by Trevor Negus
The first Ford Transit came to a stop beside Danny. As the door of the vehicle opened, he recognised Ray Machin.
Ray Machin smiled grimly as he got out of the vehicle. ‘Hello again, Chief Inspector. Where’s the entrance to this cave?’
The two men shook hands. Danny said, ‘Hello, Ray. Please call me Danny, okay? Thank you so much for getting here so quickly. The entrance is inside one of these garages.’
‘No problem, Danny. We shouldn’t really be here, as technically we’re only supposed to operate in old mine workings or on National Coal Board property. When there’s a life at stake, though, all that procedure malarkey goes out the window, right? My men are getting their equipment together. They’ll be ready to enter the cave system in ten minutes.’
Danny nodded grimly.
A woman’s voice said, ‘If we’re talking technicalities, these are very old mine workings, not caves. They’re not coal, though. They’re sand.’
Ray looked beyond Danny and saw the young woman in the hard hat, standing about a yard away. He smiled and said, ‘Well, that’s good to know, young lady. And you are?’
Danny said, ‘Ray, this is Stacey Bloom, the geology student I told you about.’
‘I see, so you’re the cave expert. It’s good to meet you, Miss Bloom. What can you tell me about the conditions down there?’
Stacey said, ‘All of these tunnels and workings were originally excavated by hand. The system used was the pillar and stall method, so the workings themselves supported the roof structure. Normally, although the sandstone is friable, they’re a lot less volatile. It’s the constant heavy rain we’ve experienced lately that has made the mine workings so dangerous and unpredictable at the moment.’
Ray nodded and got straight to the point. ‘You went back and saw where the officer was buried. Do you think it’s possible he’s still alive down there?’
Unfazed by the hard question, Stacey replied, ‘The entire roof of the tunnel leading to the pot cave has come down. There’s a wall of sludgy sandstone filling the entire tunnel, floor to ceiling. It’s possible that it was just the roof of the tunnel that collapsed, and that the roof of the pot cave remained intact. If that’s the case, then there’s a good chance the detective is trapped within the cave. He could be in an air pocket, but the air won’t last very long. A maximum of three to four hours is my best guess.’
Ray was deep in thought. ‘How far is the pot cave from where the cave-in ends? I need to know how much roof fall we need to get through.’
‘I would estimate somewhere between ten to fifteen yards.’
Danny said, ‘That’s a hell of a lot of dirt and rock to shift.’
Ray said, ‘Stacey, are you prepared to direct us to the roof fall? It will save us valuable time.’
‘Of course. Anything I can do to help get him out of there.’
Danny marvelled at the young woman’s selfless courage. He said, ‘Thank you, Stacey.’
He turned back to Ray. ‘How long will it take your men to dig their way through the roof fall?’
‘I’ll let you know better when I’ve been down and had a look. My intention is to dig a crawl space through the roof fall in the tunnel until we reach the pot cave. From what Miss Bloom says, we won’t have time to dig it all out. I won’t know if digging out a crawl space is even feasible until I’ve had a good look.’
‘Isn’t that method dangerous?’
‘There isn’t a safe method. All our work is dangerous, Danny. We’ll endeavour to shore up the crawl space as we go along. It won’t be until we get through to the cave that we’ll know if your man has survived the roof fall. I need to get my equipment and recce the situation. Are you ready to go, Miss Bloom?’
Stacey nodded and said, ‘I’m ready, but please just call me Stacey, okay?’
The experienced miner smiled and said, ‘Stacey it is.’
He turned back to Danny. ‘One last thing, I need you to arrange for a couple of ambulances to be here on standby for the duration of the rescue operation. If anything goes wrong, I don’t want my staff to be waiting for medical assistance.’
‘Of course. I’ll get that sorted, Ray. Anything else you need?’
‘No, we’re all good. We’ve got our own lights for when it gets dark later.’
