No Questions Asked

by Menon, David

  ‘Now then Davey boy’ said Bernie. ‘Either you tell me who murdered Bradley or I will keep you like this until you die. Your choice my friend’

  It was the day of the reconstruction into Bradley Thompson’s movements on the day he was murdered. The national and regional media were all waiting and a team from BBC Northwest tonight was also there but before they got started Jeff gathered his team together round the conference table at the station to review where they were in terms of the investigation considering the discovery of more potential leads. He paused and rubbed his eyes. It had been gone two in the morning by the time he got to bed after organising a search of Stuart and Fiona’s house and he was knackered.

  ‘We’ve put out a national alert for Stuart Braithwaite’s apprehension’ said DS Ollie Wright. ‘We’ve had several sightings reported in from as far away as Derby and as reasonably close as Liverpool. They’ve all been followed up but only one looks like it could be useful’. Ollie then passed round a printed image from a CCTV camera at a petrol station on the northbound carriageway of the M61 close to Bolton. ‘It’s only a brief clip due to the camera not working properly but from the registration it’s certainly Braithwaite’s car and the picture was taken about half an hour after he sped away from his house which fits as a timeframe’.

  ‘So he was heading north’ said Jeff. ‘Do we know if he had any associations with anywhere that route could take him?’

  ‘We don’t as yet sir, no’ said Ollie. ‘As you probably know already he’s from Buxton in Derbyshire which is totally in the other direction. His parents and the rest of his family are all still living there and he doesn’t seem to have any roots anywhere else’.

  It was hard for Jeff to hear his erstwhile friend and neighbour Stuart Braithwaite being described as a perverted criminal. And yet that’s exactly what he was. He was someone who’d lived next door to Jeff for years and yet it seems like Jeff never really knew him at all despite all the times they’d spent together. The first reports had come in from the team analyzing his computer and it made for pretty sick reading. Not only had Stuart downloaded child pornography but it was the type that involved children being tortured and restrained and begging for mercy. This was the same man who’d looked after Jeff’s son Toby on occasions, albeit for very short periods, and Jeff hadn’t known what a sick character he was when it came to children. But now Jeff understood. He understood loud and clear that he couldn’t trust those who he lived amongst and who he’d once called friends.

  ‘Yes, I know Braithwaite’s background’ said Jeff, with a heavy sounding voice. ‘Or at least I thought I did’.

  ‘It could’ve been just impulse?’ Adrian Bradshaw suggested. ‘It does sound like he was in a pretty impulsive state. His wife had just walked in on him and there then followed an almighty great row. He probably ran scared’.

  ‘And no prizes for guessing why’ said Joe Alexander. ‘His evil little game had been exposed and like Adrian says, he ran scared’.

  ‘Well I think that’s clear’ said Jeff who’d been trying to avoid eye contact with Rebecca and it was difficult when he not only worked with her but was also as close as he was to her. As if he didn’t have enough to be bothered about. The ceilings had been blown off all the houses around him by secrets that had shaken and disturbed him. He was a police officer but he was also a father and he’d been living with his son next door to one very nasty paedophile. It was enough to send a shiver down the spine of the most hardened officer and it proved, if any further proof was necessary, that paedophiles could cover their tracks in an alarmingly efficient and effective way. ‘What isn’t clear is why someone would send a cryptic message to the shadow home secretary telling us that there will be another murder?’

  ‘Someone close to the killer?’ said Rebecca. ‘Someone who wants them caught but doesn’t want to be directly responsible for it like a wife, girlfriend or some other close relative or associate?’

  ‘Or it could be the killer bragging about his activities for want of a better word and goading us because we haven’t caught him?’

  ‘Martha Langton is the MP for the area where you live, sir, and where the body of Bradley Thompson was found’ Rebecca went on. ‘That’s probably why it was sent to her’. She almost found it easier to face Jeff this morning after their less than satisfactory talk in the pub. She’d almost let go of expecting anything from him and that she might have to face the truth that he’s just not into her in that way. Her thoughts had gone in a circle. When she got home from the pub last night she’d felt reasonable and reflective about it all. One and a half bottles of wine and several calls to her friends later she went to bed in a foul mood at the thought of another potential relationship turning to shit. This morning she was reasonable and reflective again although she thought that may be due to the hangover that was concentrating her energies.

