Consequences (17 page)

 ‘Do you want a drink, love?’ Connie said, gulping back the tears. She dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue from her apron pocket.

‘And a biscuit please,’ she whispered shyly, as she stroked her Nana’s cheek. They all watched in silence as Connie guided Gemma to the door carrying her drink and biscuit precariously on a tray. Connie closed the door, behind them.

The kettle was whistling on the gas stove and John walked over to take it off. ’Shall I do the honours?’ he asked.

‘Yes, yes please,’ Ken replied, in a daze as Connie once again took a seat next to her husband.

Dylan explained to them the circumstances of the body, the enquiries to date, the fact that the car had been proved to be Liz’s and the activities at her home. John passed around the cups, placing one directly into Connie’s hand, ensuring she gripped it properly as she shook uncontrollably.

‘Here, have a sip,’ he told her. ‘Strong tea, it’s good for you. It’ll steady you,’ he said holding his hand over hers whilst she took a sip. Connie shuddered and looked at Dylan her face aghast.

‘Sorry, no sugar, it’s not good for anyone in shock,’ he said.

‘It can’t be her...I wouldn’t let myself think she has been killed? I thought that things like that didn’t happen to people like us...I thought you’d just find her . . .’

‘Do I need to come with you to identify her?’ said Ken.

‘It’s not that easy Mr Platt. You see, visual identification is impossible,’ said Dylan.

‘Oh, my God,’ Ken cried, holding his head in his hands.

John had never witnessed such grief. ‘I’ll need the name of Liz’s dentist if you have it please?’ he said.

‘Of course. You did say that at the station.’ Connie rose to get the details that she had already written down for Dylan, in an envelope on the dresser. ’But I still don’t understand,’ she said. ‘She was sat where you are just the other day.’ Connie stumbled over her words, coughing frenziedly into her hanky. Ken rubbed her back and held the cup once again to her mouth. She gulped the hot liquid, gratefully. ’She would’ve told us if there was anything wrong. She was delighted Gemma had started school. She was so proud and coping well.’ Connie continued.

‘Do Malcolm and Janet know yet? Ken asked. have they been told anything?'

‘No, not yet. We know where Malcolm is obviously, but who’s Janet?’ asked Dylan.

‘Janet’s Malcolm’s mum. She lives in Merton, Merton Village,’ Connie got up and reached for her address book, from the worktop next to a bundle of cookery books, and handed it across the table to John.

‘I promise we’ll let you know as soon as we’ve got the test results. I’m sorry it’s the most terrible news anyone could hear, but there is little doubt in my mind that it is your daughter. We know the car was hers and it’s a female’s body, and she’s missing’ Dylan only confirmed to them what they didn’t want to hear; their worst nightmare. Connie let out a gasp, tears welled in her eyes once more, and she dabbed at her cheek as they fell.

‘I assure you we’ll do everything in our power to get the results to you as quickly as possible.’ Dylan told Ken. ‘There are two Family Liaison Officers on their way who’ll be able to spend more time with you, answer your questions and try and explain the procedures we are going through at the moment. Of course, if there is anything else you think we should know or anything you think you can tell us about Liz, we would be extremely grateful.’

Ken nodded woodenly as he hung on Dylan’s every word; desperately trying to take in the information that he was being given.

‘They are PC Fran Hope and PC Clive Merton,’ Dylan continued, ‘experienced Family Liaison Officers. They’ll stay with you as long as you need them. They’re trained for this type of incident: they’ll be able to help you.’

‘Thank you, thank you.’ Connie sniffled.

As if on command, a knock came at the door and John let the two officers into the house.

‘John and I will head off now Ken...Connie,’ Dylan said. Ken tried to stand and fell back on his chair. ‘No, no don’t stand. I can assure you both that everything that can be done is being done.’

‘One question before we leave if I may, do you think Liz was seeing someone?’ asked Dylan.

‘You’re joking she wouldn’t dare; Malcolm would’ve killed her,’ choked Connie. Ken shook his bowed head, crying softly.

‘The address for Janet Reynolds is?’ Dylan sighed heavily as he sat behind the wheel of his car next to John.

John knocked on the heavy, wooden cottage door. Wisteria hung plentifully around it. The garden was peaceful and the morning’s dew glistened, still blanketing the grass in the shade. John’s reflection shone back at him from the door’s window, as he stood waiting for an answer.

