Scamper's Find

by Terry H. Watson

  It doesn’t take a genius to join these dots…

  Alex Bryson lives in the area in Scotland where two bodies were found in pit shafts…he lowered his eyes and avoided mine when I mentioned the incident… he works in the mining industry…

  Barry Jones, one of the victims originally came from East End of London…

  Alex Bryson, his brothers and mother also came from there…

  Peggy Bryson calls out for Barry and shouts about him being in a hole in the ground…

  She was attacked by Barry Jones who was jailed for the offence and vanished on release from prison…her boys threatened to get him…

  Reggie Allison, shop owner confirms this…

  Aha! I have enough here to suggest we rethink this case which has been puzzling colleagues here and in the USA.

  DI Rab McKenzie, working in his office, received a call from his friend and colleague, Geoff Nolan with exciting information. He and Geoff had worked together when the two bodies were found in Scotland. They also knew each other from previous cases that involved Scottish-English collaboration.

  “Rab, I think we can safely re–open the case of the two American villains found in your Scottish pit shafts. I have a theory here to explore with you. Listen up, man.”

  As he listed his thoughts, he was more and more convinced he was on the right track.

  “Geoff, man, you may be on to a winner here. Send all the data you have and I’ll contact the Chicago guys as soon as their time zone allows. I owe you big time, Geoff; looks like we might be able to put this case to bed before too long.”

  An impatient Detective McKenzie waited until he knew his Chicago colleagues would be up and running. Blooming time zone; gets in the way of proper communications.

  In the absence of Tony Harvey from the office, his deputy, Carole Carr received the welcome news of the re-opening of the Scottish murders.

  “That sounds awesome. I hate when we have to leave a case unsolved. It goes against everything we train for. It’s as if we’ve allowed the bad guys to get away with murder and the like. Have you plans for us to meet or do we do this through the wonders of technology? Should I dust down my passport again?”

  Rab McKenzie laughed.

  “I thought you would be on the first plane over here! I think the best plan for the moment would be to let my guys do some more investigating at this end. We need to work with our colleagues in the London area, as well as doing a bit of footwork up here. We won’t rush this, Carole. We need to make some discreet enquiries without alerting the suspects. My mate Geoff has some leads to follow up. It goes without saying that we’ll keep you up to date with what we discover. Now, lass, you give our best to Tony and his wife.”

  Carole Carr signed off and thought how much the case had taken over the lives of her boss and herself. On a positive note, she thought, we have made such good friends overseas. That counts for something.

  ***

  Forensic scientists come into their own when it comes to re-examining evidence of unsolved crimes. Often new methods are put in place as the science is continually developing. Doctor Brody Cameron was not surprised when told of developments in the case of the two American victims. He firmly believed that good police work would, through time, bring criminals to face their nemesis.

  “Passage of time, Rab, doesn’t give criminals the right to think we won’t come knocking on their door. The past always catches up with them. No one should escape justice, despite what cause they feel they are putting to right: in the case of those London guys, looking for revenge for their mother being attacked all those years ago. These new leads from your buddy down south look hopeful. Let’s get our heads together mate and bring these villains to court and to justice.”

  As he signed off, Rab could hear the tap-tapping of Brody’s pipe on the table; “The sign of a contented man,” he laughed.

  Geoff Nolan wasted no time in correlating his findings, which he discussed at length with his colleagues. His first task was to investigate Barry Jones whose name, according to Peggy’s care home staff, was constantly being shouted out by the distressed lady.

  “We have to research the court case involving Barry Jones and confirm what the shopkeeper has told us about the attack on Peggy Bryson.”

  Hours of research paid dividends for the determined detective. He soon found the link between the two.

  Eureka!

  He called a retired colleague in London whose name appeared on a police report from many years ago.

  “Hey, mate! Got a favour to ask: I see you were involved with a case I’m interested in; an East End villain, by the name of Barry Jones.”

  “Jonesy! Well, there’s a blast from the past. A real rogue was that one. Would steal the sugar out of your tea and come back for the spoon… so, what’s he nicked for now?”

  “He won’t be nicked for anything else ever.”

  Geoff regaled his colleague with events in Scotland where Barry Jones had been dumped in a pit shaft.

  “I’m trying to confirm a link between him and an elderly lady by the name of Peggy Bryson. I have some information here, but need your good self to assure me I’ve got the facts correct. I’ll read what I have.”

  His former colleague listened as Geoff read; memories came flooding back to the retired cop, adrenaline pumping as he recalled the search and arrest for the notorious villain who terrorised his patch. He thought that on retirement he had put all memories of police cases to bed, but hearing the name of Barry Jones reawakened in the elderly man his love of a career that spanned his lifetime.

  “Well, that brings back memories of that brute. There you have it Geoff. The thug beat the poor woman to a pulp in a botched robbery. She never really recovered from it. I remember the case well as there was an outcry at the leniency of his sentence. He went off the radar after his release. The thinking was that he had somehow evaded the authorities and got himself out of the country pretty sharply. He must have known the Bryson boys would be waiting for him. They’re a close-knit family and very protective of their mother. It was well known that Peggy’s sons were not going to let things go with Barry Jones.”