  ‘What’s more compelling even than that though, sir’ said Ollie. ‘Is that she’s organized an online petition and campaign against the government’s decision not to endorse a piece of European legislation to bring in new laws and procedures to deal with paedophilia right across the EU’.

  ‘But the government won’t sign up to it just because it’s European?’ said Jeff.

  ‘Exactly, sir’ said Ollie. ‘Protecting party politics comes before protecting children once again’.

  ‘Or it could be that we can devise our own laws on the matter’ said Joe. ‘Do we have to follow either Europe or America ever time we want to do something?’

  ‘Joe, paedophilia is an international crime’ said Jeff. ‘Legislation to combat it that covers all the member states of the EU could be a godsend to our investigations and those of other forces across the continent. I couldn’t care less if the law comes from Brussels or Westminster if it helps us to catch these evil bastards then I’m all in favour of it and will probably sign Martha Langton’s petition’.

  ‘I’ve already signed it, sir’ said Ollie.

  ‘Joe is our resident UKIP man, sir’ Adrian teased.

  ‘I think UKIP talk a lot of sense, yes’ said Joe. ‘Britain stood on its own two feet for centuries and we can do so again’.

  ‘I think you’re thinking putting emotion before practicality on this one, Joe’ said Rebecca who’d suddenly woken up to the emerging argument. ‘That’s your heart talking and not your head’.

  ‘Well with all due respect, ma’am, it’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it’.

  ‘Fair enough’ said Rebecca who thought at that moment that Joe was a bit of a tool but never mind. ‘But I’ll be signing the petition too’.

  ‘And me’ said Adrian.

  ‘Then I’m happily in a minority of one sticking up for Britain to make its own way’ said Joe, folding his arms. ‘Happy and proud’.

  ‘Okay then people now we’ve got that out of the way let’s get back to these rather important matters at hand’ said Jeff. ‘We are now going to be treating the death of Terry Latham as murder and I want his movements investigated from the minute he left home that night to when he was killed and I want to know more about him regardless of whether or not some other unit has labeled the file as confidential. It’s my guess that it was the handy work of the one and only Bernie Connelly so I’ll be paying him a visit. We also need to throw everything we’ve got into apprehending Stuart Braithwaite and making him tell us what he knows’.

  ‘What happens to the case against Gary Mitchell now that they have found DNA on Bradley Thompson’s body that belongs to Terry Latham?’ said Adrian.

  ‘The CPS are looking at that now, Adrian’ said Rebecca.

  ‘But it does kind of blow things out of the water as far as Gary Mitchell is concerned’ said Jeff. ‘The only trouble is that Terry Latham isn’t in a position to answer any questions. But during the re-construction we’ll distribute pictures of both Latham and of Gary Mitchell to see if it jogs anybody’s memory. Now have we managed to make contact with everyone on Terry Latham’s list of supposed clients who a
ttended his self-help classes?’

  ‘All except one, sir’ said Ollie. ‘The one being David Harrison of 5 Garstang Avenue in Blackley. According to his mother who lives at the same address he hasn’t been seen for a couple of days and she’s getting worried. She also said that on the night he disappeared a tall late middle-aged man called to see if and they were talking outside before Harrison got into the man’s car. Harrison’s mother went on to say that the man had a strange kind of accent. It was a little bit Mancunian but most of it came from somewhere else she didn’t recognise’.

  ‘So what the hell is that all about?’ said Jeff. ‘And what do we have from the door-to-door we’ve been conducting around where Latham lived and where Bradley’s body was found?’

