The Paderborn Connection (15 page)

On Thursday morning Mick set off for Birmingham and made good time until he left the M6 for the last leg into town, the traffic was nose to tail and he got to the Police station with minutes to spare, he hated being late when meeting a senior officer.

He signed in at the desk and was taken up to Superintendent Chauhan's office. After the usual exchange of pleasantries Mick got to the point. He quickly ran through the events since that Sunday morning in Stevenage when Captain Phillip Austen's body was discovered. He ran through the course his investigation had taken including his trip to Germany and the discovery of the diamonds being smuggled from South Africa. Finally the discovery, thanks to Lieutenant Jordan's contacts with the US Military police, of Major Hennessey's name.

“Sounds like you've been busy Inspector “said Superintendent Chauhan.

“I have indeed but luckily I've been assisted by a Lieutenant Jordan of The Royal Military police whose knowledge and contacts in Germany have been invaluable. He's been temporarily assigned to the Incident room in Hatfield so we can work together.”

“I have a very clear brief from my deputy Chief Constable that my primary task is to solve the murder of Captain Austen, but it was recognised quite early on that it would be extremely difficult to keep that separate from investigation into the smuggling of diamonds from South Africa. Lieutenant Jordan's equally clear brief is to establish if British military personnel are involved in any criminal activity.

He has passed everything we have to the South African Police and they, in conjunction with the South African Revenue Service, have raided at least two addresses and have arrested several people in connection with the illegal exportation of uncut diamonds to Germany. They have passed quite a lot of useful information to us obtained during the raids and arrests.

When the US Military Police searched Major Hennessey's quarters they found various bank statements, notebooks and suchlike which list her contacts, she appears to have been one of Captain Austen's couriers getting the diamonds from Germany to England.”

“You think the two in Birmingham were passing them to people in our jewellery quarter I assume?” said Superintendent Chauhan.

“No, all of the contacts in the UK are in areas with a large Indian Community, namely Birmingham and Harrow. There are also contacts in Frankfurt and in Antwerp, also cities with large Indian Communities. It is our belief that couriers from these four cities receive the diamonds from Germany and then take them to Mumbai, one of the largest jewellery manufacturing centres in the world.”

Superintendent Chauhan sat there for a moment taking all of this in.

“My family come from Mumbai Inspector, I still have relatives there”.

“As do many in the Indian communities who have made Britain their home. They travel to Mumbai regularly for family occasions, weddings, funerals and so on. In short, the perfect cover for smuggling small packages through a busy airport,” replied Mick.

“I'm sure the authorities regulate the importation and manufacture of diamonds into Mumbai very strictly Inspector.”

“I'm sure they do Sir, but, with respect, not nearly closely as the security surrounding the jewellery manufacturers in Britain, Holland and Belgium. In any event, any industry dealing with small items of considerable value is bound to attract criminal elements.”

“So you think that these two people in Handsworth are smuggling diamonds into Mumbai?”

“It's a distinct possibility, yes.”

“So what are your intentions then, to raid these two addresses and arrest them?”

“Not exactly, no. As I said, my very clear instruction is to find and arrest Major Hennessey for the murder of Captain Austen. In the course of my investigations I am to pass on any information I come across to other agencies as appropriate to make enquiries into other criminal activity.

I therefore think I should pass everything I have to the West Midlands Police to arrest criminals based here but, just as we did with the South African Police, on the understanding that when you make arrests you make all reasonable attempts to find out the whereabouts of Major Hennessey and pass that information on to my team at Hatfield. I have here the complete file on the case to date, this same file has been passed to the Royal Military Police in Britain and in Germany, the South African Police, the South African Revenue Service in Bloemfontein and the American Military Police in Germany. I updated it last night so it includes everything we now have. My immediate superior is Chief Superintendent Rachel Bond and the senior officer with the overall responsibility is the Deputy Chief Constable if you wish to discuss it with them sir.”

