Case One (24 page)

“That's wrong though, isn't it?” Holly said. “It doesn't matter
why
she was there ­– she said no. She didn't want to have sex with Alford and he knew that.”

“I'm just telling you the way juries think,” Connors said flatly.

The lift arrived and Connors waited until they'd got in before she spoke again. “Listen, we're going to send Booth down for what he did to Ashleigh, and if the other phones we found are linked to more girls, he's looking at ten years inside, maybe more. You should be happy with that.”

“Yes…no, I am,” Holly said.

Connors gave her a measured, impassive look, then seemed to relax – just a little. She said: “Yeah, well, if it was up to me I'd castrate them both with a pair of house bricks ­– Booth
and
Alford – but that would probably infringe their human rights. Pity though.”

The lift came to a halt and when the doors opened they stepped out.

“I'll see what the CPS say about Alford,” Connors said. “But don't get your hopes up. I'm pretty sure they'll let it go. Just be satisfied with Booth for the time being, okay? Take what you can get.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Good,” Connors said.

32.

EMERGENCY DEPT
QUEEN VICTORIA HOSPITAL
18:35 HRS

“Do you know him?” Sam asked. “Had you seen him before?”

Tyler Smith shook his head. “I dunno who he was.”

He was lying on a trolley in a cubicle with the curtains drawn. He wore a surgical gown and there was a drip going into his arm. He didn't look as pale as he had back at the precinct, Sam thought, but his face was still drawn and pained – nowhere near as tough or as menacing as he'd been when he'd split Charlie Atkins's lip yesterday.

“So why did he attack you?”

“I dunno.”

Sam glanced to the foot of the bed where Oz was standing, listening and watching patiently. It had been his idea for Sam to do the questioning, but the lack of success didn't seem to worry him.

“It must've been about
something
,” Sam insisted, turning back to Tyler. “Was there an argument?”

“No.”

“So he just walked up to you and stabbed you – is that what you're saying?”

“Yeah.”

Sam knew Tyler was lying but there didn't seem any way to break through the brick wall and he was becoming frustrated.

“Must be a change, you being the one on the receiving end. How's that feel?”

Tyler Smith gave him a dark look but said nothing.

“Listen,” Sam said. “If it's some kind of grudge and you're afraid of him…”

“What?” For the first time Tyler Smith showed a reaction. “I ain't afraid of him, that little—” He stopped himself.

“So you do know who he is.”

“No. No comment.”

At last Oz seemed to have heard enough. He shifted and said, “Okay, Tyler, have it your own way. You can tell Drew you were a good boy and kept quiet. But if I hear of anything that sounds like tit-for-tat over this, I'm coming looking for you – right?”

Tyler had shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Drew Alford and for a second seemed about to reply, but then he looked away.

Outside the cubicle Sam put his pocketbook away. “That was crap,” he said, dispirited.

Oz shrugged. “Not really.”

“Maybe we should have given it a bit longer.”

“Nah. He was never going to tell us who it was. Only thing you can do is warn him off from trying to even the score.”

“Think it'll work?”

“Maybe – least until he's healed up. Then it'll depend on what Alford wants – whether he can keep a lid on it, whether he wants to. No telling there.”

“So we just wait and see what happens.”

“Yep.” Oz looked at his watch. “Come on, we're supposed to be off.”

33

It was dark and there were only the two of them. They stood near one of the wet benches in the precinct, both with their hoods up like cowls. Every so often Drew Alford's features were dimly lit as he drew on his cigarette. Ryan Atkins didn't smoke.

“If Tyler says it was Charlie, Charlie's going to say why. The car and the shop. Self-defence.”

“That's not what Skank and Rizza'll say.”

Ryan nodded. He'd expected something like that. “So?”

Alford sniffed, appearing to think about it. “You thought about what I said before?”

“Yeah.”

“So…? – If you're in with us, that's it. Tyler's gonna keep quiet.”

“And he stays away from Charlie.”