  ‘Well sir several people reported seeing a woman, a white woman, average height and fairly smartly dressed hanging round the woods at that time’ said Ollie. ‘They all say she had dark shoulder length hair and what’s interesting is that they all saw Terry Latham there too and though he didn’t seem like he was connected to the woman in any way some did say that they thought he might be with her but trying to appear not to be. Some of them said that Latham and the woman exchanged looks and glances several times as if they did know each other but didn’t want to acknowledge it’.

  ‘Sounds very suspicious’ said Adrian. ‘And a bit more than just a coincidence if this woman wasn’t involved in the murder of Bradley Thompson in some way’.

  ‘It doesn’t make much sense at all’ said Joe.

  ‘No but it’s all we’ve got’ said Jeff who had a sinking feeling about the woman so many had seen that day. It sounded very much like someone he knew. ‘And something has to pull us through the fog here. Let’s see if the reconstruction throws up anything that could shed light on the identity of this mysterious woman’.

  TEN

  Jeff got up the next morning feeling pleased with how the reconstruction had gone the day before. Many people had confirmed the appearance of the woman described earlier by the people who lived near and overlooking the stretch of woods where Bradley was murdered. The more he thought about it the more he feared who that woman could be and the more he realised that it was a flank that they’d left wide open in the investigation. He’d gone over Debbie Mitchell’s statements and that of her brother who she said she’d spent time with that morning. She’d had just as much time and chance to murder Bradley Thompson as her husband Gary had.

  It was just after eight and before he drove to work he knocked on the door of Debbie Mitchell.

  ‘Jeff!’ she greeted. ‘What a surprise. Is everything alright?’

  ‘Is it ever?’ said Jeff.

  ‘You don’t usually call on me this early?’

  ‘No’ said Jeff. ‘Do you mind if I come in?’

  Debbie showed Jeff into her house and led him down to the kitchen where she’d been finishing off breakfast. As he walked past the stairs he looked up. After he’d knocked on the door he could’ve sworn he heard someone running up them.

  ‘I’ll pour you some tea. Would you like some toast?’

  ‘No, thanks, tea will be fine’ said Jeff. Debbie looked all business like and professional in her dark brown two piece and white lined shirt. Could she have murdered an eleven year old child? ‘Brendan cooks the full works for me every morning’.

  ‘Of course’ said Debbie, smiling.

  ‘Are you on your own?’

  Debbie seemed startled by the question. ‘Well of course I am’.

  ‘I only asked, Debbie’.

  ‘Well if you don’t mind me saying so I don’t think the question was appropriate’ Debbie asserted. Then she chastised herself for getting cross. It would end up giving the whole game away if she wasn’t careful. ‘Look I’m sorry, Jeff. I shouldn’t speak to you like that. You were only asking, I know’.

  ‘It’s no surprise if you’re stressed, Debbie’.

  ‘Stressed? With my husband inside for the murder of an eleven year old child whose mother he was sleeping with? Who said anything about being stressed’.

  ‘Then let me get to the point’ said Jeff who could see that Debbie was somewhat nervous. There was none of her usual confident swagger and for her to confront him like that meant that she was rattled. She always did that when she was rattled and needed to gain the upper hand. He’d seen her do it a thousand times with Gary.

  ‘You’ve guessed haven’t you?’ she said with a knowing smile.

  ‘Guessed what?’

  ‘Oh come on, Jeff’ she said after having decided to go for the best diversion ever. ‘You’ve seen me walking around with a smile on my face these past few days’.

  ‘I hadn’t noticed that because I’ve been at work a lot’ said Jeff. Did she not remember that he was in the middle of a murder investigation that was getting ever more complicated by the day?

  ‘Well look at me, Jeff. I’m absolutely blooming’.

  ‘So are you saying … are you saying you’re pregnant?’

  ‘Yes’ answered Debbie. ‘Yes, I am’.

  Jeff smiled broadly although he knew when he was being played. ‘Well congratulations. I know it’s what you’ve been wanting for a while. Have you managed to get word through to Gary?’

