by L M Krier
‘Never mind, I understand. But you now know who’s behind it all and that he’s alive. Hold on to that thought. It’s unlikely that you’ll be called today, but we’re going to need a meeting with the prosecution team as soon as court has finished for the day. They’re going to want to talk about the defence’s opening remarks and what that means for our case. For you in particular.
‘During the lunch break, I suggest you buy yourself a disposable razor and some toothpaste from somewhere and sort yourself out properly. We’ve gone into this prosecution assuring the CPS that our case is watertight because you ran a faultless enquiry, by the book. Now we both know that’s true, but looking at you now, our own side is going to have doubts. So sort yourself out, for god’s sake. And have faith. Trev is going to be fine.’
The PC appeared with their coffees, carrying them carefully so as not to spill any or scald himself. They sat in companionable silence, drinking them. The two men had been through a lot together, shared many highs and lows. If anyone could help Ted through this, Jim could.
When eventually the mobile in Ted’s pocket vibrated, he grabbed it so quickly he nearly dropped his now empty cup. It was the station. Ted dreaded what the news might be.
‘Ted? Bill here. Good news. Your Trev’s been in touch. He’s fine, but he’s marooned in the Scottish Highlands with no money and no phone. He told me to tell you not to worry. And I’m not repeating the rest of it, it’s too soppy.’
Somehow, Ted got through the rest of the day. At lunchtime, he made a quick call to the number Bill had given him. A woman answered and he asked to speak to Trevor Armstrong.
‘You must be Ted, I suppose?’ She sounded polite, friendly. ‘I’ve sent him up for a lie down. He’s fine, though, don’t worry. He’d just had a nasty bang on the head, which I’ve seen to. I don’t think he should travel this evening, not overnight, so he can stay here and my husband will take him to Fort William tomorrow and put him on a train. He’ll be in Stockport by half past seven.’
‘If you let me have your bank details I can transfer all the money we owe you. I can’t thank you enough for taking such good care of him.’
‘It’s been my pleasure. He’s absolutely delightful. Please can we keep him?’
Ted laughed. ‘I’d rather you sent him back, if you don’t mind.’
‘Oh, and don’t worry about the cost of anything. Your sergeant at Stockport has already sorted everything out between him and Trevor. He’s been kind and helpful, too.’
Promising to call again later that evening, when he’d finished work, Ted ended his call.
If Edwards’ plan had been to rattle him to the point of making him appear an unreliable witness, he had nearly succeeded. Now Ted knew his partner was safe and being well looked after, he could put all his attention back where it belonged, in dealing with the case.
He’d rallied by the time of the briefing with the prosecution once court had risen for the day. He looked tired but he was back almost to top form. After a brief discussion, Ted was told that he was unlikely to be needed before afternoon of the following day at the earliest. That suited him fine. He had things to sort and places to be.
He headed back to the station from court. He’d asked for a catch-up with Jo and Mike, to be brought up to speed with anything which had happened in his absence. Most of the team had gone but Jezza was still there, looking anxious.
‘Is Trev all right, boss? And are you?’ she asked as soon as he walked through the door.
He knew Bill wouldn’t have breathed a word of what was going on in his personal life. But the nick was always a gossip factory. Word had probably got out when Ted had contacted the station the night before.
‘He’s fine, thank you. Marooned in Scotland until tomorrow evening, but otherwise all right. His abduction does appear to be linked to the Edwards case, though, so we’ll need to open a file on it. Jo, I’m putting you in charge of that. I’ll give you all the detail I know so far, then I’ll arrange for Trev to come in and talk to you at some point.
‘So, what progress with The Preacher?’
‘Boss, Preston think they’ve found an FLO to help with Darren. Maurice is going up tomorrow morning to meet her first then they’ll go and try to see Darren together, see if it works out.’
‘Thanks, Mike. Has Darren said anything else?’
‘His mam told Maurice he’s at least stopped spouting the scriptures. He’s added in hungry to the list of words he’s saying, but nothing other than that. Nothing that helps us, at least.’
