by Sam Fintz
Chapter 32
Chief Constable Smythe walked into the briefing room and everybody jumped to their feet.
“As you were,” he said, and they all sat down.
“Right, D.I. Wilkes, what have we got so far?” Max asked.
Wilkes briefed him and also told him about the witnesses. He feigned surprise and told Wilkes that he will need to be sure they are ready. He asked for their details to be passed to him for review.
“I will, once Sergeant Hodges has done the background checks,” Wilkes told him.
“Now, tell me where did this dashcam footage come from? I am talking about the original source or sources,” Max said to Wilkes.
“Well sir, originally a taxi driver gave the footage to someone at the Manchester Taxi Association who passed it to a private investigator in Cheadle that Mrs Winters appears to be acquainted with. He put it on a USB stick, and she brought it to me. I have to say, we should have really been more on the ball and found that evidence ourselves, but anyway we have it now.”
“Yes, we should have. Who is this investigator and what do we know about him? How the hell did he get hold of this evidence before we did?” Max asked him with disdain. Whilst he was secretly relieved that the sometimes-slack Wilkes was handling the case, the Commissioner didn’t like surprises or anything that could make him look stupid. Still, he knew Wilkes would make his job a lot easier!
A clearly flustered Wilkes told him what he knew about the sources of the footage. Whilst Max didn’t like surprises, Wilkes equally didn’t like being told off.
He had written down the details of the private investigator and the guy at the MTA to pass onto Mike. He would call him when he got home to give him the names. The less he used the secure mobile while he was at the office the better. You never knew who was listening.
“Ok, D.I. Wilkes, keep me posted on developments. We will need to have Chalmers and the Harrington lad in soon for a briefing and to see if we can drill him a little more, although I don’t think that is likely to reap any benefits!” he said. He got up and left the room.
“Right team, back to work. You heard the man, we have work to do,” Wilkes told the team.
Chapter 33
As soon as Aiden and Jason arrived back at the apartment in the city centre, they slipped into matching silk robes with nothing on underneath and told the housekeeper that she wouldn’t be required for the rest of the day.
Aiden went to stretch out on the large chaise by the window showing more than just leg, whilst Jason poured Aiden and himself some Bollinger in two of the Lalique flutes.
“Luckily we are in the highest building in the city,” he told Aiden as he handed him his glass.
After a short while the concierge rang to say Carl and Emma were on their way up. When they entered Jason told them to slip into the robes that he had placed out for them. They disappeared into Aiden’s dressing room and got changed. When they came back in Aiden and Jason were sitting on the large sofa waiting for them. They were given a drink by Jason and they sat for a while chatting about lunch and how the Leavers really needed to chill out a bit more.
After a while Aiden suggested they move to the bedroom to get a little more comfortable. Aiden’s custom-made bed was huge so there was plenty of space for the four of them. Aiden lowered the blinds with the remote, put on some soft jazz and dimmed the lights.
Emma giggled a little and said: “This is so cosy. Who wants to play with me first?”
Aiden jumped at the chance and Emma moved over to his side of the bed while Jason moved closer to Carl, who was freeing himself from his robe. Jason wasted no time taking advantage of the naked Carl in front of him on the bed.
Emma and Aiden kissed passionately as Aiden laid her back on the bed and slowly started to move his tongue down towards her breasts. He circled his tongue around her nipples one at a time, which made Emma moan with pleasure. He moved his hand down to between her legs and he could feel she was ready for him. He continued his journey with his tongue until his mouth found her smooth well-groomed pussy. He expertly tongued her perfectly formed clitoris. He loved how it looked. He could taste her delicious juices as he swirled his tongue over her sweet spot. Emma was responding to every movement of Aiden’s tongue. She grabbed his thick hair gently and pulled him up to her. She whispered in his ear that he should fuck her. He didn’t need to be told twice and he pushed her legs open wider and slowly slid his large hard cock into her, marvelling at how wet and warm she was. He had clearly done a good job down there. Aiden wasn’t as large as Carl by a couple of inches, but what he lacked in length and girth he made up for in technique. Because of its size, Carl’s cock was never quite as hard as Aiden’s. He slowly guided himself in and out of her in long smooth gentle strokes, hitting the spot every time. She lifted her hips to meet each thrust of his cock. Emma always loved how Aiden felt inside her.
Next to them on the bed Jason and Carl were really getting into it with each other. Emma’s moans of pleasure as Aiden fucked her only served to turn them both on more. Jason kept looking over at Aiden and they smiled at each other.
Aiden was starting to thrust harder now. Emma could tell that Aiden was close. This pushed her to the point of no return. She arched her back and pushed harder against Aiden as he picked up the pace. Her orgasm was really intense as Aiden pulled out of her and with a cry deposited his load on her belly. The sight and sounds of Aiden and Emma’s orgasms were all Jason and Carl needed to push them over the edge as well.
Completely spent, Aiden lay down next to Emma and Jason lay next to him, with Carl on his other side. The four of them lay there for a while in silence until Aiden jumped up and said: “I am off to shower!”
Jason said: “I’ll join you,” and they disappeared into the bathroom.
