Depth of Despair (19 page)

Questioning of suspects had to wait until evidence gathering was complete. Hill was charged initially only with the illegal
imprisonment
of Stella. Butler’s charge sheet merely covered the removal of human organs without the donor’s consent.

Wardle was formally arrested and charged at Netherdale General Hospital where operations were being carried out to save his shattered leg. His charges were more serious, relating to illegal possession of explosives and unlawful killing of two police officers. Solicitors for all three men were left in no doubt that more charges would follow.

Nash took time out to phone the specialist unit to which Stella had been transferred. The news was not encouraging and Nash was informed she was not allowed visitors. It was two days before Clara was despatched to take a statement from her. On her return, she explained how difficult it had been. ‘It was probably shock. The injury to her head has affected her speech and she wasn’t able to give me much information other than what we’d already worked out. She did say Wardle had been talking to Hill about the weather. He seemed concerned about wind speed. Just before you came, he spoke to someone on his mobile phone about them.’

‘I’ll go see her as soon as I can.’

‘Give her a few more days, Mike,’ Clara said as she turned to leave the room.

All the security men had been interviewed and Nash turned his attention to Vatovec, charged with firearms offences and conspiracy to murder. Janko had relapsed into a feigned ignorance of English and refused to answer any questions.

Zena came up with the solution. As she translated, Nash thought every English word seemed to be matched by a dozen in their language.

It was perhaps as well he didn’t know what Zena was saying, but maybe he wouldn’t have been bothered. ‘Janko,’ she began, ‘this policeman wants you to talk. If I was you I’d abandon this pretence of not speaking English. Shall I tell you why?

‘Because I’ve applied to Moscow for extradition for crimes committed on Russian soil. When you get there you’ll be found guilty. You’ll go to prison for a long time. The British might resist such extradition, but only if they have good reason. The British are very keen to protect the welfare of prisoners. Did you know they have special categories of prisoners? For those who have committed sexual crimes, particularly if those crimes are committed against children.

‘Of course, we’re not quite so enlightened. We don’t believe it’s worth the effort. Let me explain. There are many prisoners in our gaols. Men who have been inside for a long time without the comfort of a woman. These men are not homosexuals. They are just desperate for somewhere to get rid of their dirty water. Any
receptacle
will do. As the English say, “any port in a storm”.’

Zena laughed merrily. ‘Your cell would be better fitted with a revolving door. You’ll be in such demand. After a few weeks your arse will be like a paper hanger’s paste bucket. Then I shall come. I shall watch you walking bow legged, unable to sit down. Then I’ll believe you’re experiencing one small part of what those children suffered. Then I shall rejoice.’

She looked at Nash and winked. ‘I’m almost sure Janko is prepared to cooperate.’ She continued in Russian, ‘Especially when I’ve told him that if he’s ever released from prison, I’ll ensure every relative of every child he’s harmed will be given advance warning of the place, date and time. I shall also pay their bus or train fares, so they can be there to greet him. And I always keep my promises.’

She smiled again. ‘I’ve nearly convinced him I think?’ She spoke directly to Janko again. ‘All you have to do to prevent this is confess everything and hope to remain in England.’

After Zena’s little heart-to-heart, Vatovec became talkative. He
became talkative in English, so talkative they had to stop him to change the tape.

‘I was in Bosnia during the trouble. I sell arms to anyone willing to pay. It is normal, many are doing this. I was stopped one day by IFOR patrol as I was delivering guns. The leader was Hill. He took me in front of Wardle. They blackmailed me to supply women and girls, first for troops, then for anyone who pays. That is how it starts. Soon demand is too great for legal prostitutes. Still they want more. Then Hill make suggestion I go to the villages and kidnap women.

‘We used different ways to trap women. Still there is need for more. Next they come to me with new idea. They tell me of men who will pay much for sex with children. This becomes big
business
. There are many like this. They pay great sums for children to be sex slaves. Sometimes things go wrong. They get pregnant, they get disease. Then we cannot use them. Then we cannot sell them. That is when Hill is called for. He is,’ Vatovec paused, ‘executioner.’

‘What do you know about other parts of the trade?’ Nash asked him.

