Being in charge of murder enquiries wasn’t just about catching the killer either, she had discovered. Seldom did people know that the process of actions taken, or not taken, by her officers throughout an investigation had to be documented in a personal log created by the SIO. Charley had quickly realised that her personal log was a godsend to her at any future trial, as the document acted as her Bible, showing in black and white all her actions and reasoning, timed, dated, and signed by her. It was also essential that all monies spent were accounted for. Every piece of paper relating to the enquiry required the signature of the Senior Investigating Officer to show that it had been read and authorised. As a result, Charley had also learned to speed-read pretty quickly because documents had to be turned around quickly for further work to be completed, or to be filed as a record.
Her signature had never changed over the years; her grandpa had told her that all her loops and swirls meant she was artistic, outgoing and people-orientated, apparently.
* * *
That evening’s debrief brought about more welcome news for the team. There was a hit on the database for the firearm that had been used to kill the male victim at Crownest. It had been used at an armed robbery of a local convenience store a while ago, so the identical marks on the bullet casing that were retrieved at the scene told them.
‘This is one of the incidents that Ben and Terry want to speak to the Dixons about. The suggestion is that the gun was discharged into the air, at the convenience shop robbery as opposed to being pointed at anyone,’ said DS Mike Blake.
Reading the report, an icy shiver ran down Annie’s spine. ‘My God! According to this, if it hadn’t been for the beamed ceiling, the shot could have killed someone upstairs!’
Mike nodded. ‘Absolutely! Mr Chaudry’s wife and children were in the flat above the shop when the robbery was taking place. But what we have now is Mr and Mrs Dixon back in the frame for the murder of our male, at Crownest,’ he continued. There was a renewed energy in his tone. ‘As we know, they’re already being sought in connection with other cold-case robberies, but as yet, I can confirm again that no weapons have been recovered when the pair have been arrested previously. Therefore, it would appear they may still have access to them.’
After the meeting, Charley sat quietly, sipping coffee whilst searching the database for the file relating to the robbery. She stopped only when she found what she was looking for. Suddenly she was aware of the quickening of her heart. ‘HD/674/’ she read out loud, whilst writing the crime number down at the top of a clean page in her notebook.
Slowly, page by page, line by line, and word by word, she read the details of the incident report, to try to understand what had taken place – and if there were any other links to Crownest.
Victim: Mr Waseem Chaudry.
Age: 61 years old.
No physical injuries, treated for shock at the scene by paramedics.
The information on the next screen saddened her. Four weeks after the robbery Mr Chaudry was found dead. The cause – heart-attack.
The family, she read, was convinced that the early death of the mild-mannered family man, who was well regarded by the local community as being upbeat, cheerful and charitable, was no doubt due to the violent robbery. Evidence-wise, sadly there was no proof that the shopkeeper’s death could be attributed to the armed robbery.
Mr Chaudry also had a history of angina. She knew that cause of death was extremely important when it came to proving that the deceased had been murdered and that the death had not occurred because of some other contributory factor associated with illness.
Charley jumped to the next screen to read the details of the incident.
Armed robbery: Chaudry’s Convenience Store.
Incident address: 332, Manchester Road, on the A62 between Marsden and Slaithwaite.
Known facts:
Two masked people were involved in the robbery: one motorcyclist and one pillion passenger. Both had entered the store.
Both wore crash helmets with scarves around their faces. Two passers-by thought that one assailant was wearing a pig mask underneath the helmet.
They wore dark clothing, with gloves and leather jackets.
The motorcycle was a Kawasaki, and blue in colour.
The motorcyclist apparently made a lot of noise by revving the engine and was seen to drive off dangerously on the A62, in the direction of Manchester.
Charley was eager to read what evidence, if any, had been secured from the scene, and to see the CCTV footage attached to the crime file. She read on.
Traces of DNA (Mr Brad Dixon) have been found on the glass shop counter.
