Doors Without Numbers

by C. D. Neill

  “This is what we will do Wally. First you tell me how your date went last night, then you are going to tell me what has been on your mind lately. Ever since I have been here, you have been walking around with your head in the clouds.”

  Startled, Hammond looked at her. “I have?”

  “Yep, It’s not a woman, I know that much. You get this look across your face as if you are thinking hard.”

  “Oh.”

  “The date, how did it go?”

  Hammond remembered Kathleen’s proposition and blushed slightly, not replying.

  “Aha! You got laid!”

  It took a second to set her straight. Jenny stared as if she couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was a mystery to her how Hammond could have possibly refused Kathleen’s offer. Hammond had thought the same, but then he was reminded of the nagging doubt he had about Kathleen. Tom Edward’s words kept floating to the forefront of his mind. “How trustworthy is Kathleen?” he had said. At the time Hammond had thought Edwards was simply imagining a conspiracy for the sake of being awkward, but since then Kathleen had lied to him and he didn’t understand why.

  “It could be perfectly innocent, she might have simply got her dates wrong or maybe she wanted you to feel sorry for her. Some women are like that you know, they like to be seen to be hard done by and need a hero to rescue them.”

  Hammond wasn’t sure. He couldn’t rid himself of doubt that Harris was not as confused as Kathleen would like him to believe, but why would she want to mislead him? So that he wouldn’t help his friend? If Harris had been working on his own investigation before he was diagnosed surely Kathleen would appreciate her father having an interest that distracted him from the thought of his own mortality? He felt uneasy about the way she had suddenly tried to seduce him. He hadn’t seen her for years, why take an interest in him now?

  Jenny had more faith in his ability to attract women than he did. “Perhaps she has fancied you for ages but didn’t make a move because you were married.”

  Hammond’s facial expression suggested he was considering the idea although his instincts told him otherwise. The policeman’s motto rang in his head “Assume anything, believe nothing, challenge everything.” It was a sad state of affairs when he couldn’t trust a former police officer’s daughter. It was Hammond’s turn to confide in Jenny. He moved on to the subject of Lloyd Harris, telling Jenny about the request Harris had made, but deliberately omitted his involvement with The Home Office investigation during the 1980’s. Kathleen had contacted Hammond after Harris had asked him to look into the case, it was too much of a coincidence for Hammond’s liking.

  “So, this file, take a look at it. You don’t have to go into work, so how about we both look into it? I can help you.”

  Jenny seemed enthusiastic. Pleased to have found her a distraction from her heartache he agreed and collected the little information he had gathered so far. The two heads bent over the papers he had printed off the internet a few days previously. Jenny’s interest was focused on the FFASL forum pages. She read the last entry circled by Hammond. “In memory of Theresa Davenport. A girl who did not deserve to die. Her killers are still out there somewhere, they know I know...question is what will they do about it?”

  “Did you reply to Cherry13?”

  Hammond replied that the original comment by Cherry13 had been entered several months before.

  “It’s worth trying, just to see if you get a response, you know, throw some bait and reel them in.” Hammond was confused; Jenny made it all sound so easy, he doubted that Cherry13 would fall for such a ploy and said as much, adding that he didn’t know what results he hoped to achieve.

  “Well, for a start you may find out their identity, secondly, if you can get Cherry13 to reply to your e-mail somehow, you can get their IP address and trace from where the e-mail was sent.”

  Hammond confessed he hadn’t thought of this. The difficulty would be in encouraging Cherry13 to send a personal e-mail. The forum could be protected by confidentiality rules which meant that the only way of gaining access to this material would be by exposing his true identity and worse still, making his investigation official. Even if he did succeed in getting Cherry13 to reply personally, it would be foolish to assume that Cherry13 had used a computer at their home, the IP trace could lead to a public computer. He spoke these thoughts aloud to Jenny.

  “If Cherry13 used a public computer, there may be CCTV; all you’d have to do is check the time of the entry.”

