by Oliver Tidy
And what are the drivers and their passengers involved in each of these incidents attributing them to? The appearance of a young girl on the road. And yet no young girl was either injured or found to be present at any of the scenes. The Dover Post can confirm that no young girl lives within a mile of this newest of accident black spots. However, only months ago, the Dover Post was deeply saddened to report the death of a young girl on this same stretch of road – the victim of a hit-and-run driver. The description of the dead child fits the general description of the girl drivers are claiming was standing in the middle of the road, causing them to take evasive action and crash.
The Dover Post asks: Can it be that the ghost of this poor young victim is wandering the Alkham Road at night causing accidents?
A resident of Alkham Villas who wishes to remain anonymous asked this newspaper to implore Dover police to do something before someone is seriously injured or killed. With the way things are going, it’s only a matter of time, they said. Residents of Alkham Villas are living on their nerves and, in some instances, medically-prescribed drugs.
A senior police officer at the scene of Monday’s incident – an attendance that indicates how seriously Dover police are taking the suddenly high number of incidents on this small stretch of road – had the following to say when asked for an opinion on the likelihood of the supernatural being involved.
‘Do me a favour, will you? Ghosts on the road. Whatever next? The tooth fairy spotted in Boots? It’s ridiculous. A few idiots who can’t drive, blaming paranormal activity for their own failings behind the wheel. I’d revoke their licences on the spot. They’re a bloody danger to the rest of us.’
Romney closed his eyes and breathed deeply and slowly as he momentarily explored the shit he’d just been dropped in. He quickly re-read the article. His name was not mentioned and neither was his rank. That was good. But uniform at the scene would know he’d been there. And even though they were uniformed officers, and therefore by definition of limited intelligence, it wouldn’t take much working out who the senior officer in the article was. His only hope was that another senior officer had turned up in an official capacity to supervise things, someone who could take the blame for his unguarded comment. He fleetingly fantasised that Boudicca had dropped by.
He turned his attention back to the article.
On behalf of our readership, the Dover Post will continue to monitor this situation closely and the response of the police to it. We urge all motorists using this stretch of road after dark to be particularly vigilant and should anyone else encounter the ghost girl, please get in touch with us on the following number, even if you don’t have an accident. 0304 31770 31770.
Romney put the paper down on his desk, drank some more of his coffee, stood up and went to look out of the window. He thought about what he’d just read, decided it was none of his business and sat back down. He took up the paper and turned to the inside page.
Police NOT To Investigate Allegations of Paedophile Ring Operating In Dover
The Dover Post has received a complaint from a member of the public regarding the apparent unwillingness of Dover police to investigate the possibility of a paedophile ring operating in the town.
The complainant, a Ms Amy Coker, agreed to be identified as the citizen making the allegation. In an interview with the Dover Post, Ms Coker alleges that she presented Dover police with strong physical evidence of paedophile activity raging within the Dover community only to be told by a senior CID detective after less than a day’s consideration that the police did not consider it in their or the general public’s interest to waste valuable police time and resources on the matter.
The Dover Post asks: what criminal activity does Dover police deem worthwhile for expending their valuable time and effort on? Surely the protection of our children should come at the top of the list.
When asked why she felt Dover police were not apparently interested in pursuing an investigation into her claims, Ms Coker suggested that the resistance of the police to do anything other than simply dismissing them hinted at something dark and deeply disturbing. She also added that paedophiles had long been shown to hold positions of power within society and were known for closing ranks to protect their own and each other. Everyone knows, she said, that that sort of thing is part and parcel of the insidious and secretive nature of organised and successful paedophiles rings.
The Dover Post contacted Dover CID earlier this week seeking a response but were told that there was no one available for comment.
An emotional Ms Coker asserts that the police confiscated the evidence she provided and that it has now almost certainly been destroyed. Saying she had no one left to turn to except the local press for justice for the people of Dover, Ms Coker is calling for a full and independent investigation of Dover CID and the subsequent reopening of the case involving her claims of a paedophile ring preying on the innocent children of the town.
On behalf of our readership, the Dover Post will continue to monitor this situation closely and the response of the police to it. We urge all members of the public with information about possible paedophile activity within Dover and district to contact us on 0304 31770 31770.
Romney sat stunned for over half a minute. In fact it was only the appearance and noise of Marsh and Grimes entering CID outside his office that encouraged him to stir. He went out to meet them with the newspaper distorted in his clenched fist.
‘Have either of you seen this?’ he said, shaking the newspaper at them.
‘Good morning, sir,’ said Marsh.
‘It most certainly bloody well isn’t,’ said Romney, flinging the offending recycling material down onto her desk.
Grimes picked it up and started reading. ‘Is that you who commented on the ghost girl, guv?’ he said.
‘Not that article. Look inside.’
‘Sounds like you,’ said Grimes, turning the page.
Marsh hung her coat up and came to look with Grimes.
Romney stood and waited. Marsh could feel the heat of his anger coming off him in waves.
Marsh said, ‘Perfect and sad example of society’s values going down the toilet when the press have features about ghosts on the front page and articles about suspected local paedophile rings hidden away inside.’
