by David Peace
‘A follow-up piece?’ said Mrs Ridyard, still staring at the notebook.
Mr Ridyard handed me a cup of tea. ‘This is to do with the little girl over in Morley?’
‘No. Well, not in so many words.’ The pen felt loose and hot in my hand, the notebook cumbersome and conspicuous.
‘Is this about Susan?’ A tear fell on to Mrs Ridyard’s skirt.
I gathered myself. ‘I know it must be difficult but we know how much of your time you’ve, er, put into this and …’
Mr Ridyard put down his cup. ‘Our time?’
‘You’ve both done so much to keep Susan in the public’s mind, to keep the investigation alive.’
Alive, fuck.
Neither Mr or Mrs Ridyard spoke.
‘And I know you must have felt …’
‘Felt?’ said Mrs Ridyard.
‘Feel …’
‘I’m sorry, but you have no idea how we feel.’ Mrs Ridyard was shaking her head, her mouth still moving after the words had gone, tears falling fast.
Mr Ridyard looked across the room at me, his eyes full of apologies and shame. ‘We were doing so much better until this, weren’t we?’
No-one answered him.
I looked out of the window across the road at the new houses with their lights still on at lunchtime.
‘She could be home by now,’ said Mrs Ridyard softly, rubbing the tears into her skirt.
I stood up. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve taken up enough of your time.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Mr Ridyard, walking me out to the door. ‘We were doing so well. Really we were. It’s just brought it all back, this Morley thing.’
At the door I turned and said, ‘I’m sorry but, reading through the papers and my notes, the police don’t seem to have had any real leads. I was wondering if there was anything more you felt they could have done?’
‘Anything more?’ said Mr Ridyard, almost smiling.
‘Any lead that …’
‘They sat in this house for two weeks, George Oldman and his men, using the phone.’
‘And there was nothing …’
‘A white van, that’s all they bloody went on about.’
‘A white van?’
‘How, if they could find this white van, they’d find Susan.’
‘And they never paid the bill.’ Mrs Ridyard, her face red, was standing at the far end of the hall. ‘Phone almost got cut off.’
At the top of the stairs, I could see the heads of the other two children peering over the banister.
‘Thank you,’ I said, shaking Mr Ridyard’s hand.
‘Thank you, Mr Dunford.’
I got into the Viva thinking, Jesus fucking Christ.
‘Merry Christmas,’ called Mr Ridyard.
I leant across to my notebook and scrawled two words only: White Van.
I raised a wave to Mr Ridyard standing alone in the doorway, a lid on all my curses.
One thought: Call Kathryn.
‘It was a fucking nightmare.’ Back in the bright red phonebox, I dropped in another coin, hopping from foot to foot, freezing my balls off. ‘Anyway, then he says well there was this white van, but I don’t remember reading anything about a white van, do you?’
Kathryn was flicking through her own notes on the other end, agreeing.
‘Wasn’t in any of the appeals for information?’
Kathryn said, ‘No, not that I remember.’ I could hear the buzz of the office from her end. I felt too far away. I wanted to be back there.
‘Any messages?’ I asked, juggling the phone, a notebook, a pen, and a cigarette.
‘Just two. Barry and …’
‘Barry? Say what it was about? Is he there now?’
‘No, no. And a Sergeant Craven …’
‘Sergeant who?’
‘Craven.’
‘Fuck, no idea. Craven? Did he leave a message?’
‘No, but he said it was urgent.’ Kathryn sounded pissed off.
‘If it was that fucking urgent I’d know him. Calls again, ask him to leave a message, will you?’ I let the cigarette fall into the pool of water on the floor of the phonebox.
‘Where you going now?’
‘The pub, where else? Bit of the old local colour. Then I’m coming straight back. Bye.’
I hung up, feeling fucked off.
She was staring at me from across the bar of the Huntsman.
I froze, then picked up my pint and walked towards her, drawn by her eyes, tacked up by the toilets, above a cigarette machine, at the far end of the bar.
