by Sally Rigby
‘This is between you and me.’ The super leant back in her chair and gave Whitney her full attention.
‘When I joined the force over twenty years ago, Douglas, sorry, I mean Chief Superintendent Douglas, was a sergeant. He tried it on with me and I refused. I told him, in no uncertain terms that if he ever did anything like that again, I’d make him pay. He left me alone after that but ever since he’s had it in for me and, whenever he’s had the opportunity, he’s tried to derail my career.’
‘But he hasn’t succeeded.’
‘That’s a matter of opinion. There was one incident when I should have been promoted to inspector, but I missed out on that because of him. As it turned out, it didn’t matter, and I was promoted a few months later. That happened about eleven years ago.’
‘Has anything else occurred between the two of you?’
She might as well tell the super everything, so she could see what an arse Douglas was.
‘He did try to interfere in one of the investigations last year when two of his officers from the Regional Force were in Lenchester working with us on a case. He wanted me removed from the investigation, stating that I wasn’t doing my job properly, but Superintendent Jamieson dealt with it, after which time he left me alone.’
Clyde sighed and shook her head. ‘If there are any incidents you come to me. Any at all, however small they might be. I don’t want you attempting to deal with them yourself.’
The super was going to support her. Whitney nodded her approval, but she wasn’t convinced that Douglas would leave her alone.
‘Yes, ma’am. I appreciate your response.’
‘Thank you for being honest with me, Whitney. I’ll make sure that nothing happens to undermine you, but I do expect you to show him the level of respect his position deserves.’
‘Of course, ma’am,’ she said, crossing her fingers behind her back. Childish, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.
‘I’ll let you know about the press conference once it’s been arranged,’ the super said.
Whitney kept it together until she was away from the office. Her mind was whirring. What the bloody hell had she done to deserve Douglas being back? Whatever Clyde said, she knew that he’d be out to get her. He’d find a way. She’d have to leave, what else could she do?
She marched along the corridor, up the stairs and into her office, slamming the door behind her. She needed to speak to Ellie immediately, but had to calm down first. She pulled out her phone and hit speed dial for George.
‘Hello, Whitney,’ her friend said, answering after the first ring.
‘You’re never going to believe what’s happened. It’s ridiculous. I’m going to have to leave. There’s nothing else for me to do. I’m—’
‘Whitney,’ George interrupted sharply. ‘Take a breath and tell me what’s happened.’
‘I’ve just been in with the super…’ She exhaled a long breath.
‘Is it something she said?’
‘No. She was fine and I’m happy with how that’s going. But … I can hardly bring myself to say it … She told me that Dickhead Douglas has been transferred to Lenchester. He’s Chief Superintendent. Her boss.’ There was silence at the end of the line. ‘Well, say something.’
‘Does she know what happened between the two of you?’
‘Yes, I told her everything and she said she’d look out for me. But talk’s cheap, you’ve witnessed first-hand how devious Dickhead can be.’
‘If she said she will make sure it’s okay and he’s not your immediate superior, I think it might be fine.’
‘What do you mean it might be fine? Look what he did before when we were working with Vic and Terry from the Regional Force. If it wasn’t for Jamieson, he would have succeeded in getting me removed from the case. He’s always there trying to sabotage my career.’
‘But he wasn’t successful because your immediate superior officer made sure it didn’t happen. Whatever you thought of Jamieson, he actually did stick up for you, if you remember.’
‘Yes, I do remember. I admit that Jamieson is a better option than Douglas because he didn’t do anything behind my back, he was upfront about it. Douglas, on the other hand, was a devious little shit. It’s crazy and I’m going to have to look over my shoulder all the time.’
‘You don’t know that. You’re pre-empting what might happen. You always do a good job, and there’s no reason for that to change. Douglas will have more important things to worry about than trying to ruin your career. You really need to get some perspective on this. The success of your career doesn’t hang on Douglas’s shoulders.’
‘I wish I had your confidence, because at the moment I don’t know what to do,’ she said.
‘Try not to think about him. Compartmentalise.’
‘Yes, yes, yes. Compartmentalise. Here you go again. I’ll try my hardest, but I’m not you and I’m not sure it’s going to work.’
‘You have to make it work or your life will be a misery. You enjoy your job. You believe your new super is going to work out. Concentrate on that relationship and take it one day at a time.’
What she’d give for even a quarter of George’s rationality at the moment.
‘Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry, I just needed to let off steam and get it out of my system. I’ll say goodbye now as I’ve got to speak to the team. We need to find out who this drug dealer is pronto. We’ve only got two weeks on the case before the super wants to move us onto something else. I’ll let you know how we go, because once we have him, I’m going to want you in the interview.’
‘No problem. I’ll wait to hear from you. And don’t worry, it will be fine.’
‘Are you jinxing again?
‘No. Stop with the bloody jinxing,’ George said.
Whitney grinned, and ended the call. She then went into the incident room and over to Ellie’s desk.
‘The man with the tattoos who Kathleen Henderson saw, we believe could be a drug dealer. Knowing that should help you track him down.’
