by Ian Todd
“In ye come, girls,” Chief Inspector John Henderson, who until recently hid been their boss in the south’s murder squad, motioned wae wan ae his nicotine-stained fingernails, crashing in tae Wilma’s thoughts, as finally, a larger than usual chewing gum bubble exploded beside her, covering Jean’s lips wae a fine covering ae white elasticated gum.
“So then, where hiv we goat tae oan the Teddy Bare investigation?” he asked, no introducing them tae Cleopatra, efter they’d sat doon and Jean passed o’er the file fae her knees tae Wilma’s.
“Well, oan the surface, it appears straightforward enough, sir, bit…”
“Bit?” The Chief interrupted, they bushy eyebrows ae his rising, as Wilma took a deep breath.
“Lesley Bare confronts that man ae hers efter discovering that he’d…er, raped a female colleague back in the early sixties,” Wilma continued, gieing the new super a quick glance, before continuing. “He feigns umbrage at the accusation, gieing him the excuse tae batter her senseless. The fatal blow occurs when he punches her backwards across the living room flair and she smashes the back ae her heid aff the corner ae the tiled fireplace.”
Wilma wis conscious ae Cleopatra still sitting there immobile, no saying a word. Why the hell is somewan like her across here in the south, she wondered, nervously, her fingers fidgeting oot ae sight below the chief’s desk.
“And the charge?”
“Murder. Whit else?”
“Murder? No culpable homicide then?” he asked, sounding slightly surprised.
“There wis a history ae domestic violence within the marriage, sir. Fae the ootside, looking in, it wid be easy tae conclude that it wis only gonnae be a matter ae time before it led tae this. Teddy Bare, as a polis inspector should’ve been well aware ae that eventuality, even if he didnae gie a shi…er, a damn aboot the consequences.”
“So, yer premeditated argument is based oan an assumption then?” The Chief came back wae, his eyes boring intae hers.
“Naw.”
“So, how hiv youse established that it wis premeditated, based oan whit appears tae be an assumption, that as a serving polis officer, Teddy Bare should’ve known his violence towards his better hauf wid lead tae her untimely death?”
“Ah believe Lesley Bare’s death wis linked tae a wider conspiracy ae rogue polis officers who’ve been manipulating and sexually harassing young vulnerable female polis officers, gaun back tae the early sixties. The copy…extract…ae the statement fae Pricilla Presley, typed up the week before and passed tae Lesley Bare, accusing that man ae hers, and others, ae sexually assaulting and harassing her and her colleagues o’er a number ae years proves that he’d flipped oot, in panic, realising the game wis up and that the past hid finally caught up wae him…them.”
“Aye, bit wis his intent murder?”
“He panicked when confronted and went way o’er the tap wae that rage ae his. Ah believe the ferociousness ae his response, the systematic way he went aboot it, assaulting his wife in the bedroom before dragging her by the hair through tae the living room tae continue wae the assault, meant he knew fine well that he wis in big trouble…and that his murderous assault wis aboot keeping her discovery quiet. Given the statement, highlighting abuse against her ex-colleagues, that we obtained in person fae Pricilla Presley, Ah’m no convinced that the ootcome ae the assault wisnae related tae Lesley discovering whit hid been gaun oan in his past. Teddy Bare knew fine well that he wis in danger ae being exposed and whit the consequences meant fur him…and the others.”
“And you, Detective Constable Moffat. Is that the conclusion you’ve come tae as well?” The Chief Inspector asked, as Jean visibly squirmed in her seat efter sitting there trying tae make hersel invisible, listening tae her sergeant’s response.
“Er, aye, sir. The fact that the noise ae the assault alerted the neighbours. Who knows whit he wid’ve done wae the body, if somewan hidnae reported whit they’d heard.”
“So, where dis the collaborative evidence that this wis a premeditated murder come in tae it, apart fae whit the baith ae youse hiv concluded? Ah’m still no convinced.”
“Ur ye asking me, sir?” Jean asked, sounding slightly confused.
“Naw, Ah’m asking yer sergeant,” he replied, nodding at Wilma, sounding a wee bit irritated, sitting back in his chair, his hauns clasped behind that balding heid ae his, exposing dark, damp, sweaty stains under they ermpits ae his.
