Lost Innocence

by M A Comley

  Over the past year, Sally’s team had solved ten of the cold cases, but a hundred or so were still awaiting reinvestigation. Their efforts had managed to secure the release of eight prisoners—all men who had been wrongly convicted due to Falkirk’s lack of investigative prowess. Though she was delighted to give the men their freedom back, it sickened her to think how many years behind bars those innocent people had been forced to endure. DI Falkirk had a lot to answer for. She was elated when she heard that the force had stripped him of his pension. In Sally’s eyes, he should be the one sitting behind bars. However, her superiors hadn’t seen it that way. They felt stripping the former inspector of his pension was punishment enough for his carelessness and lack of professionalism.

  Sally drew into the station and found her partner, Jack Blackman, resting against the bonnet of his car. His arms folded, he was waiting for her.

  “Hi, Jack. Lovely morning. How’s things?”

  He pulled a face and scratched the stubble he was trying to grow into a beard. “Fair to middling. How about you?”

  “Good, thanks. I’m dying for a cup of coffee. We can have a chat over that if you need to.”

  “I’m fine. Nothing you can say or do will ever change my situation.”

  “Ouch, at least let me try. Are things really that bad at home?”

  He shrugged and launched himself off the bonnet of his car. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s probably me blowing things up out of all proportion. Why on earth did Donna and I decide to have kids? ”

  “I’m sure, deep down, you don’t really mean that, mate. Every parent must feel like that at one time or another.”

  “You’re probably right. Hey, if you take my advice, you’ll steer clear of having them when you and that pathologist fiancé of yours finally tie the knot. Any news on that, by the way? I could do with a good knees-up.”

  They took a few steps towards the entrance of the station before she answered, “As a matter of fact, we’re going to sit down and discuss the plans tonight. I have the wedding folder primed and ready for action.”

  “Ha, all that expense. I know if I had my chance to do things again, I would have tried my hardest to persuade Donna to elope. Gretna’s not that far away—a few hours, that’s all.”

  Sally giggled.

  “Something I said?” he asked.

  “I was just wondering how many times that conversation came up between men over a pint down the pub.”

  He frowned. “Sorry, what’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s just that Simon and I had the very same conversation before I left the house this morning.”

  He stopped mid-flight up the stairs. “What? He wants to elope?”

  “Keep your voice down, Jack. Like I said, nothing is set in stone, and we’re going to sit down tonight to discuss things further. I’m not sure how I feel about the proposal yet.” They continued up the stairs. “I get the money aspect of things and what else we could do with the funds, but I’d miss not having my friends at the wedding.”

  “Yeah, try and dissuade him. I need a good excuse to get pissed.”

  Sally tutted and shook her head. “You men and your bloody beer.”

  “Beer? I was thinking more along the lines of the hard stuff. Hey, here’s a thought—you could hire a coach and ship us all up to Gretna for the weekend. We could all be at the wedding, then we could take in one of those distillery tours afterwards. I enjoy a nice drop of malt.”

  Sally pushed open the incident room door and stepped through it. “Ain’t gonna happen, Bullet.” She used the nickname he’d inherited from his army days. He’d been Sally’s partner for around nine years, and he always claimed being a copper was safer than being a soldier, as he’d been shot four times during his stint in the army .

  “Shame. Don’t ever say I don’t come up with good ideas, though. I thought it was ace. I’m sure the guys around here would agree with me, too, if you ran the idea past them.”

  Sally chose to ignore his final comment and headed towards DC Joanna Tryst’s desk. Joanna was obviously distracted by something on her computer, as she didn’t turn to say good morning like she usually did. Sally was keen to know what was drawing her interest. “Morning, Joanna. Anything wrong?”

  Joanna fell back in her chair and placed a hand over her chest. “Damn, I didn’t hear you come in. Sorry, boss.”

  “Sorry to scare you. Is everything all right?” Sally leaned over her shoulder to peer at the screen.

