“Yes, I guess so. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere this posh in my life!” The new DC really was in love with the place, and Saunders found her look of awe extremely endearing. He looked across at the hotel’s grand staircase once he realised that he’d been taking rather a long look at his new colleague.
A moment or so passed, and then the concierge came back, with a very serious looking lady. “Thank you for waiting, this is The Midland’s general manager, Erica Hartley. I’ll leave you in her care.”
“Thanks,” said Saunders, “how do you do Mrs Hartley?”
“Oh, call me Erica, follow me, we’ll go along to my office.” The manager walked quickly, and headed off with great speed past the reception area and onto a corridor that ran behind the check-in desk.
“Blimey, it’s even posh behind-the-scenes,” muttered Grant as she struggled to keep up with Saunders, who was having trouble keeping up with Erica Hartley himself.
“Here we are, come on in, take a seat, may I get you a drink, tea, coffee?” Erica was clearly a woman who worked quickly, and had rifled through the pleasantries as Saunders and Grant were still walking into the office.
“No, I’m…”
“We’re fine, thanks,” said Grant, taking a seat
facing the strict, bossy looking manager.
“So, this is about Kathy Hopkirk?” said Erica, sitting up straight at her desk, her face was set in stone, giving absolutely nothing away. Neither Saunders or Grant could tell if she was happy, sad, angry or calm. She just looked completely neutral and it was rather off-putting.
“Yes, presumably you’ve been contacted…”
“Yes, the Metropolitan Police have made a number of calls to myself and my assistant manager, but this is the first time that I have met any police officers face-to-face regarding this matter.”
“Well, it was only reported yesterday…” Saunders felt that he was getting a back-handed bollocking.
“I know. It’s extremely frustrating for ourselves though, particularly concerning the media presence outside. It’s extremely alarming for our guests, and I hope that the matter can be resolved soon. After-all, we have had this entourage outside for almost twenty-four hours now.”
“With the greatest respect Mrs… Erica, that has nothing to do with us. We just want to speak to you about the CCTV footage of Kathy leaving the hotel, and we would like to know a few particular details regarding the room, how it was left, details of any phone calls that were made, or received on the hotel room’s phone line.” DC Helen Grant had impressed Saunders with the skilful way that she had shut Erica Hartley up, and had effortlessly assumed authority over the situation.
“Okay… well… if we start with the CCTV, we have several shots of Kathy leaving her hotel room, then we have footage of her in the lift, in the foyer and finally on the steps, leaving the hotel. She turned right, heading towards the tram stop, but our cameras lose sight of her after this.”
“Oh, well that’s extremely helpful, and it will give us a good starting point for capturing her movements on the city centre cameras.”
“Well, if you wish, I’ll arrange for Derek, my head of security to take you down to our control room in the basement, where you can review the footage yourselves, and he’ll burn it to a disc for you.”
“Oh, that’d be good, thank you. What about the phone line?”
“Yes, I can generate those details for you. I don’t think the Met asked for the phone records so it may take a little while.”
“Okay, well, I’ll jot down my e-mail address, and you can forward the records on to me later.”
“How was the room left?” asked DC Grant.
“As I understand it, the room was immaculate.”
“Can we see?” asked Grant, impressing Saunders greatly with her fast pace.
“Well, we had to remove Mrs Hopkirk’s belongings from her room on Friday afternoon, and we placed the items in lost property. Check-out is ten am, you see. We had guests booked in for Friday, and they were booked for the entire weekend. So it left us with no option really but to remove Mrs Hopkirk’s items, and get the room ready.”
“Is that the usual practice?” asked Saunders, surprised by the rather unforgiving way that Kathy’s stuff had been brusquely removed in such an abrupt manner.
“Of course, that’s our normal policy. It wouldn’t do to turn customers away, because another customer hasn’t come back in time. We do this kind of thing most days in fact. There is always somebody who has gone on somewhere else after a night out in the city. It happens quite regularly.”