‘Boss, Bryony from Lincolnshire contacted me. They’ve had a more promising lead on where Tim Phillips might be squatting now. They’ve not found him yet, but it is at least a sighting and it’s the first they’ve had for a while.
‘I’ve had details from Preston about key-holders to the church, too. The vicar who’s been there for the past three years has come up squeaky clean so far. The others are all more or less the ones we thought about. The vicar’s wife is in charge of flowers, she uses the vicarage spare key to let in whoever’s turn it is to do them. The organist checks out, too. He joined the church about the same time as the vicar.’
Ted frowned. ‘Is there anything unusual in that? A change of vicar and organist at the same time? Some sort of church politics?’
Jezza shook her head. ‘It all seems innocent enough on the face of it. The former vicar died in an accident. Fell down the stairs at the vicarage. He was apparently known to be fond of a drink and he had been drinking that evening, the post-mortem showed. It was recorded as an accidental death. It was his son who was the previous organist. He lived with his father, a widower, at the vicarage, so after his father’s death, he had to move out, of course, and he moved away. There doesn’t seem to be anything sinister in it.’
‘Right, thank you. Good work, everyone. I’m probably not needed in court until tomorrow afternoon, but there’s somewhere I need to be in the morning, first thing, if I can. I’ll pop in when I get a moment and you can of course contact me by phone if there’s anything that needs my attention urgently.’
‘But you’ll be wanting to get home at a decent time tomorrow if your Trevor is coming back, eh, boss?’ Jezza asked him with a cheeky grin.
Ted had found time earlier in the day to phone Trev’s long-suffering business partner Geoff to explain that he’d had to go away suddenly but would hopefully be back at work on Thursday.
When he got home at the end of a long day following a night with no sleep, he was set upon by reproachful cats demanding food and attention. It was usually Trev who saw to them in the evenings. He’d remembered to put the takeaway in the fridge away from their inquisitive noses, and managed to resurrect bits of it which were not too dried out to make himself a bit of supper. His meal was interrupted by his phone.
‘Where’s my brother? He was supposed to phone me last night to help me with a French project and I can’t get hold of him.’
‘Hello, Ted, how are you? I’m fine, thank you, Siobhan, and you?’ Ted chided her gently. Trev’s younger sister could be haughty and demanding.
‘Yes, whatevs, but where is he?’
‘He had to go away unexpectedly for a couple of nights and he’s lost his mobile.’
‘Oh my god, Trev’s right, you are a rubbish liar, Ted. Where is he really and what’s happened?’
He managed to persuade her that all was well, Trev would be back tomorrow and he would make sure that he called her as soon as he could. Then he finally got time to speak to Trev himself.
The same woman he’d spoken to earlier answered his call, then he heard her hand the phone to Trev and suggest he take the phone upstairs to his room for a bit of privacy.
‘Are you all right? What happened?’
‘Somebody clobbered me over the back of the head, stuffed me in the boot of a car and drove me up to the wilds of the Highlands. Luckily, I found this B&B which is blissful. Andrew and Jean have been looking after me ever so well, and Bill has sorted everything for
me. You’ll need to square up with him. My wallet’s gone so I’ve neither cash nor cards. I’ve no idea who did it, though, have you? Is it something to do with your work?’
‘There’s a possibility it might be connected to the court case. Someone trying to intimidate me as a witness. Something like that.’
‘There were two men, Greater Manchester accents. I may just have broken one of their noses when I escaped. Does that mean you’ll have to arrest me, officer, and put me in handcuffs?’
‘Behave yourself.’
‘That’s not what you usually say. I’m sprawled across a lovely big double bed here so guess what I’m thinking about?’
‘You’re impossible. I’ll see you tomorrow. All being well, I’ll be there to meet you off the train.’
‘Love you.’
‘I love you, too.’
More than you can possibly imagine, Ted thought to himself as he ended the call.