  “Just doing my usual morning trawl through the wires, boss. There was a murder overnight that caught my interest.”

  A familiar twinge knotted deep in Sally’s gut. “Hey, the quicker we go through all these cold cases, the sooner we can get back to real policing. Ugh…I can’t believe those words tumbled out of my mouth. You know what I mean. It’s often harder for us piecing all the clues together on cold cases. I sometimes have to remind myself that the necessity is there for us to put all the wrongs right. Especially when I hear of a meaty investigation rearing its head.”

  “I enjoy the cold cases, boss, but like you say, people don’t realise how difficult our job is at times, and the work can be extremely frustrating and mind-numbing in equal quantities.”

  Sally smiled, placed a hand on Joanna’s shoulder and squeezed. “I totally get where you’re coming from. I have days when a case seems futile. However, when we get a breakthrough that helps us crack the case, the old familiar buzz takes over. We’ve all done well in the past year, solving the cases we have. Just think of all those people we’ve set free from prison in that time. I do, and sometimes, that’s what gives me the impetus to carry on with these cold cases. Hey, look on the bright side—not that you were being negative at all—the rate we’re going, we should have all these cases completed in the next five years.”

  Jack groaned behind her. “Did you have to say that?”

  Sally wished she could have bitten her tongue in half for telling the truth. When they’d started up the cold case team, Jack had been the one person opposed to the idea and had even threatened to leave her team at one point. But Sally and DCI Mike Green had persuaded Jack to stay on. Most of the time, Sally remained upbeat about the investigations they were working for fear of any backlashes coming from her partner. He still managed to have a little moan now and again if a case was proving too frustrating, though. “It’s a fact, Jack. Unless we start putting in extra hours to solve the cases.”

  “It’s not that easy, boss. You know that.”

  Sally nodded. “I know. We need to work with the hand we’ve been dealt and get on with things to the best of our ability. I want more genuinely innocent people like Craig Gillan out from behind bars as quickly as humanly possible. You must admit, big man, you got a buzz from setting him free as much as I did.”

  Jack shrugged. “I suppose so. The guy was dealt a raw deal by his brother in more ways than one. Glad he’s free and enjoying life once again with his family.”

  “There you go. See how easy it is to turn a negative into a positive? None of us like going over old ground, but we see the need for us to do it. Especially if the ground wasn’t picked over properly in the first place.” Sally sighed.

  They’d all had similar conversations over the past year. It was time they got past the negatives and got on with the task in hand: freeing innocent people who had been wrongly convicted. Her eyes brimmed with tears every time she thought of the first man they’d freed. The last she’d heard, Craig and his two children were seriously getting to know each other by going on several holidays thanks to the large sum of compensation they’d received due to his false imprisonment. They had also bought a large house together with ten acres of land. Because Craig had always fancied himself as a bit of a farmer, he’d filled his acreage with different animals, everything from chickens to alpacas. The family were all thrilled with their new life and the challenges animal husbandry brought to them daily. Sally was elated for them.

  That case was a prime example of w
hy the cold cases sitting in Sally’s office were so important. Otherwise, innocent people doing time behind bars for a crime they didn’t commit would prey on her conscience for years.

  “I’ll be in my office for the next ten minutes. I have a few notes I need to type up on the last case we solved, then we’ll figure out what we should do next. Jack, do you want to grab a handful of files from my office? Select a couple of worthy ones we can sink our teeth into?”

  “Will do.” Jack entered her office .

  Sally stopped off at the vending machine and chose a white coffee. She walked into her office to find Jack crouching on the floor next to the pile of files that were gathering dust below her window.

  “I think we’ve pretty much tackled the larger cases, if I recall. I’ll sift through this lot with Joanna and see which ones we should choose next.”

  “Good. I won’t be long.”

  Jack spent the next few minutes searching through the files then left the office with a handful of them.

