Sins of the Fathers

by Leah Hope

  “We need to get to speak to someone in charge. You may have valuable information. I’ll try and use what little clout I’ve got but if all else fails, I’ll get on to one of my contacts at the big nationals to see if they can pull some strings.”

  As Gil and Ed left the pub and made their way back to the police cordon, Bridget rang. She had been watching the lunchtime news and had seen a helicopter shot of Maggie’s road. She was certain that she recognized her bungalow in the centre of the screen. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing and Gil struggled to calm her down. Bridget had had the presence of mind to ring Heather and, as gently as she could, broke the devastating news that for the second time in less than a month, her mother was in danger. Heather rang back later to let Bridget know that mercifully, she and Tony had managed to get a flight and would be arriving at Bristol airport some time that evening. “Just hang in their Bridge” Gil had told his distraught sister. “I won’t let anything happen to Maggie” he promised. Heaven knows how he was going to achieve that though, he thought to himself.

  As Gil and Ed arrived back at the cordon, Ed beckoned a uniformed police officer. He quickly explained who Gil was and asked if they could speak to a senior officer. Within a few minutes, Chief Superintendent Duggan appeared and, after a few brief words, lifted the tape barrier to let Gil and Ed through. He quickly took them to a large police van parked a hundred yards or so down the road and, opening a sliding side door, ushered the pair inside. Gil was amazed to see the van set up as a mini control centre. There were seats on three sides, with a table in the middle. An impressive array of electronic equipment was piled on another small table in front of the rear doors. Two uniformed officer occupied the front seats, both looking at a bank of monitors which showed multiple views of the scene outside.

  “So Mr Honeyman, I understand you are close friend of Mrs Margaret Thomas who was shot and wounded in Whytecliffe-on-Sea a few weeks ago. Please tell me briefly what you can about that day.”

  Gil gulped as for the first time, he had heard what he took to be official confirmation that it was indeed Maggie who was being held hostage. Not that he had any doubts by now. Stunned as he was, he surprised himself by how clearly the images of that fateful day appeared and he was able to give the Chief Superintendent a full and clear account. All the same, he couldn’t help wishing that Bridget was with him, he had never needed her so much as he did now.

  “Thank you Mr Honeyman, that’s been very helpful. Of course we have been in contact with Whytecliffe CID, in fact Detective Inspector Addison is on his way now but has unfortunately been held up in traffic.” Glancing at Ed, the Chief Superintendent, got up out of his seat and opened the side door. “If you wouldn’t mind stepping outside Mr Fielding, what I have to say next is, for the moment confidential. There will be a full press briefing in due course.” Ed readily complied, having come up against Chief Superintendent Duggan on more than one occasion. He knew it was futile to argue.

  “So it is Dan Collins that’s holding Maggie then? I mean it must be if Inspector Addison is on his way.”

  “On the contrary. It’s looking increasingly unlikely that it is in fact Daniel Collins. In which case Inspector Addison has had a wasted journey Mr Honeyman. We are still trying to establish the identity of the hostage taker. But what I can tell you is that it is most probably not Daniel Collins. Not unless he’s developed an eastern European accent.”

  Gil’s brain went into overdrive. Not Dan Collins? What does he mean, eastern European? Suddenly his head was full of words that belonged to the pages of fiction. Spies, the Russian mafia and billionaire oligarchs. What on earth does any of this have to do with Maggie?

  “Sorry I’m not with you Chief Superintendent. If it’s not Dan Collins, then who the hell is holding Maggie in there?” Gil asked, jerking his head in the direction of Maggie’s house.

  “As I’ve stated, we are still working on establishing the man’s identity. He is not co-operating and refusing to give us his name. His apparent eastern European origins are all we have to go on, plus his only demand so far which is for justice for his father. Unfortunately up to now he hasn’t told us his father’s name.”

  “But that’s a bit stupid isn't it? I thought the point of taking someone hostage was to make demands.”

