Dead Guilty

by Helen H. Durrant

  “Bet you won’t find anything,” Rocco told her. “This little gang are too well organised. They’ll have burner phones. Laycock’s probably got rid of his already.”

  “When we brought him in earlier today, he didn’t have a phone on him.” She looked at Rocco. “He was walking along the Hobfield Road. I reckon he saw the uniforms and ditched it. Get a search party out there and take a look.”

  Chapter 25

  “I think Billy Alder found his cottage in mid-Wales,” Alice announced. She’d had her head down for ages studying the newspapers they’d brought from Alf Alder’s flat. “He’s marked several adverts, but he’s ringed one in particular and scribbled something beside it. I can’t make out what, but it’s for a property to let in an isolated spot by the Dovey estuary.”

  “Give the letting agents a ring,” Calladine said. “See if they have names, and descriptions. We can’t go chasing after them without solid information. If it checks out, we’ll pay a visit.”

  Ruth looked up from her desk. “It’s a long way to go, but given the seriousness of the case, we have no choice”

  “Annie needs to be told about her sister. Given what’s happened, she may be able to help. And we mustn’t forget Billy. We have no idea where he was when Frankie was stabbed. He might still have been hanging around here. After the threats from Frankie, at the very least he’s a person of interest.”

  Rocco burst into the incident room. “That villain’s been released! I’ve just seen him leaving the building with his solicitor.”

  Ruth was furious. “Dean Laycock? How on earth does that happen? Who authorised this? I thought we were keeping him under wraps. He’s been charged, hasn’t he?”

  Calladine had a pretty good idea what had happened. He went straight to Birch’s office. “Laycock, why is he free? He tried to kill Ruth, he went for her with a knife. It was only down to her quick reaction that she’s not lying in the morgue.”

  Birch frowned at the intrusion. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Calladine,” she scoffed. “I had no choice. I had to let him go.”

  “Has this come from Chesworth, ma’am?”

  “Chief Superintendent Chesworth,” she snapped back. “He’s had a chat with the CPS and sees no reason to hold him.”

  Calladine could not believe what he was hearing. “That little bastard said Street would look out for him. He was confident that we wouldn’t keep him for long.”

  “Rubbish! It’s a technicality, that’s all.”

  “What technicality? What’s Chesworth’s angle in this?”

  “You’re overreacting, Calladine. You forget, Isaac Chesworth is in charge now. He reads the reports and has the final say.”

  “We have a solid case, ma’am. Laycock attacked one of our officers. He should be punished.”

  “Who witnessed the attack?” she put to him. “The old man had left the house, he’d gone for Ruth’s partner. So he’s no use. None of Laycock’s friends will testify. Ruth suffered a bang on the head. She was unconscious for some time. A good barrister would argue that her memory was faulty.”

  Calladine was aghast. “Is that Chesworth’s argument?”

  “Yes, and he makes a valid point. DCS Chesworth’s orders were to let him go.” She shrugged. “Get me more evidence and we’ll try again.”

  Calladine had no idea what Birch or Chesworth were playing at, but there was little he could do for now. “We are looking for Annie Alder and Billy. We have a lead on where they might have gone.”

  Birch had her face buried in a pile of paperwork. At this news, her head shot up. “You’re sure you’ve found them?”

  “We’re checking the detail.”

  “If it’s them, don’t say a word to anyone.” She surprised him. “Not to their families or to anyone outside your team, understood?”

  “Not even to Chesworth, ma’am?” he quipped sarcastically.

  “No, particularly not to him.”

  * * *

  Calladine returned to the incident room. The team were hard at it, going through each of the phone numbers in the papers Billy had made a mark against.

  “Do you think Annie’s friend, Joanne, will know anything?” Ruth asked him.

  “It’s worth a shot.”

  Alice was on the phone and gesturing for them to be quiet. “You’re sure? And this was two days ago?”

  “I think she’s found them,” Rocco whispered with a grin.

  They team listened while Alice continued the conversation. Finally, she finished the call.

