“Is it far?” Jordan asked.
“Down at the end there. It’s past the very last one.” Gary pointed into the distance where sunlight was just beginning to shine onto low shrubs and glint on the windows of the greenhouses and sheds.
They walked in silence beside the railway with the sunrise in front of them. Another day beginning and still no Molly, no Eddie and no solutions.
Chapter 56
The small wooden hut was beyond the fence of the last allotment in an open area surrounded by trees and shrubs. Beyond them were the back gardens of a short row of houses. There was a bank of bins. A tap attached to a water pipe dripped into an old bath filled with grey water. On the railway side of the space there was a storage unit which appeared to have been fashioned out of a shipping container painted green. A heavy chain and padlock secured the door. In contrast, the hut under the tree looked as though a strong gust of wind would destroy it. The roof sagged, there had been rainwater drainage at some time but all that remained now were the metal gutter hangers and a broken length of drainpipe leaning out from the wall. The small window still had glass or Perspex in the frame, but it was so filthy it was almost opaque.
Gary stepped in front and Jordan reached out and grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
“How do you mean, wait? That’s my brother. You’d better not be planning anything dodgy now I’ve brought you here.”
“No, that’s not it. We don’t know if he’s there and more importantly, if he is, we don’t know whether he’s on his own. He could be scared, and he could be armed.”
“Don’t be so bloody daft. Armed! Have you heard yourself? Who do you think you are, bloody Bruce Willis?”
“Listen, just give me a minute. Stay here.” Jordan turned his phone to silent and slid it back into his pocket. He wasn’t risking a repeat of the cock-up on the staircase.
The ground underfoot was boggy and uneven. Jordan was wearing leather shoes. He slipped several times and each time pain shot through his lower back and down his leg. When he was a metre away from the ramshackle building, he stopped and took a deep breath, gathered himself. Behind him Gary waited, fists clenched by his side, his body leaning forward braced to move.
The rickety door was pulled closed but there was no lock or handle, just the hole where a knob had been attached before the rotten wood had let it go. A flagstone had been used as a shallow step and it was covered with dirt. Tendrils of ivy crawled across it. But the growth had been pushed aside and scrapes in the muck showed where the door had been opened recently.
Jordan moved to the window and rubbed at the grime with the side of his fist. It hardly made any difference, but he lifted his hands to cut out the small glare of the rising sun and peered into the dark interior.
The hut was almost empty. There were a few things piled on the floor near to the walls and a plastic garden chair was pushed into the corner. In the middle of the space was a dark mound; it could be a body, a person, or just a heap of discarded tarpaulins. It was impossible to tell.
He would need to go in, but he didn’t need the complication of Gary McCardle with him. He walked back to where the younger man waited. “I can’t see whether he’s in there or not, to be honest. I’m going to have to go in but for now I want you to stay here. Okay.”
“No, I’ll come in with you. Like I said, it’s my brother.”
“Yes, but we don’t know how he might react. I don’t want you in my way and it’ll be my arse on the line if you get hurt.” As he spoke, Jordan felt the flicker of his phone vibrating in his jacket pocket. “Just a minute.” He moved back along the pathway. “Terry, what’s happening?”
“Just wanted to let you know, boss, the search for McCardle resumed at first light. A team is going door to door in the area, looking in sheds and outhouses again, and the helicopter is ready to go up. Do you want them to concentrate around the house? It seems a bit pointless, doesn’t it? I mean, surely, he’ll be long gone by now. What do you want them to do?”
“Are they up already?”
“Just about to deploy. They tried to call you.”
“Okay. Phone was on silent and I guess I missed them. Listen, I’m going to give you some co-ordinates. Ask them to fly over this way and see if there is any sign of life in the small hut at the end of the line of allotments. We’re waiting nearby, but we can’t tell whether or not he’s in there.”
“Okay, on it, boss. I’ll wait for the location.”
