The Cuckoo is a Pretty Bird

by L M Krier

  ‘It matches what we have so far, so yes, it does. Thank you.’

  ‘I’ve also let it be known, in view of what else we know about your case, that I’m in the market for something really out of the ordinary for my boyfriend for his birthday. I’ve been careful not to say too much too soon but I’ve dropped broad hints about it being a very open relationship. We’re up for experimenting. Three in a bed is so last year, and so on.

  ‘But for now, I’d better be going. It will look too suspicious to anyone who knows me if I spend more time with you than I usually do with any of my clients. I’ll be in touch. You stay and enjoy the tapas. They’re usually very good here.’

  She stood up, gathering her things, putting the tablet away in a smart briefcase, raising her voice slightly so she could be heard.

  ‘I’ll go away and rework it for you. You want pop? When I’ve finished with it, it will pop your eyeballs.’

  Trev was in his customary place in front of the television with the cats when Ted got back. He stretched lazily, reached for the remote and paused whatever it was he was watching.

  ‘Hey you, how was your hot date with a woman?’

  ‘Interesting. And hopefully productive.’

  ‘Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something?’

  ‘I pigged out on tapas, which were very good, so I’m fine, thank you. How are you?’

  ‘I’m fine, too. It wasn’t as gruelling as I thought it might be. Was it all right?’

  The question Ted had been dreading. He wouldn’t willingly lie to Trev. But it was not a conversation he wanted to have now. He wanted to have a plan in mind of a way through it all before he broached the subject. First he needed to think of someone Trev might be happy to talk to, without feeling he’d been let down. He opted for a distraction technique.

  ‘I bet you’re pleased that part is over. What are you watching? I could do with something mindless after today.’

  ‘Beaches,’ Trev told him. ‘Bette Midler.’

  ‘Again? How many times is that? And you always cry when you watch it.’

  ‘I know. It’s so beautiful. Watch it with me, Ted. And you can sing the song to me, while I cry buckets.’

  Ted smiled indulgently in relief. There couldn’t be a better distraction.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The main office door opened just as morning briefing was about to start and Jezza walked in. She looked pale and tired, dark rings under her eyes, but she was smiling round at the team, clearly glad to be back.

  Maurice was the first on his feet to welcome her back with a gentle hug. He was tactful enough not to ask any questions.

  Ted decided to say nothing, knowing Jezza would want as little fuss as possible. He’d no idea what, if anything, she’d told the others about her absence. If she’d told anyone what had happened, it would have been Maurice. He instead launched straight into an update about his meeting with Gina from Drugs and her possible links to Data. He repeated the information she’d given him about Data’s physical appearance. The team would have to do some more digging to see if they could find anyone resembling him, even if that person didn’t yet have a record.

  ‘Whatever money the cuckoos are making from drug sales and porn films, we don’t yet know where it’s going, boss,’ Sal told him. ‘Data, or whoever’s been in charge of their finances, certainly wasn’t stupid enough to launder any money through Abigail’s account. He must have known, or at least guessed, that her parents would monitor it.

  ‘Unless Kane was delivering all the money in cash to the Big Man straight away, then giving the others their cut, also in cash, they must be keeping any money they made somewhere else. I imagine they would have to turn the takings in fairly swiftly, so it is just possible that Kane was delivering the last lot when he was killed. Once they couldn’t get back in Abi’s flat, they would have had nothing left to sell. Not from that source, at any rate.’

  ‘What’s the latest from the lock-up?’ Ted asked him.

  ‘The sniffer dog didn’t find anything of interest, so all the contents have now been recovered and brought back here to be gone through and listed. I’ve got the security camera footage, too, so all that will need looking at. I could definitely do with a hand on that.’

  ‘Boss, what’s the priority for today?’ Jo asked. ‘Before we decide who needs to be working on what.’

  ‘A bit of an unusual departure for us. I’ve got a meeting late afternoon with both Supers and another case conference with CPS to sort out what we do about Abigail. We really need to decide before much longer if we can proceed with any kind of a charge against her. From what we have so far, I’d say it’s unlikely. So I need a bit of devil’s advocate work from you all. We need to go over every scrap of evidence we have and see if we could make a case against her. Or not.

