Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kate arrived early, keen to get the team meeting underway, but Jenny Cartwright, the computer buff, was already there, studying a laptop computer that was open in front of her.
‘Have you found anything?’ Kate leaned over to look at the screen, although she wasn’t sure what she should be looking for. Computers had never been her strong point.
‘Lots of porn, adults and kiddies, really nasty stuff.’ Jenny’s voice was matter of fact. ‘I’ve got a name as well, but it’ll have to be checked out, and I’ve accessed the chat rooms he used. Seems to be chatting up a lot of kids and young folk. Now I’m trying to access his deleted stuff. These guys all think once you’ve deleted something it’s gone for good. Idiots!’
‘Good work, Cartwright. Jot the names down and you can feed it into the team meeting.’
Kate collected a coffee from the machine and carried it into her office. Laying the paper cup on her desk, she sucked her burning fingers and swore softly under her breath, before turning to the filing cabinet to retrieve the file on the murder victim. At least he would no longer be John Doe, he would have a name they could track. The files were so tightly packed the file next to it came out as well, and Kate had a sudden memory of the slovenly woman with the flaming red hair who had accosted her outside Paul Carnegie’s flat the previous day. She frowned, thinking of what Jenny had said about porn. This woman’s daughter, Megan, was fourteen, and it was an uncomfortable thought.
She walked back out of her office and over to Jenny. ‘Remember I sent you out to see Mrs Fraser about her missing daughter?’
‘Yes,’ Jenny said, ‘I took DC Armstrong with me. We checked up on her computer contacts, and I talked to one or two of the boys she’d been chatting with online. But they were schoolmates and they didn’t know where she’d gone. They did mention a couple of places she sometimes goes when she takes off, and I’ve fed the addresses to the local forces to check out. Apparently she’s often run off in the past and it seems to be the same this time. It’s simply a question of finding her.’
* * * *
The team were clustered around the whiteboard at the far end of the room when Bill sidled in. He grabbed his chair from behind his desk and plonked it at the back of the group. He hadn’t been sure whether Kate would remember he was attending the post mortem this morning and was ready for her displeasure, but she only looked up and nodded.
‘Go on,’ she said to Blair.
‘That’s about it, ma’am. We’ve isolated all the CCTV images that are relevant so we can plot out the time frame, but although we get a clear view of the victim there are no clear views of the perpetrator because a hood covers the face.’
‘We definitely know the victim was killed between midday and 2pm on Friday.’ Kate picked up a marker and wrote on the board. ‘Rogers, you contacted the Child and Family Support Team, I understand.’
‘Yes, ma’am. I talked to Constable Louise Walker,’ Sue glanced at Bill. ‘She said the boys didn’t see anything apart from the body in the van. They’d been going through the multi-storey car park checking for unlocked vehicles when they opened the van’s doors. I understand both boys have been referred to a Children’s Hearing.’
Sue’s mention of Louise felt like a punch to Bill’s stomach, and he tried not to squirm when he felt Kate looking at him. The DI’s eyes were sharp and she hadn’t missed the glance nor Bill’s reaction.
‘You wanted to add something, Murphy?’
‘No, ma’am.’
Kate replaced the marker in the groove at the bottom of the whiteboard, then faced the team.
‘Cartwright has been examining the laptop found in a cavity in the van’s floor, and I believe we may have a name for the victim.’
Jenny adjusted her spectacles. ‘The laptop apparently belongs to a John Gregson, although his chat room persona is Kyle.’
‘That ties up with what I found out from DVLA,’ Sue cut in. ‘The van is registered to John Gregson, with an address in Manchester.’
‘Good work.’ Kate scribbled the name on the board. ‘Tell them what else you found, Cartwright.’
‘He frequents a lot of chat rooms and children’s sites, and he’s been chatting to several girls over the past three weeks.’
‘Do we have any names?’
‘I’d have to check with the ISPs, but the names they were using are Heather123, Clare21, Jade12, Emma452 . . . ’
‘There’s a Jade he’s been talking to? That’s too much of a coincidence.’ Bill looked over at Kate wondering if she’d seen the connection, and knew by her expression she had.
