by Woods, Karen
Lenny folded his arms under his chin and rested on the table as his feet kicked into the floor. He took a deep breath and gasped. “I just phoned them when he was there. That’s all they wanted me to do. As soon as he come, I fucked off.” The officer looked shocked and prompted him to continue. He was on the ball now and wanted more information.
“Who fucked off?” You could see Lenny biting down on his lip as he continued.
“The two guys from Manchester. I’m not sure what their names are. I just get my drugs from them that’s all. Can I go now or what?” Lenny stood up from his chair and paced the floor. He didn’t look well.
The two investigating officers leant back in their chairs. PC Jordan explained to him he would need more details about the suspects. At first Lenny wasn’t giving anything away, but once he heard he could be out on bail before the night was through he gave them all they needed to know. He was singing like a Canary. Once the interview was over Lenny knew he’d betrayed the lads. His body was shaking rapidly and the officers agreed for him to see the on-call doctor before they continued. Lenny looked like death warmed up.
Within a few hours the house in Blackpool was raided and everyone was arrested. The police found a substantial amount of money and drugs. Lenny finally told the police everything they needed to know and once the other lads from the house were in the police station too it was confirmed who the suspects were. The police had the names of the murderers.
The Preston police worked together with the Manchester force and in the early hours of the morning a warrant was issued for Colby and Shaun’s arrest.
*
The following night Shaun hadn’t been asleep long when he heard someone banging at the front door. He quickly jumped from his bed and nearly fell over. He flapped about the bedroom as he peeped through the window. Moving the net curtain slightly he could see it was the dibble at the door. Gladys was now at his bedroom door rubbing her eyes.
“Who is it? Is it our Katie?” Shaun told her to go back into her room. He was running around like a headless chicken. As he kicked Colby on the floor they both started to get ready. Colby didn’t fully understand at first what was going on but once he heard the hammering on the door he grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed.
Both lads crept down the stairs. Shaun quickly glanced into the living room. He could see the shadow of the police officers outside the door. He whispered to Colby at his side.
“Fucking hell it’s swarming with dibble. Let’s have a look around the back.” Colby followed him and kept his body low. Shaun peered through the little side window and couldn’t see anyone. Within minutes he had the key in the back door and opened. Looking both ways he made his bid for freedom, but it was too late the police saw him from over the fence and gave chase.
Shaun could hear Colby screaming in the distance. He could be seen trying to fight the officers off. There were more than four of the fuckers on top of him. They twisted him up straight away and placed the handcuffs on him. Colby was still trying to break free but it wasn’t long before they had him in the back of the police van. His distressed voice could be heard screaming from inside. You could hear him kicking at the back doors. “Let me out ya daft bastards.” He was yelling at the top of his voice.
Shaun’s legs felt like jelly. He could hear the police shouting from behind him to stop but it didn’t deter him from trying to escape. He was on his toes. Shaun made his way to the old market on Conran Street and jumped the wall leading to the market stalls. It was pitch black and he couldn’t see a thing. His body froze for a minute trying to think of his next move. Shaun rolled his body under a stall and lay quivering. You could hear dogs barking in the distance. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Shaun muttered. He was debating moving his hiding place but decided to stay where he was as it was too late.
As he lay like a scared animal he could see the beams of a torch searching near where he lay. His hand covered his mouth as he tried to control his breathing. The noise of dogs barking seemed to be getting closer. He panicked. Rolling out in full view Shaun made a run for it but a dog saw him and chased after him at speed.
Climbing the wall Shaun felt a yanking at his leg. As he looked down the police dog had the bottom of his jeans in its mouth. Shaun watched as its head shook his pants from side to side. He tried kicking it but it was no good, the mutt wasn’t letting go. Losing his balance Shaun fell to the ground with a crash. The hound was now all over him and shaking his body as it got a better grip. “Fucking mutt,” Shaun growled as he wriggled about.
