The Escape (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 2)

by Claire Merrington

  “Your right Amy. Come on let’s get back to the station. We have lots to do.”

  Chapter 11

  Jane and Amy made it back to the station and found that they had several faxes waiting for them that they had been expecting from forensics. The crime scene techs had indeed found the numeric code confetti at the scene consistent with a two-prong taser. That is an x2 police issue sidearm. On the confetti they found the code 99924 so it was definitely registered to a police officer. But they would need to look into their own internal database to see which one was carrying that specific handset. The results were also in for the extra piece of tissue that was found in the victim’s stomach. It was too degraded to do a full DNA profile or to even compare it to the sample of Thaddeus DNA that was in the system. But what they could get was that it came from a Caucasian male, which is consistent. They had also managed to identify the white powder substance that showed up in the victim’s hair. The analysis completed by the trace department came back as a burn off from a factory that makes household cleaning, laundry and other such products.

  “Really burn off from a factory that produces those kind of products. The only one in the area is Proctor and Gamble.”

  “That’s true. But is there any where near there where you have the privacy and the ability to be able to hang someone. I thought it was all commercial buildings around there.”

  “There is a wooded area of to the side. It’s behind another commercial building that I suppose if he went to the centre of the wooded area he would be safe from view.”

  “Ok well shall I get a unit and some crime scene techs over there to go check it out. They might be able to find the tree. The bark should show wearing marks like a rope burn from where he had her lashed up.”

  “Yeah call it in Thaddeus may have left us some more clues over there as well. I’m going to ring the maintenance for my apartment block see if I can get the tapes for the car park CCTV footage sent over. I best check my emails as well. Eric sent me a text to check in. Everything is going well the Superintendent apparently has sent us some things to look into.”

  “Ok well once I have called this through I’ll start on the tapes from the supermarket.”

  “Thanks Amy.”

  Jane spoke to the supervisor of the maintenance company he assured Jane he would have somebody bring the CCTV footage they need over within the hour. Jane checked her emails there were several there from the Superintendent. All containing multiple pieces of information regarding the purchasing of materials that Thaddeus had made that could make explosive devices. Most of it made no sense to Jane so she forwarded all of the emails regarding purchases over to the bomb unit for their analysis. Jane would let them work out what’s probative. And how many devices it means Thaddeus is capable of producing.

  The information regarding Thaddeus associates however had turned out a little more disheartening in a sense. Word of mouth from Perry and the people he had spoken to had got round. Thaddeus was a no go area, nobody was aloud to help him in anyway. Which in one part meant that Thaddeus world of connections had been made rather small, like Jane wanted. But quite scarily the warning had gone out from all head bosses that any force necessary could be used against Thaddeus if they even see him. Jane was starting to worry. That message must of come from Perry and that gave her the horrible idea that she didn’t even know the person who she had fallen in love with. It certainly was starting to look like that. Perry had more influence on these people that what Jane or anyone had ever imagined.

  “You ok Jane? What did the emails say?”

  “I’ve forwarded all the ones retaining information on purchases to the bomb unit. They can work out what’s probative in there for making devices. The associates however may have given me a slight issue. Amy I think I might have a problem with Perry but you cant say anything to anyone if I tell you.”

  “Of course not. What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I think Perry might be a bigger player in this area than what we first thought. I think he may be bigger than just a drug dealer. I know he did wheeling’s and dealings and made connections. He has told me that himself. He always said it was part of being a good business man, its how he has come to know so many of Thaddeus associates. Which don’t get me wrong in both cases it has helped us out immensely. But my problem lies with the fact that he still has so much weight with them. We have got nowhere with the associates because they have all been warned that Thaddeus is a no go area, they are not allowed to help him. And they have been given the open invitation that any force necessary can be used against him if they even see him.”

  “Ok Jane let me clarify that what is worrying you is that you think the order for any force necessary came from Perry correct?”

  “Yeah that’s basically what I’m leaning on.”

  “Well I can tell you it most probably did. I saw the way Perry looked after Thaddeus had kidnapped and hurt you. And that same look was in his eyes when he learnt that Thaddeus had escaped and threatened you again. Perry is your typical alpha male. Its bread in him to protect the people he loves. My advices to you don’t concentrate too much on what Perry has done in the past. Look to the present and what he is doing now. And to the future that the two of you are building together, you should give him some credit.”

  “Your right Amy. It just freaked me out some. And its created quite a perplexing thought. Follow me with this as my brain runs through it. Perry originally was the one that sold Thaddeus rohypnol. So Thaddeus knew who Perry was and what he looked like. So when you guys roll up to save me and Layla and you bring Perry along in tow Thaddeus learnt what Perry had become to me. Thaddeus must have known how big of a player Perry is in this area. So when he escaped from prison he must of instantly assumed his former associates were going to be of no help to him. So it raises the question as to who has been helping Thaddeus. We once assumed he was driving a Vauxhall Insignia that followed me. But where would he get that car, we assumed he borrowed it from a friend, but we have learnt he no longer has those. So if it was him where did that car come from and why haven’t we seen it since? And where has he been staying?”

