‘Do you have dates of birth for them all?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, pass their details on to Seamus Carter immediately. It might help him and his orthodontist friend to find the correct dental records for our dead child. Good work.’
‘Thanks. I know that now probably isn’t the best time to ask, but how was the honeymoon?’
‘It was lovely, thanks. Madeira’s an incredibly special place; it’s so relaxing. I’ve got to say, though, that it already seems like a lifetime ago. That reminds me, I’d better phone my wife and tell her not to expect me home any time soon.’
‘Most of the others will be arriving back for the eight o’clock briefing. Do you need me to do anything else?’
‘No, thanks. Just get those names to Seamus Carter as soon as possible, please. It’s only just gone six o’clock. You never know, he might be able to get back to us with a positive identification before the evening briefing.’
11
23 June 1986
South Lodge, Retford
The evening sun was sinking slowly towards the horizon and had already dipped behind the trees that surrounded South Lodge. It looked darker and felt colder than it actually was.
Jimmy Wade carried a cardboard box that contained the items he would need later. He walked over to the nondescript, dark blue Daihatsu Hijet van that was parked outside the stone house. He’d chosen the Daihatsu because of its sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Wade had been with Melissa when she purchased the vehicle two and a half months ago, after part exchanging her Ford Sierra. He couldn’t risk her continuing to drive around in the Sierra. There was always the risk that somebody had seen him being picked up in it on the day of the escape.
Opening the sliding door, he placed the cardboard box inside. The box contained a dark brown bottle full of chloroform, plus loose cotton rags, cable ties, gaffer tape and a heavy ball-peen hammer.
As he examined the contents of the box, Wade smiled.
He’d waited patiently for this night to come. He had spent three weeks going out with Melissa most evenings, trying to spot his targets. Hours spent outside the secure hospital he loathed, risking recapture. Then one evening last week, there was finally a breakthrough. He had recognised one of the two male nurses who had regularly beaten him inside Rampton Hospital.
Wade had observed Fred Barnes walk out of the hospital doors, cross Fleming Drive to the car park, and then get into a tatty Mini Metro.
Barnes was the older of the two men he felt compelled to get even with. He had been the ringleader and main cause of the horrendous physical abuse Wade had suffered when he first arrived at Rampton.
Wade intended to travel to Ireland as soon as he had wreaked his revenge. He planned to use Melissa to help him flee the country. Beyond that, there was no place for her in his long-term plans.
Throughout his time incarcerated in Rampton and ever since his escape, Wade had thought long and hard about the best way to achieve the revenge he wanted so badly he could almost taste it.
He had prepared a sadistic retribution for Fred Barnes and his younger sidekick, Jack Williams.
He intended to make them pay dearly for their cruelty and abuse.
Having spotted Fred Barnes with his car, it then became much easier to keep observations on the Mini Metro. It turned out that Barnes was a creature of habit. At the end of every shift, he would drive to the Crown and Anchor pub on Eastern Avenue, Retford. He would then have a couple of pints before walking around the corner to his home on Vicarage Terrace.
If everything went to plan tonight, Barnes would not make it to his home address.
Wade closed the door of the van and walked back to the lodge.
He knew exactly where his target would be at ten o’clock that night. He just needed to be sure that Melissa would play her part in the abduction and imprisonment of Fred Barnes.
12
23 June 1986
Major Crime Investigation Unit, Mansfield
Danny was just about to get up from his desk, to address the gathered detectives next door, when the telephone rang. He lunged across the desk to retrieve the handpiece. ‘Chief Inspector Flint.’
A familiar voice was on the line. ‘Danny, it’s Seamus. Your detective DC Moore has hit the jackpot. The dead boy is Evan Jenkins.’
‘The young lad from the children’s home?’
‘The very same. Linda was able to match fillings on the dental records to the dead boy’s teeth. It’s definitely him.’
‘That’s great news. Thanks for sorting that out so fast.’
‘Glad to assist as always. It was good work by DC Moore. She narrowed the search down massively for us.’
‘I’ll mention your words of praise when I see her. Thanks again, my friend.’
‘No problem. I’ll crack on with my report now. I should have the toxicology reports in the morning, so I’ll be back in touch then.’
The pathologist hung up.
Danny looked down at the scribbled name in his casebook: Evan Jenkins.
He said out loud, ‘Now we’re in business.’
He strode purposefully into the briefing room and called for silence. ‘Right. Listen up, everybody. First and foremost, you need to know that we will be investigating this death as a murder enquiry. During the post-mortem, the pathologist discovered that our victim had been suffocated. The boy’s face had been forced down into bedding, or similar, by a downward pressure on the back of his neck. The pathologist is of the opinion that this could not be done accidentally and would take a wilful act. I’ve just received a phone call from him, and I’m now able to tell you that the orthodontist has been able to positively identify the deceased child from dental records. The victim’s name is Evan Jenkins. He’s a reported absconder from the Tall Trees Children’s Home at Bilsthorpe. Obviously, this changes everything; it means we’re all going to be extremely busy for the next few weeks. So don’t make any plans.’