Shaun kicked and punched at the animal but the Alsatian dog wasn’t giving up. He raised his fist and plunged it into the dog’s face. Loud growling could be heard. His fist pummelled its face several times but it just made the dog more determined to restrain him.
Voices in the distance could be heard and the sound of footsteps getting closer let him know his number was up. The streetlamp gave off enough light to let the officer know where the dog was. Within minutes crowds of officers were all over him. They were shouting at him to remain still but he was still wriggling about. Once he was cuffed they led him to the police van. One of the officers recognised Shaun and made a comment.
“I’ve not seen you for years Cook. I thought you were going straight now?” Shaun didn’t reply as he was thrown onto the cold floor of the white van. As he pulled his body from the floor he could hear the police talking outside. He pressed his ear closer to the doors but couldn’t make out a word they were saying.
The journey didn’t take long. Once the engine stopped he prepared himself to meet the arresting officers again. The van doors swung opened and a voice told him to come outside. He thought about trying to make a getaway again but the officers had all the escape routes covered. As he stepped out of the van he realised he was in Collyhurst police station. He’d been there so many times in the past and it didn’t look any different than he’d remembered it.
As Shaun came through the doors a large desk stood in front of him. He remembered it was the charge desk. They led him past it and down a small corridor to the holding cells. He could hear Colby shouting in a nearby cell and shouted back at him as the custody officers pushed him past.
“Colby it’s me Shaun. Say fuck all mate until the solicitor gets here.” He didn’t hear his reply because he was pushed into a cell and the door was slammed behind him. At first he stood behind it and kicked at the iron door a few times but he knew there was no point and headed towards the back wall.
The cell was bare. A small ledge was situated on the back wall and a wafer thin mattress covered it. Walking over to it Shaun cupped his head in his arms. “I don’t fucking believe this,” he ranted. Looking down at his shoes he hated that they’d taken away his laces, otherwise he would have strung himself up there and then to escape the days that lay ahead.
Lying with his hands looped behind his head he stared at the ceiling. It just seemed that whenever he was doing alright in life something always happened to knock him for six. Shaun knew how much trouble he was in and prayed Colby could hold his tongue. He racked his brains and thought about what evidence the police could have that would put them at the scene of the crime. With a grin on his face he thought he was safe and started to relax thinking he would be let out pretty soon.
Hours passed and his solicitor finally came. He introduced himself as Anton. He shook his head as he read the evidence from the police. Anton was a middle-aged man with thick black hair. He looked like he worked out because when he hung his jacket round the back of the chair his muscles bulged through his crisp white shirt. The room where they sat was quite warm and four chairs were situated around the table. Pulling his briefcase to the table Anton searched for a pen. Shaun was sat on the chair facing him and watched his every movement.
Shaun listened to the allegations and shook his head as Anton repeated them over and over again. Rocking on his chair he asked what they had on him. His solicitor read further papers and shook his head as he told him about the witnes
s’s statements.
“Witnesses!” Shaun screamed. “What fucking witnesses?” Anton leant on the table and rolled his pen in his fingers as he continued.
“They have a witness saying you had a rent boy set up a meeting with the dead man.” Shaun’s face changed and he looked white. His mind was doing overtime and he couldn’t believe Lenny had stitched them up. Shaun struggled for breath as he held a tight grip around his neck. Shaun now folded his arms behind his head.
“It’s a load of shit. Get me fucking out of here. They’ve got Jack shit on me.” Anton started writing and asked lots more questions. His face looked stern when he listened to the answers the suspect was giving him. It wasn’t adding up. Shaun knew this wasn’t going to be easy. He denied any knowledge of knowing the murdered man and told Anton that he’d been with his girlfriend all night long.
After a long interview with his solicitor the police came and locked Shaun back up. On his way back to his cell he could see Colby stood at the charge desk with his arms behind his back still cuffed.
It wasn’t long before Shaun was stood there too. The officer read the charges out and told him he would be in court the following day. His face looked cocky as he spoke.