“Course.”

“He'd better.”

“He will. He does what I tell him.”

Ryan took a beat, then he said flatly: “Okay.”

Alford nodded and flipped his cigarette away. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie and took out a wad of tissues wrapped round something harder. He held it out to Ryan.

“That's yours – or Charlie's. Thought you'd want it back. I'd dump it if it was me though.”

Ryan took the bundle. He could feel the shape of the knife through the tissues without having to unwrap it. He also knew that by accepting it he was confirming the agreement to go in with Alford.

“Yeah,” Ryan said. He put the bundle away. “I'll see you later then.” He took a step to one side.

“You going home?” Alford asked, shifting.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I'll go with you. I want to check something out in your block.”

“What?”

Alford shook his head. “Not yet. Later.”

For a moment Ryan hesitated. Then he started out of the precinct with Alford beside him: two hooded figures, almost indistinguishable from each other.

34.

CUSTODY SUITE
MORNINGSTAR RD STATION
19:17 HRS

Behind the custody desk Sergeant Stafford read from the form in his hand. In front of him Colin Booth stood with his head bowed and his solicitor beside him.

“Colin Ian Booth, you are charged that on February 3rd this year at Sandmile Lane you did engage in sexual activity with Ashleigh Jane Jarvis, namely full sexual intercourse, contrary to Section 9 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. I have considered bail in this case and have decided that it will not be granted because other offences of a similar nature are still being investigated against you. You will appear before Weston Magistrates Court tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. Do you have anything you wish to say?”

Colin Booth shook his head.

“Seen enough?” Woods asked. They were some distance away: the DS, Danny Simmons and Holly.

She nodded. “Thanks, Sarge.”

They turned away from the charge desk and headed for the doors into the rest of the nick. Somewhere out of sight there was the sound of a rowdy drunk protesting his innocence.

“So is that it then?” Holly asked. “I mean, do I need to do anything else?”

“No. Go home,” Woods said. “You're off tomorrow, right?”

“Till Wednesday.”

“Good. Stick your head into CID then – I'll tell you if we need anything else on your statements.”

“Course, by rights you should be buying drinks now,” Danny said. “First time you bang someone up on a charge carrying more than a year inside you buy a round for everyone involved.”

“Pity I can't then,” Holly said.  “Least, not legally.”

“No. And you'd never try and pass for older than you are, right?” Woods said.

“Me? Never,” Holly told him. “So does that mean you're not pretending I'm twenty-six any more?”

Woods glanced back at Booth, then pushed the door open. “Yeah, I reckon we'll drop that now,” he said.

Holly saw his sober expression and nodded. “Okay,” she said.

They moved into the corridor and Woods paused when they reached the turning to CID.

“You got a good one,” he told Holly. “It didn't go unnoticed, okay?”

And with that, he was moving on.

Danny Simmons stayed a moment longer. “He means it,” he said. “Just so you know.”

Holly nodded. “Thanks.”

For a second she was about to say something else, but then had the sense not to. Danny gave her a smile and headed off after Woods.

35

Ryan sat on the bed next to Charlie. The sound of the TV in the sitting room was audible through the wall.

“They'll leave you alone, but stay out of their way, okay?”

“What did you do?” Charlie said, even though he was afraid of what the answer would be.

Ryan shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. Then he saw Charlie's expression. “Listen, don't worry about it, okay? Nothing's going to happen. I saw Drew. I sorted it.”

“You sure?” Charlie's face made it clear how much he wanted to believe it was true.

“Sure,” Ryan said. “It's all over. Forget it, okay?”

Charlie hesitated, then finally nodded. “Thanks, Ry,” he said.

“Nah,” Ryan said, then he rubbed Charlie's head and gave him an easy-going shove as he stood up to leave the room.

And because he had turned away, Charlie couldn't see that Ryan's expression didn't match the lightness and certainty of his words. It couldn't – not now that he'd agreed to let Drew Alford come and go as he liked in Cloudsley House – and not now that he was tied in with the Kaddy Boys and whatever they did.