Chapter Fifteen
‘The ACC will see you now, Chief Inspector, if you’d like to go in.’
Ted nodded his thanks to the Assistant Chief Constable’s personal assistant and walked into Russell Evans’ office. He was not at all sure he was doing the right thing. The two of them usually got on well, treated one another with mutual respect. But Ted felt himself burning up with a grievance and he needed to voice it to someone.
‘Morning, Ted, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure? I should just warn you that I’m between meetings but my PA said it was important so I can give you ten minutes.’
‘Thank you,’ Ted took a deep breath, trying to keep control, but before he could stop himself, he blurted out, ‘You set me up.’
Evans spread his hands in feigned innocence.
‘Set you up? In what way? What’s this about?’
‘The commendation. The reception. The press photos. I’ve always kept my private life separate from the job, but that put my partner in the limelight for the first and only time and now he’s been kidnapped.’
‘Yes, I heard about that on the grapevine.’ Ted wondered if there was anyone who hadn’t heard. ‘But as for setting you up, I did nothing of the kind. I put you forward for a bravery award because you deserved it for your actions. And you know these things always happen at a function and there’s always some publicity out of them.’
‘But I was the only recipient who was photographed with their partner. The only gay officer present and the only one to appear in the paper with their significant other. It put him at risk. It was a publicity stunt, a cynical way to show how inclusive the force is.’
Evans held up a hand. ‘Let me just stop you right there, Chief Inspector. And let me remind you, although I shouldn’t have to. We’re both at work. I’m in uniform. I outrank you, quite considerably. So you should be calling me sir. I should also point out that your tone is only just the right side of impertinent.
‘If you’ve come here looking for some sort of ego massage, for me to tell you how much you’re valued and assure you it has nothing whatsoever to do with your sexuality, then you’re wasting your time and mine. You’ve had a promotion and subsequent increase in salary. That should tell you that you are valued within the force.
‘And let me just assure you that there was no brief to get you both in the publicity shots. If it wasn’t what you wanted, you were at liberty to refuse, as was your partner.’
He paused to take a breath, then his tone softened.
‘I’m sorry about what happened to your Trevor, I really am, and I was equally relieved to hear that he’s turned up and appears unharmed. But to come in here accusing me of some sort of conspiracy to use you as a marketing tool is frankly ridiculous and unworthy of you.
‘I can imagine you’ve been under a lot of stress while he was missing. I’m going to put this exchange down to that. I thought you were meant to be in court today? The Edwards trial? So I’m going to let you get back to that and, because you are a good officer, and a valued one, I’m going to pretend this interview never took place.’
Ted was still standing in front of the ACC’s desk, having not been invited to sit. His anger had evaporated and he was left feeling stupid. He’d been angry, furious over what had happened to Trev. He was starting to realise that most of his anger was directed at himself. He should never have allowed Trev to appear in a press photo with him. He’d exposed him to the risk. He’d just needed someone else to blame, to lash out at. He hoped that what he could now recognise as a monumental error of judgement was not going to be a bad career move for him.
‘Sir.’
‘Seriously, Ted, just go. It’s fine. It’s forgotten. We all do and say unwise things in moments of stress. I’ll put it down to that.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
As soon as Ted left his office, the ACC picked up the phone to make a call.
‘Chief? We have a small problem. Ted Darling. Not a happy bunny.’
Ted was looking totally different to the way he had the day before when got back to the station in time to catch part of the morning briefing Jo and Mike were running in his absence. Despite all the tension he’d slept better than he expected to, now he knew Trev was safe. He was wearing the shirt and tie Trev had planned for him for the first day of court. He’d not worn it the day before because he was too anxious to think of changing after his night without sleep. He had on just enough but not too much of the expensive cologne Trev had bought for him.