  “A couple with a little girl took up the tenancy of a cottage on the Welsh coast a couple of days ago. The woman who checked them in gave her name as Wendy Jones — same as with the bank account. The descriptions match Annie and Billy, and the little girl’s name is Sophie.” Alice smiled.

  Calladine was pleased. Alice had done well. “Send photos over to the local station and get them to check. Ask them not to scare them off. We don’t want Annie and Billy doing another runner before we get there.”

  Ruth looked up. “Who’s going?”

  “Fancy a trip to Wales?”

  “I’ve got a gammy hand.”

  “I’ll drive. You can talk to Annie when we get there.” He turned to the others. “Not a word about this outside this office.” Heads nodded around the room.

  “I’ll go home in a bit and get ready,” Ruth decided. “Do we have an actual address?”

  Alice handed over a notepad.

  “Ynyslas,” Ruth nodded. “Lovely part of the world. That entire area is a nature reserve.”

  “You’ve been before, I take it?” said Calladine.

  Ruth was a keen birdwatcher. “I went with the birding group, red kite spotting.”

  “We’ll leave early and hope to get back the same day. But just in case, bring an overnight bag.” He turned to Rocco. “Chase up forensics. We need to know who the father of Frankie’s baby was.”

  “That’s if he’s known, guv. If not, what then?” Rocco asked.

  “We’ll deal with that as and when. Alice, find out what’s happening locally regarding the kids. Monika at the care home will tell you if any more of her elderly folk are being terrorised. It’s gone quiet on the vigilante front, too. Have a word with John Wells, and don’t take any nonsense.”

  Calladine picked up the phone, despite Birch’s instruction not to tell anyone, he wanted a word with Richard Alder. It was important that he didn’t pay over the ransom money. “We may have found your wife and daughter. I’ll be in touch within the next twenty-four hours to confirm. In the meantime, do not part with the money,” he instructed.

  “Given Annie has disappeared with my brother, I think you’re right. She’s let me down. She must feel pretty bad about our marriage to extort money out of me.”

  He was depressed, this had come as a huge shock. “Hold tight, we’ll bring your child back,” Calladine promised.

  “Something’s just come in, sir,” Joyce called across the room. “Sean Barber’s mobile phone, the one you found at his home. It’s innocent enough. It more or less mirrors the data we have on the one lost at the scene. The numbers belong to friends and family.”

  “Check very carefully, Joyce. See if any of Sean’s numbers match any in Laycock’s data when it comes in.”

  “Yes, sir, the techies are still working on that,” Joyce replied.

  Rocco was on his mobile. “Uniforms have found the phone Dean Laycock discarded when he was brought in. Little sod threw it the other side of the hedge by the bus stop.”

  “Get it checked out. The data it holds might be useful.”

  “Like I said, guv, these phones are cheap with prepaid sims fitted. The gang use them for a few days and then they’re discarded.”

  “Clever little buggers, aren’t they?”

  Rocco shrugged. “It’s big business, drug dealing. Whoever is at the top of this dung heap can afford it.”

  Chapter 26

  Kat Barber had made a real effort. She was wearing make
up and had had her hair done. The effect was pleasing on the eye, but made Calladine nervous. What was the woman after? If it was anything other than neighbourly friendship, she was out of luck. He wasn’t ready to embark on a new relationship yet. He’d just split up with one women, after all.

  “The funeral’s Friday,” she said. “Will you come?”

  Calladine nodded and got a smile in response. “We’re still looking for Sean’s killer,” he said. “We have a strong lead and we’re waiting for forensics to give us a name.”

  “I’ve been thinking about what you said. Particularly the way Sean was these last few weeks.”

  “What d’you mean, Kat?”

  “He wasn’t himself. He went around with the same lads, occasionally went to work, but there was something up.” She went to the sideboard. “I found this in his denim jacket.” She handed Calladine a small notebook. “I think someone was leaning on him, making him do stuff. I’m aware he was no angel, but just lately he went from bad to worse. He was moody, out all hours too.”

  Calladine was curious. Where had the book come from. “I thought we searched Sean’s room?”