“I’ve done fuck all wrong. Why the fuck are you keeping me?” The charge officer made no comment and carried on reading the allegations. The other police officers in the room looked at the young man and shook their heads. They’d seen it so many times before and knew by the evidence they had in front of them that Shaun wouldn’t be seeing the light of day for many years.
Leading him back to his cell they locked the door behind him. The sound of the door slamming sent a chill down his spine. Goosebumps appeared on his skin. Making his way to the bed he fell front first onto the plastic mattress. Punching the side of the bed he screamed out.
“It’s a load of shit. Colby if you can hear me you prick. You better sort this fucking lot out.” He sat up straight. He remained still to see if he could hear his co-accused answering him. Nothing. All he could hear was a drunken man next door singing “Collyhurst Road” at the top of his voice. The words of the song made him smile as he remembered him and his brother Paul singing it with their dad when they were kids.
Reality set in within minutes. Shaun lay down on the stinking thin mattress and pulled the blanket over his body. He looked cold. All night long he could hear doors slamming and his eyes stared into the darkness as he listened outside his door.
*
Morning came and the police officer arrived at his cell offering him some breakfast. Shaun was sarcastic and spoke to him with his head tilted to the side.
“Do I look like I want any fucking breakfast?” The man smiled at him and left his cell. Shaun stretched his body out and pulled his trainers on. He could hear noises outside the door. He was sure he could hear Colby’s voice. As he ran to the door he placed his ear next to it, but couldn’t really hear anything. His body felt like a ton weight as he sank to the floor. Shaun sat thinking and hoped Becky would defend him if the police questioned her, but he wasn’t holding his breath. The door opened and a police officer was stood watching him.
“Come on lad, let’s get you to court.” Another officer joined him now and watched his every move as he stood to his feet. Shaun couldn’t be arsed arguing with them. He trudged to the corridor as one stood in front of him and one stood behind. “Fucking hell,” Shaun mumbled.
Shaun was in the sweat box and he could hear other criminals being escorted to their places to sit for the journey to court. The white van had small compartments in it. Behind every door was a small seat and a window. Shaun watched the door close behind him and stared out at the view. As the engine started he held his head back and fidgeted about in his seat. Passing familiar landmarks he knew it wouldn’t be long before he arrived at Preston magistrates courts.
The journey took just under an hour. It was a ballache that they couldn’t be heard in Manchester but his solicitor had told him because the crime was committed in Blackpool, they would have to be dealt with in Preston. As they pulled up he was glad to stretch his legs as he was getting cramp. The door opened and he cupped his hands over his eyes to avoid the sunlight. The Group Four security men didn’t take long to get him inside and he didn’t see any other criminals.
Anton came to his cell before court and asked him what he wanted to do regarding his case. He told him that if he pleaded guilty he would be remanded. Shaun looked confused and knew he had to be straight with him. His solicitor was an alright guy.
Colby had already confessed to the murder of Shaky much to Shaun’s surprise. He’d said in his interview that Shaun had nothing to do with it, but the witness statements had said something different. Looking at Anton for guidance Shaun shook his head.
“Fucking hell mate. I don’t know what the fuck to do. I mean like I told you, I was there but I didn’t do fuck all.” Anton read from his notes and chewed on his lip.
“Basically you’re fucked Shaun. They have two strong statements putting you at the scene of the crime. No matter what, you’re involved in it one way or another.”
Shaun itched at his skin. It looked and felt like it was on fire. Taking a deep breath he told his solicitor that he would go into court and plead not guilty for now. He wanted to wait to see all the evidence they had against him first. His solicitor agreed but in the back of his mind he knew the young man in front of him would be getting a few years shoved up his arse no matter what.
After meeting his solicitor he was led into the courtroom. For the first time he saw Colby as he sat next to him in the dock. He looked broken and he refrained from any eye contact with Shaun. Before the judge started to speak Colby whispered under his breath.