  “To access the CCTV footage, I would need to make an official request, I don’t want to do that unless I am sure there is a crime to investigate.”

  “You may not need to do it officially, it depends on the settings of the forum, sometimes you can share your details when you register, make your e-mail address public, or there may be a facility that sends you an e-mail every time someone has made an update on the forum page.”

  Hammond felt encouraged. For the first time he wished he had a computer at home, and said so to Jenny who suggested borrowing Mary’s. She returned from their next door neighbours house carrying a laptop and set it up on the kitchen table. Jenny’s fingers tapped lightly over the keyboard. Using Mary’s wireless signal, they managed to get onto the internet and find the forum page where Cherry13 had written her entry..

  Using a new e-mail account set up specifically for the purpose, Jenny registered an alias onto the FFASL forum and highlighted Cherry13’s icon. A new tab was opened with an option to contact Cherry13. With a broad smile, Jenny passed the keyboard to Hammond and encouraged him to write a message. Pleased though he was by their progress, he suddenly felt hesitant and questioned his methods. He was beginning to behave like a private detective which was the last thing he wanted to do. He sat there in silence, not knowing what to write. He decided to be honest but keep the message simple. “I would like to know more about Theresa Davenport. Why do you think she was killed?” He clicked send and then questioned aloud what was supposed to happen next. There was no activity for a while during which time, Hammond had drunk three cups of coffee and Jenny had ventured outside the front door to smoke the last of her cigarettes. Eventually their patience was rewarded by a tab appearing on the bottom right corner of the screen. Cherry13 was online, he was invited to enter a chat room, he accepted. The reply by Cherry13 asked why they were interested. With tact and diplomacy Hammond replied, he was unsure whether to include too much information but knew he needed something to make Cherry13 realise his interest exceeded beyond mere curiosity.

  “If Theresa was killed like you say, then I want the guilty identified.”

  The reply was immediate. “Why should I trust you?”

  His answer was typed before he had a chance to think about what he wanted to say.

  “Because Theresa may not be the only one. There may be others.”

  There was no reply, Cherry13 went off-line. Hammond swore loudly, he had blown it.

  “A very little bundle of instincts and impulses is indispensable to a man on his way down the path of life to a peaceful and humble grave.”

  Henry Havelock Ellis. The Dance of Life. 1923

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Hammond didn’t bother to shower until midday and cut his toiletry routine by not shaving. He studied his reflection in the mirror and wondered what information his features gave away. He was frowning and attempted to relax the brow muscles but found the more he studied himself, the more tense his features became. Is this what others see? He tried to remember the last time he had bellowed with laughter, he couldn’t. The possibility that he was entering a depression was frightening. He couldn’t understand what was happening, why Beech couldn’t trust him to do his job. He rubbed himself dry with the towel that hung off the back of the bathroom door. Could it be that I am getting old before my time? The previous evening’s conversation with Kathleen had brought back memories of his mother. Towards the end of her life, she had seemed frail, yet she had only been three years older than he was now when
she died. Perhaps it is hereditary, maybe I take after her; I am disintegrating away, piece by piece. He returned to the mirror reflection and told it to stop being so ridiculous before searching for the toothpaste.

  He went back to his bedroom and looked for a clean pair of socks. Only one sock was found, he searched the drawer contents looking for the other when his mobile beeped. He saw that he had three missed calls. He pressed call back. Edwards answered, his voice sounded more refined on the phone than face to face.”Sir, I’ve got good news and bad news, which do you want first?”

  Impatiently, Hammond replied he’d rather the information be given without games. Edwards delivered as requested.”DS Dunn has been reassigned to a rape case, so Galvin and I are pretty much the only two here sealing the Robert’s case.”

  “Damn!” Hammond knew Beech was doing his upmost to close the case, having Hammond and now Dunn out of the way meant that less time and resources would be spent on what Beech considered to be a completed investigation.