‘I don’t care about that,’ said Romney.
‘She’s accusing you of being a paedophile, guv,’ said Grimes.
‘No she isn’t,’ said Marsh.
‘It’s libellous,’ said Romney.
‘You haven’t been named,’ said Marsh.
‘I’m the senior officer in CID,’ said Romney.
‘It says ‘a senior CID detective’,’ said Marsh, ‘not the. It could be me.’
‘It’s a blatant distortion of the facts,’ said Romney.
Marsh said, ‘But factually it’s true, isn’t it? It might be a bit exaggerated, a touch emotive, but it’s not wrong. We did decide to put things on hold after less than a day and we did confiscate the offending material.’
‘What are we supposed to do?’ said Romney. ‘Give it back? Anyway, whose side are you on?’
‘Ours, of course, but I don’t think it’s worth getting our knickers in a twist over this bit of tabloid sensationalism.’
‘Easy for you to say. No one’s accusing you of being a lynchpin in a local paedophile ring.’
‘And no one’s actually accusing you either, sir. If you don’t mind me saying so, you need a bit of perspective here.’
They were interrupted by Spicer pushing through the double doors into CID. Spying the three of them standing together, he held aloft and waved his copy of that day’s Dover Post, in an unwittingly Chamberlainesque parody and called out, ‘Hey, guv, have you seen the local rag? They’re accusing you of being a paedophile.’
***
28
They convened in the meeting room. Furtively, they studied each other, searching for signs that perhaps others felt as bad as they did for the previous evenin
g’s imbibing of free liquor. Only Grimes appeared to not be experiencing any adverse effects.
Grimes said, ‘Last night was good fun. We should do it more often.’
Marsh said, ‘I think I can safely speak for both Justin and myself when I say that we had a good evening.’
Spicer said, ‘I threw up when I got home. Mrs made me sleep on the sofa. But it was worth it. I had a great time. Thanks, everyone.’
It was a touching remark for two of them to hear but before they could respond in kind Romney said, ‘Must I remind everyone that these meetings are supposed to be about updating and sharing our current caseloads? If you want to discuss social evenings, please do that on your own time. Some of us have more important and pressing police matters to attend to, like defending and salvaging our professional reputations, perhaps our careers.’
‘And the ghost girl, guv,’ said Grimes, disappointing Romney, who had been hoping for a bit of sympathy and support.
Romney didn’t have the energy to correct him again. Kneading his throbbing temples with his thumbs, he said, ‘What was decided last night in the end over the... business at Temple Ewell? Is Justin going to speak with the magic circle at the university?’
‘The Magic Circle are card tricks and illusions, guv,’ said Grimes.
‘Whatever. The faculty of mumbo-jumbo, then.’
Marsh said, ‘The last word, as I remember, was that he was going to talk to them. See if they were interested in taking a look. Why? Is there a problem with that now?’
‘No. I said last night that they can do whatever they like. But let’s be clear about something, I don’t want anyone from this department associating with them, taking an official interest or even acknowledging them. We are CID. We are about reality and human nature, not ghosts and ghoulies. Clear?’
They all nodded.
‘Good. We’re reopening Sammy Coker’s case,’ said Romney.
‘What do you mean?’ said Marsh. ‘How can we reopen it? Have you found something out?’
‘No.’
‘So why reopen it? What can we do?’
‘For a start, can we not say ‘reopen’ it?’
‘I’m only using the term you used,’ said Marsh.
Romney said, ‘Well let’s not. It was never officially closed. Just… ‘
‘Downgraded?’
‘No.’
‘Relegated?’
‘No. Put on hold pending.’
‘Pending what?’ said Marsh.
‘Does it matter?’
‘Yes. If we get asked it might be good for us all to be saying the same thing. It would look good.’
‘Good point. Pending…’
‘Further enquiries?’
‘No. A reassessment of the evidence. The enquiry was put on hold pending a reassessment of the evidence. As for why, I should have thought it was obvious: to be seen to be doing nothing in response to those thinly veiled accusations would be tantamount to an admission of guilt.’
‘With respect, sir…’
‘Joy, it’s not you they’re accusing of…’ Romney insisted on etching speech marks in the air, ‘… dark and disturbing behaviour – someone in authority complicit in a paedophile ring.’
‘Why not just rise above it? No comment.’
‘That’s not the way it works with small town mentalities. All it’ll take is some misguided git with a personal grudge, no sense of right and wrong and a large social media following to find out where I live and I’ll be needing new windows and the fire brigade.’
Marsh thought he was overacting, while at the same time understanding his desire not to become a target for the mob. It happened. And what with the events of recent times nationally highlighting the apparent widespread involvement of men in positions of authority abusing their power to engage in such heinous and depraved activities one couldn’t afford to be complacent.
Romney said, ‘I’m going to do a bit of digging. This whole business has stunk from the start. I don’t think that Sammy was a paedophile. I think someone is out to discredit his memory.’
Grimes put his hand up. Romney nodded that he should speak.