  “Ok well we know that Kyle McManus helped him in prison learn about making bombs perhaps we will learn when we go and pay him a visit if he helped him with anything else. Or perhaps Thaddeus formed some other friends on the inside that could have helped him. On the other matter why don’t you just check with the DVLA who the car is registered to? At least that way you will know for definite if the car was Thaddeus by who its keeper is.”

  “Good idea. You make a start with the CCTV footage from the supermarket. The tapes from my apartment block should be here soon as well. I am going to get back in touch with the chief warden of the prison see if he knows of anyone else that Thaddeus was particularly chatty to. He can round them up for holding as well until we can get to the prison. Then I’ll get onto DVLA.”

  “Ok I’ve just received a message from Ian they are on there way back now. None of the associates panned out obviously and they have visited all the shops.”

  “Excellent did he say if they got the cooperating CCTV footage?”

  “Yeah he said they have another six tapes to go through.”

  “Well let’s make sure we know something as well to tell them when they get back.”

  The next hour passed with a blur Jane and Amy were in a constant flurry of phone calls and information being faxed and printed. Jane and Amy had worked out alongside the DVLA and the supporting CCTV evidence that the Vauxhall Insignia was actually the car of their first victim Helen Moore. Which is why when the initial Police officers investigated they suspected that the victim had run off rather than being kidnapped. The one piece of information Jane was struggling with is she certainly didn’t seem like the type of woman, or have the type of family, that would have tinted windows to an illegal level. So that must have been Thaddeus first stop to make the windows of his acquired car darker so that he couldn’t be seen while driving it. So to con
firm their suspicions Jane rang the husband David Moore. Jane gave him an update of the search for Thaddeus and asked about the car that his wife drove. The husband managed to clarify that the windows were not tinted before his wife had been kidnapped so Thaddeus had indeed tinted the windows himself.

  “So Thaddeus tinted the windows himself. How would he do something like that?”

  “Well you can purchase a tinted film that you just stick onto the inside of your window yourself.”

  “Yeah but I doubt any reputable company would retail a tint that is dark enough to deem it illegal.”

  “Maybe not but if he purchased the darkest film they do and enough to double up on each window that would do it. And we know he has a steady enough hand to be able to make a bomb so sticking a film sheet to a window would be no problem for him.”

  “Ok good point. So where would one purchase such tinted window film?”

  “Halfords is probably the best bet. A larger retail shop like that is more likely to carry it in stock. So taking into account that the victim was kidnapped from Morrison’s car park in Grays I would say our best bet for Halfords shop he went to would be Lakeside Retail Park.”

  “Ok well get onto the store manager and see if he can confirm the sale of such items on that day. If he says yes let them know were be sending a team to pick up the CCTV footage to support the sale. So they will need to get a copy of that ready.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Jane had also spoken to the Chief Warden at the Belmarsh prison where Thaddeus was being held to see if he knew any other inmates that Thaddeus had conversed much with, other than the bomb teacher Kyle McManus. The chief warden confirmed that Thaddeus only other ally within the prison had been James York, one of the fathers that he had been convicted with, but for the last few months no contact between them had taken place as James York had been placed into solitary confinement for his own protection. So Jane knew her best bet of finding anyone that had been helping Thaddeus since he had escaped would be through Kyle McManus. Jane was going to have to dig a little deeper into the history of that inmate and see whom his associates in the area are.

  Ian, Eric, the Superintendent and the rest of the police officers that they had taken with them had just returned. They all looked a little worse for ware after what had obviously been a tiring long day in the field. Jane went over to the coffee pot and refilled it and switched it on to be able to pour the whole team a cup. Jane rang Perry to see if he was available to come down and sit in on the team meeting seen as he had been helping so much with the associates plus she needed some extra help with the new drug lead that they had.

  “Were have a team meeting in a few minutes guys. Were just going to wait for Perry to arrive. So just sit down and relax for a few and enjoy your cup of coffee and then were get started.”

  “Has Perry got any new information for us then that we need to wait for him.”

  “I’m unsure as to whether he has learnt anything new but seen as he has been helping so much with that I thought it would be best we wait. Plus we have developed another new lead that we could use his help with but I’ll explain all that once he gets here.”

  “Ok Detective if this is your wish.”

  Perry arrived within fifteen minutes and the team sat down along side him for the new briefing.