She then clicked on the video link. The CCTV footage showed her two people entering the convenience store wearing motorcycle gear, their faces concealed. Both held handguns. Raising their voices at Mr Chaudry, they ordered him to do as they bid: ‘Open the till NOW!’
Mr Chaudry, hands in the air, appeared to freeze on the spot. That was until the smaller of the two robbers fired the handgun, pointing it towards the ceiling. They then leant towards the shopkeeper, and with a flick of the wrist, the barrel of their gun was under Mr Chaudry’s chin. Seeing the whites of the victim’s eyes, Charley took a deep breath and imagined she could feel his fear. It wasn’t until the second robber stepped forward to hold their gun to Mr Chaudry’s temple that he opened the till. The pair greedily grabbed wads of notes and stuffed them into backpacks, but still they were not satisfied, and demanded more. No doubt fearing for his life, Mr Chaudry reached below the counter and showed them a blue bank bag. It was in their haste to grab the bag that Charley saw one of the robbers flinch and jump backwards from the counter. ‘Was this when, by exposing the skin between his glove and sleeve, Brad Dixon had left DNA for the police to find?’ she considered.
Then the robbers were gone, the duration of the terrifying incident over within a matter of minutes.
Her attention on the screen was broken when DS Mike Blake tapped on Charley’s office door. She beckoned him in.
Mike watched as the SIO puffed her cheeks and blew air through her loose lips. ‘I think in a job like ours we get somehow desensitised to words. Reading a file, or hearing about a robbery, can’t portray the violence, or the fear someone is subjected to,’ she said. ‘However, CCTV leaves you in no doubt as to how brutal this incident was. What a pair of bastards the Dixons are.’
‘They definitely aren’t amateurs. It’s obvious from seeing that footage. They know what they want, and they know how to get it. The CCTV certainly suggests to me that they would go one step further and commit murder, if those threatened did not comply with their requests,’ added Mike.
‘I agree. We have to also consider that it might not have been the Dixons who used the gun that killed our man. Could it be a ‘pool’ weapon used by others or sold on? Hopefully not. On a positive note for the investigation, the weapon is possibly still in circulation. What we know for sure is that our murderer used the very same gun that was used to threaten and rob Mr Chaudry. Even though the Dixons were living in Crownest at the time the pathologist thinks our man died, supposedly from receiving a bullet from a gun that the Dixons have been known to use, we need to prove beyond doubt that it was one of them who used it to kill him. We’ll run with the knowledge that it could be them, and that they may still have access to firearms when we locate them. To not do anything else would be madness.’
‘Agreed. It seems probable they are involved, and like you say, we work on the presumption they are armed, until we know otherwise.’
‘I’m sure we’re right. It sounds simple doesn’t it, find the weapon and then you’ll find evidence to place it in the hands of the killer, but you and I know that is not the case.’
‘On this occasion we need to assume, eh, boss?’ said Mike, with a wink of an eye.
Charley nodded her head. ‘Although we are working with known facts, we need the evidence to prove that we are heading in the right direction. It’ll come. I’m certain
of it,’ said Charley, with a tight smile. ‘At least now we will be able to take the lead in locating the pair. If a wanted poster for the Dixons isn’t already in existence, then get one prepared for me to feed to the media, will you?’
‘Ben and Terry thought that the pair had gone to Spain,’ Mike smirked, ‘or hoped they had, so they could take a trip to warmer climes. But they hadn’t firm evidence that the pair had left the UK even, last time I spoke with them.’
‘Exactly, and even if they’d absconded, as was suggested, the Spanish sell English newspapers.’ Charley appeared thoughtful. ‘We could involve Crimestoppers and offer a reward as an enticement for someone to tell us of the Dixons’ whereabouts?’
Mike’s tone was defeatist, but he nodded, ‘There would have to be a substantial amount of cash incentive, to get anyone to grass on a pair of violent armed robbers.’
The investigation was continuing to bubble, and Charley was eager to keep the momentum going, and increase the pace of the enquiry again in the Incident Room.
