After another brief pause, he smiled and announced, ‘Inspector Lindsey will allocate your actions so make a good job of it and I suppose I should say, in a place like this, God be with you!’
After a gentle ripple of laughter, he went on, ‘Now there is another thing. A schoolboy aged seventeen is missing from the adjoining college. I propose not to release his name now in case he is located on site. It seems he might have done nothing more than dodge morning lessons and not be connected with our enquiries. I have spoken to the abbot and because he is not yet an adult, I do not want him tainted with involvement in a murder if it can be avoided. He is seventeen, almost six feet tall, very slim build, dark hair cut short, wears spectacles and has a smart accent. You know how people and newspapers can drum up false news about youngsters, especially those from so-called privileged backgrounds. We concern ourselves only with facts. He was last seen on Sunday morning after mass which was here in the abbey church, but he’s not been seen since. He didn’t sleep in his bed on Sunday night, and didn’t turn up for lessons this morning. The abbey has its own private constables who are conducting their search of the grounds and buildings, and making enquiries as we speak. Our two teams will be liaising closely and we hope to get a good photograph of the lad for internal use. The inevitable question is whether or not he is somehow involved in the murder. More importantly, we must establish whether he is a victim who has not yet been found.’
At this point I raised my hand.
‘Yes, Mr Rhea.’
‘The teams should be aware of the latest information about the missing boy.’
‘You’ve got something? Then fire away, Mr Rhea.’
‘It seems that on Saturday he ordered a packed lunch for Sunday, for one person – quite a normal event. He collected it before noon, then rode a bike – not his own – through the grounds and left it in Ashwell Priory barns. The cycle is there now but he is not. I’ve searched the place.’
Copying Napier’s style, I paused before continuing with, ‘There are several old bikes around the campus, left behind by former pupils. Anyone can use them. This one could have been left outside the kitchen – if it was, it is quite feasible that the boy noticed it and took it to cover a fairly modest distance. It was easier and faster than walking.’
‘Thanks, Mr Rhea. Now we need to fetch the bike here without delay. Sergeant Sullivan, can you arrange that? Examine it for fingerprints or other evidence as we establish its history. And now, unless there are any questions, I will hand over to DI Lindsey who will tell you about the procedures before allocating your actions.’
We sat through the rather ponderous but necessary instructions and rules of a police murder room and advice about interrogation techniques and when that was over, DI Lindsey announced that the police mobile canteen was open for everyone before they embarked on their tasks. This was more than a mere occasion for refreshment – it allowed the teams, some of whom had never previously worked together and those who had travelled a long distance, to socialize for a few important minutes. Relationships would be formed – it was all vital to the good governance of the investigation.
As I made my way to the canteen, Father John Little, Monkstable No. 15, hailed me. ‘Ah, Nick, glad I caught you. I think I have a name for the murder victim.’
CHAPTER 8
IDREW HIM to one side, away from the crowd.
‘What have you learned?’
‘I’ve been checking the Retreat to see if anyone knew anything of Simon’s movements. I took the opportunity to ask about visitors who had recently used the guest accommodation. Mrs Morley – she’s the hospitality manager as I’m sure you know – has no knowledge of Simon and she hasn’t been told about the murder yet, but described a man who has been staying and who has disappeared – she wondered if he had left early. He’s called James Thorpe and he fits the description of the man in the coffin.’
‘Well, we can’t let her see him to make an identification, he’s in the mortuary at Middlesbrough but the murder team has a photo. Maybe we could show her that? It would be a start. What else can you tell me about him?’
‘Not a lot. He’s been here since Friday and booked his accommodation until this coming Wednesday – full bed and board. He’d booked for the course “The Symbolism of Medieval Church Decorations”.’
‘Alone, was he? When he made his reservation?’
‘Yes, it was a single booking but there are others on the course – ten in total.’
‘And where are they this morning?’
‘They’ve gone on a guided visit to Rievaulx Abbey, in a mini-bus. Father Leonard from the abbey is their guide. They left immediately after breakfast.’
‘We’ll need to interview them. Was our man missed by anyone else?’
‘Yes, some of his colleagues noticed his absence at breakfast this morning and at supper last night.’
‘But they didn’t register their concerns?’
‘No. None thought they should knock on his door just because the bus was waiting. If he wasn’t well, they felt he should be allowed to rest. They weren’t worried about his absence.’
‘You’ve checked his room since then?’
‘I did; Mrs Morley used the master key. All his things appeared to be in his room – clothes in the wardrobe, suitcase on its rack, shoes under the dressing table, toiletries in the shower room – it’s en suite. We didn’t search his belongings.’
‘So it appears he didn’t intend his absence to be permanent? He wasn’t trying to leave without paying?’
‘There’s no question of that, but his unexplained absence was beginning to cause concern as I arrived as no one could suggest where he might be. Now, sadly, we know. So what should I do now, Nick? About releasing his name, informing relatives, all that sort of thing.’
