by Hylton Smith
“It’s him, definitely. That’s the bloke who bollicked me for gannin’ too close to the car.”
They thanked him and ushered him out, making sure he did not cross paths with the recovery truck driver. He, unlike Jimmy, took his time. He stroked his chin and then turned to Adams.
“The lump looks a bit different, but that’s him.” Adams asked if he was sure, and if it was the man who met him at the Angel, and paid him when the car was returned to Briggs’ yard before driving off in the same car.
“Yes, that’s the man.”
When they returned to the interview room, the legal man gave Jackson the bad news. Before Renton had switched on the recorder Jackson began to jabber, despite being told to keep quiet by his counsel.
“The body had nothing to do with me, I was just paid to organise getting rid of the car. I only knew there was a body from the news in the afternoon.” Renton said he would delay switching on the tape until he had calmed down.
“Listen Victor, as two independent witnesses have confirmed you were involved with recovering the car, we don’t need your confession on that point. However, it will make things worse if you don’t begin to tell us the truth. You see, we now have cause for a warrant to search your property and take your prints. I’ll also be asking you for a swab to run DNA checks. If you’ve nothing further to hide these checks will go a long way to eliminating you from our enquiries.”
Jackson asked for privacy in order to confer with the lawyer. After more than ten minutes the two detectives returned.
“My client will cooperate by submitting to the fingerprint and DNA tests, and has nothing more to say until the results are known.” Renton nodded and this was the cue to bring Grimes up to date.
“Your pal is getting increasingly nervous, and has agreed to give us a DNA sample. He seems to want to get something off his chest, as he claims he was sub-contracted to recover the blue car from the scene, and knew nothing about a body having been placed at the other side of the Angel. Is there anything you want to say? Would you like to be eliminated by giving a DNA sample? You don’t have to, but if we subsequently find reason to question you again you may have to stay here overnight.”
Paul Grimes was completely unfazed, and said nothing. They were both held overnight. Renton rang Donoghue again to explain the situation and request a quick turnaround on the DNA tests.
“I have a sample of his blood which was not given freely, and a swab which was. I’m curious about something else. When I rang you earlier to check whether there was definitely no hit for the fingerprints on the car, it was because I’d noticed Jackson’s fingertips were very brownish-yellow. It was as if he had chain-smoked for years, but the discolouration was on all fingers of both hands. It’s curious because he doesn’t appear to have any cigarettes on him. Hello Clive, are you still there?”
“Yes, my mind began to wander when you mentioned the colour. I recall that the prints on the car boot were strong but had areas with virtually no profile at all. Perhaps I should run the partial prints to exclude these flat sections against the database. I’ll come in within the next half hour.”
*
Considering that Bradstock had been heading to church, it had not taken long for him to ferret out the information in which Jack Renton had expressed an interest. When the incoming call flashed up the name of ‘Nige’ on his mobile, Renton’s first thought was that he had hardly had time to get in and out of the confession box. The alternative was that he knew the answers before he went to look for them.
“I am very disappointed to tell you that your suspicions are confirmed. I will make this brief because I want you to chase up some of the implications for yourself. Baumann did fly straight back to the UK, not to London but to Manchester. There is no record at any UK airport of him having gone abroad again. We are checking ports as well. At this time we have to assume that he is still here. You do need to be vigilant as you said Jack, because he may already be in the northeast, as his flight got into Manchester around midnight. He hardly had time to go to the toilet as his wife had claimed, before boarding a return flight. The timeline does not entirely rule him out of further contact with Banks. His father has been told that we are looking for him. If you find any clues as to his whereabouts, I need to know immediately, at any time. Keep me up to date at least once per day. Good work.”
Renton maintained a sarcastic smile as he mimicked the tone and content of the conversation to Adams.
