He correctly assumed that in the absence of a boat, the murderer would have used the road across the dam rather than the banks for two reasons: firstly, it was at that point the water was at its deepest, and secondly, if he had used the banks there was every likelihood he would have left incriminating tracks. He also reasoned that the most likely place the killer would have chosen was close to the middle of the massive retaining wall, rather than either end, where the water became shallower. Police frogmen began the gruesome task of searching for the body at a point chosen by the inspector.
A rusty bicycle was brought to the surface followed by a discarded wheel-less pram. The on-looking detectives were beginning to lose faith and the next time the divers surfaced, King instructed them to search further along the dam. Despite the lack of success he remained confident that the body had to be somewhere close to the wall.
After a few false alarms, one of the frogmen surfaced and gave a sad but necessary thumbs up. They had found what they were looking for; a winch from the back of a police recovery lorry, was used to painstakingly bring the weighted black plastic bag to the surface. Having already cut the twine that had secured the weights, the frogmen preserved every strand as evidence.
The inflatable moved in closer and the bag was carefully lifted sufficiently clear of the water for it to be gently lowered into the boat. This was in part not to overly disturb the crime scene and, as there was little doubt what the bag contained, also out of respect for Mary.
At that point, although by now there were many around the scene, an eerie silence fell over the reservoir and beyond. All the detectives, forensic people and the uniformed officers, stopped what they were doing, removed any headgear, and bowed their heads as her body was brought ashore to a waiting police van.
*
Further inspection of the site around the reservoir revealed tyre marks on a dead end track that appeared to indicate a vehicle had recently parked there. The first thought of the officer that found them was that a courting couple had probably stopped to get better acquainted. Nevertheless, the area was cordoned off and in daylight the forensic team detected a defective tread on one of the tyres that just happened to match a tyre on Sutton’s UTV.
*
In handcuffs and walking with a pronounced limp, Harry Sutton was brought to the interview room. He sat down with his legal representative opposite King and Harris. The sergeant did the preliminaries, including turning on the recording machine and noting who was in attendance, before giving way to her boss who wasn’t going to mince his words.
“So, Mr Sutton, why did you abduct and kill Mary Cranson?” His legal advisor was about to object to this leading question, but Sutton was happy to answer it.
“Listen, it’s true I did meet Mary on Haytor and we went for a drive to see some lambs and then she started coming on to me. She asked if there was somewhere, you know, private we could go and so I took her to a small secluded barn in some woods. When we were inside she started to undress and it was obvious she wanted to have sex. Now, I’ve always fancied her so I wasn’t about to say no.
“We did it and then she suddenly passed out. I thought she was fooling around, but after a few minutes I realised she’d had a heart attack or something. I panicked as I could see what it would look like. When I knew she was definitely dead, I took her back to our farm and later that evening I wrapped her in a plastic bag and dropped her in the reservoir. I now realise I should have called an ambulance to the barn when I could see she’d stopped breathing, but, as I said, I was terrified at how it would look.”
“Why would a lovely young woman who was deeply in love with her boyfriend come on to you, let alone dream of having sex with you?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because I’ve got a bit of a reputation with the ladies and she wanted to see how good I actually am.” His arrogance and conceit knew no bounds.
“You told us when we interviewed you that on the afternoon Mary disappeared you were servicing the UTV. Is that correct?”
“That’s what I intended to do, but I’ve told you I changed my mind and decided to show her the lambs.”
“So you lied to us, just as you are lying to us now.”
“Look, I’ve admitted what happened. Meeting her, having consensual sex and then her passing out.”
King then asked him to account for his movements from 3 o’clock on that Wednesday and Sutton answered in a confident manner and told the inspector the truth right up to the point when they left the lambs. He admitted he knew Mary would be on the moor and, as he was in the area, he thought it would be fun to take her to see them. Sutton went in to more detail about what then happened with his own twisted version of events.
King was unimpressed.
“We’ll come back to that. So, why did you go back to Haytor when you knew Alice would be in exactly the same place as Mary was when you abducted her?”
Sutton’s legal representative did not like that leading question.
“My client doesn’t agree with your word abduction. She went with him voluntarily as she wanted to see the new born lambs.”
King posed the question again: “Why were you on Haytor at the same time as Alice Cranson?”
“When she spoke to me at the funeral I was worried she was going to commit suicide. So I went along to see if I could persuade her that life was still worth living and, if necessary, stop her from doing anything stupid.”
“Miss Cranson alleges you called her a silly cow and then said that you had never shagged twin sisters before. Why did you say that?”
“Sorry, inspector, I did call her a silly cow as I thought she had just jumped before I could save her and I sort of felt responsible, but she’s mistaken I said anything about shagging twin sisters. I did say it was sad that twin sisters should both die so close together. Mind you, the storm was breaking about then with thunder making a hell of a racket, and maybe she misheard me.”
“She also alleges you fondled her breasts.”
“No, I was putting my hand on her heart to see if I could feel if it was still beating and then I was going to give her CPR.”