  “His jacket was in the wash basket. No one asked about it and I forgot.”

  Calladine flipped through the book. It was full of names and addresses, all of them from around the Greater Manchester area. He recognised Mr Hopkins, Ruth’s neighbour. And then he spotted his own name and address. Suddenly he realised what the book was about. This was Sean clocking likely candidates for the cuckooing scam. Did the wide area covered by the book mean that this was much bigger than they’d realised? Map these addresses on a chart and they’d fan out from Leesdon like a spider’s web across Leesworth, and beyond. On the back inside cover was a mobile phone number. Next to it was one word — ‘Street.’ His stomach did a somersault. This could be the break they needed.

  “How did Sean get about?” he asked Kat.

  “He had a car.”

  Calladine hadn’t even known that Sean could drive. “How did he afford that?”

  Kat sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know, and I didn’t ask. Things were always better that way with Sean. But it was no cheap job. It’s the black Audi lying burnt out on the Hobfield car park.”

  “How did that happen?”

  “I’ve no idea. He got a call, went storming off one night and when he came home, he said someone had trashed his car.”

  “Did he report it?”

  She looked scornful. “Who’d be interested? Your lot have taken no notice. It’s standing there, a burnt-out hulk, and not one of you lot has questioned it.”

  “How often did he use it?”

  “Often enough, went all over. Those pals of his used him as a taxi driver most of the time.”

  Calladine would get forensics to take a look. He held up the notebook. “I’m sorry, Kat, this is important. I’m going to have to return to the station. There’s information in here my team should know about. Someone will come and take the car away. It’ll have to be examined.”

  “Do I keep the food hot?”

  “Look, I could be some time, and I’m away for a couple of days from tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I get it. You don’t have to say anymore.”

  Kat Barber looked disappointed. Calladine didn’t want to upset the woman, but he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea either. Time to put her straight. “I’m investigating the murder of your son, Kat. Our relationship has to be a professional one. Anything else and I risk my job.”

  * * *

  It was gone eight at night and the team had gone home. Alone in the incident room, Calladine sat at his desk and went through Sean’s notebook one page at a time.

  Apart from his own, there were six other names and addresses he recognised. Those from the different areas would have to be checked out. He’d get uniform on the job. A visit to each address, have a word with the residents and ensure they were okay and knew the score. The phone number for ‘Street’ was another matter. He rang the technicians at the Duggan.

  “I have a mobile number I want tracing,” he began. “It’s a long shot. No doubt it’ll turn out to be a pay-as-you-go and the owner can’t be found, but I’d like you to try.”

  Calladine read out the number. After a moment the technician told him that the phone was turned off. “We’ll monitor it closely,” he promised.

  “The individual it belongs to is involved in a murder enquiry. When it is turned on, let me know at once. You’ve looked at data on another suspect’s phone, Sean Barber. Does that number appear on the list?”

  There was a short silence while the technician checked. “We’ve just compiled the list, sir, and yes, it does. Both Laycock and Barber phoned the number. Laycock once and Barber three times.”

  That must have been when they didn’t have use of a disposable. Calladine made another call, this time to Julian. Despite the hour, he too was still working.

  “I should have the DNA results from Frankie Halliwell soon,” Julian said.

  “Me and Ruth are taking a trip to Wales tomorrow, but ring me when they’re in. Sean Barber had a car,” Calladine continued. “It was set alight a while ago and is currently parked in the Hobfield car park. It’s an Audi. Get it examined. I want to know if there is any trace of drugs.”

  “Will do. Why Wales?”

  Calladine trusted Julian, if he told him to keep this quiet, he would. “We believe that’s where Annie Alder is. Now that her sister’s dead, I could do with a word with her, but not a word to anyone. This is very much under the radar. If it gets out, she may be in danger.”

  Once he’d finished speaking to Julian, Calladine left a note for Rocco telling him about the notebook and Sean’s car. He instructed the DC to contact their colleagues in the other areas listed in the notebook and give them the heads-up. The only problem now was what to tell Birch. Nothing, he decided. Her reticence to go after Street meant she couldn’t be trusted.