“And the plot thickens – what a bullshit merchant he is. Still Ben, we now have a serious challenge to find Baumann. We could do worse than begin by shadowing Vivienne Banks and that pillar of virtue, Doyle. You know, I think Bradstock now knows that we know that he knows a hell of a lot more than he admits. This isn’t just about Banks and Baumann.”
Adams was about to reply when Clive Donoghue burst into the room.
“Take a look at this.”
The two partial prints looked the same to their semi-trained eyes. Donoghue produced another two which also looked identical but different from the first pair.
“This does not in itself contribute dramatically to a conviction, but the ones on the right are from Jackson’s file of five and a half years ago, the ones on the left are from the car. I am prepared to predict that Jackson’s new prints will match the full versions of the ones from the Alfa Romeo. When we were on the phone, and you described the colour, I recalled from my student days that some 1930’s American gangsters tried to alter their fingerprints by using acid. If done heavily it makes them almost completely unidentifiable, but lesser exposure only creates scar tissue in patches, the rest grows back. It won’t take me long to test my assertions, do you have his new prints?”
“You’ll have them pronto Clive, I really do hope you are right, as this might just crack open the case.” They reminded the officer taking the fingerprints to take his time, as they wanted accurate reproduction, not the world record for how fast he could process them.
Renton couldn’t resist telling Jackson that his friend Grimes was acting brilliantly as Mr Cool.
“He’s supremely confident that he has nothing to answer for. I hope that isn’t because he expects you to take the rap for everything. Maybe you ought to be thinking about telling us who asked you to retrieve the car. This is a murder enquiry Victor.”
Barely forty minutes later Donoghue’s concentration turned into a broad grin.
“Bingo, we have a match. This means we should start on the DNA first thing in the morning. I bid you good evening gentlemen.”
Disclosure of this result changed Jackson’s story completely, and he was sent into panic when informed that there was blood on Banks’ hands, against which his DNA was to be checked.
“Look Inspector, I admit that I took the body out of the car and put it where I had been told to. I hired Briggs to get the car out of there because I panicked when the bloody thing wouldn’t start, only to find that the truck driver was able to see a loose connection on one of the plugs after we got back to his yard. I know nothing about cars other than how fast they go and how much they cost. I swear that I had nothing more to do with the body.”
“And what is the name of the person who contracted your services?” Jackson motioned with his head to the right. He was told that it had to be recorded. “P-Paul Grimes.”
A swift move along the corridor and revelation of Jackson’s volte-face broke the dam of Grimes’ silence.
“Charge me with something or let me go. I have no comment on your allegations that Vic Jackson has tried to blame his problems on me. If I’m facing charges where this is relevant I’ll take legal advice. I was brought in here for questioning about the protest march. I’ve been charged with a public order offence and I’ve neither admitted nor denied the charges. I’ve stayed here at your request to help with enquiries about a death. I can’t help, but stayed because I was waiting for Vic to be released. So, I’ve reached a point where I must leave. You know where to find me.”
*
Beresford had met with Eddie Finley and heard that the protest activity had gone quite well.
“But two of my men have been called in for questioning. Normally that amounts to nothing, the police just like to look as if they’re doing something about it. Unfortunately, they’ve already released some CCTV footage which looks dodgy for one of them. The bad news is that I told Grimes not to employ anyone who had recent baggage, and the cameras clearly show that he paid no heed to me. The idiot had the disposal man for Banks’ body with him in the march.”
“That’s very unfortunate. And it may have to be attended to sooner rather than later. We have other things to discuss, namely the project in the Midwest. Bring me up to date with where we are; it’s crucial that we keep the pressure on. My wife is staying on in the northeast for a few days, so your ride can leave now, and then you can brief me as we return to your stamping ground in my chauffeur-driven vehicle. You should call ahead in order to give Seth Graham sufficient notice that we need a full reunion.”