An hour later ex-police officers from the cold-case team, Ben and Terry, sat opposite Charley and Mike in the SIO’s office. Tattie was very vocal in her observation that Ricky-Lee was conspicuous by his absence in the CID office that day, and for some reason Charley found herself defending the detective constable.
‘Ricky-Lee was with me at the graveyard earlier,’ Charley said, before going on to enlighten the men as to the recent ballistic update regarding the murder, and the evidential link they now had between the firearm known to belong to the Dixons that was used in the robbery, and the bullet found in the skull of the male victim at Crownest.
‘Also, just yesterday further evidence has come to light. The robberies that the pair were originally sought and sentenced for, have finally after all this time, been linked to the robbery at Mr Chaudry’s Convenience Store,’ added Ben.
Suddenly there was an air of expectancy in her office. ‘Okay, so we know that the Dixons are connected beyond doubt, in some way, to all the incidents, even if we can’t prove murder. What else have you got for me?’
‘Not much, unfortunately. The pair of photos are being circulated this side of the channel and beyond as you know, and since we last saw you, we’ve been mostly visiting known acquaintances,’ said Ben.
‘I assume therefore that you haven’t had much joy?’
‘I’m sure you know the format. Most told us to ‘do one!’, ma’am, followed by the proverbial door slam. Even those who owed us a favour could only suggest they’d fled the country.’
‘That’s the advantage of working alone or with a reliable other, isn’t it? No one to grass you up! Let’s cut to the chase. You might have thought that the Dixons had gone abroad, even had it suggested by their known acquaintances that this might be the case, but we have no actual evidence, have we?’
‘No,’ Terry replied, with a shake of his head.
Charley turned her computer around to show the men the two pictures on the screen. ‘Tell me this, do you know if these pictures are still a good likeness of the pair?’
Ben leaned forward, closer to the screen. ‘As far as I’m aware,’ said Ben. Charley looked at Terry to see a confirmatory nod. ‘Since then, zilch! It’s without doubt that they’ve gone to ground.’
‘Okay,’ said Charley. Her face was serious and there was authority in her voice. ‘From here on, I will be taking charge of their pursuit. The pair are our prime suspects for the murder at Crownest now we have positively linked them to the firearm. My thought is to push these images out to the media now, with the pair first and foremost being wanted for robbery, but also for elimination from an unconnected murder investigation, given that they were the tenants at Crownest during the time under investigation.’
If Mike had been less taken with the fact that Ricky-Lee had just opened Charley’s door and on seeing Ben and Terry had made a swift exit, he might have seen blank disappointment on the detectives’ faces, no doubt at the thought of being taken off the case.
But Charley, facing them with her back to the door had seen the look on the men’s faces. ‘I’d like you to work alongside us,’ she said. Her voice was positively upbeat. ‘Your knowledge of the crimes that these two have committed in the past could prove very useful to us. However, be assured I expect professionalism from you both at all times. Now, tell me is there anything else that you think we need to know before you go?’
There was a decidedly brighter look in Ben’s eyes as he turned to his colleague. ‘Actually, there is something that we think is of interest, but our boss thought it wasn’t worth pursuing.’
Charley tilted her head. ‘I’m all ears.’
‘Mr Chaudry’s nephew, a man by the name of Faisal Hussain, came up from Birmingham for the funeral. Apparently, according to a family member, he’s a would-be gangster, but a charmer, too, when it suits. We’ve done a check on him and he’s got quite a few previous for drugs… but alarmingly there is a police marker on him for violence and for suspicion of carrying a firearm. He’s not long been out of prison.’
‘Mmm… I can understand why a nephew attending his uncle’s funeral is not worthy of a visit to Birmingham, especially if he’s into the drugs scene. Be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and your focus would be on locating the offenders, but tell me, there must be more than meets the eye here for this man to be of interest to you two?’