“So when did you realise that Kathy hadn’t come back for her things?”
“Well, the bill hasn’t been settled, so that was an indicator that something was amiss. But when Mrs Hopkirk’s manager called us on Saturday, I think that was when I started to wonder what was going on.”
“How was she?”
“In what respect, detective?”
“How was Kathy’s manner. Was she happy, was she chatty? Did she seem upset? Nervous?” Grant was still chipping away, making notes at short-hand speed in her pocket book.
“By all accounts, she was extremely pleasant, and staff remarked on how “she wasn’t that bad in real-life” and so on. But I didn’t meet Mrs Hopkirk personally, so I only have this information in the third person. But she was extremely charming, that’s what I’ve been told by several members of the staff.”
“Okay, well, that’s very interesting. Thank you for your time. We will probably need to talk again at some point, possibly to staff that dealt directly with Kathy. But I think you’ve provided enough details to keep us going for the time being.” Saunders was disappointed by the conversation. He’d anticipated receiving at least one piece of news that might open a door.
“Is there any chance we can inspect Kathy’s belongings please?” asked Grant. “You said they were in Lost Property?”
“Well, I wouldn’t normally allow…”
“These are very unusual circumstances, Erica. Those items may hold the clue that we desperately need.” Saunders was firm.
“Okay, I’ll see that the belongings are brought down.”
“Thanks.”
“Great. So, can we view this CCTV footage now please?” asked Grant.
“Yes, of course.” Erica lifted her phone from its cradle on the desk and dialled. After a pause, she began talking into the handset. “Derek, it’s Erica. I have the police here, can you come and greet them in my office, and take them down to your control room so they can inspect the CCTV footage please? We also need Mrs Hopkirk’s belongings bringing down from the Lost Property hall as well, if you could organise that please. Thank you.”
Chapter 12
“SECOND CLASS INVESTIGATION” Screamed the Manchester Evening News’ lunchtime edition headline. Beneath it was a picture of DI Saunders and DC Grant trying to evade the cameras, with outstretched arms concealing their faces. The picture had been taken as the pair battled through the boisterous press-pack on their way into The Midland. But the way that the picture was being used in this newspaper story made it look as though the two detectives were trying to sneak past unseen.
“We demand to know why the Manchester City Police are treating this live, ongoing case with such an obvious lack of urgency” said the editorial comment beneath the story.
“What the hell’s got into them?” asked Miller as he read the article, after being handed the paper by DC Jo Rudovsky, when she’d returned from lunch. “I’m not surprised they give this away for free! No-one would pay for it, would they?”
“To be fair Sir, we do seem a bit quiet about it all. I mean, she is one of Britain’s best known celebs. I’d have expected us to seem a bit more… well, arsed.” Jo had a great gift for playing devil’s advocate, and she was doing a great job of trying to rev her boss, DCI Miller, up.
“Come on Jo, you know that there are procedures. Just because the press want a bloo
dy update every fifteen minutes doesn’t mean that we have to provide one. Seriously, the public aren’t that thick. As if they’d believe that we’d ignore this case simply because we don’t like the missing person. It’s complete and utter bollocks Jo, and well you know it.”
“Well, yeah, I know it, of course I do. But I disagree with your view that the public aren’t that thick! They are that thick most of them, they believe whatever they read in the papers or on the internet. Why else would they vote Tory, or vote for Brexit, if they didn’t believe all the bullshit that’s printed in the paper?”
“So, you’re saying that we should hold a press conference in which we announce that we are doing everything we can to find out where Kathy has got to?” Miller was smiling, he loved these debates and discussions with Jo. She could be a feisty bugger and she wouldn’t let go when she had a point to make. Miller thought it was her greatest strength, even if it did land her in hot-water from time to time.
“What harm can it do? At least it would reassure the public that we take this shit seriously… even if it is one of the vilest human beings on the planet.”