  ‘Maurice, go and talk to Zofia again. Ask her in particular about Abigail’s relationship with Latte – Giorgio Mantone. Was she afraid of him in particular?’

  ‘He’s certainly one of the more brutal little shits in the filming,’ Jo put in. ‘I’ve gone through all of that now so I’ll write up the salient points from it. He’s into partial strangulation during sex, for one thing. I can pull off some stills of that.’

  ‘Jezza, can you finish putting together your report based on what the school said about her. Any and all details which might be relevant. At some point we need to show Abigail some shots from the security cameras in the flats to get her to identify people by name. Or at least the names she knew them by.’

  ‘So she’s moving from suspect to witness, then, hopefully, to victim?’ Jezza queried.

  ‘Let’s not jump the gun. We need to do a thorough job and let CPS decide. And we need to find Data. Virgil, without stepping on Drugs’ toes, can you try any of your contacts?’

  ‘I can, boss, but they’re not really your “posh clubs and bars in Manchester” crowd. I have been asking around about the dwarf. I’ve just been laughed at so far.’

  ‘You’re definitely leaning towards there being no case against Abigail?’ Jo asked, seeking clarification of the way the boss was thinking.

  ‘Let’s try hard to make one. If we can’t, then yes, I think that’s what CPS will say today. And I’d guess that when it gets to the inquest, there’s a strong chance of it being ruled a lawful killing. Self-defence. It would be hard to show any hint of pre-meditation, I think, with Abigail. I’m fully expecting to be told it’s not in the public interest to proceed and to drop all charges.’

  ‘Nearly there, young Data. Then I’ll be able to take your hood off. Until then, just hold on tight to my arm and trust me to guide you. It really is the blind leading the blind.’ The short man laughed at his own joke again as he said it, then warned Data of three steps up as he did so.

  ‘This way, now. Once we’re inside, you can start to relax a bit. I can even arrange a cup of tea for you. How civilised is that?’

  Data wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see when the rough fabric of the bag was finally removed from his head. Some sort of empty warehouse, perhaps. Maybe with a noose hanging from a beam, all ready for him. Instead he found himself in a spacious and pleasant dining room. A big picture window looked through a conservatory to a large, well-maintained garden, surrounded by high brick walls and dotted with mature trees and shrubs.

  A woman came into the room from a doorway at the sound of their arrival. Data could see a bright, well-appointed kitchen beyond. She was dark-haired, darker eyed, stony-faced, wearing a black blouse and skirt with a white apron. She said something in a language Data couldn’t identify.

  ‘Ah, this is Olga. Mrs Igor. Of course that isn’t her real name, either. And she doesn’t speak English, any more than Igor does. Now, what would you like? Some coffee? Tea? A soft drink? We have some excellent chai.’

  ‘Are you going to kill me?’ Data couldn’t stop himself from blurting.

  ‘Kill you? Good heavens no. Not here, at any rate. Olga would never forgive me if I go
t blood all over her nice clean carpets. Let’s have some masala chai, then. Please, sit down. No, not there, imagine blood on that lovely chair. Sit there instead.’

  Then he threw back his head and laughed loudly. ‘I’m joking, Data. You’ll get used to my warped sense of humour. We’re going to have a nice long chat over some tea. With any luck, Olga may have baked something for us.’

  ‘Am I going to meet the Big Man?’ Data asked, trying to keep his nerves from betraying him through his tone of voice. ‘Like I said, I’ve been carrying on selling stuff and I have the money safe for him. I just didn’t know how to get it to him.’

  ‘Not today, I’m afraid. You’re going to be having a long chat with me. But don’t worry, the Big Man will be aware of everything you say. Every little gesture you make.’

  Data looked up, instinctively scanning the room for cameras. There was one high up in one corner, pointing directly at the chair he’d been skilfully manoeuvred into taking. The short man seemed to follow his look and smiled.