  Geoff spent some time relating events from the Scottish deaths and the involvement of the Chicago PD and concluded that he could now safely send all relevant data to the USA to be shared by both teams.

  “Great to talk to you, Eddie, you’ve been a great help. Man, we need to meet up for old times’ sake. I owe you a pint.”

  “I’d like that Geoff; you’ll find me on the golf course most days though. Good luck with the investigation.”

  ***

  Joe and Bobby Bryson continued with their life in London, unaware that local detectives were making discreet enquiries about them. Their regular haunts were noted, as were their fishing trips. Undercover police regularly drank in the local pub frequented by the brothers, and were able to pass themselves off as building workers from a nearby construction project, thus avoiding suspicion. They succeeded in picking up snippets of conversation from the brothers, especially when Bobby, who was often drunk, became louder and argumentative with Joe. His rants were always about their mother being abandoned in a care home, many miles from them.

  “Bobby, I keep telling you, she’s okay. I phone regularly and the staff assure me she’s settled and is even joining in some of the activities. She’s made friends with a lady from Poland. The nurse told me they wander about the place arm in arm. The Polish lady doesn’t speak English, Mum can’t speak Polish, but they chatter to each other anyway. She’s got company, Bobby. They take her to the beach regularly; she seems to be happy as far as anyone can tell. Alex is going to visit her next weekend and he’ll call in and stay a night or two with us. I think he needs to get away from Alice; she’s overpowering.”

  “Yeah, right, but I miss Mum. Why won’t you and Alex let me visit? I cou
ld go with Alex.”

  “Bobby, we’ve been over this time and time again. You get too emotional and you know what you’re like for putting your foot in it. If it wasn’t for you shouting your mouth off about what we did in Scotland we wouldn’t be in this mess. Anyway, they only allow one of us to visit at a time.”

  “That’s right. Blame me,” shouted the younger brother as he stormed out of the pub. “It’s always my fault.”

  The undercover cops recorded these outbursts. One of them, while buying a drink from the bar, stood near Joe who was now discussing fishing with the barman.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” said the cop, introducing himself as Bert, “couldn’t help but hear you mention fishing. Me and my mate here are looking for somewhere to fish. Can you recommend anywhere around here? We’ve got some time off from the construction job. We’re both away from home with not much to do when our shift ends.”

  And so began a pseudo friendship resulting in Joe inviting his two new friends to join Bobby and him on a fishing trip. Bobby was not enamoured at the thought of strangers sharing their outing but soon warmed to the friendly guys especially when he found himself giving fishing advice to them. He relished the opportunity to share his knowledge and skills. Angling was something he excelled at and he often caught more fish than his brothers did. He enjoyed Bert’s company and regaled him with advice for fly fishing.

  “I use a number 5 line with this fly rod. It’s 8 foot 6 inches and suits me fine. Got a bargain, got it for £50. Here, try it yourself.”

  His new mate was an easy-going, friendly guy who inspired trust, and before long the unsuspecting Bobby relaxed as they fished together.

  “That’s some van you guys have,” initiated Bert, “ideal for fishing trips.”

  “Yeah, we often go away for days at a time. It’s got everything we need.”

  “I could see that. Home from home, then? What’s the mileage on it then?” quizzed the cop. “Must be high with all those fishing trips you do.”

  “Quite high, but we look after it. Joe’s good at servicing it. Even went up to Scotland in it and only had to do an oil change and buy two new tyres; apart from buying fuel, that is.”

  “Scotland, eh? Never been up there. What’s it like?”

  “Don’t much like it. It’s a bit quiet for me after the noise of London, but my brother lives there and we visit him now and again and go fishing with him. Must say the scenery is lovely if you like that kind of thing. There are loads of lochs and rivers up there and good fishing. I caught a brown trout once, a real beauty about 16 inches long. We tried salmon fishing but didn’t have much luck.”

  As he fished, the memory of his last trip invaded his mind and reawakened the horrors of past events. He lost his concentration. He dropped his fishing rod, swore, and waded in to retrieve it.

  “Be careful, Bobby. Let me give you a hand.”

  As he dried off in the sun, Bobby and his new friend sat drinking beer.

  “You gave me a scare there, man. You went a bit pale. Sure you feel okay?”

  The more he drank, the more morose Bobby became and began blubbering like a baby. The medication he was prescribed for his mental health clearly stated ‘no alcohol’ which Bobby had chosen to ignore.

  “Hey, mate, you sure you’re okay? Want me to fetch Joe?”

  Joe was further upstream with the other undercover cop.

  “Hell, no, mate. Joe’s got no patience when I get upset. It’s just, well, I got things on my mind. I’ve not been in the best of health recently, get upset easily and to make things worse our mum is in a home miles from here at the coast. We don’t see her very often.”

  He did not enlighten Bert as to the reason for that.

  “Well, if you need to talk mate, I’m a good listener. Sometimes it’s good to get things off your chest. Sorry about your mum, that’s too bad, she must miss you.”