Danny turned to Rachel Moore and said, ‘Well done for identifying Evan Jenkins as a possible for our victim. That’s saved us all an inordinate amount of time. I want you and Sergeant Prowse to travel out to Tall Trees immediately after this briefing and speak to the person in charge. I want to know everything they can tell us about Evan Jenkins. Make sure you take possession of all the missing persons reports filed under his name. I also want any clothes or other property at the home that belongs to him. I want to know exactly where he’s been found each time, and I want to know exactly which uniform officers brought him back. We also need to establish what he told them about his activities while he was missing from the home. Take as much time as you need. I want you to talk in depth to the person in charge. Find out everything you can about Jenkins’s general behaviour. How did he get on with the staff and the other kids? What are his parents like? Does he have a social worker? Basically, I want to know everything there is to know, okay?’
Tina Prowse replied, ‘No problem. We’ll leave straight after the rest of the debrief.’
‘Thanks, Tina.” He stressed the key point again: ‘It’s vitally important to the success of this enquiry that this initial visit is carried out thoroughly.’
‘I understand, sir.’
Danny continued: ‘I want the rest of you to finish off what you’re doing and then get off home. I want all of you back on duty at six o’clock; it’s going to be a busy day for everyone. I want to systematically question every member of staff and every child at Tall Trees tomorrow. Sergeant Prowse will obtain the list tonight, and you will all be allocated people to question. We’ll start with the other kids at the home first and then move on to the staff. We should have the pathologist’s report by tomorrow morning, and hopefully the toxicology material will be quite revealing. I anticipate a lot of work off the back of that report. Tina and Rachel, I expect you to have a late finish tonight, but I still want you back here for the morning briefing. It’s vital that anything you learn tonight can be passed o
n directly by you to the rest of the team. I want you to identify Jenkins’s parents tonight. I want you to concentrate your day tomorrow on interviewing them. Liaise with me before you go and see them. I want to deliver the death notification personally before you speak to them. Does anyone have any questions?’
Nobody said a word.
‘Okay, everyone, you know what’s required. Rob, Brian, I need a quick word before you leave.’
Danny walked back into his office, followed by his two detective inspectors.
He closed the door and said, ‘Sit down, gents. We’ve just been given a huge lift. Making an identification that fast is a huge bonus; we need to make the most of it. Brian, I want you to prioritise the enquiries that need completing on the Hartnell murder. Allocate the minimum staff you need to complete that. I want you then to place the remainder of your team onto this enquiry. Our priority has got to be finding the killer, or killers, of this young child.’
Brian replied, ‘No problem, sir.’
Danny continued, ‘Rob, I want you to use your entire team on this enquiry. After Rachel and Tina have finished with the parents tomorrow, I’m going to allocate the outstanding enquiries on the escape of Jimmy Wade to them. It will do Sergeant Prowse good to have to think about prioritising their time. I know the two of them will approach it methodically and will, at the very least, make some progress while everyone else is working on this enquiry.’
Rob looked concerned.
Danny saw the look and said, ‘Something troubling you?’
‘I’m just wondering about the wisdom of putting Rachel on the enquiry to find Wade. There are twenty other detectives on this unit that could all do that job. I just think it might be asking a bit too much of Rachel after her troubled history with Wade.’
‘I know exactly where you’re coming from. Trust me, that did cross my mind. I believe Rachel’s made of strong stuff and will handle it okay. I also know that Rachel and Tina work brilliantly together, and if anybody can find a breakthrough in what is now a very stale case, it’s those two. No, my mind’s made up on this one. After tomorrow, Rachel and Tina will work the Wade enquiry. Anything else, gents?’
Rob shook his head, and Brian said, ‘No, sir.’
‘In that case, I’ll see you both here at six o’clock tomorrow morning.’
The inspectors left the room, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts. He hoped he was doing the right thing involving Rachel Moore directly in the hunt for her nemesis, Jimmy Wade.
He grabbed his jacket, turned off the office light and walked out.
13
23 June 1986
Tall Trees Children’s Home, Bilsthorpe, Nottinghamshire
Caroline Short opened the front door of the children’s home and saw the two smartly dressed young women standing outside.
‘Can I help you?’
‘My name’s Sergeant Tina Prowse, and this is Detective Constable Rachel Moore. We’re looking for the person in charge.’
‘I’m the matron in charge here. Caroline Short. How can I help you?’
‘We need to talk to you about one of your residents, Evan Jenkins.’
‘Have you found him at last? God knows what he’s been up to this time. It must be serious if the police have sent a sergeant and a detective.’
‘May we come in, please?’
‘Of course, sorry! Where are my manners? Come through to my office.’
The two detectives followed the matron into her small office.
Caroline Short sat down behind her desk and gestured for the two officers to take a seat.
‘So what has darling Evan been getting up to this time?’
‘Mrs Short, I’m sorry to have to inform you, but Evan Jenkins has been found dead. We haven’t contacted his parents yet, so that information is strictly confidential. We’re here tonight to find out everything you can tell us about Evan.’
Caroline Short gasped, took a deep breath, and said, ‘Bloody hell! I wasn’t expecting that. Whatever’s happened to him?’