36.

FEMALE LOCKER ROOM
MORNINGSTAR RD STATION
19:32 HRS

Shift change had been and gone and in the locker room Holly was alone. There was only a faint hint of condensation and deodorant left in the air.

She knew she should be pleased – celebrating even – because Colin Booth was going to go down. But the satisfaction was tempered by knowing what the effects were going to be – on Lauren Booth, her mother, and on Ashleigh Jarvis. Somehow it didn't seem right to be pleased by the fact that all their lives had just been blown apart.

Back in the corridor Holly fastened her coat as she headed for the station's exit.

“Hol! Hang on.”

Holly looked back, then stopped.

“I thought you'd be off by now,” she said when Sam caught up with her. He was in civvies as well.

“I've been down at the hospital with Oz. One of the Kaddy Boys was stabbed.”

“Drew Alford?”

Sam shook his head. “Tyler Smith.”

“Pity,” Holly said, and Sam could tell that she meant it.

He pushed the door open and they stepped outside. The wind had dropped and left a clear, cold night with a promise of frost.

“You got that guy Booth for underage sex though – right?”

“Yeah.”

“So? Come on,” Sam said, cajoling. “First major arrest. Bloody hell. If it was me… Hey, I did hack the phone though.”

“Yeah, yeah, you were a vital part of the investigation,” Holly said, finally lightening up.

“‘Vital'? Excellent!”

Holly laughed. “I suppose it wasn't bad for a Sunday,” she said.

LATER

On Monday 7th February the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the case against Drew Alford for the attempted rape of Ashleigh Jarvis. It decided there was insufficient evidence to bring a charge with a realistic prospect of conviction. Drew Alford was not arrested or interviewed again about the incident.

On June 9th at Weston Crown Court, Colin Booth pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child. Six other counts were taken into consideration. He also pleaded guilty to two separate counts of grooming a young person for the purposes of sexual activity. He was sentenced to a total of twelve years' imprisonment and told that on release he would be required to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Anna and Lauren Booth left Weston a month after Colin Booth was arrested. Anna Booth was granted a divorce from her husband on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour. She and Lauren now live in the Midlands.

Ashleigh Jarvis made a full recovery from her head injury. She and her mother still live at the same address but Ashleigh now attends a different school.

Tyler Smith also made a full recovery and continues to live on the Cadogan Estate.

Acknowledgements

I have been writing about the police and criminals for quite  a while and over that time I've been helped by numerous people – including many serving and retired police officers. They have all been exceptionally generous with their time and expertise, but I must give a special mention to Clive Blake, Keith Gausden, Malcolm Haddow, Trevor Hermes and Jackie Malton – most of what I know about coppers is down to them.

For this book I owe particular thanks to Dr Iain Beardsell for medical guidance, and to Keith Gausden for police advice. The credit for accuracy is theirs, the responsibility for errors and dramatic licence is mine.

I would also like to thank Jasmin Kilby for reading the early draft; my agent, Stephanie Thwaites, for her exceptional patience and faith, and – of course – the wonderful team at Usborne Publishing.

THE KILLING STREET

Friday

“Why don't you just go then? Go on – you're old enough, you know everything. Just go! Give us all some bloody peace and quiet for a change!”

So that's what she'd done, a couple of weeks after her sixteenth birthday – packed a bag and left.

She was sick of the rows anyway – on and on and on. Every time they were in a room together he was just looking for some reason to have a go at her. And her mum just let it happen, as useless and pathetic as ever. It was like he'd
wanted
her to leave, and now that she had she wouldn't go back – it would just be one more thing he'd use to rubbish her. He'd like that.

Dean was different though – the way he looked after her, right from that first time they'd met in the park. He'd asked if she was okay and she'd said that she was, even though she knew she probably didn't look it. She'd been sleeping rough for a few days by then, wearing the same clothes, wanting a shower.