Carl and Emma didn’t bother to clean up first. Carl took Emma in his arms and kissed her really hard and in seconds he was erect again. He entered her quickly and he pounded away at her with urgency until they both cried out as they climaxed together. Carl collapsed on the bed next to her. He turned to her and said: “Have I ever mentioned that you really are the best?”
“Yes, many times. But you can tell me again if you want,” she said, and they laughed. They lay there for a short while before also going to the bathroom for a shower.
Chapter 34
In the briefing room at GMP Headquarters, Sergeant Hodges had just brought in her reports on the three witnesses. From the look on her face it was clear the news wasn’t the best.
“What have you got for us then?” Wilkes asked her.
“Well, sir, the first one is David Holmes. He has a chequered past. He has been in and out of prison over the years and was a drug user until he recently went to rehab for the fourth time. He is not currently wanted for anything, but he is known for being economical with the truth. He has also been a witness for cash in a couple of cases involving minor drug dealers. Apparently, it doesn’t take a lot to pay him off. He lives near the crash site so that was probably why he was around. Hopefully he will stay clean long enough to be some use at trial. His credibility I feel is the biggest concern.”
“Ok. Not great but there you go. Who’s next? Barras?” Wilkes asked.
“Yes, he is next, or shall I say she. Barras is apparently well-known in the Gay Village. I spoke to the owner of one of the bars there who I know, and he told me that some years back Barras, under the name Candy O’Toole, ran a regular slot on a Sunday at one of the other bars. Sadly for him he lost his partner and started drinking heavily and got in with a bad crowd. He lost everything and now lives in a bedsit in Moss Side. He is on benefits and gets help for alcoholism, but what I was told is it is a losing battle. More off the wagon than on it. No criminal record to speak of except disturbing the peace whilst intoxicated.”
“Christ! Please tell me the Parfitt woman is reliable,” Wilkes said to Hodges.
“Out of the three she came out squeaky clean. She is a supply teacher and she lives just off Wil
braham Road. No record and no licence. Only record I could find was a passport which she has never used. She is on the voters roll as single with no dependants or anyone linked at the address,” Hodges reported.
“Well the lack of licence explains why she didn’t have an idea of the car. The rest of it explains her drabness. Ok, let’s write this up on the board. We will have to work with what we have. Good work, Hodges. Right gang, lets recap,” Wilkes said, trying to sound positive.
One of the other members of the team, Sergeant Simon Hughes, a tall gangly man with a slightly odd sense of dress and longish tousled hair, started.
“We have the dashcam footage that clearly shows the light was red. I will write that in the evidence column. We also have the photographs of the damage to both vehicles as well as the resting position of the wrecks and that indicates the force of the accident, so let’s stick those up here as well. We also have the autopsy pictures and diagrams and the coroner’s report which we can put up here. We already have the names of those involved and the witnesses. The transcripts of the interviews with Mrs Winters, Aiden Harrington and the witnesses are here on these discs which have been marked accordingly and copies will be made for the Harrington legal team. I suggest we start at the beginning and work through to the present time. We will need to document everything we discuss. D.I. Wilkes, who would you like to do that?” Hughes asked.
“Thank you, Simon, that is very organised. I would like you to do the notes please,” Wilkes told him.
“Right sir will do,” Simon Hughes said to Wilkes. “Can we get a take-away first before we begin?” he asked cheekily.
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Here’s some cash, go and get us something. No alcohol though, you are all on duty and besides I need you all to be sharp!”
Hughes smiled at him and went off in search of food. The rest of them sat and chatted while he was out. Once he returned and they had all eaten, they started in earnest. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 35
In Cheshire, at Harrington Aeronautical, Mike was in his office when Max called him.
“Max, what’s the latest?” Mike asked.
“Mike, I have the information you needed about the source of the video.”
Mike grabbed a pen and said: “Ok shoot, I am listening.”
He told Mike the details and when he was done Mike said to him: “I will let you know when I need you to make your piece of evidence disappear. Sit on it for now. I need to do my groundwork first. I haven’t heard of this investigator guy, but it won’t take me long to find out about him. I will get the witness names from you when we come in for the disclosure meeting. What were they like? Am I going to have any difficulties?” Mike was thinking that it didn’t help that Max knew so little, or even where this investigator came from.
“One of them is a little iffy but with a bit of work I am sure you will turn her. The other two will fall under your spell, I am sure of that!” Max told him.
“I think none of them will be too much of a challenge from what you have said. I have dealt with worse as you well know. Listen, thanks for that. Malcolm is away on business, but I will fill him in when we speak later. I am keeping the boy out of the limelight as much as I can. Keep me posted,” Mike said and hung up.
He was relieved with what he had just heard. He did a quick search of the investigator and got a few hits. “Small fry, easy game. No match for the Chalmers charm,” he said to himself.
He called Aiden to tell him and from the sound of the shower in the background he knew that he was up to his usual tricks. Aiden thanked him and hung up, leaving Mike feeling amused. He poured himself a drink and called in his assistant, Charlotte Perkins. She was a pretty woman and ambitious as well. She knew that if she played her cards right she could sleep her way to the top. After all a girl can’t rely on her looks alone. She was dressed in a short dark skirt and a white silk blouse that attracted a lot of attention. Her choice of perfume was Clinique Aromatics which somehow drove men wild. She closed and locked the door behind her and lowered the blinds. She knew too well what he was after. Perks of the job is what he called it. Easy money is what she called it.