Susan Louise Ridyard was smiling big white teeth for her school portrait, though her eyes said her fringe was a little too long, making her appear awkward and sad, like she knew what was coming next.
Above her the biggest word was in red and said: MISSING.
Below her was a summary of her life and last day, both so brief.
Finally, there was an appeal for information and three telephone numbers.
‘Do you want another?’
With a jolt, back to an empty glass. ‘Yeah. Just the one.’
‘Reporter are you?’ said the barman, pulling the pint.
‘That obvious is it?’
‘We’ve had a fair few of your lot in here, aye.’
I handed over thirty-six pence exactly. ‘Thanks.’
‘Who you with?’
‘Post.’
‘Owt fresh?’
‘Just trying to keep the story alive, you know? We don’t want people forgetting.’
‘That’s commendable that is.’
‘Just been to see Mr and Mrs Ridyard,’ I said, making a pal.
‘Right. Derek pops in every once in a while. Folk say she’s not too good like.’
‘Yeah,’ I nodded. ‘Police don’t seem to have had a right lot to go on?’
‘Lot of them used to sup in here while it was all going on.’ The barman, probably the landlord, turned away to serve a customer.
I played my only card. ‘There was something about a van though. A white van?’
The barman slowly closed the till drawer, frowning. ‘A white van?’
‘Yeah. Police told the Ridyards they were looking for a white van.’
‘Don’t remember owt about that,’ he said, pulling another pint, the pub now Saturday lunchtime busy. He rang up another sale and said, ‘Feeling I got was they all thought it were gypsies.’
‘Gypsies,’ I muttered, thinking here we fucking go.
‘Aye. They’d been through here week before with the Feast. Maybes one of them had a white van.’
‘Maybe,’ I said.
‘Get you another?’
I turned back to the poster and the eyes that knew. ‘No, you’re all right.’
‘What do you think?’
I didn’t turn around. My chest and my stomach ached, the beer making them worse, telling me I should have eaten something.
‘I don’t think they’ll ever find a body,’ I whispered.
I wanted to go back to the Ridyards and apologise. I thought of Kathryn.
The barman said, ‘You what?’
‘You got a phone?’
‘There,’ smiled the fat barman, pointing to my elbow.
I didn’t fucking care. I turned my back again.
She picked up on the second ring.
‘Look. About last night, I …’
‘Eddie, thank God. There’s a press conference at Wakefield Police Station at three.’
‘You’re fucking joking? Why?’
‘They’ve found her.’
‘Shit.’
‘Hadden’s been looking …’
‘Fuck!’
Edward Dunford, North of England Crime Correspondent, out the door of the Huntsman.
Wakefield Police Station, Wood Street, Wakefield.
2.59 p.m.
One minute to kick-off.
Me, up the stairs and through the one door, Detective Chief Superintendent Oldman through the other.
; The Conference Room horror-show quiet.
Oldman, flanked by two plainclothes, sitting down behind a table and a microphone.
Down the front, Gilman, Tom, New Face, and JACK FUCKING WHITEHEAD.
Eddie Dunford, North of England Crime Correspondent, at the back, behind the TV lights and cameras, technicians whispering about bloody fucking cables.
Jack fucking Whitehead on my fucking story.
Cameras flashed.
Detective Chief Superintendent Oldman, looking lost, a stranger in this station, in these times:
But these were his people, his times.
He swallowed and began:
‘Gentlemen. At approximately nine thirty this morning, the body of a young girl was discovered by workmen in Devil’s Ditch here in Wakefield.’
He took a sip of water.
‘The body has been identified as that of Clare Kemplay, who went missing on her way home from school in Morley on Thursday night.’
Notes, take fucking notes.
‘At the present time, the actual cause of death has not been determined. However, a full scale murder investigation has been launched. This investigation is being led by myself from here at Wood Street.’
Another sip of water.