Jordan googled the address and forwarded the longitude and latitude of the place. “Okay, let’s just wait a minute, Gary. If this works, it’ll cut down on the risk to us all.”
It wasn’t long before they heard the sound of the helicopter and saw the dot in the distance grow quickly as it approached them.
Chapter 57
The helicopter flew directly towards them through the grey dawn. The brilliant beam of its spot swept the ground. It wheeled and circled to where Jordan and Gary waited. The idea was that the pilot would contact Terry via the Airwaves set and let him know if they had picked up the heat imprint of someone hiding in the hut. It was an efficient and proven way to seek out fugitives. Jordan held his phone ready, waiting for Terry to ring. His other hand was on Gary’s arm, holding the man back.
The call came in quickly. “They’ve picked up a heat source in the building, boss. Looks as though there is someone in there. I’ll get on to despatch and send backup. The chopper will hang around.”
Jordan walked towards the dilapidated little hut, his arm outstretched holding Gary back. The roar of the helicopter was deafening, the trees and shrubs whipping in the downdraft. Suddenly the rickety old door was flung open and Eddie McCardle, dirty and dishevelled, half fell, half threw himself out onto the muddy ground.
“Stay where you are!”
Jordan’s shout stayed him for a moment, and he looked back but recovered quickly, pushing himself to his feet and turning away and towards the stone wall at the end of one of the gardens.
“Police! Don’t run, Eddie, stay there.” As he shouted again, Jordan began to dash across the rough grass. The damaged muscles of his back had stiffened in the cold but he pushed through the pain, limping and lurching towards the wall. Gary was ahead of him by now and screaming out at his brother to ‘just wait.’
It was no good, the noise and the lights had Eddie terrified and there was no stopping him. Now the Skyshout from the helicopter joined in the furore demanding Eddie stay where he was. He glanced up and flicked a V sign at the sky. He jumped onto the edge of the old bathtub of rainwater and launched himself at the top of the garden wall. Jordan almost had him, reaching up to grab at his feet but it was too late. In moments he had dropped from their sight. The aircraft hovering overhead moved with him as he ran through the garden, down a side passage and out into the road. It followed relentlessly as he tried to dodge between houses and down alleys.
Back in the allotments, Jordan and Gary tried to leave by the metal gate which was a repeat of the one at the start of the pathway. It was locked and bolted the same as its twin. The aircraft was wheeling and turning overhead as it followed Eddie in his panicked flight. Grimacing with the pain, Jordan clambered onto the old bath and dragged himself onto the top of the wall but the fugitive was long gone and they would never catch him now on foot. The best option was to make their way back through the gardens to where the car was parked. They called the allotment secretary to allow them to leave. Jordan was furious and disappointed with himself.
North then west. Eddie was running, possibly heading for home, or making for the station at the Technology Park. The area was a warren of houses and flats. It was crowded and busy with mothers and toddlers heading to the local schools and workers heading to the offices of the Technology Park on foot and in cars.
Jordan used the integral blue lights and leaned on the horn. He threw his phone to Gary McCardle. “Speed-dial DC Denn – find out what’s happening.”
They heard the scream of sirens from all directions as b
ackup arrived but still the airborne pursuit was underway.
“Bloody hell, call ’em off,” Gary yelled. “That’s my brother, you don’t even know if he’s done anything. Call ’em off – he must be scared stupid.”
“Sorry, Gary. He shouldn’t have run. If he’s done nothing he wouldn’t have.”
“Wouldn’t have? What the hell do you think you would have done? A bloody helicopter with its lights on – the noise and then everyone yelling at him. Anybody would have run. I would have.”
The tirade was interrupted by the chime of Jordan’s phone. It had linked to the Bluetooth so they both heard Terry Denn. “They’ve got him, boss. The chopper drove him into a cul-de-sac and the lads on the ground have him. He’s in custody.”
Jordan breathed a huge gust of a sigh and pulled into the kerb, yellow lines be damned. “Okay, I want him back in Wavertree station by the time I get there. I’ll bring Gary back to the hospital and pick you up. Update DC Searle and ask her to stay there with Gary and the baby.”