“Don’t worry, it’s my mess and I’ll sort it out. I’ve said you had fuck all to do with it.” The usher looked at him with a frown on his face and ordered that they both sat in silence. The judge sat in his black leather chair at the front of the courtroom. He peered over his glasses every now and then looking at the accused men. The prosecution began to read the evidence out and told the courtroom why he wanted both men to remain in custody. Shaun had put a bail application in and he kept his fingers crossed that the court would see he was an innocent man.
Once both parties had spoken the judge took a minute. He asked them to stand up. Shaun fidgeted around while Colby looked like an empty shell. Bail was refused and both the accused were now taken down to the holding cell. Few words were spoken and once they were out of the court Shaun shouted to his co-accused. “Colby you better put this right! I’m not getting slammed for something I haven’t done!” The security guards pulled at his hands as he waited for a reply but Colby just walked off in a world of his own. He looked like his head was gone.
The cell looked as depressing as ever as he lay on the stale mattress. Looping his arms behind his head he stared at the flaking gloss paint above. The noise from outside made him sit up and lean on his side. As he fell back down he knew it was just another lad being brought back from court declaring he was unfairly treated.
At around half-past three his cell door opened. The security guard stood with a clip board in front of him. He read from the white piece of paper, scrolling his pen up and down it.
“Cook, Shaun?” He looked at Shaun’s face and waited for him to reply.
“Yep that’s me. Where am I off to, boss?” The man smiled and told him he was off to Preston jail.
Shaun nodded and knew the journey would be short. The Group Four man looked quite friendly and Shaun started to joke with him.
“Fucking hell. Preston is a shite nick, I’ve heard. They’re all tractor drivers and sheep shaggers.” The man laughed and led him from the cell. Shaun quickly asked him to check the list for his mate Colby and asked if he was going to Preston too.
With another quick glance the officer confirmed his mate was going to Strangeways in Manchester. Shaun’s face screwed up and he tried to argue with him.
“For fuck’s s
ake can’t you get me there as well? What chances have I got of a visit all the way up here?” his hands were waving about in front of him, he looked distressed. “All my family’s in Manchester. Can’t you work it so I can go there as well?” Another member of staff came to his side now and he wasn’t as friendly as the other. He gripped Shaun’s arm and spoke in a firm voice.
“It’s not a fucking travel agency. I suppose you want an apartment facing the pool as well don’t you?” Shaun knew not to answer back and trudged to the sweatbox.
“Prick!” he whispered under his breath. He’d wanted to open fire on the cocky cunt but he bit his tongue.
The doors closed behind him and he punched his fist into it as they closed. You could see he was bursting with temper. The sounds from the others convicts in the van sent a cold shiver down his back. He held his arms around his body as his nose pressed up against the window.
Chapter Fourteen
Colby and Shaun were both found guilty of murder. Colby got life for premeditated murder and Shaun got five years for his part in it. The courtroom moaned as sentence was passed, neither prisoner made a noise. Gladys sat in court and rocked about as they spoke about her son as if he was a piece of meat. At one point she had to grip the edge of her seat so she didn’t stand up and defend her own flesh and blood. Tears dripped down her face as they led her son out of the courtroom. Katie could see her mother getting ready to blow and yanked her back down in her seat before she tried to make a show of herself. “Leave it mam, leave it!” she whispered.
Not one member of Colby’s family came to court as his sentence was passed. Colby gritted his teeth and scowled at the jury. As they led him out of court he wriggled from the grip of the security guard and shouted out in a loud voice. “It’s what he fucking deserved. He was a fucking sex case.” He was gone.
Shaun stared over towards his mother and sister before he left the courtroom. Katie could be seen crying and holding her mother in a cradled grip. The mascara dripped down his sister’s cheeks as she mouthed the words “I love you” over to her brother. The dead man’s family were inside the courtroom and shouted abuse at Shaun’s family as he was led down. Shaky’s brother was up in arms as he shouted out.
