Captive Reaction

by Dawn Marsanne

  ‘But sir, it’s fine, I don’t mind coming in tomorrow.’

  ‘No, I’ll see you on Monday, I’ll come in tomorrow and follow up a few leads but realistically there’s nothing you can do until Monday. Thanks, you’ve done more than enough.’

  ‘OK, sir, well thanks.’

  Andy made himself a cup of strong coffee and logged on to his computer. He checked police records in the UK for Karolina Dabrowski but she didn’t feature. He would have to contact Interpol to request anything held on her in Poland. He also needed them to access her medical and dental records. Then it would be a waiting game to see what information, if any, came back and then Alistair Gordon, the pathologist could give his verdict.

  He sent a brief message to Alistair to update him and also to ascertain whether he felt there was a reasonable chance of extracting any DNA from the female corpse. There was a possibility they could find some hairs with follicles attached at her residence for comparison. Things were really starting to come together. He felt sure they would soon know the identities of the three incinerated victims. Whether they could bring a case against Ron Radford was another matter. Hopefully in the next hour or so he would hear back from Mike about what he’d discovered at Lee Percival’s flat.

  **

  Mike Harris told Paul to wait in the car whilst he went to Lee Percival’s flat. He rang the buzzer for Flat Four but there was no reply, He then rang each buzzer in turn until he got a response. He identified himself and the door was released. Mike entered the shabby lobby which contained some post boxes labelled with the six flat numbers, a couple of bikes and a pushchair. He walked up the stairs to the first floor where Flat number three was located. The young girl who had answered the door buzzer was standing at her flat door looking worried.

  Mike showed his identification and she scrutinised it carefully. She was wearing a black vest top which showed her tattooed arms off well. She sported some ripped jeans and a number of unattractive piercings around her eyebrows, one of which looked slightly infected.

  ‘Have you seen the occupant of Flat Four, recently?’

  ‘You mean Lee?’

  ‘Yes, Lee Percival, he works at The Flamingo club.’

  ‘Ugh, that place, disgusting. I’ve not seen him for a couple of days but he works evenings and nights mainly.’

  ‘When did you last see him?’

  ‘Can’t say exactly. But I saw him out of my window and he was getting in a van. It was stood idling outside and it was making quite a racket.’

  ‘Did you see the driver? Or get the registration?’

  The girl rolled her eyes at this point. ‘No, I didn’t. Is that all, only I’m a bit busy at the moment.’

  ‘You’ve been very helpful Miss?’

  ‘Ms Harford, Jenna.’

  ‘Well, thank you, if you think of anything else, give me a call on this number.’

  She took the card and slammed the door shut. It hadn’t been the most productive of interviews but it seemed likely that Lee was indeed missing and it was possible that the van she’d seen was the one burnt out in the field. He went out to the waiting car, he was thoroughly exhausted. He would update Andy and then go home for a well-earned rest, there was nothing more to be done today.

  Chapter 54

  On Monday morning the whole team was assembled in the large meeting room ready to receive their duties for the coming day and to discuss the progress to date. Andy and Mike had popped into the station briefly on Sunday but there was no further news apart from a reply from Interpol that they should have the information on Karolina by the end of Monday.

  ‘Right, team, let’s get started,’ announced Mike.

  ‘We have made good progress regarding the identities of the victims in the van.’ He pointed to the whiteboard where the three names were listed. ‘We are waiting for Polish dental records to be sent over. Shani, chase up the dentists in the area we need to obtain records for Lee Percival and Scott Briggs.’ He looked over at Andy.

  ‘Paul, find out who is the landlord for both Lee Percival and Erin Jones’ flats. We need to get search warrants as well so we can obtain some personal items for DNA comparison. There’s a possibility that Alistair will be able to get DNA from the brains of the victims.’

  ‘Will do, sir,’ said Paul.

  ‘Unfortunately it seems that Ron Radford has been able to destroy any forensic evidence by doing some renovation at Brensford Manor. In my opinion it’s a sure sign of his guilt but the courts won’t see it that way. I’m not sure we will ever be able to prove that Jessica was held there,’ he paused and the room seemed to ooze disappointment.