  “He thinks he’s being clever by spinning this out, stalling for time. He thinks the longer the siege goes on the more publicity he’ll get for his “cause”. He’s right of course, to some extent, he knows we haven’t got much choice but to play the waiting game. The safety of the hostage is always paramount. But if he makes one wrong move, the dozen marksmen we’ve got positioned around the house are under orders to open fire.”

  Gil wasn’t sure if this was reassuring news or not. The thought of Maggie being hit as well terrified him. He’d read enough about hostage situations around the world to know that they often ended in chaotic shoot-outs with the hostage getting killed or wounded in the crossfire.

  “Do you know which room Maggie is being held in Chief Superintendent? Can you see her?”

  “Yes we can. She’s in the kitchen at the rear of the house. I don’t want to upset you but it looks as if she’s tied to a chair and possibly has a gag in her mouth.”

  “Oh god no” Gil cried out. “Can you see if this lunatic has a weapon?”

  “It looks like a knife, we haven’t seen any sign of a gun. That’s not to say he doesn’t have one somewhere of course. I know this must be very distressing for you but the hostage negotiator says the man is calm at the moment and has not made any threatening moves towards Mrs Thomas.”

  “If he does, I’ll be in there myself, just try and stop me” Gil said, his face contorted in anger.

  “Try to stay calm Mr Honeyman. I know this is a difficult time for you but we are confident of a successful, and peaceful outcome. We have no intention of allowing any harm to come to Mrs Thomas.”

  At that moment, the door of the van was slid open from the outside and Gil turned round to see a familiar face.

  “Detective Inspector Addison, Whytecliffe CID sir, sorry I’m late.”

  “Come in, come in Inspector. Thank you for coming, please take a seat. I understand you’ve been fully briefed.”

  Inspector Addison climbed into the van, shaking Gil’s hand as he did so and sat down next to him.

  “Yes sir, so if miladdo in there isn’t our man then it looks as if I’ve had a wasted journey.”

  “As I’ve just been telling Mr Honeyman Inspector, we’re still trying to establish his identity but we can rule out his being Daniel Collins.”

  “This is absolutely baffling sir. Gil will know that I initially had doubts that Daniel Collins was our man, largely because I couldn’t understand his motive. But after speaking to a former police psychologist, I accepted that I was wrong. Now I don’t know what to think. Where are we sir on establishing identity?”

  “We’ve precious little to go on Inspector. He demands justice for his father but so far he hasn’t given us clues as to who he is.”

  “Playing for time no doubt.”

  The Chief Superintendent nodded. “Mr Honeyman, I need to discuss some operational matters with Inspector Addison so I must ask you to step outside. You may if you wish remain inside the cordon but I must ask you not repeat anything that we’ve discussed to anyone. That goes especially for your friend Mr Fielding. Sergeant Shakespeare here will escort him back.”

  “Before you go Gil, can I ask if either you or Bridget have been in touch with Heather? For your information sir” Inspector Addison added for the Chief Superintendent’s benefit “Heather is Maggie’s daughter, she lives in France with her husband.”

  “Bridget spoke to her earlier. She and her husband are due to land at Bristol airport at around six. She’s devastated of course.”

  “I can’t imagine how she must be feeling. This is the second dreadful ordeal for her, and for Tony too.” Turning to the Chief Superintendent he said “I would like to arrange for a
car to meet them at the airport sir, if that’s ok with you.”

  “Yes of course, just give Constable Dyer here the flight details and he’ll get that organized.”

  “Thank you sir. I feel that’s the very least we can do for them.”

  Gil stepped down from the van and walked over to where Ed was still waiting.

  “Sorry Ed, I’m under orders to keep everything to myself. I just want to thank you for your help. If it wasn’t for you I’d be stuck on the other side of the barrier not knowing what on earth was going on.”

  “No worries Gil, I know how these things work. Don’t forget, if Maggie want’s a sympathetic ear when all this is finished, you know where to find me.”

  At that moment, Sergeant Shakespeare arrived to escort Ed back outside the cordon.

  Not knowing quite what to do, Gil hung around outside the police van looking for signs of any activity. As everything looked quiet, he decided to ring Bridget. He knew she would be desperate to hear from him.