“Surely the way to check that would be from a pulse in her wrist or neck, not her breast.”
“I’m no medical expert. I told you, I was trying to see if she was still alive not groping her.”
“So you’re no medical expert, but apparently you know how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Why did you then grab the knife and try to stab her?”
“I was bleeding. She had just stabbed me. I was defending myself from a crazy woman.”
As with the ‘abduction’ of Mary, King then asked Sutton for a detailed account of his movements leading up to him appearing on Haytor looking for Alice. Once again, there was no dispute about what he did, but his true motive lay hidden.
“One other thing, Mr Sutton. On a dead end track near Burrator we found tyre tracks that placed your UTV very close to the reservoir.”
“Look, I’ve already admitted I dumped her body there. It was a bloody silly thing to do, but I told you I panicked.”
At this point King suspended the interview while he waited for the report on the corpse from Forensics.
*
At the police lab, the forensic people had very delicately opened the burial bag. The first thing they saw was a yellow bobble hat. Their report detailed exactly what had happened to Mary. She had been asphyxiated after having been violently raped: there was ample DNA evidence to identify the perpetrator, including Sutton’s semen. There again, he had admitted having consensual sex.
*
The interview with Sutton was reconvened and the second part was much shorter than the first. Harris set the recording machine in motion and noted who was in attendance: once again King took over.
“We now have the results of the forensic examination and I have spoken with the custody sergeant
about the results and your account of what happened. Harry Sutton, I am arresting you for the abduction, rape and murder of Mary Cranson. You will also be charged with sexually assaulting Alice Cranson.”
The inspector issued the standard arresting statement: he didn’t invite a response from Sutton, but he was given one anyway.
“You stupid cretin. Haven’t you listened to what I said? I told you Mary died of natural causes. I know I should have reported her death and that’s all I’m guilty of. I wanted to help Alice Cranson to stop her killing herself and then tried to resuscitate her and that’s all the thanks I get.”
King wanted to respond, but knew nothing further would be gained.
“You will stay in custody to await your appearance in court. Take him away.”
*
At the station one late afternoon, King and Harris each had a copy of the report from Forensics, which they were privately reading. Both were silently asking themselves the same question: could they have caught him sooner and prevented Alice from taking her drastic action?
While sucking a sherbet lemon, King read the gruesome findings and then quietly reflected on the Cranson case from beginning to end. They had interviewed countless people and eliminated all but two, but didn’t have enough evidence to charge either. Were they distracted by the fact the older Sutton brother appeared to have the weakest alibi? Should more credence have been given to DC Hammond’s point about concentrating on the vehicle most likely to have been used in the abduction?
Should he have pressed Forensics for a quicker response to his question about the servicing on the UTV – which had eventually given the lie to Harry Sutton’s alibi? Should more attention have been paid to the fact the UTV was excessively clean, very probably Harry Sutton’s attempt to prevent the Police finding any trace of Mary’s DNA? It was known he cleaned the vehicles – could a stronger link have been made between him, the spotless UTV and his uncorroborated alibi? After all, the detectives knew it had been close to where her mitten had been found because of the impression left by the tyre defect.
Did they miss signs that the young Sutton was a Jekyll and Hyde character? Were they tricked by his affable manner that they didn’t notice the lurking, evil Mr Hyde? They interviewed him enough times so why couldn’t they identify him as deranged and psychotic? Did they take too much notice that it had been alleged his brother fancied Mary when Harry Sutton was actually the ladies’ man with a reputation for more than just flirting?
As Harris finished reading the report, which contained an explicit description of what the dead woman had suffered, she then did something rather unprofessional: she quietly began to sob as she reflected on what Mary Cranson had endured during her dreadful ordeal.
King placed a consoling hand on her forearm and spoke in a gently reassuring manner:
“Now listen, Sergeant Harris, we are not the bad guys here. Sutton is a sadistic, psychopath who is very clever at deceiving many people, including us. I know we were getting ever closer to establishing him as the killer, but, by unorthodox means, Alice got there first. Although I feel for her, in a way I’m glad at what happened, as it has given her some sort of closure. Together we saved Alice from becoming a murderess and now Sutton will have to pay for his crimes.” Somewhat comforted, Lucy smiled ruefully at King.
Briefly, but affectionately, he smiled back as he stood up and helped her to her feet.
“Come on Lucy, I’m treating you to a fish and chip supper. We can eat it back at my place over a bottle of wine.”
She looked at him quizzically before making up her mind: she had never disobeyed an order from her boss, and she had no intention of doing so now.
THE EPILOGUE
Missing on Dartmoor: During a rare quiet moment at the central police station in Plymouth, Detective Inspector Richard King, sweet in mouth, was reflecting on the people, the vehicles, machinery and the animals that went missing on Dartmoor: his patch. Not only missing, but dying.
Just over a year ago, Bruno the dog, had killed four sheep, before being killed by Dick Sutton. John Hope had eventually lost his life in Derriford Hospital after a bungled theft at his farm. Then there was the tragic death of Josh Ingram and the pony he had hit – King knew that over a hundred and fifty animals, including sheep, lambs, ponies and cattle, are killed annually on the roads across Dartmoor, often by speeding motorists. He mused that animals not only have no headlights, nor do they have any road sense: sadly, too many drivers don’t either!