They pulled back into the traffic. “If they let Jakey go home today, just ask my detective constable to let me know and I’ll arrange some transport for you. She had best stay with you for now. She’s not really family liaison but you know her. Is that okay?”
“I suppose. What’s going to happen to Eddie?”
“I can’t answer that until I’ve had a word with him. He’s in this up to his neck though. There’re other people waiting to speak with him. I don’t reckon he’ll be coming home soon. However, don’t forget, in all of this the main thing right now is to find Molly and with luck Eddie will be able to help us do that.”
Chapter 58
The police station in Wavertree was in full swing by the time they arrived. Terry had driven and Jordan popped three more painkillers then perched on the edge of the seat and tried to brace himself against the small jolts and turns. He was tired, in pain and frustrated but they had moved on a little more and he focused on that one brightness. When he tried to clamber out of the car he felt like an old man, pushing himself into a standing position with his hands on the bodywork.
“You really need to get that seen to, boss. Why don’t you ask to see the nurse or take a couple of hours and go and see your own quack?”
“Nah. It eases off, sitting down doesn’t do me any good. I’ll be fine. Anyway, chances of getting an appointment anywhere today are pretty much nil, aren’t they?”
“I guess. You could always see a chiropractor, my mam saw one when she had the sciatica. He was great.”
“Thanks, I might even do that.” Now he felt worse, likened to an old lady with sciatica. He straightened as much as he could and set off down the corridor.
“DI Carr. A word.” Richard Cross didn’t look happy, but then that was nothing new. He spun on his heels and marched back towards his office. Jordan followed him, giving instructions as he left.
“Update the boards, Terry. We’ll have a briefing in half an hour.”
In his office, DCI Cross threw himself into his desk chair. It lurched backwards as his not inconsiderable weight hit it and he grabbed at the desk to brake before it flew in reverse and hit the wall. Jordan pressed his fingernails into his palms to keep the laugh tamped down. He wasn’t offered a seat, for which he was actually grateful.
“Right, what the hell do you think you’re up to, Carr?”
“Up to, sir?”
“Don’t come the innocent with me. You know what I’m talking about. I gave you permission to launch a search for this McCardle low life. I didn’t tell you to create the debacle we have seen.”
“Sir, I don’t think debacle–”
“Don’t argue with me. We’ve had troops all over the bloody place, cars, and then – to cap it all – the helicopter up. Have you any idea how much this is costing? Well, do you? And all this for someone who you should have had under arrest yesterday in his own house.”
“Yes, sir. I felt that, for the search to have the best chance of success we needed the air support. McCardle had gone to ground and I needed to move quickly before he was able to leave the country or at least this area. Today it seemed even more important.”
“Today! Don’t tell me you mobilised it again today. What on earth did you think was the use of it today? He’s gone man, fled and you have that money-eating machine buzzing all over Merseyside.”
“No, sir. It wasn’t like that. I had reason to believe I knew where he was. The helicopter was available, and it made sense to me, at the time.”
He was spared any further explanation by the phone on Cross’s desk.
The conversation was one-sided. Several times, DCI Cross glanced up at Jordan, anger in his eyes but something else. Not just the anger about the search but something bitter and peevish. “Right, well – thank you for that. Yes, I’ll convey your comments to DI Carr, of course. We’ll have him ready for you.”
Cross clicked the phone off and took a deep breath. His fingers clutched at the edge of the desk – knuckles white.
“Everything okay, sir?” Jordan asked.
“That was your chum from St Anne Street.”
“Sorry, my chum?”
“Yes, Griffiths, ringing from Spain. Apparently, his subordinates keep him informed about what’s happening. As opposed to myself. Carr, I don’t appreciate being made to look a fool. I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark.”
Jordan didn’t speak. He hadn’t a clue what he was supposed to have done and judged it best to wait.