  ‘Smart boy, Data. You don’t miss much. We like that. Try to relax now.’

  ‘But I know what you did to Kane. You told us. You threw a piece of his tongue at us.’

  ‘Oh, Kane,’ he waved a small hand in a gesture of dismissal. ‘He was useless. Worse than useless. He was taking too many risks and costing us money. He wasn’t a leader. But you, Data, you have potential. We need to start again, from scratch. And you are the Chosen One. We’ve lost a lot of money in this mess. We need someone with more brains. As well as the looks and the style to get in anywhere. Which you’ve already proved you can do. With you in overall charge of your end of the operation, we could really be back in business, in a big way.’

  This time Tony Alleyne from the CPS was attending in person for the case conference. Jim Baker was also there, as overall Head of Serious Crime.

  Ted had brought his full file to date and handed round copies of the salient parts.

  ‘It’s rare for me to be sitting here making a case not to go ahead with a murder charge. But I honestly think, from the evidence we have so far, we stand virtually zero chance of getting a conviction on this one. I’m prepared to be guided by you, though, Tony.’

  ‘It’s my job, as ever, to consider the worst case scenario. Here we have a young woman with, what’s the correct phrase nowadays? Learning disabled? Moderate to severe learning difficulties? Is that right? Who has no previous form for violence of any sort.’

  He looked at Ted as he asked, ‘I take it you have checked that out thoroughly? Not just relied on her having no convictions? I apologise for the egg-sucking lesson, Ted, but you know it’s my job to cover all bases. Truly to play devil’s advocate.’

  ‘No record, nothing at all in her school reports about violence. Quite the reverse, in fact. She’s always shown herself to be passive. A natural target for bullies because she has never even shown an inclination to defend herself, never mind go on the aggressive.

  ‘The parents apparently tried starting her off in mainstream education, after she’d recovered from the measles which left her as she is now. The father’s idea, no doubt. Part of his total denial about how disabled she is. It was disastrous and she only lasted a term before they got her into special education. Even there she was always the one who was bullied.

  ‘Similar story even when they’d got her into the private sector. All her school reports say that although they have a very strong anti-bullying policy, Abigail was easily led astray and was always the scapegoat for anything anyone else got up to.

  ‘We also have to consider the fact that Abigail is pregnant. We’re fairly sure she had no idea that she was, but no doubt the defence will latch onto that and make a big thing of it. So we’d have a vulnerable young woman, fighting to defend not just her own life but that of her unborn child. And I’d hazard a guess that one or both parents would be prepared to perjure themselves and say Abigail had already told them about the baby before the killing. I think they would be capable of saying anything to keep her out of prison.’

  ‘Right, so let’s suppose that we decide it is not in the public interest to proceed with a murder charge against this vulnerable young woman, so we drop all charges. Then the next time someone decides to bully her, she grabs a weapon and does the same thing. Where does that leave all of us, here in this office, who were instrumental in putting that decision forward?’

  ‘Out on our ears, with our pensions tantalisingly in our sight, for some of us,’ Jim Baker said, his tone glum.

  ‘The good news, of course, is that the decision is not mine alone. It will have to go much higher. My recommendation, however, based on everything your team has sent through, Ted, and confirmed by what you’ve said today, is that we immediately drop the murder charge against Abigail. I don’t see how there is any chance of getting anywhere with that. It’s up to you when you tell her, but I would make it sooner rather than later.’

  ‘I’ll do it tomorrow morning, when she comes in to sign as part of her bail conditions. She tends to come with her mother, so that will make it easier for all concerned. I’ll need to book the Makaton interpreter though, if she’s free, to be absolutely sure Abigail understands everything.’

  ‘Good. If at some future stage we decide there is a case to be made for a lesser charge, we could still, theoretically, proceed. But I imagine the inquest is going to result in a lawful killing verdict. I don’t see what else it could be.

  ‘We just have to hope and pray that once we let the young lady loose on society, she doesn’t decide, the next time anyone does anything to her against her will, that the best solution is to grab the nearest pointy thing and stick it in them.’