He was back to looking like someone in control, after his earlier outburst, which he now bitterly regretted. It was a stupid thing to have done. Especially to go running up to HQ to do it. He’d made himself the feeble excuse of wanting to talk to Océane, which he could have done by phone, and she hadn’t even been there. She’d been away on some course or another. He knew that Trev was his Achilles heel. He cared for him so deeply it sometimes affected his judgement. But now he was once again looking and feeling like someone more than capable of running complex cases and bringing them to a successful conclusion.
He stopped at the front desk on his way up to his office to thank Bill for all his help and to settle up with him.
‘I’ve noted the total and my bank details, Ted. Just transfer it when you have a moment. I’m glad your Trev is all right. You’d be lost without him. Have you time to go for a drink sometime soon? I’d be glad of someone to talk to, if I’m honest. You know I’m for the chop? They seem to think I should be raring to get out, now I’m just about to turn fifty-five. They gave me notice a year ago and I applied for an extension. I thought I’d get it, no worries, but they’re using the cost-cutting as a reason not to renew.’
‘I will, Bill, but not tonight. Trev’s coming home and I promised to try to pick him up from the station. But as soon as I can after that, promise. Why don’t you stay on as a civvy? There must be an opening for someone of your experience.’
‘They’ve said I could do that but there’s no vacancy for another three months after my official retirement date. But honestly, what else do I have in my life, other than work? What am I supposed to do with myself for three months?’
‘There’s always NARPO.’
The National Association of Retired Police Officers offered companionship and something of a social life to former serving police officers. Most of them were glad of the chance to retire. Bill was an exception in that he had no one, other than his work colleagues and his parrot. His wife had died young, there were no children and he had never remarried. Never even been out with anyone, as far as Ted was aware, and the two of them talked a lot. Bill had known Ted since he’d first arrived in Stockport. His first post as a detective after he gave up firearms at Trev’s insistence. He’d been keen – too keen – but still green. Bill had probably given him more help than anyone else and a genuine friendship had grown between the two as a result.
‘What, playing dominoes and drinking pints with other boring, lonely old farts like me? I’d go mad inside a week.’
‘I will do that drink as soon as I can, B
ill, I promise. But right now I have two places to be at once and I need to start by sending a grovelling email of apology to the ACC. I made a bit of a prat of myself there this morning. Soon. Count on it.’
Mike gave the boss a quick resumé before the end of the briefing. Ted had questions to ask, wanting to be on top of this case as well as the Edwards one. He knew his team could work without him, but it was his head on the block if things went wrong.
‘Are we happy Preston have dug deep enough looking at the key-holders for the church? What about any former ones? Could they have kept theirs? The previous organist, for a start? Has he been spoken to?’
‘Boss, the current vicar says all the keys were accounted for when he took over. There was an inventory and everything tallied. No keys missing for any of the locks for the church or the vicarage,’ Mike told him.
‘And is there a link to the church from Darren? Did he go there ever? Would he have known anyone from there, or from somewhere other than church itself? Jezza’s point is a valid one. For the mobile to be left inside, someone must have had access to the church, either with a key or by going when it was open, for a service or something. Can we pin down exactly when it was found and by whom? Rob, I think it would be worth a couple of hours of your time to go up to Preston yourself and double check everything.
‘At the moment we’re relying on another force to do our legwork for us and we don’t know if they’re as thorough as one of you would be. See if you can find this former vicar’s son. Just on the off-chance he knows of someone in the past who might have had a key which for some reason isn’t on the inventory. I’m assuming a key to a church door would be a biggish thing? Not the sort of thing you could easily get a copy made at one of these on-the-spot places? Can you find that out, too, please? Perhaps a quick visit to the church? See if it is left open, check times of service, that sort of thing. While you’re up there already.’
‘No worries, boss, I’ll get up there as soon as we’ve finished here.’
‘Boss, Lincolnshire have pinned down where Tim Phillips is staying but before they do anything else, they want to know what they’re supposed to do with him,’ Jezza told him. ‘They’ve seen his file, they know his issues and the state he’s likely to be in. They’re worried that taking him to the nick could tip him over the edge. Then there’s his addiction problem. He really needs to be in a secure unit now.’
