The Organisation (Detective Jane Sparrow Book 1)

by Claire Merrington

  “Ok Jane you can bring him in to assist as long as you’re sure him being here wont affect your head we need you in this to solve the case.”

  “I’m sure Sir I’ll be fine thank you. What we need to do so that the first meeting of the two can be monitored one of the interview rooms needs to be turned around to look like a waiting room. So empty the interview room out move the waiting furniture in and get it all set up looking like it’s always been like that. If you guys could take care of that while Amy and me are out that will be great. Ok guys we’ve all got work to do lets get cracking.”

  With that Jane and Amy headed out the front door to Amy’s awaiting car. They made small conversation on the way Amy commented on how well Perry seemed to be doing and how pleased she was that they had found a place in each other’s life. Jane couldn’t help but smile at the mention and thought of Perry. They both knew the conversation was only there to serve as a distraction from the growing tension in the pair. It’s one thing to have to tell a parent’s that their missing child has been found murdered. But the situation is even harder to gauge when you think the parent’s have something to do with it. They arrived at the Brooks house and found it if possible in even more of disarray than when they visited last. Mr. Brooks was the first to the door and Jane had to note that he looked substantially thinner and his eyes had sunken in creating bags to show how tired he was. Mrs. Brooks who was short to follow behind her husband had an already tear stained face and a sallowness to her skin that could only be caused by days of not eating or drinking.

  ‘Mr. Brooks, Mrs. Brooks may we come in please?”

  “Sure come through I believe we know why you’re here when did you find her?”

  “ I’m sorry to tell you we recovered the body of your daughter late last night in a park not far from here. I am very sorry for your loss is there anybody we can ring for you to be with you at this time or anything we can get you?”

  “No, No you cant get us what we want our daughter back. When can we see her?”

  “Were waiting for the coroner to finish his report then I will arrange for a car to pick you up to take you to see your daughter. There is one other thing that I hate to ask of you at such a time but we also need you to come down to the station to look at some photos. We have made some connection to your daughter’s case and would like your help. If you feel up to it I would like it to be today but again I’ll arrange for a car to bring you to the station so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

  “That is fine what ever we can do to help.”

  “Mrs. brooks will that be ok with you as well are you sure there is nothing I can get you. Would you like us to make you some tea?”

  “That’s very kind but no I think I’m going to go lie down I’m sure you have plenty of work to do I don’t want to keep you me and my husband are fine on our own. We will wait for your car to pick us up and take us wherever to help. I bid you farewell for now.”

  With that Jane and Amy stood to leave Mr. Brooks followed them to the door.

  “Excuse my wife I know it may not have seemed like a normal reaction of a grieving parent but after the death of our son and Valerie being all we had left I fear it may have broken her.”

  “No need to apologize Mr. Brooks everyone deals with grief differently we will speak to you shortly.”

  As Jane stepped into Amy’s car she took out her mobile and decided to ring the coroner herself to see how the examination was coming along. And more to the point who the tongue belonged to as she was having trouble concentrating on much else. Dave Berry answered at the third ring and insured her that the tongue itself had come from Valerie Brooks and that he was almost done with her examination. If they wanted to head over to his office he was sure he would be finished and available to run them through it when they arrived. Jane told Amy to drive straight to the coroner’s office and shared the news of the tongue.

  “Well least that’s one good thing in a way we know there isn’t already another victim out there. We can just concentrate on working on what Valerie has to tall us now.”

  They drove the rest of the way to the coroner’s office in silence both realizing that this was going to be a hard report to hear. And to Jane Amy seemed lost in thought and she made a mental note to pick her brain later about the parent’s as she was sure that was what Amy was mulling over. They stepped into the dimly lit coroner’s office as Dave was just finishing sewing up Valerie.

  “Oh come in Detective and Pc I’ll be with you in a moment. I’m afraid this is again a very unpleasant meeting. How are you though Detective after your scare last night?”

  “Very well thanks Dave and thanks for coming out to my apartment so quickly I know it was a long evening for us all.”

  “Yes I’m afraid that’s what’s put my report behind a little bit I’m not as young as I used to be I find it harder to keep up with these late night calls. But never the less work to be done.”

  With that Dave pulled in the last stitch to the top of the right clavicle and snipped of the end of the thread. Jane could still smell the overpowering smell of human remains and disinfectant and what Jane thought was a slight undertone of brandy but she couldn’t be sure.

  “Ok Dave what can you tell us?”