  ‘So we need to concentrate on the other aspects of the case. Now, Pete, I want you to continue to follow up the road traffic cameras regarding the burnt out van. Also, find out where the Nissan Micra was parked and where the owner thinks the plates were stolen. We might have CCTV in a car park or street and be able to identify the person who swapped the plates on the van.’

  Pete nodded his agreement. ‘One thing, sir. A taxi driver reported a van which shot out of an alleyway next to The Flamingo club on Tuesday night at high speed and nearly clipped him. He took the registration number.’

  ‘Did he? That’s interesting. Keep me posted.’

  ‘Remember, we need to keep trying to trace Erin Jones. Go and speak to her colleagues at the university, someone might have overheard something. Check with Dan Lythgoe as well, he might have something useful to say about her. She reported Scott Briggs missing and then the following day she herself disappeared. We need witnesses at the university, anyone who saw her getting into a car. See whether we can trace the car. Donna checking whether it was it caught on camera, speak to her. Shani, do you think you can do that? Let me know if you need any help.’

  ‘Sir, I’ll get on to it,’ replied Shani.

  ‘OK, well, let’s get things moving.’

  There was a noise of bustle in the room as the team gathered their possessions and headed back to their workstations. The excitement was palpable.

  **

  At the same time that Nick was being discharged from Persford General, Natasha Radford was being carried in a wheelchair down the stairs at Brensford Manor and into an ambulance to take her to a private hospital for her next scan. She had been in so much pain over the weekend that the nurse had continued to increase both the dose of steroids and morphine. In the ambulance, she would be able to lie down and would probably go to sleep. Shirley went with Natasha and Ron followed behind in his car. Following the visit to the hospital, Shirley was going to take him straight to the airport to catch his flight to Switzerland to meet up with the consultant. A nurse would accompany Natasha back home and stay with her until Shirley returned.

  Natasha moaned as she was placed on the trolley in the ambulance and then her head lolled to one side and she fell asleep. Shirley had argued with Ron that morning that the scan was pointless. Everyone could see that the medication was losing the battle with the tumour. Ron had become extremely angry with her and had then apologised and pleaded with her to see that there was still a chance that an operation in Switzerland could save her. Although she felt guilty she hoped that today’s scan would persuade Ron that it was time to face reality and allow Natasha to slip away peacefully.

  **

  Natasha’s scan was now complete and she was resting before making the journey back home in the ambulance. Shirley and Ron were having coffee in the waiting area before the consultant called them into his office. Ron’s flight was early afternoon so they had plenty of time to get him to the airport.

  The consultant’s secretary told them that Dr Fitzwilliam was ready for them.

  ‘Ron, Shirley,’ he said, please sit down. They had spent so much time with the consultant that they were on first name terms.

  They took their seats and looked expectantly for the results of the scan.

  Tristan Fitzwilliam knew that the couple sitting before him would not appreciate any attempts to soften the blow
of what he was about to say. ‘Natasha’s scan was considerably worse than the last one, I am very sorry to say. The tumour has grown. It has caused some damage to new areas of the brain. There is also another secondary tumour which we didn’t see before.’

  Shirley looked down at her hands and her eyes filled with tears.

  ‘We must do what is best to make Natasha as comfortable as possible.’

  ‘Can’t we increase the steroids?’ asked Shirley.

  ‘We can and that should have an effect on the fluid build-up but I must warn you that there will be side-effects. At these high doses, she will be very susceptible to developing an infection and that may develop into pneumonia. We will, of course, increase the pain-relief but that will mean she will be asleep all the time. She will need to be fed by a nasal tube but I do not think that is ethical.’ The consultant paused and closed his folder. ‘It is time to let Natasha slip away.’

  ‘I’m going to Switzerland this afternoon. The doctor there was most encouraging when I spoke to him on the phone,’ said Ron, sternly.