‘Well you see, Miss Finch, the girl at the local estate agent’s in your murder case spoke of someone that would perhaps fit Hussain’s description. Apparently someone had been enquiring after the Dixons, and became annoyed when she wouldn’t confirm, or otherwise, that they were living at Crownest. According to her statement, it was Lily Pritchard at St Anne’s Church who had suggested that the estate agent might be able to help the Dixons.’
‘Glad you have been keeping up to speed,’ remarked Charley.
‘You’ve got to ask yourself why Faisal Hussain, if it was him, would be looking for the Dixons,’ questioned Mike.
‘We could only guess that he was going to confront the Dixons about the suggestion that they were involved in the robbery… By the way, have you been in touch with the Chaudry family recently?’ asked Charley.
The men nodded. ‘Yes, we are in contact with the family, mainly to reassure them that they haven’t been forgotten and that we are still on the case. They’re a nice family.’
Charley tapped her finger on her lips. ‘That’s good, that’s good.’ she said. ‘Could you make it in your way to call on them and let them know that the Dixon’s images are going to be circulated again for elimination purposes, in connection with the recent murders at Crownest. I don’t want it to come as a shock for them to see the media coverage ramped up all of a sudden. If you’ll do that, then I’ll speak to Connie at the Press Office tomorrow; she’s on days according to the rota. It’ll be the evening crew on now. Only time will tell if the media can bring them to us.’
Chapter 23
‘Those two might have more service in than you and me, but God they need a rocket up their arse,’ Charley said to Mike about Ben and Terry, as she watched them leave the CID office in a sloth-like fashion. The SIO stood in the CID office with her hand on the back of Ricky-Lee’s chair.
‘You can’t deny they managed to lift a few good collars in their day,’ said Mike. ‘They just need a bit of motivation and strong leadership.’
‘Talking of which, where is he now?’ Charley said.
Mike looked shifty. ‘Ricky-Lee?’
Charley viewed Mike through suspicious eyes. ‘I know that look, DS Blake. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes.’ She raised an eyebrow at his silence, and cocked her head. ‘Well?’
Mike blushed, and as he did so he gave a little grimace. ‘He’s in the building somewhere. Or at least he was ten minutes ago,’ he said.
Charley eyes were wide. ‘How’d you know that?’
‘I saw him through the window of your office when he came in. When he clocked Ben
and Terry with us, he was out of the door like a cat on hot bricks.’
‘You think there is still something going on there?’
Mike shrugged his shoulders. ‘He promised me he’d stopped gambling.’
‘Me too. You believe him?’
Again, Mike shrugged his shoulders.
‘Well, I don’t!’ Charley scowled. ‘You know something, don’t you? What is it that you’re not telling me?’
Mike put his hands up. ‘I know nothing!’ he said in a bad French accent.
An involuntary groan escaped Charley’s lips. ‘Hmm, why don’t I believe you?’ Raising her eyes to the ceiling, she shooed him away with the wave of her hand. ‘Go have a word with the surveillance team, and see what their diary is like for the next month or so, just in case we get a result on the whereabouts of the Dixons.’
Head down, Mike silently turned on his heels.
‘Oh, and find knob-head will you, and let him know they’re gone, and that I want to see him, pronto!’
At that very moment, Annie staggered into the CID office carrying a large cardboard box. Wilkie followed behind and held the door open for Mike. They nodded amiably to each other.
‘You haven’t seen Ricky-Lee on your travels, have you?’ Mike said.
Wilkie shook his head. The SIO thought she saw a look of concern on his face before he turned, and spoke to Mike in a hushed tone.
Charley rushed to help Annie to put the heavy container down on the nearest surface to the door. Out of breath from exertion, once the box was safe, Annie linked her fingers at the end of stretched arms and cracked the bones in her hand to relieve the pain. Her face was illuminated with enthusiasm. ‘Lily insisted we take them,’ said Annie apologetically.
Wilkie’s face showed he was feeling cynical. ‘I am in no doubt that that lot of old paperwork will be about as useful as a glass hammer!’
‘You don’t know that,’ said Annie, crossly, pulling her fingers so they clicked, one at a time.
Condemned Page 16