“As Ah’ve jist said, there wur a number ae other ex-serving poliswummin…victims, like Pricilla Presley, who signed statements tae the affect that they wur sexually assaulted, harassed and bullied tae leave the service by a group ae current and ex-serving senior polis officers, dating back tae the early sixties, that correspond wae the typed statement that Mrs Presley highlighted in hers.”
“And where ur the statements noo? Hiv we goat them? The last time we spoke, ye wur still trying tae track them doon,” he reminded her, nodding at the file she’d lifted up aff her knee oan tae the table in front ae her.
“Er, no yet.”
“No yet? Whit dae ye mean, no yet?”
“Ah’ve established withoot a shadow ae doubt that aw the wummin identified did indeed produce individual statements in correspondence tae an abused younger colleague, signed and dated, back in 1972.”
“And?”
“And well, er, they’ve apparently gone AWOL…missing, sir.”
“Missing? So, why hiv you baith no jist goat these ex-poliswummin tae rewrite their statements or taken statements fae them then?”
“Er, that’s the problem. Despite repeated attempts oan oor part, they’re refusing tae engage wae us, sir.”
“Engage? Ye mean, refusing tae co-operate. Is that whit ye’re saying?”
“Er, aye, sir.”
“Why?”
“Because they claim that as it happened so long ago, nowan will believe them. They say they’ve hid enough. They’ve obviously lost faith in the system…oor system. They feel betrayed and jist want tae get oan wae their lives, sir.”
“Bit, surely that’s their prerogative. Ye’re no saying we should be trying tae twist their erms, ur ye?”
“Naw, sir, bit…”
“Whit?”
“As Ah explained tae ye a few days ago. If the claims, in the form ae signed letters, that wur haunded o’er tae a serving WPC, noo a sergeant…if we wur tae produce these original statements and use them as collaborative evidence that Teddy Bare’s assault oan his wife wisnae jist as a result ae a domestic confrontation between a man and his wife, then there wid be a strong chance ae a murder conviction and no the lesser charge ae culpable homicide that wid lead tae a lighter prison sentence. By including the letters as part ae the evidence, it wid mean those guilty ae abusing their power wid be exposed in open court that wid hopefully lead tae further investigations, charges, including rape, later oan, wance Bare wis sent doon fur life. It wid also show these wummin, oor ex-colleagues, that they hivnae been abandoned and that we’re taking their allegations seriously…bringing them in fae the cauld, so tae speak…showing them we care. It widnae jist be Teddy Bare that wid go doon, bit the perpetrators ae these auld crimes wid get caught in the net and wid eventually go doon as well,” she continued, trying no tae ramble.
Silence.
“Bit, Ah thought ye jist telt me that we didnae hiv access tae the letters, that they’d gone missing and that the wummin ur refusing tae co-operate?”
“They hiv, bit as Ah’ve jist mentioned, there’s somewan who hid them in her possession up until a week or so ago.”
“Who?”
“The young WPC…Ah mean, the sergeant, based up in Possilpark. Ah’m still no quite sure ae the full facts at this stage, bit Duggie Dougan…”
“Who wis murdered, shot in the back whilst oan duty, across in Hillheid recently?”
“Er, aye. He wis wan ae the inspectors named, accused, in the letters ae being wan ae the main perpetrators ae the sexual assaults…”
“Oh, fur Christ sa
ke, Wilma!” The Chief Inspector exclaimed, his hauns reappearing fae behind the back ae that neck ae his.
“Inspector Dougan wis identified by Collette James, the latest victim tae hiv been sexually harassed by him and a group ae officers who went by the name ae The Irish Brigade, sir.”
“Fur Jeezus Christ! Dae ye realise whit ye’ve jist come oot wae, Wilma? Duggie Dougan’s face his been splashed aw across the papers and the evening news as a hero every day and night since he wis murdered in the line ae duty. Ye canna be serious in wanting tae link this sordid domestic killing ae Lesley Bare by that man ae hers tae somewan like him, ur ye?”
“Collette James stated oan numerous occasions up in Pricilla Presley’s hoose tae her and the other victims, that Inspector Dougan and Mickey Sherlock, chief inspector ae the north’s murder squad, assisted by Sergeant Sally Burke, that she’d been manipulated, before being sexually assaulted and exploited o’er a period ae three years.”