  “Gil, it’s so good to hear from you” Bridget said, clearly relieved. “Have you been able to find out anything? There’s nothing new on the box, but I suppose that’s not a bad thing.”

  Gil updated her on what Chief Superintendent Duggan had told him about the identity of the hostage taker. She had been as incredulous as he and Inspector Addison had been at the news that it wasn’t Dan Collins. Just as he was about to tell Bridget about Heather and Tony being met at the airport, Inspector Addison stepped out of the police van.

  “Gil, over here. Quickly!”

  Gil ran back to the van where Chief Superintendent Duggan was wearing headphones; clearly something significant had happened. Gil tried to read upside down what the Chief Superintendent had scribbled on a pad in front of him. The two uniformed officers sitting in the front of the van appeared to be listening in also.

  “Excellent John, this is clearly a breakthrough. No, no response yet, let him sweat for a bit.” The Chief Superintendent took off his earphones. “Gentlemen we have a name, or rather two names. Aleksander Jankowski is our man, father is Tomasz Jankowski, both Polish nationals. He has repeated his demands for justice for his father so tracing him is clearly a priority. If he’s in Poland it will make things a lot harder but as his son is asking for our help, I’m guessing he’s here in the UK somewhere. More than likely detained at her Majesty’s pleasure.” The Chief Superintendent had hardly finished speaking when a mobile phone on the desk rang.

  After a brief conversation the Chief Superintendent smiled. “As I thought, Tomasz Jankowski is currently serving fourteen years for causing death by dangerous driving and while under the influence of alcohol.”

  “Sheesh” said Inspector Addison “and his son thinks he needs justice! They threw the book at him though didn’t they, maximum sentence. Who did he kill, Mother Theresa?”

  “One David Hywel Thomas, husband of Margaret Thomas” the Chief Superintendent replied sternly.

  Gil and Inspector Addison looked at each other shaking their heads in disbelief “Are you thinking what I’m thinking Gil?”

  “Right motive, wrong man.”

  “Could someone please enlighten me” the Chief Superintendent asked looking perplexed.

  Although Chief Superintendent Duggan had been made aware of what linked Dan Collins to the Honeymans, he hadn’t been briefed on the finer details.

  “So if I’ve got this right Inspector, you now believe that Margaret Thomas was in fact the intended victim all along. The motive that you originally attributed to Daniel Collins, can equally apply to Aleksander Jankowski.”

  “In a nutshell Chief Superintendent.”

  “But you know nothing about the Jankowskis.”

  “If Aleksander has gone to the lengths he has, he is one very aggrieved young man. I bet you’ll find that after his father was imprisoned, he and his family lost their livelihood, possibly also their home and who knows what as well. His life would have changed for the worse and if he also had mental health issues, he could have been looking for someone to blame.”

  “Maggie” said Gil.

  “Precisely. We’ve been looking at this the wrong way round” the inspector added. “As only a handful of people knew that Maggie would be in Whytecliffe that day, we never doubted that Bridget was the intended victim.”

  “But how did he know she would be there? Like you say Inspector, only a handful of people knew about Maggie’s change of plans.”

  “That’s what I can’t wait to find out Gil. I knew there was something wrong about all of this, call it copper’s instinct if you want but it just didn’t smell right. But as we had no other leads, I allowed myself to believe we were on the right track. I could kick myself now.”

  “I don’t think you should be blaming yourself Inspector. It was Bridget and I who tried to persuade you that that Dan Collins was the gunman and then when Heather outlined her theory, it all seemed to fit.”

  “Thank you for that Gil but as an experienced police officer, it was down to me to weigh up the evidence, and if I’m honest, I was never 100% convinced it was there.”

  “If you don’t mind my saying, this is getting us nowhere Inspector” Chief Superintendent Duggan said at last, looking slightly irritated. “What’s done is done. Mr Honeyman, if you wouldn’t mind stepping outside again please. I need to speak to the Inspector in private.”

  Gil caught sight of Inspector Addison’s face as he left the van. He looked utterly dejected. Poor sod he thought, I hope he isn’t in for a roasting.