Chapter 36
Rose Winters and Fat Pat were at the hospital. They had been there the whole day. Rose had been at her solicitor earlier to discuss the estate and also to ascertain their legal options. She knew that she could probably benefit from the fact that the Harringtons were so wealthy, but she didn’t want to think about that just yet. Because Stefan’s future was uncertain, her solicitor advised that they should wait and see. He also advised that he should be present the next time she speaks to the police, so he could guide her. Her solicitor, Richard Caine, was one of the best in town. He had been Jim’s solicitor all his working life and he was like family. Rose trusted him. The will was pretty straightforward. She would get everything. Jim had left a life insurance policy for £500 000 for Stefan which would set him up for life. She shuddered at the thought of Stefan not making it through this.
The consultant, Doctor Bhakari came in to speak to her. She explained that they had done further tests and scans and things were looking slightly better for Stefan. She was hopeful that if he carried on improving they would be able to wake him up in a few days. She also told Rose she could be a little more hopeful and that it wasn’t as dire as the last couple of days. It was going to be a long and difficult recovery, but he was in good hands.
When the consultant had left the room, Rose said to Fat Pat: “I hope she is right.”
Fat Pat just nodded, smiled and patted Rose’s hand. They sat for a while more and then left to go home and have something to eat. On the way Rose suddenly felt like a curry so they pulled in at Mr Ali’s Balti House in Didsbury. They picked up a couple of Chicken Kormas with rice and a naan bread to share and headed home. They ate and chatted and drank some wine.
After dinner they sat in the lounge and watched the latest episode of Coronation Street. Rose, with a pang of guilt, felt the most normal she had in a while.
Fat Pat asked her if she wanted her to stay.
“Yes, that would be nice. You can bunk with me, but you have to promise not to snore!” Rose told her.
“Me snore! It’s you who snores, thank you very much,” Fat Pat joked.
Rose felt really grateful that Fat Pat was there. Since her husband had left her for a younger model Fat Pat had been around a lot more and Rose liked that. She was a little annoying sometimes, but her heart was in the right place! When Fat Pat had been with her ex-husband, she had been quite a size. She had lost the weight, but not the nickname!
Chapter 37
The following few days at GMP Headquarters the team working on the Harrington case were busy making sure that they had everything tied up. They had printed off sheets of paper with witness statements, diagrams and pictures. From the USB that Rose had provided they made a copy for the defence. Wilkes was confident this was going to be the break he needed to get a promotion.
He knocked on the Chief Constable’s office door and went in.
“Good morning sir, I have the file we are going to present to the Harrington’s defence team. Let’s have a quick run through in case I have missed something. I would appreciate the feedback!” Wilkes said to him.
“I have also spoken to Steve Jones who was the officer on the scene. He wasn’t very complimentary. He didn’t sound too pleased that you let the Harrington boy go free,” Wilkes added.
“Fuck Jones. I make the decisions around here, not him. If he doesn’t like it, he can go and write parking tickets in Skegness!” Max said angrily. “These fucking cops have no respect anymore!”
For the next hour they sat and ran through the evidence folder. Max was more or less happy with it. He saw one glaring problem that Wilkes might have and that was that besides the copy for the defence team, the only other copy they had of the dashcam footage was the one with the case folder. He said nothing about it as it was going to make it really easy for him to destr
oy that vital piece of evidence. John Wilkes could always be relied on to be sloppy.
“Thank you, Wilkes, I think that will be fine for now. I am sure we will need to add to it once we have seen Chalmers and Harrington, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it. I will get in touch with Chalmers and arrange for them to come in for the interview. In the meantime, you and your team go home and get some rest. I will arrange for them to come in tomorrow. Good work!” he said, knowing full well it was anything but.
“Thank you, sir. My missus is starting to forget what I look like!” Wilkes joked and left the office.
Wilkes felt buoyant as he locked the files away and dismissed the team.
Max called Mike from his desk phone to officially arrange the meeting after which he went outside onto the balcony off his office and called Mike back from the secure mobile.
“Mike, my guys have done one of the worst jobs I have seen in a while so please don’t give it away. It means we will have no problems later. That idiot Wilkes has also only got one copy of that dashcam footage so that will be a no-brainer. I think you will be pleased,” Max told Mike, who just listened intently on the other side of the line.
“Thanks Max. I have to say you have done well. Let’s not fuck that up now. I will bring the boy in tomorrow afternoon at 3 and we can take it from there. I expect you will want to ask a few more questions,” Mike said to Max.
“Yes, but they will be arbitrary questions and won’t cause too much trouble. Mere window dressing.”
“Ok, that’s fine. Just don’t expect anything more than “No Comment”. You know the Harringtons are economical with their words! See you tomorrow,” Mike said and hung up.
Max called John Wilkes and told him the time for the meeting. By the sounds of the background noise he was home already so he kept it short.