Don’t be daft. I think if I sat down to eat, I’d fall asleep sitting up.”
She wondered how many of the team really wanted to be here and she looked around. Many were married to their jobs and probably saw each other more than they saw their own partners at home. That didn’t matter as much for the single Karen, but she wondered how people maintained a healthy relationship. There was a high divorce rate in the emergency services, and many of her colleagues ended single or having relationships with one another because their colleagues were the only ones who understood the pressures of the job.
McQueen joined Karen and Jade. They talked amongst themselves and bet who would be the first amongst the crowd to leave. They agreed it would be Brad. He was often the odd one out. He was socially awkward at times, and his piercing eyes stood out on stalks when he had a drink inside him. Jade commented that if she met him on the street and didn’t know him, she’d shit herself because he could look so creepy.
Twenty minutes later and on cue, the three of them noticed Brad surreptitiously slide his empty beer bottle across the bar and disappear back into the crowd before appearing towards the back. He circumnavigated the whole group to leave the pub from the furthest entrance.
“Who’s the lucky lady tonight?” Karen asked McQueen.
McQueen’s brow furrowed in reply.
Karen wafted her hand back and forth in front of her nose. “I can smell your aftershave from here. Anita? Tara? Or that waitress from the Jamaican restaurant. I can’t recall her name but the one you introduced with the big…”
“Boss!” Jade interrupted with a squeal.
Karen’s eyes lit up. “Let me finish. With the big… curly, long Afro ringlets.” Karen clicked her fingers as she tried to remember.
Jade couldn’t help but laugh.
“Jacinta. You’re thinking of Jacinta.”
“That’s the one. I knew she had an exotic name. We liked her.”
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“No, she’s just a friend.”
“With benefits?” Jade chipped in with a wink.
Nothing that either Karen or Jade said unnerved McQueen. He always had a cool and natural confidence around them.
“Meeting a lovely lady called Kaz. A personal trainer. I’ve only just met her. Well, actually I bumped into her in the doorway of the local Tesco’s. We chatted, and I asked for her number.”
“Smooth,” Jade teased.
Karen shook her head. McQueen had a natural magnetism that made women swoon over him. And she was just as guilty of feeling that way about him. She found him attractive but could never bring herself to date another officer, especially a junior officer of her team. That would just be too messy. But that didn’t stop her indulging in the occasional fantasy about him.
Jade and McQueen left, leaving Karen to say her final goodbyes to the rest of the team before making her excuses. She looked around for the DCI but couldn’t find him, so she slipped out of the front door only to bump into him standing outside having a cigarette.
“Bollocks,” she muttered under her breath.
“Karen, you are leaving the party already?”
“Um… yes, sir.”
Skelton offered to buy her another drink which she politely declined. They stood there in silence for a few moments, the awkwardness rising between them as each second ticked by.
Karen shifted uncomfortably on the spot and then glanced at her phone. She looked around the street. In fact, she would rather be looking at a dripping tap then being stood by the DCI. “I really must shift, sir. I’m tired and have a long train ride home.”
“Suit yourself,” Skelton replied, dropping his cigarette butt on the floor and crushing it with the sole of his shoe.
She waited for him to disappear inside the pub before she blew out her cheeks with a sigh of relief. Melancholy swept over her. It felt like everyone had someone to see or somewhere to go but she found herself alone once again. A part of her didn’t enjoy that feeling but she buried it rather than do something about it. One call she had made earlier had confirmed her suspicions and concerns. “Two-tone” Charlie hadn’t been seen in the last twenty-four hours and his chip shop hadn’t opened for business. It would be a waiting game now, but she’d make some discreet enquiries when she had the opportunity.