“I will run it past my superiors Inspector and let you know if they have any issues. Thank you for coming here this morning, I'm sure we'll talk soon.”

*

Mick left Birmingham and headed for Northamptonshire, turning over in his mind what had been said at the mornings meeting. He decided he'd better have a meeting with Rachel as soon as possible to make sure that he was keeping to the brief that had been spelt out to him. He hated the politics, why couldn't they just let him get on with his job in his own way.

He stopped at the motorway services and rang Bob.

“Morning Bob, any messages?”

“Your contact from Northampton rang, there is nothing at all on Judy Simkin.”

“How are you getting on with those addresses in the south?”

“Nothing on file, I may have to go to them in person to get anywhere boss. How was Birmingham?”

“I've left it with the West Midlands Police in Birmingham much the same as we did with the South Africans, I just hope they'll be as helpful. Can you put me through to the boss?”

He was put through to her extension but she was in a meeting so Mick spoke to her assistant.

“Morning Sandra, I need a meeting with the boss as soon as possible. I'm heading for Northamptonshire at the moment but should be back in by four if she can fit me in.”

“I'll put you down for four thirty.”

“Thanks, bye.”

He drove to the market town of Oundle, very picturesque he thought, lots of mellow stone cottages. He found the address in the centre of the town but there were double yellow lines outside so, not wanting to draw attention to himself, he parked in a small public car park. He walked up to the house and rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a woman in her mid-forties he guessed, fairly short and plump but dressed in stylish, good quality clothes.

“I don't buy anything at the door.” she announced.

Mick produced his warrant card and introduced himself.

“Good afternoon, are you Miss Judy Simkin?” he asked.

“Mrs Simkin actually, what's this about?”

“I'm hoping you can help me with an enquiry we're making into a friend of yours, Miss Karen Hennessey?”

Her face showed no reaction at all.

“You'd better come in,” she said.

“You know Miss, or rather Major, Hennessey is based at the US base in Ramstein in Germany. The US Military Police have requested our help, apparently Major Hennessey went on leave nearly a month ago and is long overdue. They found your address in her quarters and asked us to check if you knew her whereabouts.”

“Have you seen or had any contact at all with her recently?”

“Yes, I saw her two or three weeks ago. She came up for the day, we had lunch and spent the afternoon chatting. She told me that she had left the army and was coming back to England.”

“Do you know where she is living now?”

“She's renting a cottage in Suffolk somewhere, I'm afraid I don't have the address. She said that it was only a short term let and she would let me know when she had found somewhere more permanent.”

“Did you see what car she was driving by any chance?”

“Well I did, but I've no idea of the make or model. I think it was white if that helps.”

“Do you have a telephone number for her?”

“Yes just a minute.” She looked up the number in her address book and read out the phone number, a mobile number.

” What's the last address you have for her?”

“The US base at Ramstein,” she replied.

“Just as a matter of interest, how do you know Karen Hennessey, I was told that she hadn't lived in the U.K. for over thirty years.”

“My mother and hers were close friends when they lived in Newmarket, they started work at the bank on the same day. When they moved to America Karen was about ten or eleven and we became pen-friends, although I haven't actually seen her more than half a dozen times in the last thirty years.”

“Thank you very much for your help Mrs Simkin, if she contacts you with her new address would you give me a ring please” said Mick tearing a page out of his notebook and handing it to her after writing down his mobile phone number. He couldn't give her one of his printed cards of course in case Judy Simkin rang her and said the Hertfordshire police wanted to speak to her.

“Is Karen in any sort of trouble?”

“I don't honestly know, we're just doing what the US Military asked us to, as a matter of courtesy so to speak. All they have told us is that she is absent without leave.”

She let him out and he went straight to his car and called Bob.

“Bob, I've just come from Judy Simkin's. She says Karen Hennessey's renting a cottage in Suffolk, she didn't have the address but gave me a mobile number. Give this priority, don't ring the number, obviously, but try and put an address to it. She could have got the phone before she rented the cottage but try anyway, she should have notified them of change of address for payment purposes.