  Chapter 27

  Day 6

  Calladine and Ruth were on the road by seven a.m. Calladine had no choice but to drive as Ruth’s hand was still heavily bandaged.

  “What d’you reckon Birch is up to?” she asked. “Why on earth would she tell you to lay off Street?”

  “She has no choice. She’s under orders from Chesworth,” Calladine replied.

  “So what’s going on?”

  “I’ve no idea. I can see no reason why Chesworth would do this.”

  “Don’t give me that. You’ve prattled on for the last twenty miles about it. You must have a theory.”

  Calladine stared out of the windscreen, concentrating on the road. “Honestly, I’m clueless on this one. Every time I mention the name ‘Street’ she tells me to leave it.”

  “What’s Chesworth up to? He has no idea what goes on in Leesworth at ground level.”

  “Birch says he’s reading the statements and reports as they come in. Why he’s so interested is a mystery. Oldston has far more on its hands currently. It is possible that Street is an informant, but he’d have to be a pretty important one to merit the protection he’s getting.”

  “There could be another reason,” Ruth said. “What if Chesworth is being paid to ‘make things go away’?”

  “Surely we’ve not got another one! Ford was a serial killer and now you’re suggesting that Chesworth is on the take. We don’t have much luck, do we!”

  “But you can’t be sure, can you? None of us have actually worked with him.”

  “No one’s said anything.”

  “I’ve heard something,” Ruth admitted. “I didn’t tell you because it sounded a bit far-fetched to me.”

  Calladine glanced across at her. “Come on then, out with it.”

  “Rumour has it that one of the senior officers in the Greater Manchester area is on the payroll of some big villain. Whoever this is has only recently started protecting this individual. And where does Chesworth come from, the Central Manchester force.”

  “In what way
protecting?”

  “You know the sort of stuff, losing paperwork, pointing the finger elsewhere. Ensuring lowly inspectors don’t cock it up.”

  “And you think this senior officer is Chesworth? Hardly likely. Surely he would be under suspicion by now.”

  “This is recent, Tom, and you don’t know that he isn’t,” Ruth pointed out. “Birch might not even know.”

  Calladine wasn’t convinced. He might not know the man, but he knew Chesworth had been around for years, climbed through the ranks. “He’s been a superintendent for a good while. He doesn’t earn peanuts. What makes you think it’s Chesworth, anyway?”

  “I don’t. I’m simply putting together what you’ve said with the stuff I’ve heard. And don’t ask who the villain is either, ’cos I’ve no idea. But it could be why he doesn’t want this ‘Street’ upsetting.”

  “Street isn’t the big villain. We’d have heard the name before. Whoever he is, Street is new.”

  “Or perhaps an established villain with a new persona for this particular job.”

  Ruth had a point. “Why would he need a new persona?”

  “Think about it, Tom. He’s dealing with the younger end. ‘Street’ is the sort of name they’d remember, think was cool.”

  Calladine nodded. She was onto something. None of the kids had actually met this ‘Street.’ He was a name that appeared on their phones and gave out the orders. He could be anybody.

  “Are we nearly there yet? I’m getting cramp in my backside,” Calladine moaned.

  “You’re like a kid, you are. Satnav says about ten miles until we reach Aberystwyth.”

  “Then what?”

  “Along the coast to Borth, and then it’s only a short hop to Ynyslas. There aren’t many dwellings there, so the cottage should be easy to find.”

  Calladine’s mobile rang. “Can you get that?” he asked Ruth.

  She picked up the phone. “Hi, Julian, it’s Ruth. Tom’s driving, so I’ll put you on speakerphone.”

  The forensic scientist’s voice filled the car. “We’ve gone over Sean Barber’s Audi. Someone has had a go at setting it alight, but they didn’t do a thorough job. We found no trace of drugs. However, we did find something — a knife taped underneath the driver’s seat. It was placed there after the car was burnt. It was wrapped in a plastic bag and the blade is still intact.”