‘Okay, guv,’ Ellie said.
‘Attention, everyone. I’ve just come back from interviewing the woman who saw the two victims talking with the man outside the school gates. We’ve learnt that the girls were selling drugs, and it’s possible the man they were talking to was a drug dealer.’
‘Nothing was said about this before,’ Brian said. ‘Is she telling the truth?’
‘Yes, I believe so. She was too scared to say anything to the police at the time she was interviewed but now we know, we should be able to identify this man. The super’s arranging a press conference for later today which will help move the investigation forward.’
Chapter 13
Whitney brushed her hair and smeared on some lip gloss so she looked presentable for the press conference. After she double-checked herself in the small hand mirror she kept in her drawer, she left for Clyde’s office.
The door was slightly ajar, and she tapped and stuck her head around.
The super was standing by the window, looking extremely tall in her uniform. Why hadn’t Whitney put on heels, so she wouldn’t look so short next to her? Because they weren’t practical for work, and that’s what counted. That didn’t stop her from standing a little straighter as she entered the room, though.
‘I’m ready for the press conference, ma’am.’
Clyde looked at her watch. ‘We’ve got fifteen minutes to go, time to go over everything we have so far.’
Whitney stood by one of the chairs and leant against it. ‘The victims were selling drugs to their fellow students and we believe the man at the school gates could have been their drug dealer. We’re not certain yet, but we’re researching into it. Nothing has changed since earlier when we discussed it.’
‘I will be letting the media know the names of the girls and where they were found.’
‘We don’t usually release names straightaway, ma’am,’ Whitney said.
It had been Lenchester’s policy since before Whitney st
arted working there and, although it was different from other forces, it worked for them. It wasn’t done to keep the public in the dark, but more that they’d found they were able to move forward quicker on investigations by operating the policy.
‘As these deaths were from decades ago and we’re asking people to remember them, we have no choice.’
She made a good point, not to mention it was her decision, whatever Whitney’s opinion.
‘Obviously, it’s going to alert the killer, or killers, to the fact that we’re looking for them too, assuming they’re still alive.’
If the culprits were no longer around it would make their job impossible and meant they’d got away with their crimes.
‘That’s a risk we have to take. It’s one of the problems of investigating cold cases.’
‘As you wish,’ she said, wincing as her words were delivered with unintentional sarcasm.
‘Yes, it is as I wish, Whitney.’ Clyde looked down at her from under her eyelashes and she squirmed.
She really shouldn’t underestimate her new boss.
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘If that’s all, I think we’ll be going down. Who’s the person in PR that we’ll be meeting? I forgot to ask my assistant after she arranged it.’
‘In the past, it’s always been Melissa, but I’m not sure if she’s still here after the upheaval.’
‘We’ll soon find out. Let’s go,’ Clyde said, as she smoothed down her skirt and then strode past Whitney.
They took the lift to the ground floor and headed to the new purpose-built conference room. When they arrived, Melissa was standing outside.
‘Hello, Melissa,’ she said, smiling. ‘This is Detective Superintendent Clyde.’
‘Nice to meet you,’ the PR officer said. ‘This new room is bigger than the one we had previously. Cameras and reporters are separated, rather than mics being at the back dangling over everyone. We’re full already and you’ll recognise all the same faces,’ she said to Whitney.
‘Some of them have been coming in for years,’ Whitney said to Clyde. ‘We know them well and they’re not a bad bunch … for press.’
‘Good. Lead the way, Melissa,’ Clyde said, and they followed her in. Instead of having a table, as they had in the past, there was a podium. Melissa stepped onto it and stood behind the lectern while Whitney and Clyde stood to one side.
‘Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for coming in to our first press conference in the new building.’ The voices hushed and everyone stared in Melissa’s direction. ‘I’m pleased to see so many familiar faces. I’d like to introduce you to Detective Superintendent Clyde who will be briefing you today.’
The PR officer stepped down and Clyde took her place. She didn’t just go rushing in but took her time and scanned the room. Had she had theatrical training? She was very impressive. Whitney could learn a lot from her.
‘Good afternoon. I’m Detective Superintendent Clyde. I’m new to the area and as yet do not recognise any of you, although I’ve been assured by Detective Chief Inspector Walker that most of you have been coming here for years and we have a good relationship with you. I hope that this will continue.’ She paused while there was chatter between the reporters. ‘I’m here today to report the discovery of the buried remains of two sixteen-year-old girls.’ The noise level spiked from chattering voices, as usually occurred when young people were involved. ‘These bodies had been buried since 1980.’
‘They’ve only just been found?’ a reporter in the front row called out.
‘That is correct. They were discovered on Oak Tree Farm after digging started for the new housing development.’
‘Can you give us more information?’ a reporter who Whitney didn’t recognise called out.
‘We’ve identified the young women as Jayne Kennedy and Anita Bailey, ex-pupils of St Paul’s school. They were reported as missing on 7 May 1980 after not returning home from school that afternoon.’
Whitney scanned the room. Notes were being furiously scribbled, and phones held out to capture everything being said by the super.
