The house was a large traditional farm house with white painted pebble-dashed walls and a thatched roof. It had a double garage to one side with out- buildings and an old wooden barn on the far side of the rear yard.
Parked on the drive was a Land Rover which was attached to a horsebox. Benny was cheered by the fact that there did not appear to be any dogs on the premises but he could hear geese which were much worse as they would put up a hue and cry at the slightest sign of their territory being invaded.
After having satisfied themselves of the lay out they returned to Hendon, getting back around 10.30 pm and just in time to have a quick pint in the bar and to quietly brief the team for the next day.
At 7 am the following morning Terry Connor was at the front door of Welney Farm with Benny and Vic Woodward. They rang the bell several times but there was a slow response. Officers had already been deployed to provide cover at the rear of the house. After about five minutes the lady of the house came to the front door. She opened it on the chain, ‘Who are you? What do you want? I’ve got kids upstairs.’
Terry Connor introduced himself and he ascertained that she was Trudy Carter.
‘I’ve got a warrant to search these premises Mrs Carter. Where is your husband Terry?’
‘Upstairs in bed. I’ll get him,’ said Trudy.
Before she could shut the front door Terry Connor showed her his warrant card and the search warrant.
He managed to impress upon her that he and Benny should be able to wait in the hall. A few minutes later Terry Carter came downstairs.
‘Good morning gentlemen and what can I do for you this fine morning?’ said Carter.
‘I’ve got a warrant to search these premises Mr Carter in relation to a stolen Ferrari motor vehicle.’ said Terry.
Terry then once again flourished the warrant and he allowed Carter to read it.
‘The warrant seems to be in order gents. But best of luck. I know nothing about a stolen Ferrari.’
He then directed the officers to the kitchen.
‘Cup of tea boys?’ he said, breezily. Although they could have murdered one, they declined.
‘Mind if I make one for me and the misses?’
‘Carry on,’ said Terry.
‘If you want to search? Go ahead. Be my guest,’ said Carter.
Terry ascertained how many other people were in the house especially children.
He then explained that he was going to search systematically, one room at a time, and he wanted either Carter or his wife in the room while he did so. ‘That way there will be no misunderstandings, alright?’ said Terry.
The other officers were let into the house. Jenny Freeman accompanied Trudy upstairs and remained with her while she got washed, and attended to her baby. Trudy kept saying that this was the last straw for their relationship and that she was leaving her husband. Whilst getting dressed Trudy confided to Jenny Freeman that she had been waiting for the right time to make a break from him. This was that time. She would go back to live with her family in Bristol.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the team started the search in the kitchen but nothing was found of any interest. They then moved into the dining room. All the while Carter was watching the search but he said nothing until on searching the drawers of a cupboard, Viv Woodward produced a set of keys on a Ferrari key-fob.
He showed the keys in his open palm to Carter, ‘Where is the car that goes with these keys?’
Carter said nothing and shook his head. He then suddenly erupted shouting ‘You fucking planted that. You’re fucking bent old bill.’ It then looked as though Carter was about to offer violence and may have to be restrained. Terry had anticipated this eventuality but managed to talk him around citing the fact that he surely would not wish to cause a scene in front of his wife and children. All the same he decided to get him away from the situation as soon as it was possible to do so. He had already informed the local Police of the search and he was aware that they were sending a uniform unit to liaise. The team continued with the search of the house and after another 15 minutes local officers arrived and Terry was able to brief them in person.
Terry Connor then said to Carter, out of the presence and hearing of the family ‘I am arresting you on suspicion of obtaining a Ferrari motor vehicle by deception in Lee-over-Sands.’ Terry cautioned him to which Carter replied
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You can fuck off!
Carter then called out, ‘Trudy call Max Goldblum and tell him I’ve been arrested and fitted up!’
A short time later Carter was taken away by the local Area car to Guildford Police Station for detention and interview. They would speak to him later after they had got through the search.
They went through the rest of the house in the presence and hearing of Trudy but apart from a few small pieces of cannabis nothing else was found.
Meanwhile a young girl of about 6 years old came downstairs in her dressing gown and she went into the living room to play with her dolls.
Benny sat with Jenny and the little girl in the living room.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ said the little girl, precociously.
‘Oh yes please,’ said Benny.
She walked across the room to her plastic tea pot and she poured out a pretend cup of tea for Benny and Jenny which she delivered doing her best not to spill any of it.
‘Thank you Sandy,’ said Jenny.
‘Thank you,’ said Benny.
‘So you are Sandy, then are you?’ said Benny.
‘Yes. I’m Sandy Carter and I know everything,’ she said in a very posh accent.
‘Pardon?’ said Benny.
‘My name is Sandy Carter and I know everything. Would you like another cup of tea?’
‘Yes please,’ said Benny.
‘My Daddy’s got a new car,’ said Sandy.
‘What colour is it then Sandy?’
‘It’s a red one. Would you like another cup of tea?’ said Sandy again. Every bit the perfect hostess.
‘Yes please. Two sugars, thank you,’ said Jenny.