Silence.
“Ah take it ye’ve taken a statement fae this WPC…sergeant?”
“Er, aye and naw.”
“Eh?”
“We interviewed her up at Possil Polis Station the morning efter Inspector Dougan wis shot ootside her front door across in Lawrence Street. Oor assumption at the time, wis that she awready knew that her best pal, Lesley Bare, hid been murdered the day before. Efter we mentioned Lesley’s death, she became too distressed tae continue wae the interview and hid tae be escorted hame.”
“Bit, ye’ve been back tae get a statement and tae find oot whit she did wae these letters?”
“Well, we were supposed tae meet her across in her flat a couple ae days later, bit goat rerouted tae assist wae the black butcher murder enquiries…”
“And?”
“And well, by the time we did manage tae get back tae her, er, she seemed a bit…er, how kin a put it…a wee bit weird, like.”
“Weird. How dae ye mean weird?”
“Well, she appeared surprised tae see us. When asked, she’d said that she’d furgoatten that we’d previously arranged tae go roond tae speak tae her aboot the meetings she’d hid wae Pricilla Presley and the other ex-poliswummin. She also claimed that she couldnae remember hivving been interviewed by me and Jean in the station up in Possil.”
“And that wis weird?” The Chief asked, wan eyebrow shooting up towards the ceiling in exaggerated surprise.
“Whit wis weird wis that efter we arrived, she offered us a cup ae tea, which wis fine. Whit wisnae fine wis that she laid oot wee red plastic cups and saucers wae a plastic teapot and proceeded tae pretend that we wur hivving a tea party. No only that, bit she kept scolding her cat, who she called Mr Hopkins, fur no sitting still and joining in wae the party, despite the cat clearly no wanting anything tae dae wae whit wis gaun oan. It wis if she wis treating her cat like her man, gaun by the way she spoke tae it.”
“Aye, it wis like something oot ae the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, so it wis,” Jean interrupted, shrugging her shoulders and turning tae Wilma fur confirmation.
“Ah’m sorry, Wilma, bit Ah hivnae a bloody clue whit the hell ye’re babbling oan aboot,” The Chief admitted, shaking his heid, looking fae wan tae the other, a puzzled frown rumbling up that foreheid ae his.
“Whit Ah’m saying, sir, is that Collette James appeared tae be aff her heid, so she did.”
“And these statements…the letters or whitever it wis ye said they wur?”
“Well, unless things hiv improved, we goat the impression that Sergeant James hid flipped and didnae even know whit day it wis. When Ah asked her aboot the letters, she jist smiled and asked if Ah wanted wan or two teaspoons ae sugar in ma tea.”
“So, hiv ye been back up tae see her?” The Chief Inspector pushed.
The two female detectives involuntary jumped in their seats, looking startled, as Glesga’s newest caped crusader broke intae the conversation fur the first time, before Wilma could reply.
“Newly-promoted Sergeant Collette James was, unfortunately, admitted to Gartloch Psychiatric Hospital, having suffered an acute nervous breakdown two days ago, Chief,” Cleopatra informed him.
“Eh?” baith her and Jean exclaimed thegither, clearly shocked.
“Yes, I understand that due to what appears to be severe pressure placed on her by her recent work demands, Sergeant James has suffered a mental breakdown. I understand that her symptoms have manifested to include paranoia and schizophrenia. She’s now heavily sedated for her own safety and it may be several weeks or even months before any treatment is able to stabilise her condition to a state where it’s deemed that she isn’t a danger to herself or others.”
“Bit…” Wilma uttered, shaking her heid.
“A neighbour…a kind elderly lady who lives in the flat below Sergeant James, kept her from leaping off the window ledge of her living room, until such times as an ambulance and fire engine arrived to coax her down. The old lady stated that Sergeant James was convinced that someone had stolen her front door. I had her door replaced after members of the force broke it down to gain access after Inspector Dougan was gunned down on the landing side of it. The dear old lady had already been up and washed Sergeant James’s doorframe, landing and stairs after forensics had gone, leaving a mess behind them…”
Silence.
