“What on earth are you doing sweetheart?”
“No time like the present as my mother would say. I spoke to John at the office about that advert, he said Andrew sounds just the sort of candidate they were looking for, all they had had so far were ambitious juniors with no experience of life. He’s e-mailed me the application form. I’ll leave it to you whether or not you give it to Andrew, any way I must get ready, they’ll be here soon. I bought a black suit by the way.”
*
Andrew and Emma arrived just after eight and Mick opened the door and showed them in. Sue came out of the kitchen and greeted them warmly “Please come in, I’ve heard so much about you.”
Mick offered them both a drink, Emma asked for a white wine spritzer, Andrew joined Mick and Sue in Gin and Tonics. They sat chatting, Sue asking Andrew about Germany and did he know the Harz Mountains, which he did, particularly Braunlage which he had visited often. Sue stood up and asked to be excused, Emma said did she want any help and the two women went into the kitchen.
“How did Emma take your news Andrew?”
“Actually I think she was rather pleased, not about me losing my job obviously, but about me coming back to England to live.”
Sue announced that dinner was ready and they went into the dining room, Mick and Andrew sat opposite each other as did Sue and Emma.
“Chablis OK for everybody?” asked Mick.
“You have a lovely place Boss” said Emma. “I love the décor, subtle shades of cream with some beautiful pictures on the walls,”
“Thank you Emma, but I can’t claim any credit, it’s all down to Sue.
“What’s your flat in Germany like Andrew?” asked Sue.
“Clean, tidy, practical, pretty soulless really I suppose. Still I have to live somewhere.”
“Michael tells me that you might be coming back to England soon.” Mick stood up and went around the table topping up peoples glasses, which Emma declined.
“Could I possibly have a glass of water please?”
Mick went to the kitchen and came back with a carafe of mineral water and a clean glass.
Andrew looked at Emma and then Sue,
“Yes I’m looking to give up the flat and come home.”
The subject of Andrew coming home was not raised again and the evening continued with light hearted conversation and talk of holidays, foreign travel and the like then Andrew asked Sue what she did.
She glanced at Mick and said “I’m the manager of an insurance company, it’s a fairly specialised form of insurance to do with import and export of industrial equipment. In fact our head office is based in Munich.”
“Really” he said “Do you speak German?”
“Just a few words, the people I deal with at the head office can nearly all speak English.”
The evening passed very amicably and Andrew and Emma left after eleven. Mick saw them out and told them to drive safely,
“Good luck tomorrow Michael, and hopefully we’ll see you in the afternoon” said Andrew.
When they had gone Mick said “I thought you were about to interview him for that job at one point.”
“I wouldn’t do that Mick, not after you asked me not to. I just wanted to test the water so to speak, John will no doubt ask me about him on Monday.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
On Sunday morning Mick was up by seven and he sat in his armchair with his note book and mobile phone. He entered several new numbers, the contacts at Bury St Edmunds and one or two others as well. He the set the ring tone to silent, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself if his phone started ringing in the village hall. He wondered about what he was going to wear, he normally wore a dark suit to work but he thought that might stand out at the Antiques Fair. He decided on his Chinos, a short sleeved open necked checked shirt and his navy blue blazer. He mustn’t forget his warrant card though he thought.
*
Mick left before twelve and set off for Bury St Edmunds. He drove straight to the village and the bungalow, driving past as slowly as he dared. There was a white Vauxhall Astra in the drive. Mick stopped the car just past the driveway, got out and opened the bonnet of his car. He leant over the engine and carefully lowered his head so he could see the registration number of the Astra. He memorised it and shut the bonnet before driving off.
Once out of sight of the bungalow he wrote down the registration number and then drove out of the village and into Bury St Edmunds, he had thought about ringing the Police station but had decided to go in and meet the contact he had been given.
He walked into the station, and approached the front desk. There was nobody there, he rang the bell and a Sergeant appeared.
“Can I help you Sir?”
Mick produced his warrant card and asked if Inspector Davis was on duty yet. The answer was yes and the Sergeant rang an internal number.
“Afternoon Sir, there’s an Inspector Joyce at the front desk asking to see you.”
Inspector Davis appeared through the door that led to the secure area and held out his hand in greeting.
“Come through Inspector.”
He led Mick through to his office and invited him to sit down.
“I thought the arrangement was that you would ring if you needed our assistance.”
“That’s right Inspector but I’ve just been by the bungalow and there is a car on the drive. I’d like to check the registration number but I thought that rather than ring Hatfield I’d come here and ask you to check the number and if we get confirmation that our suspect is there we can discuss the next move.”
Mick passed over the number and Inspector Davis rang an extension, “Paul, can you run a check on a white Vauxhall Astra, should be registered to a local address.” Whilst they were waiting for the reply Mick asked who he had available to assist with the arrest.
“A woman Constable and a D.S., should be sufficient I would have thought.”