‘Oh no, thought Benny, this is bloody awful. Have I stooped this low?’ She was volunteering this information. Am I supposed to ignore it, or what?’ Then Benny thought ‘If he’s stupid enough to take his daughter with him when he commits crime, that’s his look out.’
But what of her, poor kid?’ Well she’s stuck with an arsehole for a father whatever, happens.’
‘Where is the car then Sandy? Do you know?’ said Benny.
‘Would you like another cup of tea mister?’
‘Not for me thank you Sandy. Anyway about this new car,’ said Benny
‘I know everything,’ said Sandy.
‘Where is it? Do you know? I bet you don’t really know. You’re just teasing me, aren’t you?’
‘No, it’s in Mr True’s garage.’
Benny went to the searching officers and took Terry aside out of Trudy’s hearing.
‘Look for his address book under the name of True.’
A short time later the Terry returned having found the entry in the name of True together with a telephone number. They then sought out a local telephone directory and listed under the name of “True Automotive” was the same number with an address.
Before leaving the premises Terry joined Benny and Jenny for a quiet word.
‘Whatever happens with this information we must agree to keep the source to ourselves for the sake of young Sandy. It’s an ethical dilemma but we are stuck with it. So we say nothing. OK?’
That is how it remained.
Terry then split the team sending Benny and Viv Woodward to Guildford Police Station where they could make a start on interviewing Carter before the local Station Sergeant started complaining about the delay.
He then took the remainder of the team to True Automotive which was in a side street in the centre of Camberley. On arrival they sought out Mr True the proprietor. As they entered the workshop they noticed that there was
an old Red H Registration Ferrari on the lift. It had obviously been restored and it looked immaculate. Terry was privately concerned that this was the Ferrari that Sandy had seen and that she had mixed things up in her mind. She was after all only a small child.
They pressed on with Terry questioning Mr True about Carter but he denied knowing him at all. This did not appear credible. True’s name was in Carters address book and young Sandy had named him. Furthermore True worked on Ferraris at his garage. Terry decided that this gave enough reasonable suspicion to arrest True for Conspiracy to Defraud. This course appeared to shock True rigid.
After True’s arrest the office was searched and Carter’s details were found on a recent invoice for work carried out on a Ferrari. However this showed a totally different registration number to that of the vehicle stolen, or indeed, the one that was on the lift. Benny arranged for someone back at Lee-over-sands to do a Police National Computer check on the vehicle number and this came back to Terry Carter listed at his home address.
True was taken to Woking Police Station.
During interview Graham True, on the advice of his solicitor, admitted that he knew Carter but that he had not had anything to do with any stolen Ferrari. He stated that Carter owned a Ferrari and that he had done some minor work on the vehicle in recent weeks. Terry impressed upon True that if he knew something then he should disclose it to the Police.
‘We want to recover the vehicle Graham, not prosecute people unnecessarily. So if you know something about the car please tell us.’
Having had a short interview with Graham True, Terry arranged for him to be bailed, pending further enquiries, to return to the Police Station at a future date. Graham True left the Police Station at 3.20pm. At 4.45pm Terry Connor was still at Woking Police Station and writing up his notes when he took a phone call,
‘Hello, is that Ds Terry Connor?’
‘Yes Ds Connor speaking.’
‘This is Kevin True. You arrested my brother Graham earlier. I’ve got something in my garage that I think you want.’
‘It wouldn’t be a Ferrari would it?’ said Terry.
‘Yes. Terry Carter asked me to do him a favour and he wanted me to keep it in my garage for him. I knew that he owned one. I didn’t know the thing was stolen though.’
‘Well Mr True I think that that means you probably have nothing to worry about then, doesn’t it.’
Kevin True gave Terry Connor the details of his home address and Terry said that he would meet him there within the hour. Terry got the troops together. He told them nothing other than the fact that they were, ‘Going to see a man about a car.’
Terry and the team followed the directions given by the Station Sergeant to a Barrett Homes style private housing estate on the outskirts of Farnborough. The address was a detached house with a domestic garage attached at the side.
Terry rang the front door bell and Kevin True opened the door. He had the garage key already in his hand. After introductions Kevin True said, ‘I expect that you’d like to see the car then.’ He led the way to the garage and he unlocked and opened the up and over door.
There it stood in all its gleaming magnificence, the Ferrari still bearing the Registration plates that it was stolen with. The team were amazed and ecstatic. Benny punched the air in triumph, ‘Fantastic!’
‘Thank you Mr True,’ said Terry. ‘Obviously to put your involvement into perspective we will need you to provide us with a witness statement explaining how you came by the vehicle and the fact that Mr Carter asked you to store it for him.’
Kevin True complied with the request realising that he would have to do so or find himself being treated as a suspect. He explained that he had stored the car as a favour and that Carter, whom he knew, had actually delivered it to his house. The arrangement was only to be for a couple of weeks and he had not been expecting any payment for it.
Later that day the Ferrari was taken on a low loader to the Police Headquarters for forensic analysis and Carter was taken back under escort to Lee-over-Sands.
During the interview later that night, when the fact of the recovery of the vehicle was put to Carter along with True’s statement he made a full and frank confession about obtaining the car from Deben motors. He also provided good information with regard to the acquisition of the Bankers Draft and who had supplied it to him.