Danny nodded and watched as the powerful, squat mines rescue chief made his way towards the equipment trailer. Several of his men were already standing outside the trailer, fully kitted up and ready to go.
Danny looked at the serious expressions on the men’s faces. He felt humbled by the miners’ willingness to put their own lives at risk to try to rescue a complete stranger.
He felt a lump form in his throat and quickly brushed away the single tear that ran down his cheek.
97
12.15pm, 18 October 1986
Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham
Emily Whitchurch had been taken to a private room behind the main accident and emergency department at the Queen’s Medical Centre.
Doctors had quickly assessed the young girl and found little physically wrong with her. She was malnourished, dehydrated and suffering from sleep deprivation. She was also slightly disoriented after being held in pitch-black darkness for the best part of two weeks.
What the damage to her mental health would be could not yet be determined. Only time would reveal the answer to that question.
Rachel sat at the side of Emily’s bed, holding the young girl’s hand, while they waited for her parents to arrive. The doctors had advised Emily to keep her eyes closed for a few hours until she got used to the surrounding light. Rachel kept hold of the young girl’s hand so that she knew she wasn’t alone.
In a voice barely a whisper, Emily said, ‘Can I ask you something?’
Rachel said gently, ‘Of course you can.’
‘You know the policeman who got me out? Why did he keep calling me Laura?’
Rachel said, ‘Laura’s the name of his own daughter. She’s about your age. He must have got confused because of the stressful situation, that’s all.’
‘He saved my life. If he hadn’t got me out of that cave, I’d be dead now. Is he going to be okay?’
‘I really don’t know, Emily; people are trying to get him out now. You need to try to get some rest now.’
Emily began to sob quietly. ‘I hope he’s going to be okay.’
Rachel thought to herself, So do I, sweetheart; so do I.
The door to the room opened, and a young nurse stuck her head around the door. She said, ‘Your mum and dad are here now, Emily. We want you to stay here and rest for a couple more hours while we keep an eye on you. I’ll send them in to see you, okay?’
Emily stopped sobbing and nodded.
Rebecca and Dominic walked into the hospital room, followed by DC Helen Baxter. Rebecca sat on her daughter’s bed and held her hand tightly. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she said quietly, ‘Hello, sweetheart, it’s Mum. It’s so good to see you again. We’re going to take you home soon.’
Emily started to cry and said, ‘Give me a hug, Mum.’
Rebecca started to cry as well, leaned forward and hugged her daughter.
A hard-faced Rachel stood and asked Dominic, ‘Is my inspector here? I need to get back to Forest Road East. DC Baxter’s going to stay here with you to make sure you’re okay.’
‘Detective Inspector Buxton’s outside, waiting for you. Can I ask you a quick question before you go? How did you find her?’
Rachel said, ‘We followed a suspect who led us to the caves.’
‘A suspect? Who?’
Rachel made eye contact with Dominic and hissed, ‘Brandon Temple, Angela’s husband.’
Rachel walked out of the room and saw Rob Buxton waiting in the corridor. She said, ‘Can we get back to Forest Road East? I can’t stand to be around these people any longer.’
98
12.35pm, 18 October 1986
Forest Road East, Nottingham
Rob Bux
ton parked the CID car next to the Mobile Incident Room that had been driven into position alongside the bright yellow Mines Rescue vehicles, opposite the garage that housed the entrance to the caves.
A tent had been erected in front of the garage doors to prevent the prying lenses of the press from seeing events unfold within the garage.
Rachel got out of the car and saw Danny standing next to the Mobile Incident Room. He was staring into the white tent that led to the garage. Powerful floodlights had been erected inside the garage, causing the tent to shine brilliant white.
Rachel and Rob walked across to Danny. She said, ‘Any news, boss?’
Danny shook his head. ‘Nothing yet. I’m expecting Ray Machin to come back with a sitrep any minute now. How were Emily’s parents?’