  ‘That was before this latest scan. I will be sending it over to him today. I very much doubt he will be able to do anything for your daughter.’

  ‘Well, that’s your opinion. As soon as I’ve spoken to him, he’s going to arrange a private plane to fly her over later this week. He’s confident and so am I, even if you are ready to give up now.’

  Ron’s face was puce coloured. Shirley felt so embarrassed. Ron was being completely unreasonable and he was being cruel to subject his daughter to the trauma of an operation where she was surely only going to be a guinea pig for a new surgical technique.

  ‘There is one more thing,’ said Tristan. ‘Even if they manage to remove the tumour she will most likely be brain damaged. She will be unable to lead a normal life. Have you considered that?’

  ‘Goodbye, I’ve a plane to catch,’ said Ron and he stormed out of the room.

  ‘Thank you, doctor, for everything you’ve done,’ said Shirley and she left the room to catch up with her husband.

  Chapter 55

  Interpol had sent over dental records of Karolina Dabrowski and had also contacted her next of kin, namely her mother who confirmed that she’d not received any calls from her daughter for over a week. This was unusual and she was beginning to worry. She had just assumed that her daughter was busy with her studies to be a secretary. Mike felt doubly sad that Karolina’s mother would doubtless be discovering that not only was her daughter dead but that she had been working as a lap dancer rather than studying for a respectable profession.

  His team had been successful in identifying Lee Percival’s dentist and his records were similarly on their way to the pathologist. However, Scott Briggs had seemingly been unconcerned with the state of his teeth and had not attended a dentist since the age of fifteen. Thus records would be of little use. Analysis of Jessica’s sodden clothing had revealed only traces of her own blood. They had also obtained access to Lee’s flat and had taken a toothbrush and hairbrush for DNA collection. Erin’s landlord was not contactable for the moment and they might have to break into the flat later that day if there was no response. Andy was in despondent mood and Mike had told him he would have support from his team should the Chief Superintendent try to lay blame upon him. Mike felt that history was repeating itself, Ron Radford would once more escape the justice that he most certainly deserved.

  **

  Shirley went up to Natasha’s room and as she reached the landing she heard moaning and the gentle voice of the nurse comforting her daughter. She went into the room to see her daughter’s face gripped by agony.

  ‘What’s happening, Wendy?’

  ‘I’ve increased the morphine and the steroids as instructed. She was obviously in a lot of pain. She should fall asleep soon,’ and she put her hand on Shirley’s arm. ‘I’ll leave you now. You’ve got my number. She should sleep all night now.’

  The nurse went over to Natasha and wiped some drool which was escaping from her mouth. She stroked Natasha’s hair lovingly.

  ‘We could spare you some pain if you let us take her to the hospice. At least you wouldn’t have to see her all day and night,’ she said.

  ‘Ron, won’t hear of it. He’s arranging for her to go to Switzerland for an operation this week. He thinks she can be saved.’

  The nurse shook her head. ‘Well, it’s possible, but I would think the kindest thing is to ..’ and she paused, ‘well, you know. A couple of weeks is my guess. I just hope we can help her suffering. We can go a bit higher with the pain relief for a couple of weeks, but then,.. well I don’t need to say, do I?’

  ‘No, I understand. Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning.’

  The nurse left and Shirley perched on the side of Natasha’s bed. She took hold of Natasha’s hand. ‘I love you so much,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t love you more if you were my own flesh and blood. I hope you can hear me. I love you. I hope you aren’t in pain.’

  Her step-daughter who had appeared peaceful up until then started to writhe in the bed. She opened her eyes and screamed. Shirley held Natasha close and hugged her with tears streaming down her face.

  Natasha seemed to summon all her strength and whispered, ‘Help me. Please help me? I can’t stand it.’

  ‘Shush, shush, go to sleep,’ whispered Shirley and Natasha fell back on to her pillows.

  After fifteen minutes Shirley crept out of the room and went to make a phone call.