‘I can’t go into specifics with you right now. Suffice to say, at this moment in time, we’re treating his death as suspicious. Have you got copies of the paperwork for each time Evan has absconded previously?’
‘Yes, of course.’
Caroline Short stood up and walked over to a grey filing cabinet. She opened the middle drawer and retrieved a large manila folder.
She sat back down and opened the folder. ‘Here you are. Evan Jenkins has absconded five times in the two months he’s been here. Each time he was missing before, he was found in the Hyson Green area of Nottingham. He was always returned to us by officers from Radford Road Police Station. You must understand that Evan was from a very troubled background. His father’s way off the scene. Nobody really knows who or where he is. His mother’s a drug-addicted prostitute who plies her trade in the red-light districts around Hyson Green. There’s a strong indication that Evan is – sorry, was – destined to follow in his mother’s footsteps. The rumours I hear from the other boys here is that Evan’s already a drug abuser and sells his body to pay for his drugs.’
‘What drugs does he use?’ asked Rachel.
‘The rumours are that he’s on heroin.’
An incredulous Tina Prowse said, ‘Heroin? At eleven years of age?’
‘Yes, Sergeant, heroin. It’s so tragic, but that’s the environment he’s been raised in, I’m afraid.’
Rachel asked, ‘Did Evan have a social worker?’
‘Yes. Her name’s Bethany Jones. I believe she works from the Social Services office at Strelley. I’ve got her contact details in here somewhere.’
‘That’s great. Have you got a current address for Evan’s mum as well, please?’
Again, Caroline quickly flicked through the paperwork in the file. ‘Here it is. Mum is Tania Jenkins. She lives at 12 Valley Walk, Hyson Green flats. I’ve never been to Hyson Green flats, but I’m told it’s a proper shithole.’
‘I used to work that area, Mrs Short; I know the flats very well. They’re not as bad as people say.’
‘I’ll take your word on that, Detective. Is there anything else you need?’
‘Yes, there is. Before we go, I’d like to see where Evan slept, and we’ll need to take any property of his that’s still here. Finally, I’d like a full list of your staff and all the other residents living here, please.’
‘Why do you need that?’
‘Obviously, other detectives will be here in the morning to interview everyone about Evan. That will include the other children, your staff and you again, Mrs Short.’
‘Okay, I was just wondering. It’s not a problem. I’ll prepare you a list. Can you tell me where Evan was found? Was it in some shithole down the city, as per normal?’
‘We’ll have more information for you tomorrow, Mrs Short. That’s all we need for now, thank you.’
‘No problem. I’ll ensure that all the staff are here at some stage tomorrow, and that the fifteen other boys who live here don’t go anywhere. If you need anything else from me tonight, just give me a call. The number’s at the police station.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll show you up to Evan’s room. He shared a room with two other youngsters, who are fast asleep at the moment. Any property he did have is in my office for safekeeping. We provide all the clothes they wear. So all there is are a few personal things.’
‘Such as?’
‘He’s got a couple of photographs and a bit of cash. That’s about it.’
The two detectives had a quick look at the bedroom, without disturbing the two other boys, and then took possession of Evan’s few pitiful belongings.
Caroline said, ‘If that’s all you need tonight, Detectives, I’ll show you out.’
Once in the car park and alone, Tina turned to Rachel and said, ‘Wow! I’m glad I don’t live here. That matron’s a proper cold fish!’
‘My thoughts exactly. The woman appears devoid of any emotion. I’m looking f
orward to showing you my old beat tomorrow. Hyson Green flats, lovely. Bring your strong stomach!’
‘I thought you said they weren’t that bad?’
‘I lied!’
Both women laughed and walked back to their car, unaware that they were being closely watched from an upstairs window.
14
23 June 1986
Retford town centre, Nottinghamshire
Eastern Avenue was a side street and dimly lit.
Only two old streetlamps were lit along its entire length. One was outside the entrance to the Crown and Anchor pub on the corner, and the other was fifty yards away.
Jimmy Wade had parked the Daihatsu Hijet in deep shadow, between the front door of the Crown and Anchor pub and the Mini Metro owned by Fred Barnes. The distance between the pub door and the Metro was around thirty yards. There had been plenty of space for Wade to strategically park the van.
Wade and Braithwaite had followed Barnes from Rampton Hospital. They had watched the burly middle-aged nurse park his car and, as usual, walk back to his local. Wade had then manoeuvred the van into the position it was now in before swapping seats with Braithwaite.
‘He’s taking his time tonight,’ fretted Wade as he fidgeted in the passenger seat.
‘Don’t worry. He’ll be out soon.’
‘No, something isn’t right. You’re going to have to go inside the pub and see what the hold-up is.’
‘Do you think that’s wise?’
‘Don’t argue with me; just do it.’
Without saying another word, Melissa started to get out of the driver’s door. Before she got completely out of the van, Wade grabbed her and pulled her back inside until her face was less than an inch away from his own.
He squeezed her windpipe and growled, ‘Don’t try anything smart in there. Don’t forget I’ll be watching you. Just look inside the door and see what he’s up to, then get straight back here. Understood?’
A Cold Grave: A DCI Danny Flint Book Page 6