Rob said, ‘Obviously overjoyed to have their daughter back safe and sound, but also understandably concerned about the situation here. They’ve both sent their sincere gratitude to Brian and want to thank him for what he’s done.’
Rachel said, ‘Yeah, well, let’s hope they get the chance to do that in person.’
Danny looked at Rachel and said, ‘Something on your mind?’
Rachel was fighting back tears. ‘Yes, sir, something’s on my mind. This is all down to them. They send us their “sincere gratitude”, but it’s their selfish behaviour that’s led to my friend being trapped underground, fighting for his life.’
Danny put a comforting arm around her shoulder. ‘You’ve every right to be angry. And there’s more than a grain of truth in what you say, but we can’t afford to think like that. Brian wouldn’t have cared how he came to be in that situation. All he would have cared about was that there was a young girl’s life to save.’
‘Emily told me at the hospital that when Brian was freeing her and getting her out of the pot cave, he kept referring to her as Laura. That’s his own daughter’s name, boss.’
‘I know it is. Brian cares deeply for his own daughter. So it’s no surprise to me that he acted so courageously if he was thinking about his own daughter when he freed Emily. Go inside and get a hot drink. I’ll keep you informed of any progress, okay?’
Rachel nodded and walked into the Mobile Incident Room.
Rob said, ‘She’s feeling it, boss.’
‘I know. This isn’t exactly the easing back into police work I’d envisaged for her. I hope she can cope with this.’
‘Rachel’s a tough cookie. She’ll be fine. It’s strange about Brian referring to the Whitchurch girl as Laura, though.’
Danny stared at the ethereal white light emanating from inside the tent and kept his thoughts to himself.
He and Rob were the only people who knew that Brian believed he was about to lose his own daughter, when she flew to America with her mother to start a new life.
Danny understood completely why Brian had been so desperate to get that young girl out of the cave. He now realised that his friend and colleague had seen saving Emily Whitchurch as a substitute for being unable to prevent his own daughter from leaving.
Suddenly, there was movement at the cave entrance, which ripped Danny from his thoughts. He stepped inside the garage, followed by Rob.
A dirty-faced Ray Machin emerged from the entrance. He saw Danny waiting and said, ‘It’s good news. Things down there aren’t as bad as I feared. Now that Stacey’s had another look, she thinks we’re probably only ten yards from the entrance to the pot cave. The soil and sandstone that’s come down from the roof is still very wet, but that means it’s easy to shift. I just need to get more props organised, and then we can start digging the crawl space in earnest.’
‘How long before your men can reach the cave?’
‘If we work flat out, we should make it within the three hours. I just hope Stacey’s right about how much air will be available in the cave. I’m sorry, Danny; I need to get cracking.’
‘Sorry, don’t let me stop you.’
Ray Machin started barking orders to his men in the supply truck. They immediately began unloading more of the white props and sheets of corrugated metal that would form the support for the crawlspace.
Rob looked at the flimsy sheets of metal and said, ‘Jesus Christ, rather them than me.’
Danny said, ‘I just hope it’s all going to be worth it.’
Rob said, ‘It’ll take more than a few rocks and a bit of mud to finish off Brian. He’s tough as old boots.’
Danny began to walk back towards the Mobile Incident Room. He couldn’t stand to look at the entrance to the cave any longer. He had suddenly felt a real sense of loss and doubted that Rob’s assessment was going to be right this time.
Just as he reached the door, Danny heard a voice behind him. ‘Any updates, Chief Inspector?’
Danny spun around and saw Chief Constable Jack Renshaw and Chief Superintendent Adrian Potter walking towards him.
Danny said, ‘Hello, sir. How much do you know already?’
‘I know that one of your men is trapped underground, Danny. Any updates on when they can get him out of there?’
‘I’ve just spoken to Ray Machin, the Mines Rescue supervisor. He thinks they should be able to get him out within the next three hours.’
‘That’s very time specific.’