  As she scribbled down her notes, Sally’s mind wandered back to her wedding. Maybe Jack had the right idea after all. Perhaps it would be great to hire a coach and bus everyone up to Scotland for a few days. It would be a darn sight cheaper in the long run.

  She wasn’t long into her note-taking when an excited Joanna appeared in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, boss. I have a Harry Rogers on the line for you.”

  Sally recognised the name but was unsure where from. “Do I know him?”

  “Sorry, I should have added his rank. It’s DS Harry Rogers. He would like a quick chat about a case he’s just taken on.”

  “Great, as if I haven’t got enough to do, other officers contact me, expecting me to do their work for them, as well.”

  Joanna’s mouth twisted. “I don’t think it’s quite like that, boss. I think you should hear what he has to say.”

  “That’s very cryptic. Why all the secrecy, Joanna?”

  Joanna smiled and backed out of the door. “I’ll put the call through to you.”

  Sally tapped her pen on the desk until her phone rang. “DI Sally Parker. How can I help, DS Rogers?”

  “Hello, ma’am. I’m at a crime scene and was told by the desk sergeant to get in touch with you.”

  “You were? May I ask why? Or are you expecting me to guess?” Sally asked, her impatience obvious in her tone.

  “It looks like a cold case, ma’am. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but that’s your department, isn’t it?”

  “You’re right. I do run a cold case team, but we have several cases vying for our attention as it is without adding more to our load.”

  “Okay. I’ll deal with the case myself then, if you’re not interested. ”

  Sally sighed. “Wait a minute. Okay, you’ve grabbed my attention. I never said I wasn’t interested.”

  “That’s great. Any chance you can pop down here then, ma’am?”

  Sally exhaled a large breath and sought out a clean sheet of paper. With her pen poised, she said, “Go on then, give me the details.”

  Rogers reeled off the address. “Will you be joining me soon, ma’am?”

  “Yes, and when I get there, you can cut the ‘ma’am’ crap. It makes me feel old and decrepit, and I’m far from that.”

  “Rightio, DI Parker.”

  “That’s better. My partner and I will see you soon. Have you rung the pathologist?”

  “Yes, he’s en route. ETA around ten minutes.”

  “We should be there in twenty-five to thirty minutes, unless we get held up by a tractor at this time of year.”

  “Nothing bad on the road when I was called out. I’ll see you soon, ma’am…sorry, habit.”

  “One I hope you manage to break before I see you later. Thanks for ringing, DS Rogers.” Sally hung up and left her chair. Walking back into the incident room, she said, “Jack, leave those. We’re wanted elsewhere. I’ll fill you in on the way. Joanna, would you mind sifting through the files instead, in case we need one or two cases later?”

  “On it, boss.”

  “Jordan and Stuart, while we’re out, can you finish up the case we were dealing with last week? Ensure all the evidence is listed and all the i’s have been dotted, et cetera. It would be nice to have a clear desk for a change before another case comes our way.”

  Both men nodded.

  “Ready, Jack?” Sally asked, pushing through the door.

  “I’m coming. See you later, guys,” he called out to the rest of the team.

  Chapter 2

  When she and Jack arrived at the small estate in the village of Swanton Morley, Sally was immediately struck by the lack of houses in the quiet location. The house where Rogers had asked to meet them was a mid-terrace that dated back to the early 1900s, according to the date stone above the door. A young uniformed officer asked to see their IDs before he allowed them access to the building. Once inside, Sally and Jack walked through the hallway and the kitchen and out the back door into the medium-sized garden.

  Simon greeted Sally and Jack the instant he saw them. “I’m glad you two were called in on this case.”

  Standing alongside him was a heavy-set man wearing a black suit who appeared to be in his fifties.

  “You must be DS Rogers?” Sally asked.

  “I am. Thanks so much for coming, DI Parker. I’m sure this case will be of interest to you.”

  “Can you tell me what we’re seeing here?” Sally asked, scanning the area, her gaze drawn to a mound of earth and a pile of wood that looked like a dilapidated shed off to one side of the garden.