“You’re not a fan? Oh yeah, I forgot, she’s had a go at the gays as well, hasn’t she? What was it she said?”
“She said ‘I don’t mind Adam and Eve, but Adam and Steve is taking it a bit too far.”
“God, she really is a freak isn’t she?”
“I don’t know. I think she’s just a bit insecure about her own shit, so concentrates on everybody else’s. So, what do you say Chief? Are you going to do a press conference and sort this out?” Rudovsky gestured to the newspaper.
“Well, DI Saunders is halfway to London at the minute. So if you are insisting on this, you’ll have to chair the press conference yourself.”
“You what?”
“You heard.”
“Fucking hell Sir.” Rudovsky’s healthy olive complexion suddenly became much paler.
Miller laughed at the look of horror on her normally happy, cheery face. “I’ll organise it, you can give the official line, in DI Saunders’ absence. Great idea Jo, well done.”
“Well, you’re much better at these Sir.”
“Yes, I am aren’t I?”
“Aw come on boss, don’t be a twat.”
“I’m not being a twat Jo, I’m supporting your request. Anyway, why are you so scared, you look great on telly.”
“Come off it Sir. You know I feel a dick doing press stuff!”
“I’m ace at press conferences, because Dixon forced me to do all his ones. Stop being a whinge-bag. The camera loves you. I’ll organise it for four pm, we’ll have a de-brief at three-thirty. Okay?”
“Wanker.”
“Hey, that’s extremely offensive Jo.” Miller raised an eyebrow. He was glad the door was closed, as he’d be cross with her for speaking to him like that in front of any other staff. But Miller had a real soft spot for Rudovsky, and she knew it.
“Thank you Sir!” she said as she opened Miller’s door and left the office. Miller looked down at the newspaper and continued to read the story.
“Despite the fact that Kathy hasn’t been seen or heard of since Thursday night – London’s police, as well as Manchester’s police look like they couldn’t care less. Kathy Hopkirk may be a controversial character, but her disappearance should be treated just like any other.” Read the Editorial Comment section.
“What a load of codswallop this is!” said Miller, chuckling half-heartedly to himself. “You shit-stirring bastards!” he added as he folded the newspaper and threw it across the office, where it landed in a heap a few feet from the waste-paper bin.
Miller looked through his glass walled office in the direction of the staff. Rudovsky looked up from her desk and saw that Miller was grinning at her. He held his thumb up and his sarcastic, cheesey expression made her laugh nervously.
Chapter 13
DI Saunders was driving the silver Vauxhall Insignia CID car down the M6, touching on 90mph at times. His passenger didn’t seem too fussed, she appeared to trust her new DI. This made Saunders warm to Grant, mainly because all of the other SCIU team slagged his driving off whenever they had to share a car with him.
“So what first attracted you to the SCIU job?”
“Erm, what… honestly?” Grant bit her bottom lip and grinned. She had a very cheeky look on her face and laughed.
“What?” asked Saunders, laughing at the bizarre response to such a straight-forward question.
“Well, I don’t know. You’re my DI… maybe I should just respond with an interview answer…” that cheeky grin was still plastered all across the DC’s face.
“No, no forget that, I’m definitely intrigued now! What’s the honest answer?” Saunders laughed out loud and it made Grant laugh too.
“Okay… but you have to promise that you won’t judge me…”
“I will definitely judge you Helen, I’m not going to lie!” Saunders laughed again, and now he couldn’t wait to hear why the team’s newest member had applied for the role.
“Right… well… my ex, Mike, he’s a DC at Trafford. We split up last year, he was sha… he was sleeping with a PC from Stretford police station. It’d been going on for a year.”
“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
“No, no, it’s fine, I’m well over it. But we had been together for four years, and we had a flat, so it was difficult, at the time.”
“What, and you were both at Trafford nick as well?”
“Yes, same office.”
“Shit, God I bet that was awkward.”