‘Your first action is to inform Inspector Lindsey in the murder room and give him as much detail as possible. He’ll deal with everything and allocate a team to deal with your information. At this point, therefore, the monkstables will have to back off that branch of the investigation. It’s no longer within our brief. The CID will search his room and belongings, and subject everything to forensic tests. It’s a very important step forward. However, although our monkstables have no more duties so far as that man is concerned, it might be a good idea for them to ask around the campus whilst seeking Simon. Someone might have seen Mr Thorpe with or without Simon. We need to know whether the boy was seen around the campus just before he vanished and, if so, when and with whom? Could it have been Thorpe? And has Thorpe been noticed in places that are necessary for his course? Such as the crypt? Or the church? The CID need to know the names of everyone who’s been in the crypt during the last three days, and the times and reasons they were there. That information will help us too.’
‘I’ll attend to that, so, what are you going to do now?’
‘I’m going to have words with those archaeologists, ostensibly to see if they’ve seen Simon, but in reality to find out who they are, where they’ve come from and what they’re looking for. I’ll let the CID know what I learn. And we need to visit some of the offices on the construction site to establish whether any of their workmen have noticed Simon on his own or with anyone.’
‘Then it’s likely we might also come across some information concerning the murder?’
‘It’s quite possible, but if we do, we must pass it to Detective Chief Superintendent Napier and his teams, no matter how insignificant we think it is. Do that through DI Lindsey.’
‘Thanks, I found all this rather baffling at first, but now I see there are clear demarcation lines between them and us. What shall I do when I’ve passed my information on?’
‘Speak to Prior Tuck – he might have a place or two for you to search or some other task that requires attention. It’s going to take a long, long time to be sure we’ve searched everywhere, but Simon is our priority. If Prior Tuck can’t find something for you to do, come and see me, I’m sure we can occupy ourselves.’
When Father John Little left me I walked across the sports area to George’s Field. So far as I could determine, the archaeologists were not partaking in the day-to-day abbey routine.
The students arrived daily in a six-seater vehicle whilst their leader slept in his camper-van in a corner of the field. They provided their own food and the camper-van had a toilet. Throughout the day they chipped away at discoveries in the shelter of their marquee. I was not really sure what they were doing or what they had found. My visit offered an opportunity to find out. As I approached the cricket field, my progress was being observed by a man working at a table in the camper-van; I could see he held a coffee mug and he had a clear view of my approach. He left his vehicle to confront me.
‘Yes?’ He was a heavy, stout man probably in his late forties and was deeply tanned. I thought he looked like a shot putter or a rugby player – certainly, there was an aura of physical power about him. Wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sandals, but no socks, he had fair hair but was balding, although he sported a thick beard and moustache. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘I might ask the same of you,’ was his response. ‘This is private property.’
‘My name is Nicholas Rhea, ex-Inspector Rhea of the North Yorkshire Police and I am currently working with the Maddleskirk Abbey constables. We are seeking a pupil, a teenaged boy who is missing. I wonder if you or your colleagues have seen him?’
‘How old is he?’
‘Seventeen, very slim and tall, about six feet, dark hair, spectacles.’
‘That could fit dozens of kids here,’ he said. ‘But he’s not here, not one of us. Everybody here is known to me; my assistants aren’t pupils of this college.’
‘And that six-seater?’
‘It brings students here on a daily basis from York University; one of them drives it. They’re here to gain field experience under my guidance. They’re older than your pupil. So, how long has he been missing?’
‘Since yesterday around lunchtime. He wasn’t in his room last night, didn’t come down for breakfast this morning and hasn’t turned up for lessons.’
‘That happens every Monday morning! Kids dodging lessons!’
‘We feel this lad isn’t the sort to go AWOL without reason. Teams of constables are out looking for him, searching the entire site.’
‘Well, as I said, he’s not here and never has been. You’re welcome to ask the youngsters and search the van – it belongs to a friend. I’ve borrowed it. Search the people carrier and the marquee too. Be my guest.’
‘Thanks, I’d better do it for the record.’ So I made a quick examination of the van with its cramped accommodation, particularly the sleeping quarters. They comprised a tidily made single bed and a wardrobe full of clothes, with a tiny wash basin and toilet in a corner cubicle. A folding table, two chairs and a little settee filled the small lounge. I noted the vehicle’s registration number, then turned my attention to the six youngsters in the marquee, all in their twenties. They gave up scraping earth and seemed eager to help. With their archaeological tools neatly spread on a ground sheet everything seemed clean and professional. When I asked if they had seen a seventeen year old riding a bike nearby yesterday, all shook their heads. ‘We weren’t here yesterday,’ said one. ‘But we didn’t see him this morning. We got here about eight, before the general workforce turned up.’ Their six-seater vehicle was empty too. I recorded their full names and addresses, then returned for a further chat with their leader. He told me his name was John Wayne Rawdon and gave me his address in Middlesbrough, adding, ‘Guess who my dad’s favourite film star was!’
‘Thanks,’ I said to them all. ‘I appreciate your co-operation.’
‘Sorry we can’t be of more help.’
‘Maybe you can. May I ask why you’re digging here? Sheer curiosity….’
