Clean Cut (16 page)

Langton then gave a brief rundown of what they had otherwise been able to get from Mr Adams: he did recall Joseph Sickert, and had had a few exchanges with him, as he had done with Gail’s previous husband. Adams had agreed to pay Sickert some money, as the man had said he would clean the piggery and build a henhouse.

The only other person that Adams admitted to seeing at the bungalow apart from Gail’s children was…’ Langton smiled and lifted a statement.

‘I’ll quote his actual words, so no one’s going to aim anti-racial slurs at me. Mr Adams says, “There was another darkie standing in the kitchen, but if it wasn’t for his hair being shorter than Sickert’s–he wasn’t wearing that carpet thing on his head–I wouldn’t have known if it was him or not, as they all look alike to me!’”

Anna had to hand it to him; Langton was a performer, able to mimic Adams to perfection. The team smiled.

Langton held a long pause before continuing. ‘One last thing. I don’t know how much you have been told about my recovery, but to assuage any gossip, I have been given the all clear–upstairs and down. I intend to give this case one hundred per cent and I want each and every one of you to do the same. I want this man Sickert caught. He is our prime suspect.’

He did another one of his famous pauses and tapped a desk with his pencil.

‘Travis and Harry Blunt got a tip-off in their investigation of Irene Phelps’s murder from a photograph of Gail Sickert’s: Arthur Murphy was hiding out with a
known criminal and child molester, Vernon Kramer. They were able to pick up Murphy because of his association with Kramer. Kramer may well have fathered Gail’s youngest child. Our missing suspect would also have known Kramer, so I am making him a priority. I want to interview him as soon as possible—’

Langton was interrupted by Mike Lewis, who had taken a call at his desk.

‘Sir, could you please take this call? It’s from the murder site.’

The room fell silent as Langton picked up the phone. He said little, listening to the caller; it seemed to take an interminable time until he ended the call with a long sigh. He then faced the room.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry–it’s not good. They have just discovered the skull of a small child.’

V
ernon Kramer was not a happy man. He was in Wandsworth prison for his part in harbouring Murphy and, as he had broken his parole in so doing, he was now forced to serve out, in addition, what remained of his previous sentence. He now faced three and a half years inside. He was brought before Langton and Anna with two guards, who remained outside the interview room. Vernon was already sweating, and after Langton introduced himself, he seemed even more agitated.

‘Okay, Vernon. Tell me about the time you went to see Gail and Joseph Sickert. You went to see them at the piggery–the place we found Gail’s body. Vernon?’

Vernon’s mouth gaped open and he sat back in his chair.

Anna glanced at Langton. She knew that, in reality, he was just surmising that Vernon had to have met Joseph Sickert; they still could not be certain of this.

‘No, I never saw them there. I swear before God, I didn’t see them.’

Langton leaned over the table. ‘Quit fucking around. You went to visit Gail and Joseph Sickert. When was this?’

‘Oh, shit.’

‘
When
?’

‘Just before me trial. Listen, this Rashid almost broke me door down and he punched me around.’

‘Rashid? Who’s he, Vernon?’

‘He was at the same hostel.’

‘What’s his surname?’

‘I dunno, I swear to you.’

Langton glared at him.

‘Maybe it’s Burry, somethin’ like that. I just know him as Rashid, nothin’ else. He came and went at the hostel; I dunno if he was supposed to be there, but he was. When she,’ he nodded towards Anna, ‘when she turned up at the hostel, he got very jumpy.’

‘Was this Rashid the man who slammed the door in my face?’ Anna asked.

‘I dunno, just he knew the cops were there, and he didn’t like it.’

‘Did he also know Arthur Murphy?’

‘Yeah, yeah, I guess so.’

‘Describe him,’ snapped Langton.

Vernon twisted in his chair. ‘He was a huge black guy; had some missing teeth in the front.’

‘So, why did you go to see Sickert? Come on, Vernon–we know that you and Murphy were there together, so, this second time, why did you go?’

‘’Cos Rashid told me he was sick.’

Langton sighed. He began tapping the table with his fingers.

Vernon started to fidget even more in his seat. ‘Look, this is the God’s honest truth. Rashid was in a real bad mood, because the cops were crawling all over the hostel. When I come back, he starts on me–you know, wanting to know what was going on. I said to him it was
Murphy: he’d been done for murder and they done me for letting him kip on my floor.’

Vernon then told them about a phone conversation: Sickert had called Rashid to say the cops had been to the bungalow. Rashid was very edgy about what was going on. Apparently, some friend of his had ‘cut up a cop’, and he was paranoid that was the reason they’d been at the bungalow.

Anna gave a covert look at Langton. She could see that his whole body had tensed, and could feel her own nerves jangling. The interview was taking a very dangerous twist.

‘He thought they was there because they’d sussed it out.’ Vernon was now shaking.