  “The tongue that was hand delivered to you was from that of Valerie Brook’s. I can tell you her tongue was ripped out while she was still alive. Where the other victims died of exsanguination Valerie here drowned in her own blood. She still showed signs of torture she had the various gashes to her thighs, abdomen and chest area and with signs of bite marks and feeding from a form of rodent. She also had the heated up screwdriver burns as well as chemical burns to her nose and throat. Unfortunately for Valerie I can also tell that there had been multiple rapes including vaginal and anal penetration. I found no sources of DNA but there were multiple layers of scarring and bruising to the surrounding tissues making the act itself pretty clear. As well as the damage to the genitals, which looked to have been caused by a knife of some kind. Again stomach contents were very minimal as in nothing again my estimate three days of no food. One thing we were able to tell because she drowned in her own blood there was a clean enough and large enough source of blood to get a good toxicology reading. Rohypnol and a high amount was found in her system which is congruent with the damage shown to her heart and lungs which match that of our first victim Jennifer York.”

  “Wow ok she did get it pretty bad, ripped out her tongue she is the first one in all the cases to have that, unusual. How hard would it be to rip out a human tongue by ripped I take it you mean there were no marks to suggest a cutting tool of any kind? And was there any trace evidence on the body?”

  “Same as last time scrapings from under nails which has been sent for testing. But from what it looked like I would say it was the same from Jennifer’s but were wait for the results to be clear. As for the tongue it was ripped no sign of any sort of cutting tool having been used. You would have to be physically very strong to complete such a task.”

  “That’s great thanks for your help just need to arrange a time for the parent’s to come by and see their daughter but were arrange a squad car to bring and take them home.”

  “Ok that’s fine just call the office first but I am here all day. Take care Detective and stay safe out there.”

  Jane and Amy headed back to the station relieved to be back in the fresh air again.

  “Hey I don’t mean to sound insulting I know it’s only the second time I’ve really met the guy but did you smell brandy?”

  “Yeah I got a whiff of it once or twice. I know a couple of guys down at the station who are a bit closer to Dave I’ll get them to check in on him make sure he doing ok. So come on then are you going to tell me you were very quiet on your way over here from the parents? What were your thoughts?”

  “I wondered if you picked up on the cogs turning in my head. I don’t know they actually seemed to calm. There was no fight, no outrage in them they were just defeate
d before we even got there. I know it had been days since their daughter had been taken but I’ve known parent’s who have hung on to hope for years after their children have gone missing. Until police confirms it there is always that hope your child is going to come home. Where they seemed to have given up before they knew from us, which begs the question, did they know beforehand? Now with the York parent’s I don’t believe they did their reactions were more visceral which are harder to fake. I believe we were the ones to tell them that their daughter was definitely dead and murdered where with the Brook’s it felt like they already knew. Which raises the question was Mr. Brook’s one of the men at the park last night arguing with who we suspect was the dumper of the body?”

  “ That was my thought last night that Mr. Brooks may have been our second man our witness heard pulling into the car park. Well let’s get back to the station see how well Ian has got on with his task and how Jack and Eric have got on with the research I left them. Hopefully that room has been turned around as well that way we can get on with organizing the parent’s coming down to the station.”

  Jane and Amy pulled up to the station when Jane’s phone was lit up with a text message. To her delight it was from Perry saying he had a meeting with Frank at two and thanks for all the help hoping he would see her tonight as he would rather she stayed at his apartment again than her own. Jane fired of a quick text message back saying good luck and that she would indeed stay with him again but asking whether his son was going to be ok with him gone another night. Jane put her phone down feeling her mood lifted at the thought of another night at Perry’s it was ridiculous at the age of forty she was acting like a teenage girl but he made her forget and made her body feel in ways it hadn’t I years. And not that she would ever admit it to Darren but Perry made her body ache in places for the sheer touch of him Darren had never evoked that response in her. Amy grabbed them a cup of coffee each and they sat down with Ian, Jack and Eric to have a mid day briefing to see where they were. Ian had got in touch with traffic they had a camera down the same road as the park he was having some images sent over of what he suspected to be their dark ford escort which arrived forty five minutes before the time their witness said he saw the second car pull in. Another car that appeared to be a small white fiesta van but was seen at the time when a second car should have been pulling into the car park going down the road and it’s the only one that fits the time line for when the body was found and witness statement. The traffic camera caught a perfect plate so they were going to run it through DVLA to see who and where it was registered. Jack and Eric had some luck with their task as well they had pulled to known criminals who had a perchance for heated screwdrivers and both of them were once part of a local mob. Eric had made a call through to organized crime for some more information on the guys but said they weren’t very forthcoming for interpolice relations. The rooms had been completely turned around and Jane was pleased with how well the transition had turned out. Jane said once the Brook parent’s had been to see Valerie she would have them bought straight here she would organize for the same time for the York parent’s to be seen through to the waiting area for there to be a cross over. Jane decided she better out in a phone call to Darren see if he could make it down to the station for this afternoon. Jane also decided to send Perry another quick text asking if he knew anything about the local mob with a no offense applied she just knew he had some contacts. Beat cops had finished doing a sweep of the park as well no new evidence had shown up just like the last crime scene car treads and boot prints and a body otherwise nothing. Amy had phoned the York’s they were going to be making their way to the station for three. Ian had phoned the coroner’s office and the Brook parent’s were being picked up and should already be on their way to the office which means they should be done in time to be at the station themselves for three. Jane had set up the press conference for the ten o clock news when her phone rang at her desk.