  “The new owners of the house decided to pull down their shed and erect a new one but found the concrete base in a bad state of repair. They dug up the base then left it overnight. In the morning, they returned to find that animals had disturbed the earth and dug up some bones. The woman is a nurse at the hospital and instantly identified the bones as human. Her husband rang the station immediately. The case landed on my desk when I got into work this morning around eight. I drove out here right away and got the ball rolling by ringing you and the pathologist. That’s as far as I got.”

  Sally ran a finger and thumb around her chin. “Simon? Anything to add, or is it too early?”

  “The only thing I can tell you for definite at present is that I can concur—the bones are human. My team are going to take a while excavating the site. I won’t be able to give you any hint of what age or sex the victim is until we piece all the bones together back at the lab.”

  Exhaling a large breath, Sally took a step closer to the mound. “Any inkling as to when the body was buried?”

  “Not at this point, Sally,” Simon replied from behind her.

  “There must be something for us to go on?”

  “Okay, if you want me to stretch my neck out and take a punt, I would say we’re dealing with the remains of either a pre-teen or a small woman. That’s as much as I’m willing to divulge at this point. Don’t blame me if that information changes farther down the line after I’ve assembled all the bones together. Which, pre-empting your next question, could take weeks rather than days.”

  Sally grinned at Simon. He really did know her too well. “But you’ll do your best to rush the results through, won’t you?” She gave him her most dazzling smile.

  He shook his head and laughed. “I’ll do my best. You know that.”

  “I know. We’ll leave you to it then and have a word with the owner of the house. That is if you don’t mind, DS Rogers?”

  “Why should I mind? Aren’t you taking over the case from now on?”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. This might be a recent murder, one that our team can’t get involved in. We won’t know that until the pathologist issues his report.”

  Simon cleared his throat. “Sorry, I should have said I believe the body could have been in situ for the past twenty years or more.”

  Sally’s eyes widened. “Wow, well, that certainly changes the structure of the case. Okay, Rogers, yo
u’ve got your wish if you want to hand over the reins.”

  The policeman seemed relieved. “Excellent news. I’ll leave the case in your safe hands then, ma’am.”

  Sally rolled her eyes. “Go on, off with you. Before you go, I need the name of the proprietors.”

  “Mrs. Sara Walden. You’ll find her next door at number five.”

  “Thanks, Sergeant.”

  Sally and Jack retraced their steps through the house and knocked on the front door of the neighbour’s property.

  An elderly woman with a walking frame opened the door. “Hello, are you the police?” she asked, her voice quaking .

  “Yes, is it possible to have a word with Mrs. Walden please?”

  “You best come in. I’ll lead the way if you’ll shut the door behind you.”

  When the woman turned and started the slow journey up the dated hallway, Sally smiled at Jack before setting off after her at a snail’s pace.

  They eventually reached the lounge and found a woman in her thirties on the sofa, sniffling. She glanced up as they entered the room.

  “Sara, there are two police officers to see you, dear. Do you want me to stay?”

  “If you would, Vera, thank you.”

  “Hello, Sara. Please, I want to reassure you there’s nothing for you to worry about. I’d also like to thank you for contacting us. Are you up to answering some questions? I know what a shock this must be for you. We’ll be out of your hair in no time at all, I promise you.”

  “You might be, but what about the forensic team? Will they want to tear my house apart, too? We’ve only been here a couple of months. We’ve worked tirelessly to get the inside finally straight, and now this.”

  “They’ll need to conduct a thorough search of your property. I’m sorry about that, but I’m sure you can understand how important their work is in a case like this.”

  “I do. It doesn’t make me feel any better, though. I knew we shouldn’t have moved here. I said to Brian there was something about the house that didn’t sit well with me. He insisted I was being silly and forced me to go ahead with the purchase.” She ran a shaking hand over her colourless cheek.