Vatovec seemed baffled for a moment. ‘There are other things they do. They make trade in drugs. I have job of finding cargoes. They send more and more drugs. Also something to do with
hospitals
. I do not know what this is.’

‘You must have been curious? Were you never tempted to ask?’

‘For sure I was curious.’ Vatovec leaned forward, his hands flat on the table. ‘But always it is Hill who is in charge. You do not ask questions of Hill. You do not do anything to make Hill suspicious. Hill is cold, evil monster. Many men will kill if they must. Hill murders because he enjoys.’

Nash walked into Helmsdale CID room to find Pearce looking forlorn. ‘I’m sorry if you’re feeling a bit left out,’ Nash told his DC, ‘but that’s about to change. I want you to go to Netherdale in the morning. Wardle’s computer’s there and the IT boys will be arriving to start work on it. Success or failure could be crucial to our ability to press home the most damaging charges against Wardle and Hill. Admittedly we’ve got statements from Vatovec and the security men, plus what happened at the farm and the
clinic, but the rest is circumstantial. So anything we can dig out of those files could be priceless.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ Pearce promised. ‘By the way, there was a call for you half an hour or so back. I rang Netherdale but they told me you’d left. They said you were on your way back so I thought it would wait. The details are on a pad in your office.’

‘I’ll deal with it in a minute.’

Clara walked into Nash’s office as he was making the phone call. He signalled to her to sit down and continued to listen. Nash looked older, older and sadder, Clara thought as she studied him. He put the phone down and stared at the desk for a moment before looking up.

‘What’s next on the agenda?’ she asked.

‘Give York Hospital a ring, find out what progress Milla’s making. I need to know when she’ll be fit enough to attend a
line-up
. If she can pick out any of our suspects it’ll give us another charge to pin on them.’

‘I’ll get on to that,’ Clara waited, certain Nash had more to say.

‘That was Pinderfields. The news is about as bad as could be. The whole of Stella’s upper body’s paralyzed now and he’s concerned about the knock she took on her head. He’s arranging more tests. He wasn’t at all hopeful there’ll be any improvement. She could remain that way for the rest of her life. I’m going to see her tonight.’

Next morning, Nash and Clara met Pratt to discuss unresolved issues. Before they began, Nash told them about Stella. ‘She looks so ill. All I could do was hold her hand to show I was there. She slept most of the time and I could barely understand her when she tried to speak. We’ll just have to wait.’ Nash sighed. ‘Anyway, let’s get on with this lot,’ he shuffled the papers in front of him. ‘It’s clear Vatovec knew nothing about the trade in body parts.’

‘That’s a shame. I know we’ve plenty of evidence. Still, it would be been nice to get a confession,’ Pratt said gloomily. ‘I can’t for a minute see either Wardle or Hill giving us one.’

Clara had been thinking the case through, ‘What I can’t
understand
is how Wardle got the organs out of the country.’

‘That’s been puzzling me too,’ Pratt agreed, ‘Any ideas, Mike?’

‘None that makes sense. I keep thinking back to what Stella said. Do you remember, Clara? Something to do with Wardle and Hill talking about the weather and Wardle being concerned about wind speed?’

‘I don’t see the relevance.’

‘Maybe, if it was a light aircraft they were going to use, Wardle might have been concerned about it being susceptible to high winds,’ Pratt suggested.

‘I don’t think so,’ Nash objected. ‘Wardle and Hill were desperate by then. Wardle would have needed the pilot to take off. Besides the wind that night wasn’t enough to ground an aircraft. There has to be some other reason, although I can’t work out what.’

‘Going back to my original question,’ Clara asked. ‘Do you think a plane was used to ferry the organs abroad?’

‘Hang on,’ Pratt objected. ‘If a plane went across to the Continent, any cargo would be subject to Customs checks. The same would apply when they brought drugs or children in. How did they avoid their shipments being searched? I know Customs and Excise are stretched but sooner or later one of their cargoes would have been discovered.’

‘I agree, always supposing their point of entry was covered by Customs.’

‘The best way would be to find their pilot,’ Clara suggested.

‘Why didn’t I twig that? If Wardle rang his pilot the other evening—’

‘—the number will be in Wardle’s mobile.’ Clara finished Nash’s sentence for him.

