The Cop Killer (22 page)

It seemed the previous ladies were correct; people did visit police houses in this area.

“Can I help?” Asked Doris

“You can get some bugger up here to sort these druggies out”.

“What is your name and address?” Asked Doris

“My name and address where the hell do you come from, do you think I am going to give you my name and address, not from the fire brigade as well are you?”

“What do you mean?” Was Doris next reply.

Jack knew what was coming but said nothing.

“If I give you my name and address the bloody house will be burned down by morning, just do your job, you get paid don’t you, get it sorted”.

The lady turned and walked off

Jack and Doris finally were on their way.

“Where to next Mr Richards?”  Said Doris

“Manchester Police Headquarters” was the reply.

After some moments Doris spoke. “What did you make of that?”

The mystery woman and the drugs. I will check the records, when I get back,” she said confidently.

Jack thought momentarily then replied. “Well the woman appears to be the same one who visited Wrexham”. 

“The Sid fellow or whatever name he uses from time to time.  He certainly needs closer investigation. With his record how the hell he was employed in a hospital job with access to drugs beats belief.”

 “He is obviously violent. In addition he may well be psychotic, I note he was angry then broke down into tears.”

 “It may have been a show for sympathy on the other hand he may be a Looney. I have seen men like him for forty years, shouting and threatening one minute in tears the next”.

“The truth is they are the worst to deal with, violent and unpredictable.” 

“You check the records concerning the speeding and drug seize I will bet you find nothing. I have a feeling these cops cuffed the speeding, then took the drugs but didn’t enter them up, either they forgot or intended another use of them”.

“When the Morgan fellow traced them they probably went down to the nick retrieved the stuff from their stash or locker and gave them back to him to keep his mouth shut. It seems they were either two corrupt officers or were two lazy buggers, we will never know.”

Doris
thought and nodded but before she could reply, her telephone rang. She reached it and handed it to Jack who in turned answered.

“Jack Richards here, Oh officer Idris, going to speak to me this time Inspector Scott-Ling is driving?”

There was a pause when he said, “Thank you officer, yes thank you”

The call finished and he said, “You may have guessed that was our Idris.”

“He is reporting he was out on his patch today when an informant told him that our suspect, Sid Morgan, call him what you like has it seems found out that we are asking about him”.

“He has made it known he is not too pleased.  If he finds we have been here and know about the drugs from the hospital and the cops he will be even more rattled”.

“If you like” said Doris, “I will contact HQ and report it”.

“No, no, certainly not if there is more in it and Morgan is a candidate and it is looking that way, we don’t want to spook him”.

“Ok” she replied.

This caused him to think and mumble, “trouble is, nothing we have found so far gives any indication that these coppers were murdered, not a smell of it, it’s still a natural cause with just a few items of suspicion but nothing to account for them dying from a crime”.

“I will put on the sat nav,” said Doris, “I will never find Manchester HQ without some help”.

Doris
was well used to the satellite navigation and so they arrived at Manchester Police Headquarters with all haste, that is to say travelling ten miles per hour outside and into the city then at walking pace in three lanes of traffic from one set of traffic lights to the next. 

This caused Jack to realise why the successful business community in Tarporley had moved south to Cheshire though having to negotiate the horrendous journey each morning and evening, at least their off time from work or business was more pleasant.

The car parked, the duo of investigators walked on, Jack in the front Doris in close pursuit her main duty in hand, carrying the briefcase. One blind and the other leading the blind thought Jack walking at a brisk pace to the front entrance then stopped and pressed the who is it at our door button upon which a voice asked “Who seeks admission?”

This phrase reminded Jack that it was used in Freemasons Lodges and caused him to wonder if this Chief was also a Free Mason.  If so, could there be a change of suspect from Wrexham Sid to a secret conspiracy of Freemasons.

They appeared to get blamed for everything else why not this?” thought Jack but then,

Doris called “are you ready?” Mr Richards.

 He realised he had been fantasising yet again having not heard Doris make any reply to the who seeks admission.

 He would never know if she had replied, Jack a poor brother in a state of darkness”

 “If she had, those inside may well anticipate him coming inside led by Doris, he being blind folded, his shirt open at the chest with a cable tow or to the uninitiated, a rope around his neck and a trouser leg rolled to the knee”.

 “Good morning” it was a lady of colour very handsome and well suited to her very smart and neatly fitting grey suit. She was aged in her early forties and had an exceedingly pleasant welcoming voice and approach.

“We have come by appointment to see the Chief-Constable Mr Quinten Johns,” replied Doris, thinking her uniform looked a little on the shabby side compared with that of the immaculate Miss Harper-Johnson, Reception liaison Officer, according to her name badge.