‘A preliminary medical examination has been conducted and Dr Alan Coutts, the Home Office pathologist, will conduct the post-mortem later tonight at Pinderfields Hospital.’
People checking spelling, glances at their neighbour’s notes.
‘At this stage in the investigation that is all the information I am able to give you. However, on behalf of the Kemplay family and the entire West Yorkshire Metropolitan force, I would like to renew our appeal for any member of the public who might have any information to please contact your nearest police station.
‘We would particularly like to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Devil’s Ditch between midnight Friday and 6 a.m. this morning and who saw anything at all, particularly any parked vehicles. We have also set up a hot-line so members of the public can telephone the Murder Room direct on Wakefield 3838. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence. Thank you gentlemen.’
Oldman stood, his hands already up in the face of a barrage of questions and flashes. He shook his head slowly from side to side, mouthing apologies he didn’t mean, excuses he couldn’t use, trapped like King fucking Kong on top of the Empire State.
I watched him, watched his eyes search the room, my heart pounding, my stomach aching, reading those eyes:
SEE ME NOW.
A shove in the shoulder, smoke in my face. ‘Glad you could join us, Scoop. Boss wants to see you a.s.a.p.’
Face to face with the slicked-back ratface of my fucking nightmares, Jack fucking Whitehead; whisky on his breath, a smile on his chops.
The Pack pushing past us, running for their phones and their cars, cursing the timing.
Jack fucking Whitehead, giving me the big wink, a mock punch to the jaw. ‘Early bird and all that.’
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The M1 back into Leeds.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Fat grey slabs of Saturday afternoon skies turning to night on either side of me.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Eyes out for Jack fucking Whitehead’s Rover.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Hitting the dial for Radio Leeds:
‘The body of missing Morley schoolgirl Clare Kemplay was discovered on wasteland in Wakefield’s Devil’s Ditch by workmen early this morning. At a press conference at Wakefield’s Wood Street Police Station, Detective Chief Superintendent George Oldman launched a murder hunt, appealing for witnesses to come forward:
“On behalf of the Kemplay family and the entire West Yorkshire Metropolitan force, I would like to renew our appeal …” ’
Fuck.
‘Someone’s got to you. Someone’s fucking got to you!’
‘You are very wrong and I’d thank you to watch your language.’
‘I’m sorry, but you know how close I am …’
The words became inaudible again and I gave up trying to hear what was being said. Hadden’s door was thicker than it looked and Fat Steph the Secretary’s typing wasn’t helping.
I looked at my father’s watch.
Dawsongate: Local Government money for private housing; substandard materials for council housing; backhanders all round.
Barry Gannon’s baby, his obsession.
Fat Steph looked up from her work again and smiled sympathetically, thinking You’re Next.
I smiled back wondering if she really did like it up Trap Two from Jack.
Barry Gannon’s voice rose again from within Hadden’s office. ‘I just want to go out to the house. She wouldn’t have bloody phoned back if she didn’t want to talk.’
‘She’s not a well woman, you know that. It’s not ethical. It’s not right.’
‘Ethical!’
Fuck. This was going to take all bloody night.
I stood up, lit another cigarette, and began to pace again, muttering, ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck.’
Fat Steph looked up again, pissed off, but not half as much as I was. Our eyes met, she went back to her typing.
I looked at my father’s watch again.
Gannon arguing the toss with Hadden over bloody Dawsongate, crap that no-one but Barry gave a fuck about or wanted to read, while downstairs Jack fucking Whitehead wrote up the biggest story of the bloody year.
A story everyone wanted to read.
My story.
Suddenly the door opened and out came Barry Gannon smiling. He closed the door softly behind him and winked at me. ‘You owe me.’
I opened my mouth but he put a finger to his lips and was away down the corridor, whistling.
The door opened again. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. Come in,’ said Hadden in his shirtsleeves, the skin beneath his silver beard shining red.