  “Ok guys lets discuss where we are at. Today has been a flurry of information and new leads. The Vauxhall Insignia that we believed to have followed me to work one morning. We have now confirmed to be in Thaddeus possession at the time. The car itself belongs to our first victim Helen Moore. Strangely though the windows of the car were not tinted before. So Amy and me looked into it and found that you can purchase the window tint film from Halfords stores. So we deduced from the areas that he had been and most likely was at the time. That the Lakeside Retail Park store was our best bet and Amy has just confirmed that a man purchased a large amount of film on that date. They are sorting out a copy of the supporting CCTV footage for us now so someone is going to need to collect that. We went and collected the CCTV footage from the supermarket and we have gone through that. You couldn’t see clearly from the view and angle that the camera is at. But you can see that it is Thaddeus approaching Helen Moore as she is loading her shopping into her boot. They obviously converse on some level and then Thaddeus enters the driver’s side and Helen enters the passenger side and off they drive. We also received from the coroner the complete toxicology reports for both Jack and Helen. They both had been injected with a high dose of LSD before they were killed. Perry is there any way you can trace the purchase for us?”

  “Yeah I’ll look into it if I don’t know the dealer himself I’ll probably know his handler. So I’ll find out who sold it to him and I suppose you are going to need a rough idea on how much he bought?”

  “If you can that would be great.”

  “Ok not a problem.”

  “Great the next thing we did is obviously we have learnt that a lot of Thaddeus old associates haven’t been helping him so he must of developed some new friends. Now we know that while he was in prison Kyle McManus helped him get some bomb development knowledge. So I feel its safe to say that Kyle could of helped him more for when he got out. So I spoke to the chief warden at the facility and Kyle McManus is now being held in solitary confinement ready for when one of us can get over there to talk to him. I also confirmed with the warden as to whether Thaddeus regularly conversed with any of the other inmates. The only other person happened to be James York. Our lawyer friend but he has been held in solitary confinement for the last few months of the term he is serving to keep him safer. So our best bet for anyone aiding Thaddeus I believe will lie with Kyle McManus. So we need to find out what associates, friends or family he has in this area. I have also forwarded all the information regarding purchases that we have confirmed Thaddeus making to the bomb unit for their analysis.”

  “Ok Detective so what is the action plan?”

  “Well with the upmost respect Sir hold your horses I still have more information for you then were get to the action plan from it.”

  “Ok Detective takes it away again.”

  “Ok well we learnt the analysis for the white powder that was in our victims hair. It was burn off substance from a factory that produces household like products. The only one in the area is Proctor and Gamble. So we may have a possible crime scene. So I have sent crime scene techs and a unit to the wooded area off to the side to see if they can find our tree. They should be there now investigating. We also heard back from the crime scene techs regarding as to whether any taser confetti was found at the scene of Jack. We have a code and a make of taser. It is a police issue X2 taser with the numeric code 99924.”

  “Well with that code its definitely a police issue. I’ll have a look at the system and see who was issued that particular side arm.”

  “Thank you Sir. The lab also analysed the extra piece of tissue alongside that of her own that they found in Helen Moore’s stomach. The tissue sample was too degraded for a complete DNA profile but they were able to tell us that it came from a white male. The CCTV footage from the maintenance department from my apartment block has also been delivered but I couldn’t bring Amy or myself to watch it yet.”

  “Ok so we have had quite a productive day on gathering information so how do we turn that into an action plan?”

  “Ok well we need to get someone all over Kyle McManus. From going to see him to looking into all the ins and outs of his life I want to know everything. We need to review all left over CCTV and mark on the map all the extra locations so we keep an accurate and up to date geographical profile going. I also received another voice mail from Thaddeus so we got onto the phone company and traced it back to another pay phone so we need to look up that location and mark that on the map as well. There is also a possible witness from the supermarket that needs speaking to one Hal Walpole. We need to collect the footage from Halfords and Perry I’m really leaving you to working the LSD angle. I ho
pe that’s ok and I don’t suppose you know or have heard of Kyle McManus?”

  “It’s fine anyway I can help. Unfortunately on that no it’s not a name I have heard of but that doesn’t mean someone I know doesn’t. So I’ll add it to my list of questions to ask.”

  “That’s great thank you. So a lot to be done still but we are getting there. Thaddeus will be feeling our presence.”

  “Sorry mam I always feel like I’m interrupting but there is another Parcel Force delivery man with a package waiting for you. I thought you might like to sign for this one yourself in case you had any questions.”

  “Ok Alan thanks. Send him through.”

  In walked a very nervous looking Parcel Force delivery man with the same size and type of package as the last so Jane could only assume it held the same, photos of a new victim.

  “Do you know where this package came from?”

  “There is no return address sticker on the package and that isn’t information necessarily that would be shared with me. The parcels just get loaded onto my van and I deliver what I’m given.”