 ‘You won’t find her in love,’ called a bright and breezy lady’s voice from behind the privet hedge that ran between the house and its neighbour. John craned his neck to find its owner, only to see the top of a mop of white hair.

‘Do you know where Mrs Reynold’s gone? I’m Detective Sergeant Benjamin from Harrowfield CID,’ he said, straining his arm over the top of the hedge to flash his warrant card. ‘And this is Detective Inspector Dylan.’ His words seemed unnecessary, as the owner of the voice obviously couldn’t see him let alone the man by his side.

‘Oh...I hope nothing’s wrong dear. I’m a bit deaf. If you want Janet she’s on holiday.’

‘You don’t know where she’s gone do you?’

‘Why yes, she’s gone to France, but I’ve no idea where.’

‘When’s she due back?’ said John, grimacing at Dylan.

‘Er...she’s due back this Saturday. Leeds/Bradford Airport, she’s being picked up at noon.’

‘Oh, thank you, Mrs?’

‘Duke, Thelma Duke’ said the kindly, white haired old lady as she gathered her little dog from the lawn. ‘Come on Sandy, into the house with you, my man,’ she shrieked, in a high pitched voice.

John followed Dylan’s suited frame down the path and stopped to shut the wrought iron gate behind him.

‘Get someone to meet Janet Reynolds off the plane will you. We’ll have to break the news to her then. I don’t want her seeing anything in the press or on the news until she’s been told.’

‘Yes boss, I’ll do it myself,’ said John, squeezing his large frame into the passenger seat of Dylan’s car.

Dylan smiled. John was a man after his own heart.

The phone stopped ringing the moment they entered the SIO’s office.

‘Bloody typical,’ said Dylan. It would probably only be more work, and there was a vast amount of information to digest and intelligence to go through already.

‘We need to liaise with HMP Wakefield and ask for a special visit to see Malcolm to tell him of his wife’s death,’ Dylan said as he sat down. But he knew he needed confirmation it was her first, and quickly. John stood opposite, holding a pen and paper waiting for further instructions.

‘Er...Liz’s dentists get hold of them will you?’ Dylan said, handing him the envelope with the details. ‘Let’s see if they’ve got her records and if so let’s get them checked out. It’s probably gonna be the quickest way.’

‘Onto it already, boss …’ John said, as he went back to the CID office.

Dylan grabbed the ringing phone, quickly this time.

‘Detective Inspector Dylan? Michelle at the press office. Have you any update for me yet on the police activity at ‘The Grange’, or the murder of Charlie Sharpe?’

‘In a word, no. Look, give me an hour and I’ll let you have something to keep the wolves from the door.’ Hopefully, he thought, as he crossed his fingers.

‘Thankyou. They’re only doing their job; chasing deadlines can’t be fun, but some are a real pain,’ she said.

‘No problem.’ Dylan said, biting his lip as he replaced the receiver. Immediately it rang again. ’Detective Inspector …’ Dylan started.

‘Boss, Dawn.’

‘Now that’s a voice I’m always pleased to hear. How’s it going? Managed to speak to Susan Sharpe yet?’

‘Yeah, I’m just telephoning to update you on what she’s been saying in interview.’

‘Fire away.’

‘Charlie had just been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Jason only came to live with her a couple of months ago, when he was released from prison. He’s into drugs. She never had any money for food, as he took all her allowance money from her. He bought food when he wanted it, but more often than not he nicked it. Susan told us that he was going out robbing regularly but she doesn’t know where. She daren’t ask, but the job he was on bail for was an attack on a garage kiosk, when he threatened an attendant with an imitation firearm before attacking her. He was expecting to go down, which is why he didn’t turn up in court.’

Dylan listened intently. ‘The job Larry went to when I was away might’ve been him too?’

‘Possibly, yes. Seemingly, Jason and Chubby shared a room in a ‘young offenders’ some years ago apparently, and when Chubby became homeless after the Stan Bridge episode, Jason invited him to come and live with them.’

‘Interesting. So what about Charlie’s injuries? How did they come about? Does she know?’

‘She told me that Charlie was naughty, which made Jason mad and so he hit him, sometimes really hard.’

‘What about her, Dawn? Did she admit to hitting him?’

‘She admits to smacking him when he was naughty to stop Jason hitting him. When he didn’t cry, Jason accused her of not hitting him hard enough. She told me Jason hit him once with a piece of wood, to show her how to make him cry, but she said she thought it hadn’t hurt him because he didn’t cry he just went to sleep.’