  “Hello Detective Jane Sparrow speaking how may I help you?”

  “Hi there Jane this is Dr Tad Woodrow I received a call from your supervisor a Superintendent Andrew Walden explaining the instances that occurred last night and wondered if I could set up a meeting with you to discuss the possible motives behind these actions and just to check on your coping with being singled out when would be a good time to schedule you in? Would you be able to do this evening I had a cancellation for a seven o clock appointment?”

  “Oh right yes seven this evening would be fine. But I assure you Doctor I am fine with last night but I will see you this evening as I would like your take on motives for calling me out so personally at home. See you this evening.”

  Jane thought it was rather strange that her supervisor had arranged such a meeting but was grateful all the same as she really would like the psychologists opinion. At that thought Jane thought she better arrange for Darren to come down which he was more than pleased to do and said he would be there for half two. Perry had also text Jane back saying thank you for thinking of his son but he would be there to put him to bed and that was the main thing and also to answer her recent text he knew off a few mob guys the two in particular she asked about he believed one to be dead and the other he would have to ask some of his contacts to get the skinny on him. Jane was enthusiastic about this text Perry seemed to be turning out to be a good source of information so she told him why they needed to know and that if he heard of anyone else that could fit the bill to let her know and again another good luck for his meeting. With that there wasn’t much left to do other than wait for the parent’s to arrive which was in over an hour so they decided to grab lunch for the first time in about two weeks.

  Chapter 15

  The Brook’s were the first to arrive at the station and they were shown threw to the already set up room by Pc Jack Collins and asked to wait until the Detective was ready. Five minutes later the York’s arrived and were shown through by Pc Eric Stone and told exactly the same thing. Unbeknown to the parent’s of the victims Jane, Amy and Darren were in the opposing room looking through the one way window watching for any signs of recognition in the parent’s. To Jane’s delight the mum’s had shared a brief bought of shock on their faces when noting each other but both the father’s played it cool as though nothing was out of the ordinary. But that was all it took the one look between the mums and Jane knew what to do.

  “Jane I think your best bet is going to be the mums they weren’t as quick at hiding their shock and previous knowledge of each other as the fathers. They may be slightly more involuntary in this whole organization they may be the ones to break first.”

  “Thanks Darren I was thinking the same if we can some how separate the parents and get both the mums on their own it may give them long enough to come forward with some information. Mrs. York certainly isn’t going to be able to say anything around her husband he is a lawyer. Any questions we pose to them that could be an inference will no doubt be a no comment and a threat of suing for harassment.”

  “Ok well take them through to the other room, both sets of parent’s, show them the photos of the previous six victims including their own daughters as well in the line up. Any photos you have of men you think could be connected to the case so your story for bringing them down to the station is more substantial so you don’t raise any suspicion with it and go from there. The mums are definitely more nervous than the men they both keep swapping sideward glances and the men’s jaws are set tight and you can see their pulse in both their temples. They are trying to stay refrained and in control but the situation is definitely causing them to be under stress. There is just the slight glistening of sweat to Mr. Brooks forehead. Mr. York does seem to be under slightly better control but he is a lawyer he is paid to stay cool and calm in these sorts of situations.”

  “Ok thanks Darren your help has been valuable if you need to shoot of you can go. If you think of anything else or if I need you I will call again if that’s ok?”

  “Yeah I do need to shoot off I shoul
d really pick up Jessica thanks Jane call me any time and I will let you know if I think of anything else that could help your case.”

  Jane had a board set up in the room they were going to talk to the parents in. Each victim was displayed in chronological order and also showing the counties they were from. There were several photos laid out on the table of men that could be involved in the case. Both mob guys were shown the composite sketch of their dog walker that they got from Pc Jack Collins and just a few other local criminals from around town to fill out the gaps. As the parent’s were shown through a look of utter confusion crossed their faces as they saw the girls on the board. Jane and Amy stepped into the room. Jane carrying several pieces of extra paper with her that seemed to have spiked the interest of Mr. York.