Mick explained “that Karen Hennessey was a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, had been wounded by shrapnel and received a bravery award for continuing to treat a wounded soldier, who had lost both of his legs below the knee, whilst under fire. We are arresting her for the pre-meditated murder of a Captain in the Royal Military Police, she killed him by cutting an artery with a scalpel. So you can understand my concern Inspector, we’re not dealing with a little old lady wanted for shoplifting. Sorry, I don’t wish to question your operational decisions but I just want to make sure you know who we are dealing with.”
The phone rang and the Inspector wrote down a name and address on the pad in front of him. Mick reached over and turned the pad around so that he could read it. Just three words, Karen Dawn Hennessey.
“That’s our suspect Inspector.”
“Give me a minute, I think I’ll see who else is available to accompany you.”
“We will need two women officers, she will need to be searched.”
“But perhaps not by a slip of a girl eh, Inspector?”
“The last thing I want is for one of your officers getting hurt helping me out, I also think that she should be brought in the back of a sealed van rather than a car.”
“And I was thinking this was going to be a quiet Sunday afternoon.”
At one thirty, Mick, D.S. Phil Boden, a tough looking character, probably a rugby player Mick decided judging by his nose and ears, Sergeant Mary Costello, no china doll herself and Constable Becky Wallace assembled in the Inspectors office. Inspector Davis introduced Mick to the other three and said they were to take orders from him that afternoon, and to listen to what he had to say, this was no ordinary arrest.
D.S Boden and the two women officers were to travel in the van and park further down the lane from the bungalow, on the far side so that Karen Hennessey wouldn’t pass it on the way back from the village hall. Mick would try and establish if she was at home before calling up the van.
Mick gave the officers in the van copies of Karen Hennessey’s photo and told them to ring him if s
he returned to the bungalow from the opposite direction. He asked if anybody had a detailed map of the village, he wanted to check if Karen Hennessy could leave by the back door and escape through the gardens. Inspector Davis logged onto his computer and brought up a detailed map.
“She could get to the lane at the bottom of her garden but she would have to cross a stream and climb a bank. She would then have to go through the centre of the village. I think I’ll put a dog handler in that lane just to be sure” he said. They all checked that they had each other’s phone numbers and set off.
Mick managed to park in the village hall car-park and went in, paying the two pound admission charge as he did so. He wandered around pretending to look at the items on offer and talking to one or two stallholders. He had studied the photograph of Karen Hennessey intently that morning, concentrating on the shape of her face, her eyes and her figure, she might have dyed her hair, had it cut short or altered her appearance in some way.
He looked at all the women in the village hall, desperately trying not to be too obvious. There was no guarantee that she would be here of course and if necessary he would just have to walk up to the bungalow door and hope that she answered it.
Then he saw a woman that looked very much like her although the hair was much darker and shorter. He made his way towards her and when he was about ten feet away he took out his mobile and rang a number that he had entered that morning, the one that Judy Simkin had given him that afternoon in Oundle. The phone in her shoulder-bag started ringing and she took it out and looked at the number of the incoming call. Mick discontinued the call and her phone stopped ringing at the same time.
Now that he had his confirmation he went outside and rang D.S. Boden to tell them to standby, he would follow her back to the bungalow and call them as soon as she had gone inside. He also asked him to alert the dog handler who by pure chance happened to live in the village and was a familiar sight walking with the dog around the area.
Mick felt self- conscious trying to look interested in the antiques and went over to the tea and cake stall and ordered a cup of tea. The tea helped a lot, he could hold the cup in front of his face and avoid eye contact. He finished the tea, returned the cup to the lady behind the counter, and started to examine a book of botanical prints on the nearby table.
He saw Karen Hennessey move towards the exit and as soon as he was sure that she had gone outside, he too made his way out. He walked a good distance behind her, it helped that he knew exactly where she was going, and he could adjust his pace as necessary.
Finally she reached the bungalow and approached the front door, took out her keys and went in, Mick took a deep breath and rang for the van to come to the bungalow. As soon as it was in sight he walked up to the front door and knocked.
The door opened and there in front of him, not three or four feet away, stood Major Karen Hennessey. The Police van pulled up, blocking her car in, and D. S. Boden together with the two women officers got out, all of them now wearing stab vests.
Mick waited for D.S.Boden to position himself slightly in front and to one side of Mick who then turned to look at her, showed his warrant card and said “Karen Hennessey, I am arresting you for the murder of Phillip Austen. You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.”
Sergeant Costello and Constable Wallace took her into the bedroom and searched her then brought her back into the hallway, announced that she was “clean”. Karen Hennessey didn’t speak just stared ahead of her.
”Take her out to the van, I’ll secure the property and collect my car, I’ll see you back at the station.”
As the van drove off Mick went into the bungalow and looked around. He made sure that all of the windows and doors were secure, the oven was switched off, made sure that he had the right door keys and then walked back to his car.
Mick drove back to the police station and went in the front door to be met by Inspector Davis who congratulated him on a successful arrest.