I followed him inside, closing the door and taking a seat. ‘You wanted to see me?’
Bill Hadden sat down behind his desk and smiled like Father bloody Christmas. ‘I wanted to make sure there was no bad feeling over this afternoon.’ He held up a copy of the Sunday Post to emphasise his point.
MURDERED.
I glanced at the thick black bold headline and then stared at the byline beneath, thicker, blacker, and bolder still:
BY JACK WHITEHEAD, CRIME REPORTER OF THE YEAR.
‘Bad feeling?’ I said, unable to tell if I was being goaded or placated, hounded or hugged.
‘Well I hope you don’t feel that you were in any way bumped off the story.’ Hadden’s smile was somewhat wan.
I felt totally fucking paranoid, like Barry had left all his own paranoia dripping off the bleeding walls of the office. I had no idea why we were having this conversation.
‘So I’m off the story?’
‘No. Not at all.’
‘I see. But then I don’t understand what happened this afternoon.’
Hadden wasn’t smiling. ‘You weren’t about.’
‘Kathryn Taylor knew where I was.’
‘You couldn’t be reached. So I sent Jack.’
‘I understand that. So now it’s Jack’s story?’
Hadden started smiling again. ‘No. You’ll be covering it together. Don’t forget, Jack was this paper’s …’
‘North of England Crime Correspondent for twenty years. I know. He tells me every other bloody day.’ I felt sunk with despair and dread.
Hadden stood up, looking out over a black Leeds, his back to me. ‘Well, perhaps you ought to listen more carefully to what Jack has to say.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, after all, Jack has developed an excellent working relationship with a certain Detective Chief Superintendent.’
Riled, I said, ‘Well, maybe we should have done with it and just make Jack the bloody editor while we’re at it.’
Hadden turned back from the window and smiled, almost letting it go. ‘Do
esn’t sound like you’re managing to form very many healthy relationships, does it?’
My chest was tight and thumping. ‘George Oldman’s spoken with you?’
‘No. But Jack has.’
‘I see. That’s that then,’ I said, feeling less in the dark, more in the cold.
Hadden sat back down. ‘Look, let’s just forget about it. It’s as much my fault as anyone’s. I have a number of other things I want you to follow up.’
‘But …’
Hadden held up his hand. ‘Look, I think we’d both agree that your little theory seems to have been somewhat disproved by the events of today so …’
Farewell Jeanette. Farewell Susan.
I mumbled, ‘But …’
‘Please,’ smiled Hadden, his hand back up. ‘We can drop the missing angle.’
‘I agree. But what about this?’ I said, pointing at the headline on his desk. ‘What about Clare?’
Hadden was shaking his head, staring at his paper. ‘Appalling.’
I nodded, knowing I’d lost.
He said, ‘But it’s Christmas and it’ll either be solved tomorrow or never. Either way it’s going to die a death.’
‘Die a death?’
‘So we’ll let Jack handle it for the most part.’
‘But …’
Hadden’s smile was fading. ‘Anyway, I have a couple of other things for you. Tomorrow, as a favour to me, I want you to go out to Castleford with Barry Gannon.’
‘Castleford?’ My stomach hollow, my feet searching for the floor, unable to fathom the depth.
‘Barry’s got this notion that Marjorie Dawson, John Dawson’s wife, will actually see him and provide him with corroboration on everything he’s dug up on her husband. I think it’s somewhat unlikely, given the woman’s mental history, but he’ll go anyway. So I’ve asked him to take you along.’
I said, ‘Why me?’ Playing it dumber than dumb, thinking Barry was right and just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean you don’t have every bloody reason to be.
‘Well, if it ever did come to anything there would be arrests and prosecutions and what-have-you and you, as this paper’s North of England Crime Correspondent,’ smiled Hadden. ‘You would obviously be up to your neck in it. And, as a favour to me, I want you to make sure that Barry doesn’t go off the bloody deep end.’
‘The deep end?’