*
The streets of Benwell were pretty quiet. Recessionary life ensured the pubs continued to perish at a steady rate. The night patrols were unmarked cars. Jackson lived in a mid-terrace property, on a steep hill. Adams wanted a car parked at both back and front of the house. The cloud cover was dense and it was becoming quite foggy. Just before 11.45 the moon was completely digested by the thickening mist and the radio silence was broken. Renton’s prediction was realised. The car at the rear reported that the subject had climbed over the yard wall. Adams acknowledged, and told the two officers to wait until all four of them were able to confront the target together.
When they burst open the gate, Grimes was still fiddling with a window catch. It happened in a flash. Seeing he was cornered, he panicked and produced an automatic pistol. The unarmed officers ran for cover behind other parked vehicles. Adams shouted words to the effect that they didn’t want to use force and he should be sensible. The fracas had alerted neighbours and there was a lot of commotion and door-banging. Grimes took his chance and ran out of the yard, firing the weapon indiscriminately into the air. He tripped and rolled into the middle of the street. One of the uniformed officers ignored Adams’ order to stand firm and rushed at Grimes, who was struggling to his feet. It was a reflex reaction, and the bullet stopped the officer in his tracks, entering his chest from less than three metres range. Adams stood up and yelled all manner of profanities at the escaping Grimes. The other two uniformed colleagues rushed to their stricken friend and without looking back Grimes discharged another two rounds to discourage pursuit. The second bullet ricocheted off the tarmac and caught Adams on the side of the head. One of the remaining two policemen radioed for an emergency ambulance and alerted H.Q. that Grimes was armed and running loose. ‘Two officers down’ was all that really registered at the station.
The hospital emergency waiting area was not too busy and Renton had joined representatives from uniform and the young wounded officer’s relatives. The duty surgeon approached the family and shook his head.
“I am very sorry to report that we haven’t been able to save the young man, he had lost a lot of blood before we could operate, and his heart could not maintain its function.”
Renton turned away and resisted his urge to clamour for more information on Ben Adams. He went outside to clear his head in the fresh air. All he could ask himself was – ‘is it all worth it?’ He was called back to the waiting area by a uniformed sergeant. The same surgeon explained that Adams had not recovered consciousness, and that the fragment of the bullet which struck him was still lodged close to his brain. There was only one question. “Will he pull through?”
“It’s too early to tell. We will need to monitor him a little longer to assess the risk of attempting to remove the fragment. It may be better to treat the trauma if there is no immediate risk of deterioration, or we might have to get it out quickly. We will know more in a couple of hours.”
Renton slouched on to a chair and felt dizzy. His pallour transformed from ruddy leather to one of fragile grey porcelain. He waved away concern and just asked for strong black coffee, lots of it.
Chapter 15
Monday November 12th 2018
Renton was still dozing, when he was prodded by the surgeon.
“We had to remove the bullet fragment as it was clearly contributing to increase in pressure to the brain. The good news is that it did not splinter any further. The removal was clean and complete. The prognosis with respect to pressure build-up is promising, but as yet there is no trend in brain activity to suggest he will recover consciousness imminently; that may take a few days. I suggest you go home and get some rest yourself. Come back in the afternoon.”
He thanked the surgeon and realised just how tired the man must have been, as the night was just showing signs of getting less black. He glanced at his watch and had a little trouble focussing, but made out that it was fractionally after 5.25 am. The journey home through the quiet potholed roads kept him alert, and he admitted to himself that he needed rest. Just as he pulled up in the drive, he switched his phone back on, having turned it off in the hospital, and then he fell asleep in the car. A voicemail alert made him feel weary, but woke him and he accessed it anyway. It was Fred from local branch.
“I can guess where you are Jack, and I’m sorry to bother you but I thought you would want to know, we have another body. It was discovered at first light. It was in a rowing boat without oars, in the middle of the Derwent Reservoir. Apparently, the identity is known as he is local and works, sorry, used to work for Northumbrian Water. The reason I decided to disturb you was the false ID he had on him – that of Bowman or Baumann. I believe your medical officer is on his way there.”