  Chapter 56

  Shirley was driving the Range Rover when Ron phoned her from Switzerland. She answered the call.

  ‘How is she?’

  ‘She’s worse. The nurse, well, she wasn’t too hopeful.’

  ‘Tell that fucking useless nurse to increase the medication. Natasha will be on a plane tomorrow evening. The operation is scheduled for Wednesday morning.’

  ‘Oh, I see,’ said his wife.

  ‘You don’t seem very enthusiastic,’ said Ron.

  ‘I’m driving, I need to concentrate on the road.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘To Waitrose, we don’t have much food in. I have to get out of the house sometime! Wendy is with Natasha,’ she lied.

  ‘So, in view of the operation being so soon, I’m going to stay out here and wait for Natasha to arrive tomorrow evening. They are sending a full team to transfer her. I’ll send you the details. I’ve told them you will fly out with her.’

  ‘OK,’ said Shirley, indicating to turn left. ‘I’ll speak to you later, the traffic is a bit busy.’

  ‘Give Natasha a kiss from me and tell her I’ll see her very soon.’

  ‘Will do, bye,’

  Ron ended the call and Shirley breathed a sigh of relief, she was now only a couple of minutes from her destination.

  **

  Andy returned from a meeting with Superintendent Leighton and immediately sat down at his desk. Mike looked over and could see a vein on his temple appeared to be throbbing. Perhaps, later on, he would be able to have a quiet word with his colleague. They were eagerly awaiting confirmation from Alistair about the identities of the three charred corpses but he had warned them that he might not be able to attend to it right away. He had an urgent post-mortem to do following a suspicious death in some student housing.

  Shani Patel walked over to Mike’s desk. ‘Sir, we’ve spoken to the owner of the Nissan Micra and the lady thinks that the plates were removed when she was parked over on the Lenfield Estate. She’s a district nurse and was attending an elderly patient. She can’t be sure as she was in a rush to get to her next appointment.’

  ‘Well, it’s a rather dodgy area down that way, it wouldn’t surprise me,’ said Mike.

  ‘Any CCTV around there?’

  ‘No, nothing, I guess our thief checked for any cameras.’

  ‘Was the van stolen around there as well?’

  ‘About half a mile away we think, but again no cameras in the vicinity.’

  ‘Oh, well, thanks
for checking.’

  ‘One more thing. I managed to pick up the van in the town centre during the evening, the last camera that filmed it was near to The Flamingo at around 2 a.m.’

  ‘Great! Any pictures of the driver?’

  ‘Wearing a hat and balaclava, I’m afraid.’

  ‘As expected,’ said Mike.

  ‘Yes, but there’s one more interesting thing. Later that evening it was picked up again on Westway, heading out of the town.’

  ‘Westway, was it really?’

  ‘Yes, the dual carriageway before the turning to Brensford Manor.’

  They both smiled, this was very interesting. Not enough to convict anyone but satisfying at least. Ron Radford was definitely behind this whole tragic episode. Everyone knew he was the ringleader but trying to pin him down was like trying to catch a tablet of wet soap and he was just as slippery.

  **

  Shirley drove back and pushed the button on her handset and the gates to Brensford Manor opened slowly. Instead of parking in front of the house, she drove around to the rear and as she approached the garage the double doors opened as she drove across the sensor. She switched off the engine and waited for the doors to close before opening the boot.

  ‘Christ, I’m so glad I don’t have to stay in here a moment longer,’ said the passenger. ‘I’ve got cramp in my leg being curled up in here.’

  ‘You know it’s for the best. I had to get you in without the cameras spotting you. We can go through the door in the back of the garage and that takes us into the utility room.’

  ‘Well, give me a hand to get out of here,’ he said. The passenger alighted in an ungainly fashion and fell in a heap on the floor due to the cramp in his leg.

  He collected his things from the boot and followed Shirley into the silent house. They walked upstairs and along to Natasha’s room. As they approached they could hear muffled cries. Natasha had her eyes closed but and her hands were clasping her head. She was thrashing from side to side.