  Gil wandered up and down the road outside Maggie’s house hoping to pick up on anything happening. He knew he ought to ring Bridget, she would be desperate for news. If he were honest, he couldn’t face speaking to her at the moment. He knew he was being selfish, but he wasn’t in the mood for comforting her when he was so in need of comfort himself. Short of asking Ed for a big hug, that wasn’t about to be forthcoming. As he kicked a couple of small stones around on a grass verge, he heard Inspector Addison calling him.

  “Gil, over here, there’s been a development. Tomasz Jankowski has asked to speak to his son. He thinks he can persuade him to give himself up.”

  “That’s brilliant!” Gil said, his eyes widening in astonishment.

  “This could be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for. Liverpool jail are making the arrangements now so as soon as we’ve got things sorted this end, he’ll be put through. I’d better get back, I want to listen in to this. Sorry Gil but you’ll have to wait here. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve got any news.”

  “Thank you Inspector, I understand.”

  Half an hour later it was all over.

  Gil watched as Maggie’s front door opened and Aleksander Jankowski appeared, arms raised. Scruffily dressed in jeans, a hooded top and trainers, he looked like millions of other young men of his age. Except he wasn’t the same. Loutish or drunken behaviour was not unusual amongst his peers, attempted murder and kidnapping were however pretty rare.

  Maggie’s little front garden was crammed full with armed police, dog-handlers and assorted plain-clothes officers. Jankowski was ordered to lie face-down on the ground. Two uniformed officers wasted no time in wrenching his arms behind his back and slapping on the handcuffs. The kidnapper turned prisoner was dragged to his feet and frog-marched into the back of a waiting police van. It departed at speed in a convoy of other vehicles.

  A team of paramedics had slipped into the rear of the house as soon as it had been declared safer for them to do so. Fifteen minutes after the kidnapper had been led away, his victim appeared. Wrapped in a foil blanket, Maggie was supported on either side by two female paramedics. A third carried their equipment and went ahead to open the door of the ambulance which had now reversed into the drive.

  Gil had been held back by the myriad of armed officers but they couldn’t stop him calling out to Maggie as soon as he set eyes on her.

  “I’m alright Gil” she replied weakly, “tell everyone I’m alright.” Then she was
helped up the steps of the ambulance before disappearing out of sight.

  Just as Gil ended a call to Bridget to tell her the good news, Inspector Addison appeared at his side.

  “Come on Gil, we've got a car waiting to take you to the hospital.” Glancing down at his watch he added “Heather and Tony should be touching down about now. We’ll get them fast-tracked through passport control and take them straight to the hospital. But let’s get you there first, I’m sure Maggie will be desperate to see a friendly face.”

  *

  For the second time in a month, Gil found himself in a hospital waiting room frantic for news about Maggie. The place was swarming with police and he hoped that at least one of them would have the inside track on how she was doing. If they did, they weren’t letting on. If that bastard’s harmed her in any way, he said to himself, his thoughts trailing off as he tried not to think about what that might have involved. At that moment, the glass doors of the A&E department flung open as Heather and Tony were ushered inside by two uniformed police officers.

  “Gil!” Heather almost screamed as she rushed towards him and flung her arms around him, almost knocking him off his feet. “I’m so glad to see you, have you heard any news?”

  Gil choked back a tear as he could see the strain all too easily etched in Heather’s face.

  “I’m so glad you’re here Heather, you too Tony. No there’s no news yet. She’s been here ages but no-one’s telling me anything.”

  “Perhaps they’ll tell us as we’re family” Tony said as he strode purposefully towards the reception desk.

  “The doctor is on his way to see us now, so we need to go to the waiting room” Tony said as he made his way back towards Gil and Heather.

  “I’ll get some coffees and I’ll catch you up”, said Gil. As he walked over to the drinks machine he was suddenly conscious of how long ago it was that he’d eaten. The pie and chips with Ed seemed to belong to another century. He bought a few chocolate bars to go with the coffee. If Heather and Tony didn’t want them, they wouldn’t go to waste he thought. As he reached the waiting room, he saw a doctor approaching from the other direction.