by S J Mantle
“I trust your conversation with Wynn went to plan?”
“Yes Sir, Wynn was no problem at all, but…”
“But what?”
“Well I had a bit of an issue with Nick Lacey.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Lacey was excited, he might even have been a bit drunk. Understandably, he was very unhappy about his estranged wife being dumped on his team. He threatened to make waves.”
“You obviously dealt with him very badly then. Did I or did I not go through with you what to say? That it was unavoidable and would only be a short-term measure. But no, you obviously couldn’t relay that simple message, you really are an idiot.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Did you say he was drunk?”
“I said he may have been; he was loud, excited and seemed to be slurring some of his words.”
“Interesting. So, how did you leave it with him?”
“Look, I didn’t mean to, I don’t know what came over me… Lacey just pisses me off. He is good looking, intelligent and incredibly well liked, and he winds me up.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, what exactly did you say, you moron?”
“I told him Harriet was being moved for her own safety.”
“And let me guess, he now wants this confirmed at senior level and wants to know what we are doing to protect her?”
“Yes Sir, that’s about it.”
“Leave it with me, you’ve done enough damage. Don’t say anything to Nick, but if he asks, tell him to expect a call in due course.”
“This is dynamite.” Harriet got to her feet. “Am I right in thinking this call was made on the day I was moved from Eagle to Chapel?”
“Yes, absolutely,” replied Kate.
“I remember Nick complaining about a call from ACC Hillary Sellers,” said Harriet.
“That would make sense, Hillary played a part in the deceit, albeit minor. It appears she was obligated to Peters for covering up a misdemeanour years ago. Every so often she was required to help him out. She’s currently suspended but is co-operating,” said Derek.
“I’d never have guessed she was involved,” said Harriet.
“The second conversation is also over the phone and between Alec Brown and Steve Smith. It’s Steve’s voice you hear first.” Kate turned back to the recorder.
“Sir, you need to report back that Harriet Lacey has developed a fast-moving line of enquiry. Despite my best efforts she has linked the death of Professor Grey to the presence of snake venom. I don’t think it will be long before the other deaths are confirmed as having the same cause. It now looks as if Operation Chapel is about to become a multi-faceted murder enquiry. I think it’s only a matter of time before other links are found.”
“I haven’t a bloody clue what you are talking about.”
“No, but the boss will, and he needs to be told as a matter of urgency. So far, we’ve failed to find what we’re looking for amongst the Operation Eagle exhibits. We don’t know if the item we seek was recovered by Harriet’s team or not. It’s crucial that we satisfy ourselves either way.”
“Oh shit. Okay, thanks.”
“So, Steve Smith was the mole. I thought at the time his behaviour was strange but I couldn’t put my finger on what he was up to. This second conversation corroborates the recording Alec Brown played Derek in the park. It’s clear that they were actively seeking Troy Manning’s note book early on.” Harriet frowned.
“I think you’re absolutely right,” agreed Derek.
“So, was it Jack Peters that Steve Smith named?”
“Correct.” Derek nodded.
The room fell silent and Harriet’s thoughts turned briefly to Poppy.
“There’s just one more issue I’d like to cover today: Rebecca Wood. We can pick the rest up tomorrow. Harriet, while you were incarcerated, Rebecca’s informant suffered the most horrific of deaths. Her body was found washed up on a small stretch of shingle not far from Tower Bridge. Her face was so badly beaten it was unrecognisable. Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to ensure that identification would be a challenge,” Derek continued.
“Please tell me snake venom wasn’t involved?” Harriet was holding her stomach.
“No snake venom. But it did have all the hall marks of a precision assassin. Someone new.” Mike was staring at the floor.
“Oh, my God. We have a good chance of catching the killer, right?” Harriet clasped her hands together.
“Unfortunately, not, the crime scene was sterile. We are really struggling,” said Derek.
“What was the point of the murder? Do we know?” asked Kate.
“We’ve discussed this, and we think it was most likely a warning to Rebecca to stop asking questions and to back off,” replied Mike.
“Shortly after the body was found, Rebecca was suspended from duty. We were all told she failed to register her informant. But I know her quite well, and I just don’t buy it.” Derek looked concerned.
“We might be able to help with that,” said Mike.
“Did you find something?” asked Derek.
“Kate, care to elaborate?” Mike turned to her.
“Oh, my God, next time Mike tells me he needs my help on a simple job, please don’t let me agree to it.” But Kate was smiling.
“I have the feeling I’m not going to like this,” said Derek.
“No, I think you might like the result, but perhaps not the method.” A wry smile spread across Harriet’s face.
“In the early hours of yesterday morning, thanks to Mike, I found myself in the Confidential Unit at Police Headquarters. With a borrowed ‘Swipe Card’ I managed to gain access to a stand-alone database in a side office belonging to the Director of intelligence. It holds details of all confidential informants and their handlers. I had to work in poor light to interrogate the computer, but I did recover several deleted files, which I copied to disk. I subsequently discovered that Rebecca did indeed register her informant, but the file had been deleted by none other than Jack Peters.” Kate looked directly at Derek who had jumped to his feet.