‘Bloody hell.’ Dylan sighed, feeling sick to his stomach.

‘She says if she didn’t hit Charlie when he was naughty, then she got a beating and Jason hit him harder still. So she started locking Charlie in his room to keep him out of Jason’s way.’

‘So, why didn’t she tell anyone?’

‘Petrified, boss, she was petrified of him.’

‘So what happened when Chubby Connor moved in then?’

‘She says she was chuffed when Jason asked Conner to move in, because she thought things would change and she didn’t think Jason would want him to know that he hit Charlie. But it actually got worse because he showed off in front of Conner and played the hard man. He shouted at Charlie to make him do as he said, when he didn’t, he hit him and dragged him around like a dog on a lead. She said she begged him to stop but Jason punched her in the face.’

‘When did Jason disappear?’

‘The morning she found Charlie. The night before he died, Jason and Chubby Conner had been throwing him to each other, having a competition to see who could catch him or who dropped him first. Susan says Charlie and she had been sat on the settee when the men injected, and Jason had started thrashing around with a pool cue. She remembers getting hit with it so she moved to the floor, but Charlie got hit.’

‘And what did she do?’

‘She doesn’t remember, but she does remember Jason bragging to Chubby how hard his son was, because he could hit him and no matter how hard he hit him he didn’t cry. She does have a bruise on her arm where she says Jason beat her, which is consistent with being hit with a stick of some kind.’

‘Does she have any idea where the men are now?’

‘No, no idea. Jason’s usual lays low at a mate’s house in Blackpool if he’s been up to no good, she tells me. Do you know, she can’t recall the last time Charlie ate. She says she put food in front of him but he wouldn’t eat it and Jason wouldn’t let her feed him because he said Charlie wasn’t a baby.’

‘Oh God, he wouldn’t have been able to, his arms were broken. Did you …?’

‘We’ve videoed the interview but she ultimately pushes the blame onto Jason and Chubby, and doesn’t think she has done anything wrong at all.’

‘Why didn’t she take Charlie to the doctors if he wouldn’t eat and he had obvious injuries?’ said Dylan.

‘She knew asking for medical help would’ve created problems for them, she says, and Jason ruled the house. Chubby just did as Jason told him, like she did, because he was frightened of him too, she thought. Jason shaved Charlie’s head when he was drugged up one night and thought it was funny. She thought the cuts would just heal by themselves. To be fair to her, she’s not the brightest button, sir.’

Dylan tutted, ‘Pathetic. How’re you feeling Dawn?’

‘I’m okay. We’re doing fine,’ she said, patting her stomach, ‘but I’d like an hour with Jason and Chubby, I must admit.’

‘You and me both, but you, my girl, are only going to watch from a distance. Otherwise, you’ll be off home.’

‘But Jack …’

‘No buts Dawn. You’re my primary concern and I won’t hear anymore on the subject, you hear?’ Dylan barked. ‘I’m thinking of charging her with wounding and child neglect at the moment, as a holding charge, but ultimately it’s likely to be murder. We need to confirm who the father is. If she’s not sure, DNA samples are going to be necessary and probably the best way of proving it.’

‘I’ll ask her again about the paternity of Charlie,’ Dawn said. Dylan’s mobile rang. ’Catch up with me later, will you? Finchy is on the other line.’ He replaced one phone for his other one.

 ‘Hello boss, just touching base. Jason and Chubby are both obviously on their toes. There’s no sign of them, but we’re still looking.’

‘I’ve just spoken to Dawn. We need evidence to connect them both to the house; fingerprints and witnesses, or to a pool cue that she says was used on Charlie. Though, just her say so isn’t enough. She told Dawn that Jason Todd likes Blackpool and usually lies low there. Can you circulate their photos over there, please? You never know, it’s worth a shot.’

‘Fingers crossed, I’ve put the pictures out across the force area too. Sooner or later their heads will pop up somewhere.’

    ‘Thanks for that Pat. Hopefully Chubby hasn’t gone over a bridge somewhere, or maybe that would be poetic justice.’

‘I’d rather you call me Patrick, sir...’ Patrick Finch said into the phone, before he noticed Dylan had rung off.

Dylan contemplated his next move. ‘Hello love,’ he texted Jen. ‘No news as yet. Will speak to you later when I know what time I’ll be home. ’His head was buzzing as he got out the policy book for both enquiries and updated them. The DSs had enough on their plate.