‘Sussed what out?’ Langton asked.

‘Rashid really put the frighteners on me, you know–asking if the Murphy thing was for real, or just a cover to get into the hostel and check who was there. I said to him that it was for real. I knew about this bloke that got cut: it was in the paper on the seat of the cop car. I then said to him that it might be, you know, a sort of double-up check as
she
was in the car.’ Vernon pointed to Anna again.

‘Just go over that again, Vernon. You are in a patrol car?’

‘Yeah, I was carrying back fish and chips, right? Been down the chippy when I get busted. I get manhandled into a cop car–it was round the corner from the hostel, right? I get shoved in the car and there’s a uniformed bloke at the wheel and another standing by the car, right? And I am sittin’ there–I mean, I knew I was done for, right? So I wasn’t gonna create, and there’s this newspaper on the back seat. I pick it up and there’s a big
headline about the cop what got slashed. Now, I swear before God, I dunno the connections, I dunno nothing about it. Then
she
gets into the passenger seat.’ Again Vernon gestured towards Anna.

‘Go on,’ Langton grated.

‘Well, the driver leans over and takes the newspaper off me, and he says to her,’ Vernon pointed at Anna, ‘he says something about it was still making headlines. I mean, I can’t remember the exact words, but it was something about did she know him, what a great bloke he was; and she says they was close, something like that.’

‘Go on.’ Langton wafted his hand with impatience.

‘I told Rashid about what I’d heard, that was all, then he kicked me and went back to his room. He might have been doing business there, I honest to God don’t know. I dunno if he was even supposed to be living there, but a day later he come and said to me that I needed to take some medication to Sickert. I didn’t argue; he give me this box of pills and stuff and I went to see Gail. I never saw Sickert apart from for a few minutes when I give him the box. I swear before God that was the only time I was there, after when me and Murphy went to see her.’

‘Did Sickert ask about me?’ Anna interjected.

‘Well, I repeated what I had told Rashid: that this policewoman’s bloke had been cut up, and that I was certain she wasn’t at the hostel because of it–it was just a coincidence.’

‘What else did you say to him?’ Langton asked.

‘I said she had red hair, that was all. Then he took the stuff I’d brought and told me to get lost.’ Vernon looked from Anna to Langton; sweat was glistening on his face. ‘That’s all, I swear before God, that was all
that happened. I mean, I got nothin’ to do with Gail’s murder. I swear on my life.’

‘So you took Sickert what, exactly? Drugs? Medication?’

‘I dunno. Rashid said that Sickert needed it; he’s got some blood disease, that’s all I know.’

‘Blood disease? You mean like sickle cell anaemia?’

‘I dunno.’

‘Are you the father of Gail’s youngest daughter?’ Anna asked.

Vernon turned towards her. ‘
Me?
’

‘Yes, you.’

‘No way! Listen, I mean I don’t wanna speak ill of the dead, right, but she put it about. I mean, all her kids had different fathers, an’ I’m not one of them.’

‘What work did this Rashid do?’

‘What?’

Langton sighed and tapped the table. ‘What work did this guy Rashid do?’

‘I dunno. Like I keep on saying, I didn’t really know him. I swear before God I’ve told you all I know about him.’

‘Describe him,’ Langton snapped.

‘Who?’

Langton shoved the table hard towards Vernon and he crunched back in his seat.

‘I already did, for Chrissakes! He was a big black mother with muscles. That’s it–I keep on telling you I didn’t really know the guy.’

‘Think–what else?’

‘Shit, I dunno. I’m gettin’ threats in here; they think I’m a grass.’

Langton stared at him, waiting.

‘Like I said before: teeth missing, but one or two gold capped ones, in the front.’

And then Vernon smiled nervously, showing his own crooked, tobacco-stained teeth.

Anna felt drained when they drove away from Wandsworth. Langton was in a very dark mood.

He asked her over and over again to repeat the description of Rashid. They soon realized that it must have been Rashid whom the landlord had seen at the bungalow, when he had met Sickert in the kitchen there, to discuss the new henhouse.

When she had gone to the hostel on the day they had arrested Arthur Murphy, Anna had only had a quick glimpse of the man who slammed the front door in her face. He was wearing boxer shorts, was big and muscular and, as far as she could recall, had gold teeth in the front of his mouth.

‘No coincidences,’ Langton muttered.

This also raised the possibility that Rashid could have been involved in Gail’s murder and, most importantly, that he could also have been one of the two men who had slashed Langton to pieces.

‘Well, I said I’d get the bastards, and it’s looking like I’m getting closer,’ he said to himself.

‘I’m sorry, what did you say?’ asked Anna.

‘Nothing.’

‘Yes, you did.’