  “Unfortunately she doesn’t know any of us now.”

  Bobby regained his composure and thanked Bert for his concern.

  “I really mean that Bobby, if you ever need to talk you know I’ll be in the local pub most nights.”

  Back at base the undercover cops reported their findings on the surveillance of Joe and Bobby Bryson to their superior officer.

  “Good work chaps. We’re a step nearer nailing these guys.”

  CHAPTER 34

  With the intelligence gathered from the undercover cops, the detectives working on the cold case of the deaths of the American villains had enough data to investigate further the Bryson brothers’ trip to Scotland.

  “What we need is evidence that they were in the area around the dates we suspect the guys were deposited in the shafts. They must have stopped off for fuel and food and we know they renewed tyres, so let’s get the work done up north. Bonnie Scotland, here we come.”

  Detective Geoff Nolan gathered a team around the crowded whiteboard and explained the evidence that had been found to link the Bryson brothers with the death of the American villains.

  “Here’s what we know to date: Barry Jones was well known to Peggy Bryson and her sons. They lived on the same estate and the guys went to the same school. Jones was a regular offender, in and out of prison, well known to the authorities. He was convicted and jailed for the robbery and mugging that took place when Peggy Bryson worked in a local shop near their East End home. He served his sentence and went off radar. We now know that he went to the States under an assumed name, Barclay Ellis-Jones; more on that later. The Bryson boys threatened to ‘get him’ for their mother’s mugging, that resulted in her suffering a severe stroke and having to live in a care home from that time on. We know this threat was real as they were overheard talking about it in the bars and clubs near their home. Our undercover cops did a marvellous job in gathering this and other evidence, which, when put together, paints a dire picture. Bobby, the youngest one, was particularly vocal when sounding off about revenge. He’s a bit of a wimp in my opinion, and wouldn’t be much of a threat to anyone by himself; a different matter altogether when in the company of his thuggish brothers. They seem to be his crutch.

  “We come to this character here,” continued Geoff Nolan, pointing to the name Alex Bryson. “Alarm bells rang in my head when I heard that he lived and worked in the area in Scotland where the two bodies were found in pit shafts. Then I discovered he worked in the open-cast mining industry up there, so he would have knowledge of pit shafts. It didn’t take much to join the dots, but evidence is crucial. Here’s where you lads come in.

  “A squad will go up north and split up. We need evidence of Alex Bryson’s time away from work to link it with the rough timescale we have from forensics, as to when they think the bodies were placed in the shafts. Doctor Brody Cameron will be on hand to assist. We believe Joe and Bobby Bryson stayed in a hotel somewhere in the area and had their van valeted, purchased new tyres and fuel and the like, so you’ll be searching for that info. This has to be done discreetly. We know Alex Bryson is still living and working in the area. He must not get wind of these enquiries that would ruin the entire investigation.

  “Now, according to GWR care home where Peggy Bryson was resident for over ten years, she often called out for Barry, mumbled something about his wedding, a blue dress, someone in a hole in the ground. We can’t interview the dear lady as she suffers now from Alzheimer’s, but linking these up, we could be onto some good evidence. The care home staff will verify what she has said. That brings me to the abduction of the lady in question from GWR that brought her to our patch and to my attention. Her sons removed her without permission, drove her here to our area, booked a holiday chalet but the old dear wandered off. Thanks to that, our enquiries led us to the Bryson lads and putting two and two together, we more than likely are looking at the murderers of the two American victims from the pit shafts. Good police work always gets us our man, or
in this case, our men.”

  ***

  At home in Scotland, Julie continued with her writing. Unaware of the drama unfolding since his traumatic find in the pit shaft, Scamper, now fully recovered from his ordeal, sat at Julie’s feet, his brown eyes pleading with her for a walk. The other two dogs slept peacefully under her desk, engrossed in contented dreams and oblivious to Scamper’s plea.

  “Five more minutes Scamper and we’ll go. I’m just finishing this section.”

  Mary’s Scotland and Elizabeth’s England were intrinsically bound. Two Queens. Cousins who never met. One, Elizabeth I of England, the other Mary, Queen of Scots. Both redheads. Both wilful, highly intelligent and passionate. The relationship was fraught with suspicion, intrigue and fear…

  “Scamper, stop whining. Oh, I give up. Let’s go, but, no falling down holes please. I have enough drama to write about. Come on boys! Walks!”

  Two sleepy heads looked up, reluctantly shook themselves free from their sleep, and joined Scamper at the door.

  Not far from where Julie lived and worked, discreet enquires were being made in an attempt to gather enough evidence to bring the consequences of Scamper’s find to a satisfactory conclusion. Detectives checked CCTV of petrol stations within a reasonable radius of both crime sites. Results were disappointing, as most recordings had been erased. Two detectives booked into a hotel, which unknown to them at that time, was the one used by the Bryson brothers. Using the excuse of a flat tyre they enquired about the nearest repair lot and were directed to a nearby garage. There, they found the evidence they needed as a garage owner remembered the politely-spoken Englishman who spent some time valeting his van.