  “Forensics have completed their report. The soil found in the nostrils of Graham Roberts has been identified as being native soil from where he was found so he died after the fall. Secondly, toxicology came back, there were traces of Beta-Blockers, Statins, Angiotensin and Calcium Channel Blockers but negative for Aspirin or Nitrates so the original time of death still stands.”

  “What about the bike? Can it be proven that it was Thomas’ bike that hit Roberts?”

  “Yes, there was tissue on it.”

  Hammond felt defeated, with this evidence there would be no reason not to charge Thomas and hand it to the prosecutor. Edwards allowed the news to be digested before making his offer. “If you want I can hold it back a few hours, give us a chance to look at Robert’s house again.”

  “I don’t understand, why go there again?”

  There was noise in the background, Hammond recognised Galvin’s voice talking to Edwards, there were murmurs between the two men before Edwards came back onto the phone. “ Galvin and I were there yesterday, there was no post, not even junk mail. We have checked to see if the mail has been redirected but no official request has been processed. We reckon that the post is being collected by someone.”

  “The house is still sealed?”

  Edwards said that it was, no neighbours had entered the property. A discreet enquiry with the sister had confirmed that she had not been to the property or delegated anyone else to collect the post.

  “What do you suggest Edwards?”

  “Well, that’s why I am calling you Sir. What do you want us to do? Galvin and I searched the house, but we weren’t looking for evidence of any one else having been in the property. We didn’t notice if the house had been broken into since we were there the first time.”

  Hammond scratched his head thinking. It wasn’t logical that there was no post in Robert’s house, he hadn’t been absent long enough for bills to be diverted, there would be some mail, even if it were only the pizza takeaway menus that were put through doors on a weekly basis.

  “Ok, First look for any evidence of a forced entry, then try the neighbours, it’s possible he may have left a spare key with them for whatever reason, then call me. If necessary we can watch the house or check out any CCTV cameras situated nearby. But be discreet, If Beech finds out about this, Thomas will be booked by this evening.”

  Galvin came onto the phone. “Why don’t you come out and look with us? You may see something we haven’t and no offence Sir, but time isn’t on our side.”

  “Fine, I’ll meet you there in half hour.”

  The mobile was tossed onto the bed as the lost sock was retrieved and pulled on. He found his car keys and was about to grab his jacket when he remembered he had left the car at the pub. Slipping the keys into his trouser pocket, he called to Jenny. He had a job for her.

  The screeching fan belt of the Volkswagen camper van announced Hammond’s arrival a few doors away from Robert’s house. Hammond wasn’t a proud man, but it was easier to be dropped off unseen than have to explain why he had allowed himself to be driven in a vehicle resembling something from the Scooby Doo cartoons.

  Galvin and Edwards were waiting in their car on the other side of the road, Hammond thanked Jenny and sprinted across to them, before getting into the back seat of the car.

  “If we can do this without the neighbours seeing us, that would be preferable.”

  Edwards greeted Hammond by offering his packet of Salt and Vinegar crisps. Hammond declined, thinking the loud munching was enough to put anyone off. DC Michael Galvin was sitting in the driver’s seat and turned around to Hammond.

  “There is the possibility that someone from the media entered the house, they were seen outside a few days ago.”

  “Either way, we need to see if the entry was forced.” The three men split up to look at Robert’s house. Edwards took the route towards the front door, Galvin the side window and Hammond around the back. Neither could find any clues that there had been an illegal entry into the house. Galvin produced the front key and the three detectives resumed their search inside the house.

  After forty minutes, Hammond gave up. “The only explanation is that someone else had a key to the property.”

  “We checked with the neighbours, Roberts had never left a key with them and no-one has ever been seen visiting.”

  Edwards confirmed Galvin’s statement by nodding his head as he picked out debris from his teeth with his fingernail.

  “You think that the house is being watched?”