Also get onto the property rental agencies, we're looking for a let to a single women in the last month but don't give Karen Hennessey's name, wait for them to give it to us. She may have a friend in the letting agency. I'm just about to leave Oundle so I should be back in the office by three.”

*

When Mick got back Bob said that he'd had no luck with the mobile, Emma said that the number is almost certainly a ‘pay as you go' so no contract or address. Bob said, however, that he might be onto something with the letting agencies. He had a list of over twenty likely agents although there were more that seem to specialise in summer holiday lets, he would work through that list if they drew a blank with the first list.

Bob had managed to get some help from the C.I.D. office so with Emma and himself, there were four of them making the calls. In the last two hours they had spoken to everybody on the list and had a short list of nine recent lettings, they have all promised to get back to us by tomorrow at the latest with the address and the name of the tenant.

“Well done Bob, we'll make a detective of you yet.”

“Thanks boss.”

*

At four thirty Mick went up to see Rachel.

“How are things progressing Michael, any news since your last briefing?”

“We didn't get anywhere at her mother's house in St Albans but I now have a more promising lead. The American Military Police searched her quarters in Ramstein and came up with an address of a friend of hers in Oundle. I went there earlier this afternoon and the woman there confirmed that Karen Hennessey had visited her two or three weeks ago and is now renting a property in Suffolk although she didn't have an address.

We have contacted the most likely agencies and have a list of nine properties let in the last month to a single woman. We should have all the addresses and any other information, previous addresses, references etc., by tomorrow so I'm feeling more confident that we are closing in on her.”

“That's excellent Michael,” she said.

“We also had two addresses in Birmingham that we think she visited recently, probably to pass on diamonds passed to her by Phillip Austen some weeks ago. We think the two people in Birmingham were couriers whose job it was to take the diamonds onto Mumbai.

In accordance with your brief Ma'am I have passed all of the information we have on that aspect of the case to a Superintendent Chauhan in Birmingham for the West Midlands Police to pursue. I think he was under the impression that I would go to the two addresses with a couple of local D.C.'s to make the arrests, he was a little taken aback when I presented him with the file and merely asked him to keep me informed after he had questioned them and to hopefully get a lead on the whereabouts of Karen Hennessey, a serving U.S. Officer. He said he would have to consult with his superiors so you might get a phone call Ma'am.”

Mick went back to the incident room to find Andrew and Emma deep in conversation.

“Everything all right you two?”

“I'm not sure,” said Andrew

“I've just had a phone call from Brigadier Fredericks, he wants to see me at Southwick Park at one o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Mick made a quick phone call and told Andrew he could have the pool car overnight and all the next day providing he returned it by six p.m.”

“Thanks Michael, that'll be a big help.”

Just as he was about to leave his phone rang, an internal call from Rachel.

“You were right Michael, I've just had your Superintendent Chauhan on. He has read your report and got approval from his superior to take the case forward. He actually thanked me for passing the file to them and promised to find out all he can about Major Hennessey's current whereabouts and pass on any information to you. Just thought you'd like to know.”

“Yes, thank you Ma'am, actually something has happened whilst I was with you earlier. Andrew Jordan has been summoned to Southwick Park tomorrow for a meeting with the Brigadier.”

“Ok Michael, thanks. I'll pass that on to the Deputy Chief Constable.”

Mick left and drove to Enfield to the Funeral Parlour where he had made an appointment with the undertaker to see his father in the chapel of rest. He was shown into the room, Mr Mitchell pulled the heavy velvet curtain across the doorway and Mick was alone with his father. He looked at him for a good few minutes, he looked very peaceful lying there in his coffin, the undertakers had certainly done a good job. He couldn't think of anything to say, it seemed slightly surreal somehow so he simply said good-bye dad, and left.