Carter was aware of the fact that Taff Davis was not in custody and he realised that somebody must have informed the “Old Bill” about him obtaining the Ferrari. His wife Trudy, didn’t know anything about it at all so it couldn’t have been her. The name of Taff Davis was in the forefront of his mind as the likely “Grass.” He put the name of Davis to Terry and Benny who told him that they were not at liberty to “Confirm or Deny” that Taff Davis was the source of the information.
The location of Taff Davis was unknown. Still, they would circulate him as a “Wanted person.” He would come sooner or later but they had the prime mover and they had recovered the vehicle. It was a good result all round. As for details of the informant, Carter would believe what he wanted to believe and they left him to it. He would appear at Court the following day and very likely, be remanded in custody.
Chapter 36 – Celebration Lunch.
As Benny was nominally the “investigating officer,” Terry generously allowed him to be the man to break the news to the fragrant Felicity Graham. So Benny called her on her home number around 8pm that evening.
‘Miss Graham, its Dc Ben Cohen calling from the Police Station. I thought that you would like to be the first to know that we have recovered your Ferrari.’
‘Brilliant! That’s fantastic! Where did you find it?’
‘In Hampshire. We have arrested the man who was the “Buyer” of the Ferrari and he has been charged. He’s going to Court in the morning.’
‘Is the car damaged at all?’
‘No it’s in good condition. We’ve got it under cover at the local Traffic Police Garage. I need to get it fingerprinted and photographed and then if we can get it back to you tomorrow I will just need your people to give it the once over to check for any hidden damage.’
‘Superb! Well I’m extremely grateful to you and your colleagues. This calls for a celebration. Perhaps I can buy you lunch or a drink tomorrow. Would that be in order?’
‘That is a nice idea Miss Graham. I’d like that. Thank you. Dependant on when we finish at Court, I’ll probably see you tomorrow around 12.30.’
Late the following morning, with Vic Woodward covering the Court hearing, Benny arrived at Deben Motors having received a lift in the low loader. He left the driver to lower the Ferrari onto the forecourt while he went into the office to seek out Felicity Graham. He was dressed in his best double breasted suit with collar and tie. He thought that he looked “Pretty damn cool!”
Benny was shown into her office and Felicity Graham greeted him like a conquering hero. He was overwhelmed by her beauty and sense of style and he was a sucker for a woman who spoke with a posh accent.
‘Oh yes!’ thought Benny, ‘But you are gorgeous.’
They got through the immediate business of arranging for the Chief Engineer to check the vehicle. Then Felicity said, ‘He will be a while checking over the car. So shall we go somewhere for lunch?’
She then led Benny to her E-Type Jaguar.
‘How long have you got?’ she said.
Ever the optimist he had arranged for the afternoon off just in case the lunch developed into a long one. ‘I have arranged for the afternoon off as I have done quite a few hours this week, so my time is my own Miss Graham.’
‘Call me Felicity, Please. And you are Ben, am I right?’
‘Ben will be fine,’ He said.
He didn’t want to use the diminutive Benny as she might find it over familiar or juvenile. On the other hand he didn’t want to use his full name of Benjamin. Far too Biblical. Ben would be about right.
She drove them the few miles along the A12 to the Terrace Restaurant
in Dedham.
As they drove into the car park of the Restaurant, Benny, seeing that there was an impressive array of high quality vehicles, began to feel more than a little anxious. He wondered whether he might be getting out of his depth and he was more than a little worried that he would be unable to pay for the meal. Politeness dictated that he would have to offer to cover the bill. What if she accepted? He would be financially embarrassed.
Felicity was greeted as a valued regular customer and they were shown to a table in the garden. It was a glorious sunny day. They had drinks whilst perusing the menu, Felicity, a glass of Chablis and Ben, a proletarian pint of Ben Truman. Such sophistication.
She explained that she had brought clients to the restaurant on many occasions in the past and that it often had the effect of clinching a deal. Benny secretly hoped that he might come under the same category. Felicity was watching her weight so they both went straight for the main course and had Fillet Mignon, medium rare, with a bottle of Beaujolais.
She wanted to know everything about the case and Benny told her as much as he dared. He could only speak about the case in general terms, and he withheld the specifics. He reminded himself that Felicity was a witness in the case, albeit one whose evidence was likely to be non-contentious. She then wanted to know about him and began asking questions.
Why did he join the Police? How long has he been on the CID? What kind of car does he drive?
Benny gave a brief summary of his career and as for the car he was ashamed to tell her. But there was no point in lying to her and being found out later.
‘Oh I just drive an old Volkswagen Beetle. It gets me from A to B and it wouldn’t matter too much if it were vandalised.’
She was beautiful and elegant and this rather unnerved him. He chose his words carefully and tried to play it cool. He told himself that there was no need for flattery. A woman like her would not fall for the likes of him so he may as well keep the conversation pleasant and business-like. Benny had a habit of making a fool of himself over women and with Felicity he would take a different approach. He would try to appear disinterested and that way, if nothing happened, he would have the comfort of knowing that he had not made a play for her in any case.
An Oik's Progress Page 15