‘Isn’t that just what a guilty man would say, guv? Wouldn’t it be better, if it comes to it, to publically condemn his behaviour whatever your private view might be? You know, distance yourself from his memory and the allegations.’
‘Here’s hoping that I don’t get hit by a bus today. Should I expect a similar attitude from my colleagues as I lay in the mortuary growing cold? Widespread condemnation, tacit agreement with vicious rumours, a disgraced memory and a vandalised gravestone?’
‘I thought you wanted to be cremated?’ said Grimes. ‘Scattered on the cliffs, you’ve always said.’
Romney looked at the ceiling and said, ‘Back to Sammy: alleged behaviour and no, it wouldn’t. Sammy Coker might not have been a close friend of mine but he was an acquaintance, someone who helped us out from time to time, and he is not here to defend himself. If there’s one thing that I would have hoped we’d all learned while working here together it’s the value of loyalty. I’m going to give Sammy a fair crack of the whip. Fairer than I was prepared to before. I’m going to stand up to be counted until things can be proved one way of the other. Maybe some of us need to be reminded of that keystone of British law: innocent until proven guilty.’
Unmoved by Romney’s rhetoric, Marsh said, ‘We’ve already had this conversation. And the key questions remain: why would someone want to discredit his memory? And who? And what could anyone hope to gain from it?’
‘I don’t have the answers to any of those. But I’m going to address them like there are answers to find. I don’t like being made to look bad. Not in the bloody local press. And I can’t just do nothing in response to this,’ he slapped the newspaper. ‘That will just make me look guilty.’
‘So, Amy Coker’s tactic will work then?’ said Marsh.
‘What do you mean?’ said Romney.
‘Why else would she go to the local paper, let them name her, make inflammatory remarks about Dover CID? She’s hoping to put us under pressure to reopen, sorry, reassess the evidence of the case. She’s won.’
‘No she hasn’t.’
But it seemed like she had.
Romney said, ‘Something I didn’t bring up at the meeting yesterday morning. I didn’t think it was worth mentioning it seeing as where we were with things. When I told Amy Coker that we would be winding things down she became pretty angry. She made some damning accusations. She said that Sammy sexually abused her as a child.’
‘Shit,’ said Grimes. ‘And you still want to stand up and be counted for him? No wonder she’s angry. Poor cow. Fancy carrying that around with her for all those years. Well, it explains why she’d feel moved to get straight onto the local press when we disappointed her.’
‘It might do more than that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘If you’re looking for a motive for discrediting his memory there is one.’
‘Hang on, guv,’ said Spicer. ‘You said a minute ago that you didn’t believe he was a paedophile but now you’ve just said that his daughter, his own flesh and blood, has said that he sexually abused her. How does that fit in with your thinking?’
Romney ran a hand through his hair. ‘I don’t know. But something doesn’t seem right to me. I’ll give it a shot. I need to.’
No one disagreed.
Romney said, ‘And if the Dover Post phone asking for comment on anything put them through to me. I don’t want to give them an opportunity to make up more lies about us saying there’s no one available.’
‘That was me, guv,’ said Grimes. ‘I didn’t think you’d want to be bothered with them.’
Romney stared at Grimes for a long moment before opening his mouth to say something. But he quickly shut it when he noticed Boudicca weaving her way through the furniture of the outer office in their direction.
The station chief put her head around the meeting
room door and said, ‘Can I have a word upstairs, Tom, when you’re finished here?’
‘Of course, ma’am,’ said Romney.
They all noticed that she was holding a copy of that day’s local paper.
Boudicca offered a general good morning to the rest of them and disappeared without waiting for a reply.
Understandably somewhat distractedly, Romney asked them if they had anything to share.
Grimes said, ‘You haven’t forgotten I’ll be taking a trip down to Romney Marsh regarding the garden machinery thefts?’
Romney did not look up from the paperwork he was now shuffling through. ‘No. I haven’t. Are your jabs up to date?’
‘Yes, guv.’
Still Romney did not look up. ‘Right. Fine. Do what you have to.’
‘And that James asked if he could come with me?’
Romney shrugged and went back to his sorting. ‘Whatever. But if he suggests a barefoot walk on Dymchurch sands, a paddle in the Channel and an ice-cream, remind him that you are an on-duty police officer. There and back. OK?’
‘Will do, guv.’
After Romney had left for his meeting with Boudicca, Marsh sidled up to Grimes. ‘Nicely done.’
‘What, Sarge?’
‘You know what. If I didn’t have a shed-load of papers to sort through and familiarise myself with for court I wouldn’t mind coming with you for a day trip to the seaside. What have you found out?’
Grimes looked around to make sure Romney had not returned. ‘Actually, it was James’ idea. It’s really why he wants to come along. See it through. He thinks like a policeman. He suggested we check out insurance as a possible connection.’
‘Hadn’t you already? I would’ve done.’
‘It was on the list I was working my way through but his interest brought it forward as a line of enquiry. Anyway, turns out that all five machines were insured through the same agent. An outfit called Martello Insurance Services.’
‘And that’s on Romney Marsh? Not exactly the insurance hotspot of the UK. Not exactly Lloyd’s of London, is it.’