  Hammond shook his head. “Not necessarily, but whoever collects the post has been there daily since Robert’s died. We’ll have to assume they are looking for something in particular. I reckon we should bait our mystery guest, leave them something worth collecting. If that fails, we’ll check the CCTV.”

  Galvin’s eyes widened. “How? Beech is never going to let us.”

  Hammond was past caring what Beech would or wouldn’t allow. He needed to explore all possibilities. If the investigation into Roberts’s death wasn’t thorough, his murder could easily be seen to be a motiveless crime. Hammond couldn’t risk that. If a twelve year old boy was going to be convicted of a crime, it was to be based on an investigation that handled every scrap of evidence possible. Edwards poked a finger at his colleague, “Sure he will, if a neighbour was concerned there had been a break-in.”

  “But there hasn’t been one, we have just established that.” Galvin was impatient with Edwards apparent lack of attention but Hammond understood what Edwards was suggesting; if a neighbour was concerned about their security, it would be necessary to reassure them by investigating further. Even if the cause of concern originated from nothing more than a suspicion. The men left the house. Galvin and Hammond watched from the car as Edwards rang the bell of the neighbours doors before addressing himself to an elderly man who looked warily up the road as the Detective Constable spoke. Hammond laid a firm hand on Galvin’s shoulder “Galvin, I am your superior officer, you will be following my orders.”

  It was with some regret that Hammond contemplated the mornings events. Not only had he behaved recklessly by attempting to tease information from a bereaved stranger online. He had just allowed a member of his team to cause deliberate concern to an elderly neighbour of a murder victim and had unburdened himself of his worries onto the shoulders of his son’s best friend whom he also now knew was emotionally vulnerable. This was not the man Hammond wanted to be but he knew he was running out of choices as far as the investigations were concerned. Part of him felt responsible for Thomas’ fate and he owed his career to Lloyd Harris so his actions, reckless though they were, had some justifiable cause. Hammond had seen a look of disappointment flash across Galvin’s face when he had allowed Edwards to behave the way he had done, but he knew the only way of identifying who was taking Robert’s post would be by baiting them to collect more post or looking through CCTV recordings taken of Dymchurch Road during the last few days. It was important that this was done as soon
as possible before Thomas Taylor was charged. He hoped silently that Galvin would remain co-operative. He admired Galvin, he was enthusiastic and not arrogant like Edwards but he couldn’t trust that Galvin wouldn’t report on his underhand methods of investigation. Keeping these thoughts to himself, he accepted Galvin’s offer of a lift to where he had left his car at Charing. The journey lasted twenty minutes in which time the three men discussed how to continue their investigation. Edwards had had no luck tracing the mobile number called from Robert’s home the night before his murder.

  “The mobile was switched off when I tried it, but the good news is that Robert’s had phoned this number several times in the last month, each call lasted between two to ten minutes each time. That suggests a familiarity between both parties. The bad news is that the number isn’t registered so we have no idea to whom the phone belongs.”

  Galvin had attempted to search for the Mother and son whom had filed a complaint against Roberts in 2001.

  “The Mother’s name was Gail Lawson. She married a second time in 2003 to Nicholas Ricci and they moved towards the Clapham area. I think they had more children but the information is pretty limited. I’ll have to delve a bit deeper. Either way, I couldn’t find anything else that suggests Roberts’ posed a threat to her son or to any other children. There have been no other reports of him behaving inappropriately, not officially anyway.”

  Hammond was disappointed. It was beginning to look as if the motive behind the attack on Roberts was nothing more than Thomas losing his temper after being humiliated. However, it still didn’t explain the missing wallet. They decided to keep looking although they all felt that time was running out. As Hammond left the car, he agreed to meet them at the station later in the afternoon. Whilst he was in Charing, it may be worth checking in on Lloyd Harris. Hammond did not want to believe that Kathleen had been dishonest regarding her father’s state of mind, but it may be worth paying him an unexpected visit.