“You didn’t tell me you had, this morning, collared this McCardle.”
“I haven’t had time, sir. We have only just got back. I had to take Gary McCardle to Alder Hay to his nephew. Eddie is in an interview room waiting. When you met us in the corridor we had only just arrived.”
“Get out. Get out and go and do your job. Go and speak to Mr McCardle and tell him Serious and Organised crime are on their way from Liverpool to take him back there. Absolutely brilliant. My bloody budget paying for all this overtime and the air support and S and O are going to swan in now and take the credit and you didn’t even have the decency to inform me that we had him. Get out, Carr. Go and sort things out and find the girl. Find that girl and find out who murdered the old woman and leave Serious and Organised crime to deal with their end. That’s all.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Chapter 59
There was an excited buzz in the incident room. Terry Denn was the centre of attention as he filled everyone in on the events of the night. Jordan joined them and the fuss quieted. Jordan went to the coffee machine and poured himself a mug. It had been brewing a while and had a bitter stewed taste, but it was strong and hot and would give him the boost he needed to get through the next few hours at least. He was still annoyed and frustrated by his own performance, hampered as he was by his injury but in the end they had found Eddie.
“Okay. This is a breakthrough, of sorts.” He walked to the whiteboard as he spoke. “We’ve got Eddie here in the interview room, but only for a short while. They want to take him down to St Anne Street in connection with the arms smuggling and quite a bit of other stuff, money laundering for instance. So, I am going to have to leave you and have a word with him now before our colleagues arrive. In the meantime, we are still looking for Molly McCardle. I don’t know at this point whether Eddie knows where his sister is. My instinct is no, to be honest. So, we are still looking for the blue left-hand drive hatchback; or any sightings of the girl herself, of course. I’ll leave you to get on with it. Go through the CCTV again and anything new that has come in from the media appeals. DC Denn is here for anything you think is urgent. My feeling is we still need to concentrate on the area around Southport, though in truth she could be anywhere in the country. It’s important you remember that the baby was returned yesterday. So, organise between yourselves for the footage. Scour everything we have – bear in mind they could have other transport, it could have been Molly herself on foot or whatever else you might imag
ine. Don’t discount anything and share your thoughts. Bev…” Jordan turned to Beverly Powell. “Will you keep the board updated, anything and everything? We have to crack this today.”
“Yes, sir. What about the port and airports?”
“We have the all ports alert out for her. Everyone down at Bootle docks is on the lookout and there are posters of her everywhere there. So, Southport and surrounding as a start and we’ll get together again as soon as I’ve interviewed Eddie McCardle. Get to it – we are losing the impetus on this. I know it’s become much more complicated, but we need to focus on the young woman.”
“What about Mary McCardle though, sir?” Beverly Powell had raised her hand before she spoke again and blushed now as everyone turned to her.
Jordan nodded. “My feeling is that this conversation I’m about to have will shed some light on everything. Eddie McCardle has made comments to his brother and I think, again, it is vital we find this blue car. The whole thing is connected from start to finish and that bloody car is the kingpin. Constable Howarth, come with me, would you?” Jordan had spotted the officer who he’d first met on the rain-soaked evening with Mary McCardle’s body newly discovered. He’d obviously blagged himself yet more extra shifts. The young constable beamed at him as he crossed the room to walk down the corridor to the interview room.
They hadn’t handcuffed McCardle and he still had his belt and shoes. Jordan knew it would all change when they took him to the city centre station, but for now he wasn’t actually under arrest. Once that was done, the clock began ticking.
* * *
“We want to interview you under caution, Mr McCardle. I just want to talk to you about your sister.” He went through the procedure. “I also have to tell you that there are officers coming from another police station and they have questions for you regarding your time in Spain and your activities there. But, right now I just want to know anything at all about your sister. We want to find her. I am going to record our conversation and you are entitled to have a legal representative if you want to.”
Body by the Docks: detectives investigate a baffling mystery Page 18