It also crossed her mind if the Chief was just as finely attired Jack who was still wearing his grey trilby hat and old grey raincoat would look like a phrase used by her mother, “a dog’s breakfast”

“Ah yes, I am Clarice. If you would care to follow me I will take you directly to the Chief’s Office.”

“I might just add that due to the area in which you will be making your enquiries once you have finished your interview with Mr Johns, arrangements have been made for a suitable escort for you to visit Mrs Masterton and Chorlton Lake”.

“Thank you so much” replied Doris as they arrived at the lift, entered and were on their way up, in what appeared to Jack had been one continuous motion.

The lift stopped and they alighted and walked the short distance along the corridor to the office marked, The Office of the Chief-Constable, Manchester Police, Quinten Johns QPM

Clarice pressed the buzzer and an illuminated sign came on, “enter” they stepped inside what was a mediocre office only containing a desk, and three chairs.

A computer fitted onto the modern but small desk and a telephone. Around the walls were several photographs of Her Majesty the Queen.

The lady seated at the desk was not a posh Clarice but a relatively common Vera who spoke with a relatively common accent when she said, “Welcome very nice day “tint it” then added for good measure, “Cum tu see Chief?”

“Yes I am Inspector Scott-Ling, this is Mr Jack Richards”

Vera smiled and pointed to the vacant seats indicating the visitors would be more comfortable seated during their wait, they did so and so did Clarice.

Vera was about to pick up the telephone when she looked and realised the Chief was already speaking to someone and so turned to the visitors and smiled then asked, “ Hast thee been tu cita much”

“Ah no” replied Doris.

Jack was not a regular visitor but during the occasions he had he had heard this northern twang before, they appeared to miss out the word “the” in a sentence so instead of asking, “Are you going down the road?”

 “They said, are you going down road?”

He was expecting any moment dear Vera would ask, “Hast thee been in tu Ali or worse”.

“Thee knows, the Chief, he is a Rate Moonkay”

With that all thoughts suddenly changed has her telephone rang, she immediately picked up the handset and said, “Yes Sir, both are here sir, I will yes”.

She walked from her desk, opened the door and said, “Mr Johns will see thee both now”

Doris and Jack entered wondering what they would be greeted with, it was the norm.

“Good morning Jack and you also Inspector, please do take a seat”.

It was apparent the Chief at least appeared to speak the Queens English, which for a southern boy like Jack was an advantage.

His office was large and nicely furnished with a large heavy oak desk, which was carved, an equally decorative chair, which appeared to rock, often referred to as a captain’s chair. 

The view from the vast window was of the city but unlike Myers office in Wrexham, there were no hills in the background all solid city and motorway.

“How can I help you?” Asked Johns, adding, “Oh here is a copy of the officer’s personal record file”.

“Well” replied Jack “unless you have any logical explanation or some good ideas whether anything other than natural causes was behind the officer’s death I doubt you can help much.”

“I have nothing. I was hoping that you might be able to shine some light on the situation, I presume you will have already made some enquiries”.

“Yes we have” replied Jack “preliminary mind you”.

“And they have revealed”? Asked Johns

“Until today sir, not much, we endeavour to persevere”, added Jack.

“I see, right well this officer didn’t have much service, looking at his record just before you arrived I see he joined only three years ago”

“I recall it for it was January, we weren’t actually recruiting anyone due to the cuts but then it appears there was an exception made in the case of Rick and so he joined”.

“What would the exception be?” Asked Jack, the date of his joining the force had rung alarm bells.

“I have no idea, I myself, didn’t arrive here until some weeks after that so the subject never came up”.

“I see” said Jack, “I wondered if him being a mounted officer had anything to do with it, it being a little on the specialised side”.

“You may be right, just a moment I will ask Vera she is a wealth of information, Vera would you please step inside?”

Before he could replace the phone Vera was in the room and without prompting asked, “Can I help thee?”

“Ah, yes Vera we were just wondering if you had any idea as we were not recruiting at the time how Rick Masterton came to be admitted to the force?”

“Oh Rick, Oh yes it was because of the last Chief, he was a big riding man. We were short of jockeys for ponies and Rick was a rider at a stables in North Wales, near Wrexham and the Chief had a cottage near there.” 

“I recall he had a weekend away and took some police bosses with him; the HMI at the time was one. The next minute we had a new horse and rider, that’s all I know”.

“I see thank you Vera”.

She left the room then the Chief smiled and said.

“There you have it, Jack, problem solved seems it was wheels within wheels, a boys week-end out and Manchester gets a new horse and rider.