  Jim Baker stayed to talk divisional finances with Debra Caldwell after Alleyne left, but he’d already suggested to Ted that as soon as they were both done for the day, they should adjourn to The Grapes together. Ted suspected it would be about Jim and Bella’s wedding, the date of which was creeping rapidly closer. Ted had allowed himself to be coerced into being the best man. Much as he liked Jim and considered him a friend outside work, he was never wild about dressing up in a suit away from the office, or making speeches.

  He decided to give Trev a quick ring, in case Jim wanted to make it a long session. Knowing how much he was worrying about getting every single detail right on the big day, it might take some time to go through it all.

  ‘Let me guess. You’re going to be late. Again. You don’t know what time you’ll be back. Again. I should have another lonely TV supper. Again. Is that about right?’

  ‘You know me too well. But in my own defence, Big Jim wants to talk, away from the nick. So I imagine it’s to go over the wedding arrangements. Again. And to ask me about my speech. Again. And so on.

  ‘And speaking of the wedding, he’ll no doubt want you to help him with his famous first dance at least once more before then. He was talking about going to do it at the venue, for one thing. It has to be said that doing a turn or two around our living room with me isn’t going to be quite the same as the big dance-floor where the reception is.

  ‘Sorry, I’ve got to go, my desk phone is ringing. I’ll be back as soon as I can, but don’t wait to eat.’

  He ended the call to Trev as he picked up his desk phone, saying, ‘DCI Darling.’

  ‘Sir, there’s a Mr Lloyd asking to speak to you personally. No one else.’

  Ted almost groaned aloud. The only Mr Lloyd he could think of who would phone and ask to speak to him by name was Trev’s father, Sir Gethin Lloyd Armstrong. Possibly the last person he wanted to speak to right now while still undecided about how to talk to Trev about his interview.

  ‘Sir? Shall I put him through?’

  ‘Yes. Thank you. Put him through.’

  ‘Ted? Thank you for taking my call, and apologies for the very unsubtle subterfuge.’

  ‘If this is work, I’ll talk to you. If not ...’

  ‘It is. In a sense, it is. I told you when we last met that I’m now involved with
other families whose sons were also victims of Warboys. As was Trevor Patrick. I know now that some of those victims have already been interviewed by the police and I wondered if perhaps Trevor has, or if he is still waiting for that?’

  ‘I’ve told you before. I’m not prepared to discuss Trev or anything about him with you, behind his back.’

  ‘I understand and respect that. I just wanted to let you know. Now we’re a group, a collective, or whatever you want to call it, we have strength in numbers. We’re doing everything in our power to right old wrongs. Especially those of us who behaved abominably at the time.

  ‘We’re establishing quite a support network. We have counsellors. We also have a retired judge who’s been helping by going over with the victims how the trial process will go and what they might expect when being cross-examined by the defence. Now, I know you are well placed to help Trevor with such things ...’

  ‘I would never coach a witness. Not even Trev.’

  ‘Yes, of course, excuse me. I’m making a mess of this. I just wanted you to know that there is help and support available, should Trevor need it. I know he would never accept anything from me by way of help or advice. But perhaps you could let him know that there is a network open to him, should he feel the need.

  ‘Most of it is London and Home Counties based, inevitably. But if he needed to talk to someone impartial, with expert knowledge … He would, of course, always be welcome to use our London home, if he wanted to. And I would ensure that neither myself nor Lady Armstrong was there at the time because I know he wouldn’t entertain the idea otherwise.

  ‘Please could you let him know all of that, Ted? I’m sorry once again to put you in a compromising position, but I understand there is no way he would ever speak to me in person. Just please tell him there is help for him if he wants it. And that there is genuinely no hidden agenda. Thank you for your time.’

  Ted had conflicting thoughts as he hung up. The prospect of someone impartial and expert to talk to Trev would be a weight off his mind. The downside to it was that in order to bring the subject up in the first place, he was going to have to admit to Trev that he’d spoken to his father again. And that would be seen as the biggest betrayal of all.