“I knew it! Yes! But, how is this going to exonerate Rebecca? We can’t use this.”
“Ah, well, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there was a small electrical fire in Intelligence Office in the early hours of yesterday morning. It appears the Director’s computers were damaged. When examined by Scientific Support, several recovered files were found. Let’s just say Rebecca Wood should be back at work by the end of the week,” said Mike.
“You audacious pair, you!” Harriet could not help smiling.
“Mike, next time I ask you to tread carefully, I mean it!” Derek was frowning, but Harriet could tell he was feigning anger.
“Can I just say for the record, that being left on my own in that office was terrifying. All I could hear was my heart thumping in my ears. My hands were so wet with sweat that they kept slipping off the keys. I was convinced I’d be discovered. There’s something to be said for an adrenaline rush, but not one that intense,” said Kate.
“Point taken. I promise to be more sensitive next time.” Mike was laughing.
“What makes you think I’ll agree to a next time?” giggled Kate.
“What a day,” said Kate, as she drove Harriet back to her cottage. “Tell me how you’re doing.”
“Sometimes I wonder if I will ever feel ‘normal’ again. I’m constantly tired, but I know my body’s still healing. At times I find myself in a dream-like state, often I find I’m clenching my hands into fists or grinding my teeth. Although initially resistant to bereavement counselling, it’s only taken a couple of sessions to learn not to be so hard on myself. I still have tearful moments, but I guess I’m getting there.”
“After everything you’ve been through, I’d say your recovery is nothing short of miraculous.”
CHAPTER 35
The second day of briefing started early with coffee and doughnuts. Harriet had forgotten quite how delicious they c
ould be. Soft, light, spongy vanilla dough covered in icing sugar with a shot of raspberry jam. As she licked her lips she became aware of the others staring at her.
“What?” she said, laughing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone destroy a doughnut with quite so much gusto,” chuckled Derek.
“It was amazing, I don’t think I’ve eaten one for ten years.”
“No? Really?” said Kate in disbelief.
“Honestly!”
“No way,” said Mike, laughing.
It was time to start the work of the day.
“Harriet, your call: what would you like to start with this morning?” Derek said, leafing through his note book.
“I’d really like to know if a girl I came across when I was held captive made it out. You see, I feel incredibly guilty, I can’t get her out of my mind. I over-powered her in order to escape. I can’t bear to think what Cleo may have done to her as a result.”
“Sounds like chatterbox Alice,” said Mike.
“Oh no, it couldn’t be, this girl was mute,” said Harriet.
“No, I really think it is. Kate found her locked in a cupboard.”
“Was she badly hurt?” asked a tearful Harriet.
“No, but petrified,” said Kate.
“What happened?”
“The first afternoon we were at Highfield Hall I found myself at the top of the house when I heard muffled sounds close by. I walked up and down the corridor, pausing every so often to listen, until I found myself outside a cupboard. The door was locked but there was a key in the padlock. I opened it cautiously and peered into the deep recess but there was no electric light. Reaching for my mobile and using its torch facility I had a good look around. At first, there didn’t seem to be anything untoward but, as my eyes got used to the light, I thought I could make out a shape of some sort at the far end of the space. Crawling in, I made my way towards it. As I got closer I thought it was a pile of discarded bedding. I was about to exit when something made me stretch out my arm and touch it and, to my utter alarm, it moved beneath my fingers. I screamed, but curiosity got the better of me, and as I pulled the top layer away, two sparkling eyes stared back at me.
“The girl was almost naked, possibly in her mid-teens. She was filthy, of slight build, and very thin; her ribs were pushing through her taut grey skin. Her greasy shoulder length hair hung limply either side of her waif-like face. She had bruising to her arms and legs which were bound with electric cord. Try as I might I couldn’t get her to speak. She was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital.”
“That certainly sounds like her. How did you manage to get her to talk?” asked Harriet.
“Although reluctant at first, she soon warmed to my personality,” said Mike, smiling.
“Really?” Harriet smiled back.
“Okay, no, but she did like chocolate. It was after the third bar that she just started talking, and I swear she’s not stopped since.”
“Who is she? What’s her story?” asked Harriet.
“She’s a distant relative of Cleo’s. Poor girl. Her parents thought it would be beneficial for her to learn how ‘a real lady conducts herself’,” said Kate.
“No, you’re having me on!”
“I’m actually not. Alice took an instant dislike to Cleo, and Cleo to Alice, so not an auspicious start. Alice was forced to work as domestic help. She was treated badly, often beaten. She lived a miserable existence. The only control she had left was to refuse to speak. Not even Cleo could make her.”
“Do you think she would agree to meet with me? I’d like to apologise to her.”
“Actually, she’s already asked to see you. She’s helping us to understand Cleo’s operation. But you should be under no illusion she is terrified of Cleo. I’m sure there are more revelations to come. We are currently trying to decide how best to protect her,” said Derek.