The surge of adrenalin was followed by utter exhaustion and he slumped at the wheel once more. He was dozing for no more than twenty minutes when a man on his way to work knocked at the window. He recovered sufficient orientation to convince the man he was feeling fine, and briefly thought that there were lots of good folks living in the area; he just didn’t get to meet many of them. He could not really believe that he had drifted off to sleep three times since going to see Adams, but he was still ‘shattered’. He started the car again and set off for the reservoir.
*
The manhunt for Grimes had swung into action. He was already driving to the south, as he would never be safe in the Newcastle area. He pulled into a service station car park and made a call to Eddie Finley. His garbled version of Jackson’s alleged threat to frame him and the shooting of the two police officers was not totally coherent. Finley asked him to slow down, and when Grimes was calmer, he continued.
“Listen carefully Paul, drive straight here, I’ll get you into a safe house. You need to chill for a period. Don’t stop anymore until you get here and for Christ’s sake don’t exceed the speed limit, Ok?” Grimes’ relief was reflected in his voice.
“Thanks Eddie, I will be there this afternoon.”
Finley wandered into the guestroom and woke Beresford. On hearing the full story on the news he said to Finley, “Remind me of how the blue car episode panned out Eddie.”
“Well I arranged, as agreed, to nick Pitafi’s car, and that was through Grimes. It was a few days before Banks was killed. We decided to use the car for transporting the package, which as you know, unexpectedly became a body. It had originally seemed to make sense to put Pitafi in the frame this way – a heaven-sent opportunity. Grimes had initially recruited Jackson to collect the package, but instead, and at the last minute, he had to take Banks’ body and place it at the scene. It all started to go
wrong when the damned car wouldn’t start again. But the fuzz still began to link Pitafi to something which would fuel the fire. We didn’t anticipate this mess.”
“So when Jackson tried to shift the blame to Grimes, he was still ignorant of the Colony’s involvement?”
“I would think so, Grimes told him the generous money on offer precluded questions. It was simply a delivery job. We never get close to these errand boys.”
“Then that means it is Jackson’s word against Grimes. When we sever the loose end, it will be his word against nobody. Don’t look at me like that Eddie, it’s an unwritten rule; you know that. It was good thinking to get him to conveniently come to us. Apart from the Banks case, the stupid bastard has killed one cop and another one may die. We can’t afford to be connected in any way. See to it.” Finley nodded his head in agreement.
*
The continent was an hour ahead so it was still early in the UK when Bradstock got his call from Interpol. He was apprised that Baumann had been tailed from Manchester airport to Birmingham, and had booked into a fairly modest motel. He had met with someone twice recently. The caller said they were withdrawing the surveillance people, so Bradstock should take over and report back when appropriate. This was puzzling, as he had been absolutely sure that Baumann would have gone north.
*
When Renton arrived at the reservoir Greg Watson was already busy making notes. He looked up.
“Jack, I’m terribly sorry to hear about Adams and the young officer. God, you look awful, in fact you shouldn’t be here.”
“No maybe not, just as Ben and those boys shouldn’t have been at Jackson’s house. They got shot for what? Something we don’t even know exists.” He was experiencing guilt overtly for the first time since he had been told about the shootings. Maybe Watson was right, his judgement hadn’t been very good recently.
“Come on now, I meant you need some rest. They will find Grimes. Ben wouldn’t want you to accrete blame for what was a routine precaution. They probably should have had armed backup.”
“Yeah, that’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. I should’ve foreseen the possible consequences as clearly as I saw the vulnerability of potential evidence. Anyway, you’re right Greg, I can’t undo the events, but I can help to find this animal who decided to shoot them. Unfortunately I have to be here too. I’m going to request additional resource from Cousins. Oh hell, I forgot he’s holding that press conference today, I’ll have to call him and cancel.” He dialled Cousins’ number.