Alice Cranson, had in many ways ‘died’ too, but hers was a living death. Then, of course, there was the ultimate sorrow, the devastating murder of Mary Cranson. All of these deaths changed the lives of so many people. Not for the first time, King felt as if he was presiding over the crime capital of England.
Brad Donald: The obese dog owner eventually saw sense and pleaded guilty to arson. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but in view of his guilty plea this was suspended for a year. He was ordered to pay the Suttons £2000 in compensation. He bought another German Shepherd dog and in memory of his erstwhile beloved pet called his new dog Bruno-Two.
Michael Regan: Michael Regan, the owner of the travellers’ site in North Petherton, was found guilty of being in possession of stolen vehicles and was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to do one hundred and fifty hours of Community Service.
Jerry Donovan: Jerry Donovan, the mechanic at the site, was charged with being in possession of stolen goods, as the records from his mobile phone showed he had been in contact with Fred Pearce. However, his defence counsel successfully claimed that Michael Regan had used his phone and that he was unaware that the vehicles he was working on had been stolen: he was found not guilty on all charges.
Amy Mason: After her ordeal and lucky escape from the clutches of Fox Tor Mire, Amy Mason decided to do something in support of her rescuers. On the door in the dental practice where she works, a notice is proudly displayed:
PATIENTS PATIENCE
Amy Mason, your hygienist, is a member of the Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team, based in Yelverton, and may be called away at very short notice. Should your treatment be interrupted, your understanding would be much appreciated.
Janet Mason: Most Saturday mornings, Amy’s mother can be seen by the shops in Yelverton collecting money for the local Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team. She also runs jumble sales on a regular basis with all proceeds going to the people who saved her daughter’s life.
Bovey Tracey Rugby Club: Bovey Tracey Rugby Club did not fulfil its five remaining fixtures for the season, partly in respect for Mary and Josh, but mainly because the players’ hearts weren’t really ready to start playing rugby again after what had happened. This consigned the club to relegation. The governing body of the game, the Rugby Football Union, gave the club until the end of June to decide if it would continue in the league: that decision is still in the balance.
Mr Prendergast: The person who reported seeing Mary Cranson being abducted after reading about it in the local paper, was referred to his GP. He was let off with a caution and advised not to waste police time in the future.
Brian Cantwell: Brian Cantwell continued his plumbing job and, as he wasn’t as close to Josh Ingram as some of the others, he played on. He joined Ivybridge Rugby Club and was a member of the second team for the rest of the season.
George Kemp: George Kemp pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court to aiding and abetting the theft of two cars by providing duplicate keys. The bar staff at The Old Inn in Widecombe, where he had met Dylan Pearce, identified both him and Pearce and the link with the car thefts was conclusive. As Pearce was now under arrest, Kemp belatedly named him as his associate.
He also pleaded guilty to the theft of a trolley full of food from his local Tesco supermarket. When challenged as to why he had just walked out of the store without paying, he said it was because
he didn’t have any money. He had borrowed heavily from his family and friends to feed his gambling addiction: he lost all of the money and all of his friends.
He was sentenced at Plymouth Crown Court, for both offences, to two years in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to do one hundred hours of Community Service.
He had worked for a seedy backstreet used car emporium in Exeter, the very antithesis of Cameron & Wise and that firm’s salubrious surroundings. He only lasted six months at his new job and was asked to leave as he spent too much time on his mobile placing bets.
Eventually he stopped gambling, partly because he had nothing to gamble with, but mainly due to the help he was getting from Gamblers Anonymous. He was ostracised by all his rugby club friends. The cash injection from the information he gave to the national newspaper didn’t last long as he had it before he stopped gambling: that went the same way as the rest of his money. Sadly, it wasn’t used to pay off his debts. He was virtually unemployable, but did eventually manage to get a job as a farm labourer.
Stella Bovis: The final straw for Stella Bovis’s relationship with George Kemp, was when she noticed items disappearing from the flat they shared. Ornaments, kitchen equipment and other household items simply vanished. He later admitted he had sold them to fund his gambling.
She was charged with being an accessory to the thefts of the two vehicles, but Kemp testified that she had no knowledge of his intentions to sell the duplicate keys. Stella Bovis was acquitted.
Despite his support in court, her love for him gradually dwindled and died: she ended the relationship almost a year after it had begun. She wasn’t sacked from Cameron & Wise, but decided to resign.
Mrs Hope: Mrs Hope sold Hope Farm, as she couldn’t bear to live with the memory of what had happened to her husband. She took her young family to live on a smallholding in Cornwall. Eventually the police were able to tell her who was responsible for her husband’s death and that she had fled the country. Mrs Hope didn’t much care to know of Kate Pearce or her fate: whatever punishment she would eventually get wouldn’t bring John Hope back to life.
Missing on Dartmoor Page 28