“So, getting back oan tack here,” The Chief interrupted, shaking his heid and looking flustered. “Kin youse get access tae these letters that wur supposedly in the possession ae Sergeant James, Wilma?”
“Er, no at this precise moment in time, sir.”
“And ye’re certain that these ex-poliswummin cannae be persuaded tae voluntarily come forward tae speak tae us?”
“Er, aye, sir.”
“Hmm, Ah see,” The Chief murmured, apparently lost in thought, staring at the two detectives oan the other side ae the desk fae him.
“Bit, maybe if the treatment that Sergeant James is receiving is successful, we…”
“It seems tae me that we hiv an open and shut, domestic case ae wife abuse here. Despite whit ye’ve jist come oot wae, we cannae, efter aw, prove decisively that Teddy Bare premeditatedly murdered his wife.”
“Aye, bit if we…”
“I’ve also been reliably informed, due to the unprecedented media outrage, that The Secretary of State for Scotland is putting forward Inspector Dougan’s name for The George Medal posthumously,” Cleopatra suddenly announced, before continuing. “It won’t be lost on anyone in this room that Glasgow, and the force in particular, is going through one of the darkest days in its long, illustrious history. The pressure is on to fight back against those that are ripping it apart, both inside and out of the force. Local politicians on both side of the political divide are leading the charge in the city chambers. The time has come to fight back against the dark forces ranged against us.”
“Bit surely…” Wilma started tae object, her heart sinking like a stane.
“So, ladies, given the available evidence tae date, I think we need tae move oan. It’ll be Edward Wilson, the new senior procurator fiscal, who’ll decide whether Teddy Bare faces a murder charge or reduces it tae culpable homicide, based oan the evidence gathered tae date. Ah suspect that it’ll be the latter. Bare’s defence brief will no doubt argue fur the lesser charge and The Crown will probably accept tae save oan time and costs rather than go through a long drawn-oot trial up at the busy High Court. As far as Ah’m concerned, ye hivnae produced any concrete evidence that this wisnae anything mair than a domestic assault that went horribly wrang. Withoot concrete evidence in the form ae these letters, the conspiracy angles ae whit ye’ve suggested wid be blown oot ae the water in open court by some slick QC. The baith ae youse ur needed elsewhere, so youse ur. The bad guys ur drapping like flies across in the north. There’s major concerns that some sort ae turf war is aboot tae explode. Inspector Dougan’s killers are still at large. So, Ah want Teddy Bare’s case file tied up the day. Wance ye haun it o’er, baith yer transfers tae the north’s murder s
quad will be complete.”
“Bit the letters…the statements made by the ex-poliswummin…oor colleagues?” Wilma started tae argue. “Whit if they turn up?”
“Given the circumstances that poor Sergeant James has found herself in, I hardly think that’s likely to happen soon, Sergeant Thain,” Madame Tussaud purred, they snake eyes ae her slitted. “As you’re aware, there are several internal disciplinary and criminal investigations being conducted on a number of current senior serving police officers, who have been suspended. As stated earlier across at The Marine, further suspensions are anticipated. Without jumping to conclusions as to their guilt, these investigations have only started and will take time to reach a satisfactory conclusion. All aspects regarding the conduct of officers, past and present, whilst on duty, will be carefully looked at. Should these letters that you speak of turn up, or if our poor unfortunate ex-colleagues change their minds and come forward with a complaint, then any allegations of sexual misconduct that would lead to a criminal investigation will obviously be carefully looked at. Painful though it may be, there will be no cover-up. Those found to be guilty of criminal behaviour or gross misconduct will be dealt with severely.”
“Ah cannae bloody well believe that, so Ah cannae,” Wilma cursed, shaking her heid in disbelief oot in the corridor, still in a state ae shock. “Nae cover-up…who the fuck is she kidding?”
“Well, Ah kin believe it. Ah telt ye that culpable homicide wis the road we should’ve went doon in the first place. That bloody Cleopatra wan will hiv her chookter skulks or whitever it is she calls them, watching us like hawks noo,” Jean moaned.
“Sergeant Thain?” a hippy-looking wummin she hidnae come across before asked, accosting them in the corridor.
“Aye?”
“Er, kin we speak somewhere a wee bit less public?” Mrs Hippy asked, looking at Jean.