“It was, it really was – especially when friends and colleagues started taking sides and… aw, well it was awful. Horrible time. Totally shit.”
“And that’s why you decided to apply to us?”
“Well, sort of…” That mischievous grin was back, and Grant was biting her bottom lip again. She cracked and laughed again. “Oh my God, can’t believe I’m saying this…”
“Go on…”
“Well, it was Mike’s dream to join the SCIU. So as soon as I saw the job advertised, I got my application in double-quick, and put it all around the nick that I’d been asked to apply by DCI Miller. I decided to get my own back that way. Get the job that Mike had always wanted, and make it sound like I’d been head-hunted for it!” Grant laughed, it was a very naughty, cheeky laugh and Saunders thought that the whole thing was hilarious.
“Oh my God, you bloody psycho!”
“I know!”
Saunders and Grant were laughing about the circumstances of her new job for a few minutes. Saunders was grinning from ear to ear. This balls-out honesty was so refreshing, especially as it was coming from a new member of staff.
“What a story!” said Saunders as he laughed again.
A few minutes passed by in silence. Eventually, Grant asked Saunders how he’d come to working for the SCIU.
“Well, it’s not as bloody scary as your reason! I was already working for the boss in CID at Swinton. It was when there was a lot more money sloshing about the police force. HQ decided to start a new department to deal with exhausted cases. Initially, the idea was to work on cold cases dating back ten, fifteen, twenty years.”
“Wow, I bet that was fascinating!”
“Yeah, It was really, but we were too good. We solved most of them in the first two or three years.”
“And you were in right from the start?”
“Yes, Miller was asked to apply for it, and took me with him, along with a couple of others from Swinton. I’ve been very lucky to be honest.”
“You’re very modest. He speaks really highly of you, you know.”
“Does he? Yeah, I suppose he will do really.”
“Yes, he was telling me that you’re probably the best detective he’s ever known.”
“Shut up!”
“Honestly. He can’t say enough about you!” It was Grant’s turn to laugh now, as Saunders beg
an blushing and appeared lost for words. “He said that I need to listen to everything you say, watch everything you do. He said he would partner me up with you as much as possible during my probationary period.”
“Did he now?” Saunders smiled at the thought of Miller being difficult that morning, when the DI had requested working with the new DC.
“So what’s he like anyway, DCI Miller?”
“What do you reckon?”
“Er… well he seems nice. Doesn’t seem to be a sexist, seedy gob-shite like most of the DCI’s I’ve met.”
“Na, he’s not. He’s one of the good ones. He can be a right moody bastard sometimes though – especially when he’s frustrated. Thing is, you should never take anything personally. He can seem really horrible and off, and a few of the DC’s have thought he had it in for them. Trust me, if Miller is pissed off with you, you’d be the first to know.”
“Ah, sounds like good advice. Cheers.”
“Yes, well, you know – if you ever think he’s on a downer with you, he’s not. It’s just what he’s like when he’s worried or stressed. And with some of the cases we have to investigate, that can happen a lot.”
“Well, I’m impressed so far, and the rest of the team seem really good.”
“Yeah, we are, it’s a good team, close-knit. Bill’s not been himself for a bit now… he’s been trying to solve a few problems in his personal life. But I think he’s over the worst now. Jo is a good laugh, and she’s a bloody good detective too, probably the best in the department to be fair.”
“After you?” Grant laughed at Saunders’ modesty.
“Well, after Miller, and then me…”
“Oh well, you can’t accept praise, can you?”
“Well, it’s a team-effort, we don’t have egos and all that shit.”
“Fair enough. Fancy a coffee at the next services?”
“Yeah, go on then. That’s not a bad idea. I’m dying for the loo.”
“Me too, I’m bursting. I bet we’re over half way now as well, so you’d better start telling me what the plan is once we hit the big smoke.”
Gone Too Far : DCI Miller 4: Britain's Most Hated Celebrity Has Disappeared Page 6