  ‘No’ said Debbie. Her face changed to an expression of defiance. ‘And I’m not going to. I’m asking that you keep my confidence on this, Jeff’.

  ‘Why wouldn’t you want Gary to know?’

  ‘Look, this is going to sound harsh especially to another man but Gary has done what I wanted him to do, at last, and now it’s up to me and just me to carry the whole thing forward’.

  ‘You make it sound like some kind of business transaction?’

  ‘Well yes you could call it that I suppose’.

  ‘Except that I’m assuming Gary isn’t in tune with this?’

  Debbie blushed. ‘No. He isn’t’.

  ‘I see’.

  ‘Do you? Do you really see the pain Gary has caused me with all his affairs over the years?’

  ‘But even so, Debbie, it’s a bit harsh to try and keep the fact that you’re pregnant from him. You’re definitely not going to tell him?’

  ‘No’ said Debbie. ‘I’m not’.

  ‘But he’ll find out. You’ll start to show’.

  ‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it’ said Debbie. ‘Hopefully by then Gary will be well and truly behind bars and won’t be able to have a say in anything to do with me or the baby’.

  Jeff decided to move things along and not comment any further about Debbie’s machinations to spite her husband. There would perhaps be more mileage in trying to wrong foot her on the events of last Sunday morning.

  ‘Debbie, we’re circulating the description of a woman seen in the woods last Sunday when Bradley was murdered’ said Jeff. He watched her expression. He watched her eyes. They were guilty of something. ‘Would you mind putting it up on the notice board at the hospital? She’s apparently tall, late thirties, shoulder length brown hair and dressed very smartly. Ring any bells with you?’

  ‘No’ she replied, softly and without looking him in the eye. ‘I’m afraid it doesn’t and I expect there are many women who could answer to that description especially amongst the professional middle classes. But I will put the notice up for you’.

  Jeff handed her the notice and asked ‘Have you spoken to Fiona since Stuart ran off?’

  ‘Yes, yes I have’ said Debbie who would have to work even harder now not to give anything more away. ‘How could a man so evil be living amongst us, Jeff? It’s so utterly shocking’.

  ‘Well we’ll catch up with him sooner or later’ said Jeff, confidently. ‘We’re a lot more astute at our jobs than people give us credit for’.

  ‘I’m sure you are, Jeff’.

  ‘Yes, we always know when someone is lying to us’ Jeff went on. ‘And we always end up proving it. Debbie, think again about not telling Gary about the baby. Father’s have rights too even if they’ve been less than perfect in t
erms of fidelity’.

  ‘I’ll take note of what you say, Jeff’.

  ‘I’m sure’ said Jeff. ‘Well I’d best get off to work now. I’ll see myself out and congratulations once again on the baby’ He walked down the hallway feeling Debbie’s eyes digging into his back as he went. Then he stopped and turned round. ‘Just a point, Debbie, about the morning Bradley Thompson was murdered?’

  ‘But I’ve already given you my statement about that, Jeff’

  ‘Yes, yes I know you have but like with everything else in these sort of cases there are things that come up after we’ve first looked at what you told us that we need to investigate further. I just want you to confirm that you came straight home from your brother’s house that morning? Can you confirm that, Debbie?’

  ‘Well yes’ said Debbie. ‘Yes, I can’.

  ‘You didn’t stop at the shops anywhere or just to get a breath of fresh air’.

  ‘A breath of fresh air?’

  ‘Well like people do’ said Jeff who could tell from her eyes that he was on to a winner. ‘It’s not against the law to break even the smallest journey’.

  ‘No, I came straight back and I didn’t stop’.

  ‘Did you pass by the woods where Bradley was found? Just in case you may have remembered seeing anything? Sometimes those memories don’t come back until a few days after’.

  ‘I didn’t see anyone, Jeff’.

  ‘Okay’ said Jeff. ‘But could you please call in at the station sometime today? We’ll need to take a DNA sample from you just to make sure that noting matches up as far as you’re concerned. It’s routine that we do that. Any time to suit you. They’ll be expecting you’.