‘I’m a freelance,’ explained Rawdon. ‘I earn my living by lecturing, writing books and articles, taking commissions to search for anything from hidden pottery, coins and entire houses. And I do some part-time archaeological advisory work for museums.’
‘It sounds interesting. So what’s under here that’s so exciting?’
‘We’re seeking a Roman settlement or possibly a medieval village – an aerial survey suggests there are remains under here so the abbot has given us permission to search. You probably know there are Roman remains under the crypt at the abbey; the crypt itself is medieval and there’s also an ancient priory just outside the boundaries. In Ashwell Woods.’
‘Yes, I know about the medieval ruins but not any Roman remains. But thank you, I won’t disturb you any more. I must warn you though to expect a visit from the local CID.’
‘I thought you’d accepted we have no teenager either hiding or working here?’
‘I have accepted that and know he’s not here, but I have some bad news: there has been a murder in the crypt. It’s probably unconnected with the pupil’s disappearance but the CID are investigating so everyone can expect a visit from them.’
‘A murder?’ He sounded shocked.
‘It’s a man of about fifty with a beard and greyish-brown hair; he looks like a hiker. He was found dead this morning. We don’t know for certain who he is yet. Maybe you know him, or have seen him around the campus?’
‘Oh crumbs, and I thought this was a peaceful and calm place! But no, I can’t say I’ve noticed anyone, but we don’t often leave our search area. Everything we need is in our vehicles.’
By now his students were standing around listening to all this and all shook their heads, saying they had not seen the bearded hiker.
I told them, ‘This is normally a very peaceful place, but I’m sure you can understand our concern – we have to accept that the missing pupil might be a victim too.’
‘So, are we safe working here? Is there a maniac on the loose?’
‘I hope not, but your guess is as good as mine. When the CID come to talk to you, you could ask for advice about your future safety.’
‘Well, I can’t say I know anything about the murder – we don’t go to the abbey. We’ve enough to keep us busy here.’
‘How long have you been here?’
‘Only since Friday but if this exploratory work finds evidence of buildings underground, we’ll return later to carry out a more extensive excavation. It could be a very significant discovery, but at the moment, we’ve not found anything.’
We parted on good terms. I would provide the CID with the details I had recorded, knowing Rawdon’s name and address would be checked along with those of his students. As he rejoined his students I headed for St Alban’s Lecture Theatre. DI Lindsey was still there and I reported my findings about the archaeologists and confirmed that Simon Houghton was not among them.
‘We’ll run a routine check and one of our teams will interview them. Now, you’ll be interested in the outcome of our visit to the retreat.’
‘You don’t waste time!’
‘In cases like this, every minute counts. We showed a photo of the deceased in the coffin to Mrs Morley, and she thinks it is the man called Thorpe who was on the symbolism course. We have to be sure, of course, so further checks will be necessary but this is just to get things moving. We haven’t fingerprinted his room yet, or tested it for DNA and so forth – that’s on the cards for later today – but we have sealed it. When he reserved his place, Thorpe described himself as a lecturer specializing in medieval churches. He got on well with the others and according to them, appeared very knowledgeable about church decorations. Obviously we have to confirm his identity and once we get a positive identification, we can proceed further. What are your next plans, Nick?’
‘I’ll have words with Prior Tuck to see whether his monkstables’ searches have produced any results. What about that bike in the old barns?’
‘We’ve collected it and it’s being checked for fingerprints and DNA. First indications are that it bears Simon’s fingerprints – we go
t a good image from his water glass in the bedroom and it matches those on the handlebars of the bike. We’ll need those to be confirmed, but our general feeling is that he used the bike as you suggested, but for some reason decided to leave it.’
‘You’ve done well.’
‘It’s early days, Nick, but modern technology enables us to get rapid preliminary results even with fingerprint checks. They’re not good enough for prosecution purposes in court but good enough to guide us. The pace of crime investigation has accelerated since your day. And time is money. A major investigation costs a fortune so if we can speed up the processes and get positive results, we save the taxpayers a lot of money.’
‘OK, I’ll have another word with Prior Tuck. We’ve completed a cursory search without finding Simon but this second one must be more probing. We’re checking holes and tunnels within the abbey construction, places where a thin lad could explore or hide for reasons best known to himself, and we are questioning staff and pupils to see if anyone noticed him riding away or behaving not quite normally alone or with someone. The lad can’t have dumped the bike and then vanished into thin air.’
‘I suggested to Prior Tuck that he checked local buses and taxis to see if Simon got a lift away from here. He assured me he would do that.’
‘That’s in hand. So are we still pursuing the line that the two enquiries are quite separate?’
‘According to Chief Super Napier, they are separate but he admits he can’t ignore the possibility of links. He wants your monkstables to be usefully deployed tracing Simon because if they do that, they might turn up some snippet of information that’s vital to the murder investigation – like Thorpe! It could be anything – strangers wandering around the site, vehicles seen in the campus, screams of pain … anything.’
Murder at Maddleskirk Abbey Page 9