‘I just said it feels like I am getting closer–the murder of Gail and her kids, okay?’ He made no reference to what he really felt he was getting closer to. Before Anna could pursue it, Langton’s phone rang. It was Mike
Lewis. Langton listened to the call, then covered the mouthpiece and turned to Anna.

‘Forensic have just had confirmation that the child’s skull found at the piggery was a relative of Gail Sickert, most likely that of the youngest girl, due to its size. They’ve not found any other remains yet, but they’re still working there.’

Langton returned to the call. ‘I want a trace on a black male: Rashid Burry.’ He spelled it out. ‘He was at the hostel, and now we are sure he was also at the piggery. Also, our suspect Sickert may be suffering from sickle cell disease as he was in need of medication, so get someone checking hospitals down there.’

Anna watched Langton and felt very uneasy when he laughed softly and said, ‘Okay, Mike, keep at it. Shaping up, isn’t it?’

Then he cut off the call and rested back, closing his eyes.

They were now armed with more information with which to press Murphy to assist them. Driven in a squad car, they had a long journey over to the Isle of Wight to Parkhurst prison, Langton remaining moody and silent throughout.

Anna felt humiliated that she hadn’t realized how Vernon had discovered her connection to Langton. She had been so busy accusing everyone else, when it had been something as simple as a newspaper left on the seat of the patrol car.

‘I just didn’t realize,’ she said out loud. ‘About the newspaper, I mean.’

Langton murmured for her not to worry, but she did;
she was so angry with herself. She leaned forwards from the back seat and tapped his shoulder.

‘I am really sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I kept on putting it off. At least now we know.’

‘Know what?’

‘That Sickert had a reason for frightening me. He is connected to your attack, or knows who did it.’

‘Yeah, but I think it’s got more to do with this Rashid Burry. We might want Sickert for the murders, but I want Rashid brought in under suspicion as well.’ He turned towards her. ‘Don’t bring up my attack. It’s too early to make any connection, and the last thing I need right now is to get the top brass worried that I might have an ulterior motive for wanting to be involved with the investigation. Anna? You hear what I’m saying?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good.’

Lewis called again when they were on the ferry, to say they had come up empty-handed on Rashid Burry, but were working with the probation departments, so might have more news later. Detective Constable Grace Ballagio, who was checking hospitals in the local area, also made contact: she had had no luck so far tracking down any local patient with sickle cell anaemia, so she was now going further afield, to hospitals within a twenty-mile radius of the piggery. Langton said she should also keep running with the name Rashid Burry and see if it paid off.

It was after four when they arrived at Parkhurst. The prison Governor had asked that they come directly to his office. He was a mild-mannered man, balding, with
spectacles. He offered coffee or tea but they both refused.

‘I am afraid I have some rather bad news,’ he told them. ‘You asked to interview Arthur Murphy; at the time, he was available to you.’

‘But he isn’t now?’

‘No, he’s not.’

Langton frowned irritably. ‘He has refused?’

‘No, he was knifed during his exercise period. He died last night.’

‘Jesus Christ! Wasn’t he on Rule 43?’

‘Yes. The two men who were involved are child-molesters from the same wing.’

Langton put his hands over his face. ‘The attack: was it made by white prisoners?’

‘No, black. One shared a cell with Murphy. Right now, we are very overcrowded. I am not making excuses for what has happened to Arthur Murphy, and there will obviously be a full enquiry, but right now there are over ten thousand foreigners behind bars in Britain; they send to us, over here, some of the worst offenders. One of the men was waiting for a deportation order to come through. Nationals account for a mere one in eight inmates. It’s costing the taxpayer a staggering amount, almost four million pounds per year, and we are in dire need of funds to extend the secure units.’

Langton listened, but hardly paid any attention to the figures. The man obviously did need to make excuses for what had happened.

‘I would like to interview the two men involved in the murder of Arthur Murphy.’

‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible.’

‘Why not?’

‘For legal reasons.’

‘But I need information. These two men may be connected to the brutal murder of a young woman and her two-year-old child. If you can’t let me talk to them now, then when can I gain access to them?’

‘When we have completed our investigation. They are held here in isolation, and until we have all the facts, we cannot allow anyone to interview them. We cannot afford any bad press—’

Langton interrupted, his voice harsh. ‘I am not the bloody press, but let me tell you, if you do not give me access to both these men then I will make a public statement.’ Anna could see the muscles in his neck twitching as he tried to control his rage. ‘Arthur Murphy’s sister has been brutally murdered and her child’s body fed to the pigs. Now, if you are refusing to allow me to question these two men, you are—’

‘I am sorry, Detective Chief Inspector Langton, but—’

‘No buts!’

‘I am aware of your investigation. I have your report in front of me as to why you wished to speak with Arthur Murphy, but I have to tell you that one of the men involved in his attack has been in prison for over three years and the other almost six months, so I cannot see how they could give you any details about your case. The local police have obviously been informed and these men will be held in police custody eventually.’