“I’m so relieved.” Harriet got to her feet to stretch.
“Let’s move onto Troy Manning’s note book,” Derek suggested.
“Harriet, it really was a bloody stroke of genius, leaving us that clue,” said Mike.
“I just thought it might help.”
“It was fucking brilliant.”
“Do you have it?” asked Derek.
“Yes.” Harriet bit her lip. “On the day of my meeting with Alec Brown and you, Derek, I was running late and shoved it in my desk drawer along with several other exhibits. But when I learnt that I’d been removed from Operation Eagle I completely forgot about it. It was only whilst I was imprisoned that I remembered the contents of my desk drawer had been placed in cardboard boxes and sent across to Operation Chapel. I’d put the boxes under my desk.”
“And?” Mike jumped up from his chair.
“And wait a minute, I’ll fetch it.”
Harriet returned carrying an orange exercise book in her hand. They all gathered around. “Any ideas as to how to decipher it?”
“I have,” said Derek. “Leave it with me for a day or so.”
Just then DS Paul Jones knocked on the office door. Derek gestured to him to enter.
“Thanks for popping in, Paul. Everyone, I’ve asked Paul to talk to us about DNA, specifically a sample found on the forehead of Professor Grey,” said Derek.
Kate shot Harriet a look of dismay.
“Yes, well, almost by chance we discovered a saliva sample on Professor Grey’s forehead. When we looked at it, it was clear it didn’t belong to him, so we set about testing it further. DNA in saliva come from cells in the inner lining of the mouth and from white blood cells. Through advances in this field it’s now possible in some cases to reveal the approximate age, gender, race, and even sometimes eye colour of the individual concerned.”
“And?” Mike was on his feet.
“So, as previously reported, we already knew from earlier samples that the donor was female and of southern Mediterranean descent, but we now know she is in her early twenties, with green eyes. What’s not clear is the reason for it being there.”
Harriet said nothing, but observed Kate pacing up and down.
“While I’m here I might as well also mention the tape recorder, you know the one sent to Superintendent Lacey?” said Paul.
“Yes, I recall, anything interesting?” Derek got to his feet.
“Oh, yes, I would say so. We finally got the chance to examine it in more detail earlier this week and discovered it contained a second recording.”
Kate now had her head in her hands.
“My best guess is that after the Professor died, his tape recorder continued to chronicle events. There is evidence of an unknown female at the address desperately trying to resuscitate the Professor.”
“Oh, God, this is so difficult. Okay, what I’m trying to say is that it was me,” said Kate.
“What?” Mike had noticeably stiffened.
“I can explain. I was attempting to stop Cleo. I completely messed up. Arrived too late…”
“It’s okay Kate, I’ve got this.” Harriet placed her hand on Kate’s hunched shoulders. “What I’m about to tell you must stay in this office, understood? If you feel you can’t agree to this, you should leave now.” Harriet paused, but no-one moved.
“You will need to bear with me, while I think of the best way to explain. We are currently engaged on a hugely complex case, it has many aspects to it. One of these relates to the existence of a secret Society which is over two thousand years old. Membership is not a choice, it’s a heredity obligation. There are strict rules that govern how it conducts itself. Imperative to its survival is anonymity. Members are forbidden to have direct engagement with other organisations if there’s even a remote chance that the Society’s existence could be revealed. The dilemma here was that several members were caught out by a property scam run by Troy Manning and his associates. You may well be thinking, so what? Well, these members were attempting to invest large sums of money, not for themselves but with the aim of providing aid
to the needy. To set up clean drinking water projects, source refugee camps, purchase food and medicine, and so on. When they challenged Troy and his friends they were murdered by Cleo.”
Kate got to her feet. “I’ve already told you that I became suspicious of Cleo, but I decided to go out on my own, to follow her, and attempt to gather actionable evidence. But I was completely out of my depth, and naïve. I left my forensic footprints literally all over the crime scene. For my actions, I was very nearly banished from the Society. But I was given a second chance. I now have a wise mentor and I’m no longer the rash impulsive girl I was nine months ago. It was never my intention to cause chaos. I only ever wanted to help. Anyway, somehow I managed to persuade the hierarchy that we had a duty to assist. And that’s what we’ve been doing since. I hope you can forgive me? And if not, I’m ready to accept my fate.”
“Bloody hell. You are full of surprises, but I like your honesty and I sympathise with the dilemma you found yourself in,” said Mike.
“Derek?” asked Harriet.
“Well, it’s a lot to take in. I still have many questions, which I’m sure you’ll answer in due course, but fundamentally you’ve been invaluable to this enquiry. Sometimes in difficult cases it’s necessary to be creative, to work outside the box. I think we can say with confidence that we’ve done that here.”
“Paul?”
“I’m rarely rendered speechless, but this would be one such occasion. However, don’t worry, the whole thing is fascinating and my lips are sealed.”