‘That’s the estimation of how much air he might have in the pot cave. That’s if he’s still alive.’
‘I see. What are the odds on him still being alive?’
Danny shrugged. ‘I’ve really no idea, sir. I wouldn’t like to guess. What I do know is that these men from the Mines Rescue Service are risking their own lives to get a complete stranger out of a hole.’
‘As did your detective inspector for a vulnerable young girl,’ said Adrian Potter. The chief superintendent continued, ‘We’re all very proud of him, Danny.’
Danny was taken aback. It was the first time Adrian Potter had ever used his first name.
Danny mumbled, ‘Thank you, sir. It’s just a waiting game now, I’m afraid.’
Jack Renshaw said, ‘I’m going to stay here for the duration. It’s where I should be. Do we need any other resources?’
‘No, sir, everything’s in hand. As I said before, all we can do is wait and let these men do their work.’
Adrian Potter added, ‘And say a quiet prayer while we do.’
Jack Renshaw looked at Potter and nodded in agreement. He had noted the two comments Potter had made to Danny Flint about Detective Inspector Hopkirk’s situation. He hoped that his brief conversation in the car had got through to the acerbic Yorkshireman.
99
2.30pm, 18 October 1986
Richmond Drive, Mapperley Park, Nottinghamshire
Rebecca Whitchurch walked into the lounge of her beautiful home, carrying a single suitcase.
She placed the suitcase on the floor and said, ‘Emily’s fast asleep.’
She turned to DC Helen Baxter and said, ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, Helen. These have been extremely difficult times, and you’ve been extremely supportive, but I think you can leave now.’
Helen said, ‘Are you sure, Rebecca?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. We’ve got our precious daughter back now, so everything will be fine. Thanks again for everything you’ve done.’
Helen stood up and grabbed her coat from the back of the settee. As she put her coat on, she took a card from her pocket and said, ‘Here’s my card. You can still contact me any time day or night. I fully understand if you want to be left alone, to have some precious family time. I’m just so pleased that we got Emily back for you both.’
Rebecca walked with the detective to the front door.
At the door, Rebecca embraced Helen and said, ‘Precious family time, exactly. Thanks, Helen.’
The detective was a little surprised by Rebecca’s comment, but she nodded and walked down the driveway to her car.
Rebecca closed the door and walked back into the lounge.
Dominic had already poured himself a large tumbler full o
f whiskey.
He looked at the suitcase and said, ‘Are you going somewhere?’
Rebecca snatched the glass of whiskey from her husband’s hand, walked into the kitchen and poured the drink down the sink.
Dominic said, ‘What the hell’s wrong with you? What are you doing?’
She turned round sharply. With real venom in her voice, she said, ‘Am I going somewhere? No, Dom, you are! Get your clothes packed and get the fuck out of this house!’
‘What? You’ve got to be kidding.’
‘I heard what that bloody detective said to you at the hospital. Brandon Temple, Angela’s wife. I’m not stupid, and I’m not blind. Your sordid little affair almost cost our daughter her life. If having sex with Angela Temple was that important to you, you can have it for good. Now get your stuff packed and get out!’
‘It wasn’t important to me. Sex with her meant nothing, Rebecca! This is where I belong.’
‘Well, it obviously meant something to Brandon Temple. You don’t belong here. You’re nothing but a user! Now get out, or have I got to call the police to throw you out?’
Dominic became angry. ‘You’ll regret this, you cold-hearted bitch! I’ll make sure you’re finished in chambers.’
‘That’s all you’re bothered about, isn’t it? Your precious career,’ she sneered.
He snarled back, ‘Well, you’re as bad. If you’d been a better mother, Emily wouldn’t have gone off the rails the way she did.’
‘I’m sure your pretty little airhead mistress will be waiting with open arms for you, Dominic. Now, for the last time, get the fuck out of this house!’
Dominic grabbed the Range Rover keys and a bottle of whiskey. Ignoring the suitcase, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