Nash stood up. ‘Excuse us, Tom, we’ve work to do.’

Pearce emerged from an office in front of them. ‘How are you getting on with the IT boys?’

‘We’re making headway. We’ve got into Wardle’s hard drive and started examining some of the files. I think he kept all the records of their activities in there. One of the files we retrieved first was all his contacts. You told me watch for anything to do with transport and aviation, correct?’

‘Yes, what have you found?’

‘One of Wardle’s e-mail addresses is a firm specializing in
helicopter
flights.’

‘Is it local?’

‘Only if you live in northern France.’

‘That’s disappointing. Still it’s something, I suppose. Shame it’s not round here, though. Anything in this country?’

‘Nothing meaningful. I did have one idea, though I’ll need your authority to act on it.’

‘Go on.’

‘I thought it might be worth checking with the Civil Aviation Authority. Give them the names in Wardle’s address book and see if any of them holds a pilot’s licence.’

‘Viv, sometimes you’re brilliant. Anything else?’

‘Nothing definite, although I did find a couple of addresses on the east coast. I thought they might be worth checking out. Of course, they may be seaside landladies where Wardle stays on holiday.’

‘I don’t see Wardle as the bucket and spade, knotted
handkerchief
type. Keep digging.’

‘Okay, boss.’

‘I don’t see how a helicopter company in northern France can have anything to do with the organ transport,’ Clara said as they walked on.

‘Neither do I at the moment, although I bet it is connected.’

‘It has to be the last number he dialled.’ Nash pressed a button on the mobile but the screen remained blank.

‘Damn, the battery’s flat. See if you can scrounge a charger.’

Clara returned five minutes later, Nash scrolled down the menu, opened the call register and recited the number. Clara wrote it down. ‘I’ll get Viv to check it.’

‘Ask him to run the details past the CAA straightaway,’ Nash called after her.

When she returned she was waving a piece of paper triumphantly, ‘Got it! This guy lives about twenty miles away. He’s got one plane, which he operates from a grass strip. He’s also a farmer, cattle breeder and dealer. Whilst we were waiting for the CAA to check him out Viv told me he’s found out about one of Wardle’s east coast contacts. Seemingly, the address is that of a trawler owner.’

Nash thought over what she said. Something was stirring in his brain although he wasn’t quite sure what. ‘Get hold of Jackie. I’ve an idea how Wardle worked this.’

Nash sat pondering the emerging evidence. From out of nowhere he began reciting a poem. ‘Night Mail’ had been one of his favourites. As Auden’s verse flowed from his subconscious he wondered why he should think of it.
‘This is the Night Mail crossing the border, bringing the cheque and the postal order, letters for the rich, letters for the poor, the shop at the corner and the girl next door. Pulling up Beattock a steady climb; the gradient’s against her but she’s on time.’

What was he thinking? Why mail trains? Something about a mail train, something relevant. Still the verses rolled from his brain.
‘Letters of thanks, letters from banks, letters of joy from the girl and the boy. Receipted bills and invitations, to inspect new stock or visit
relations
.’

Something about letters, but what? Suddenly a picture flashed into his mind. The image of a fast-moving mail train thundering through the night, racing alongside a station platform. Collecting the mail without pausing to break its tight schedule. ‘Of course,’ he breathed, ‘the clever sod.’

‘What is it, Mike?’

Clara had returned with Fleming. Nash smiled, ‘I’ve worked out how Wardle transported the organs and how he planned to escape. At least I think I have.’

‘Go on then.’

‘He had to move the organs quickly or they’d be unusable. And he had to ensure they avoided attention from customs.’

‘Yes,’ Clara agreed. ‘But how did he manage both?’

‘He loaded the organs on to a light aircraft operating from a private strip. The pilot took the plane out over the North Sea and dropped the container with the organs. The container would be attached to a parachute. The trawler would pick up the container and set off towards the French coast where it would be met by a helicopter. The helicopter would collect the container and return to base. Neither plane nor chopper would touch down on foreign soil so neither would be subject to customs checks. Maybe the trawler did some fishing to lend an air of authenticity, then returned to its
home port, landed its catch and sold it. To all intent and purpose everything’s above board.’