Mick thanked him for his assistance and then rang to arrange transport of his prisoner back to Hatfield. He then contacted Scene of crimes to go to the bungalow and carry out a thorough search for evidence making sure that they knew the keys were now at Bury St Edmunds police station.
Finally he rang Andrew and said he was welcome to come in and sit in on the initial interview.
When the van arrived, driven by Sergeant Steve Milken and accompanied by Constable Carol Morgan, Mick and Inspector Davis went to the custody suite and looked through the spyhole in the door to Karen Hennessey’s cell. She was sitting on the edge of the narrow bed, staring at the wall opposite.
“She doesn’t look like a murderer does she” said the custody Sergeant.
“I don’t know Sergeant, what do murderers usually look like?”
“Has she been any trouble?”
“No sir” said the Constable who had been told to stay in the custody suite and check on her every few minutes.
“She hasn’t moved an inch all the time she’s been here”.
They opened the cell door and Mick simply said “time to go Major.”
“Go, go where?” she said.
“To Hatfield police station where you will be processed by our forensics team and then given a meal. You will be allowed to make one phone call. In addition you may call a solicitor or we will contact the duty solicitor if you prefer.”
They led her out and Constable Carol Morgan helped her into the back of the van.
*
They drove back to Hatfield without incident, Mick following behind in his own car. They parked in the secure car park at the rear and with Steve Milken leading the way went through the security doors to the custody suite where she was formally booked in.
“She has been arrested in connection with the murder of Phillip Austen in Stevenage on the night of 20th and 21st August Sergeant” said Mick as Sergeant Milken filled in the forms. Karen Hennessey gave her full name and the address as the bungalow that they had arrested her at. She was then fingerprinted and taken to a cell, almost identical to the one she had been in at Bury St Edmunds. Mick thanked Steve and went up to the incident room where he phoned Rachel at home as she had requested, to give her the news. Then he rang home and told Sue adding that he would probably be home quite late
Andrew and Emma walked in and the three of them sat around chatting for an hour, Mick told them about the arrest and then they discussed the next day’s plan of action.
“Now that we have her in custody, the priority is to collate the evidence to secure a conviction. We know that she is guilty but we have to prove it in court.”
“We’ll carry out the interview tomorrow morning. My father’s funeral is at two thirty on Tuesday afternoon so I won’t be around then. We’ll have to get a decision from our superiors about any charges for her involvement in the smuggling but you will want to question her about that anyway Andrew won’t you.” Andrew said he would telephone Brigadier Fredericks first thing in the morning.
Mick drove home thinking about the events of the last few hours. He had Karen Hennessey safely locked up but what if she pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder? Had he got enough evidence for a conviction? He could prove that they were together in the Peking Palace immediately before he was murdered, he could prove that they had been in a relationship for at least six months previously, he could prove that she had the knowledge and experience to kill him in the way that she did and that she would have had access to the drug he was injected with before she killed him with the scalpel. He needed confirmation that the fingerprint taken from his belt was hers. Tomorrow’s interview was going to be interesting, what would her reaction be to the questioning?
Sue greeted him with a big hug and a kiss as he walked in
“Who’s a clever detective then?”
“Oh, it was nothing really” he said feigning modesty. They en
joyed a quiet evening together, or what was left of it, content in each other’s company. “Bed I think” said Mick “big day tomorrow.”
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
The next morning Mick got out of bed, he hadn’t slept well. He showered and dressed and left the house at seven thirty. Arriving at Hatfield he immediately went to the custody suite to check on his prisoner.
“Not a peep out of her all night,” was the reply to his inevitable question. Mick went up to the incident room and made a pot of coffee.
He was sitting at his desk gathering his thoughts when Rachel walked in. “Good morning Michael, great result yesterday, well done.”
“Thank you Ma’am.”
“I’ll contact the Crown Prosecution Service later this morning and set up a meeting with them to go through the evidence. Make sure your notes are all up to date, we don’t want any procedural hic-cups. It’s your father’s funeral tomorrow isn’t it, make sure you speak to me before you go tonight.”
*
By eight thirty Bob had arrived followed shortly afterwards by Andrew and Emma. They sat around chatting for a while and then Andrew said he’d better go and phone Brigadier Fredericks.
Mick asked Bob North to chase up the forensics team, he was anxious to confirm that the fingerprint on Phillip Austen’s belt was indeed Karen Hennessey’s. He then asked Emma to prepare a folder with simple statements of un-disputed facts that they had about Karen Hennessy and in particular her relationship with Phillip Austen.
Andrew told Mick that he had spoken to Brigadier Fredericks who had told him to get any information he could from Karen Hennessey about any other serving British personnel that were involved in criminal activity and prepare a report for possible further action. He also gave him the contact details for an employment agency that specialised in placing ex-military personnel in civilian posts when they left the army.
*
Just after eleven Mick’s phone rang, it was the scene of crimes officer that had attended the scene on that first Sunday morning confirming that the fingerprint on Phillip Austen’s belt buckle was that of Karen Hennessey. They had also matched a partial palm print on the rainwater pipe.
The Paderborn Connection Page 17