‘I remember that case,’ an older reporter sitting close to the podium said. ‘The parents insisted that they hadn’t taken off and put posters up everywhere. We reported on it.’
‘At the time they were believed to have been runaways and no further action was taken in order to locate them,’ the super said.
‘Are you saying the police made a mistake? That they should have listened to the parents instead of insisting the girls had left of their own accord?’ the reporter continued.
‘No, I am not. That would be extremely presumptuous,’ Clyde said. ‘The victims’ bodies have been discovered and we would like anybody who may have information that could help with the investigation to get in touch with us. All contact will be treated in confidence. Any questions?’
The super’s no-nonsense manner was impressive.
‘Is it possible that someone put the bodies there to stop the development?’ A woman on the left said.
‘We’re not ruling out anything at this stage, although the post-mortems haven’t indicated that the bodies were placed there recently,’ Clyde said.
The super fielded several more questions and then ended the conference.
‘I think that went well,’ Clyde said to Whitney as they left the room and Melissa went on ahead.
‘Yes, ma’am. Interesting question regarding whether the bodies were moved there just to stop the development. It isn’t something we’d considered,’ Whitney said.
‘It seems unlikely as the forensic examination of the bodies and the surrounding soil would have indicated it.’
‘Of course,’ she agreed.
They walked to the lift and got in. Whitney pressed the button for the fourth floor for the super and the fifth for herself.
‘Keep me informed of anything that happens. I’m not sure whether we’ll get any phone calls, but it’s certainly worth a try.’
‘Yes, ma’am. I should soon have more for you on the man who was seen by the school gates.’
‘Excellent. Good work, Whitney, keep it up,’ the super said, as the lift door opened on her floor and she stepped out.
The doors closed, leaving Whitney feeling like a child being praised by a teacher. But if that was her way of working, she’d get used to it. After getting out of the lift on her floor she headed down the corridor. She pushed open the door to the incident room and walked in to see how they were getting on.
‘We’ve just had the press conference. I’m not sure if it’s going to bring anything useful, but we do need to make sure someone is here to answer the phone.’
‘I can,’ Meena said. ‘My husband’s working this evening so it’ll give me something to do.’
‘Thank you. I don’t want you staying after ten, any calls after that can go to voicemail. Brian, where are we on contacting pupils from the school?’
‘I have Doug, Frank and Meena working on tracing both pupils and teachers. They’re going through the list and contacting them. So far, nothing has come up. I have heard from Anthony Gibson, though.’
‘I thought he wasn’t speaking to his dad until this evening.’
‘He called sooner. The father didn’t know the girls, nor did he remember anything significant happening around that time. He’d confirmed his son’s recollection of the farm manager working there and said, that other than him there were three farmhands at the time, none of them are still working there.’
‘Did he give you their names?’
‘Only first names, guv. Alf, Bert and Wayne. But we’ll find them.’
‘Good. Ellie, do you have anything?’
‘Yes, guv,’ Ellie said. ‘I checked the records for anyone arrested around the time in relation to possession of drugs, or dealing, and then looked through their photos and found a man with the neck tattoo mentioned by Kathleen Henderson in her statement. He’s Reginald Shaw, who’s in his late sixties, and is currently inside. I’m certai
n he’s the man who was with the victims outside the school.’
‘What’s he in prison for?’
‘Double murder. It was a robbery gone wrong and he’s done fifteen years, so far. He was given two consecutive life sentences.’
‘What else do we know about him?’
‘He lived in Parkway, and is married, with a daughter aged forty-three. His police record goes back for decades. He has a long history of offences, mainly petty, and has been in and out of prison. The murders were his first recorded offences of that level.’
‘Any drug offences?’
‘Possession only, not dealing, and that was thirty years ago.’
‘Brian, take Doug and reinterview Kathleen Henderson. Take a photo of Shaw and confirm that he’s the man she saw. It is many years later, but she might still recognise him, especially in respect of the tattoos. Text me once you know and I’ll arrange a visit to the prison tomorrow, but it’s pointless doing so until we know he’s the one. How long has Shaw been married, Ellie?’
‘Forty-four years.’
‘That means his wife would have been around at the time of the girls’ disappearance. Once we have confirmation that Shaw is our man I want you to interview her, Brian. Find out what she knows.’
‘Today?’ he asked.
‘Tomorrow’s fine, Ellie will give you the address.’
‘Okay, guv.’
‘Let’s go over what we’re all going to be doing. Meena, you’re staying to answer the phones to see if anything useful comes in. Brian, you and Doug will visit Kathleen Henderson and if he’s our man, tomorrow you’ll visit Shaw’s wife.’
‘What about me?’ Frank asked.
‘I want you to help Ellie.’
‘Have you heard the rumour, guv?’ Frank said, just as she’d turned to go back to her office.
‘What rumour?’ Doug said as he was half out the door, following Brian.
‘Who’s coming back to work here.’
Damn. How did they get to hear so quickly?
‘I’ve heard nothing,’ Doug said.
‘That’s because you don’t know the right people.’