‘Murphy and I went out yesterday to interview Paul Carnegie, the father of a certain Jade Carnegie who was reported missing five years ago, when she was thirteen. It had been assumed Jade was dead, however certain recent events have thrown doubt on that. Whatever the facts are, there is certainly a connection between the Carnegie family and John Gregson’s murder. Murphy, I believe you were involved, what can you tell us about the rest of the family?’
Bill stood up and faced the team. What could he tell them about the Carnegies? That Diane was a vulnerable woman who needed protecting? That Emma had been a sullen child and was now a sullen teenager? That Ryan was effeminate and a bit peculiar? However the DI was right, there was a connection between the Carnegie family and the guy who was currently being sliced and diced in the mortuary.
He closed his eyes, hoping to banish the memory of Diane sitting in his car, twisting the material of her skirt round and round her fingers, and pleading with him to find Jade. He had made Diane a promise but keeping it might break her heart.
Opening his eyes, he started to speak. ‘The family have changed since I first met them, so it’s difficult to describe them now without knowing what they were like before. Five years ago, we were called in to investigate the disappearance of Jade Carnegie, a thirteen year old schoolgirl. Detective Inspector Michaels, who was still a sergeant at the time, was the investigating officer and I was his partner. We didn’t get anywhere with the investigation and the child seemed to have vanished into thin air.’
Bill walked to the water cooler and filled a paper cup. Taking a sip, he continued, ‘Jade’s father, Paul Carnegie, was a landscape gardener, her mother, Diane, was a university lecturer in computing. They had two other children, Ryan who was fifteen, and Emma, who was Jade’s twin sister. The family took Jade’s disappearance badly. The father started to drink. The mother fell to pieces and had to receive psychiatric help, Ryan seemed to spend most of his time crying, while Emma lapsed into a catatonic state that lasted for several months.’
Bill sipped some more water, lost for a moment in his memories of a family falling apart.
‘For most of the first year after Jade’s disappearance, her mother turned up regularly at the office demanding to know what we were doing to find her daughter . . . but that gradually tailed off until a few days ago when she contacted us again. Apparently she believed her daughter had returned. This was because she’d received a birthday card signed Jade, but enclosed with the card was a jade bead. That jade bead matches the ones we found pressed into our victim’s eyes.’
Bill paused and sipped again.
‘Mrs Carnegie came to see me and I was surprised to see the change in her. Physically she seems to have shrunk and her personal care has deteriorated. Five years ago she was a smart, intelligent woman. Now she’s working as a cleaner, and seems to be suffering from OCD.’
Bill noticed one of the team fidgeting on his seat. ‘You wanted to say something, Blair?’
The constable looked embarrassed. ‘Not sure what OCD is,’ he mumbled.
‘Obsessional compulsive disorder,’ Bill suppressed a smile. ‘That’s where the person has a compulsion to do things over and over again. In Mrs Carnegie’s case, it’s a compulsion to clean, so I suppose her current job as a cleaner makes sense.’
‘You say Mrs Carnegie thinks Jade has returned,’ Sue interrupted. ‘Do the rest of the family think the same?’
‘As far as I’m aware they think their mother is fantasizing. They think her mental health is deteriorating.’
‘Do we know what the rest of the family are like now?’
‘I’ve met them once, and that was briefly. Emma seems sensible but wasn’t welcoming when I went round to see their mother on Monday. I wasn’t sure about Ryan, he’s twenty but small for his age.’ Bill hesitated. ‘He seemed effeminate, and I thought he had a trace of lipstick on his lips. As for their father, the DI interviewed him yesterday at his flat. He’s separated from the family now, but gave the impression Mrs Carnegie was mentally disturbed and must be imagining it.’
‘Thank you, Murphy.’ Kate picked up the marker and added more information to the board. ‘Sue, I want you to follow up the Manchester lead. Talk to the force. They might know this John Gregson.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Murphy, you and I will go out and interview Mrs Carnegie.’ Kate laid down the marker, pulled at the edges of her shirt sleeves and strode off in the direction of her office. ‘I’ll get my jacket and bag.’
Bill was thoughtful as he picked up his chair and replaced it behind his desk. He’d noticed Kate was now addressing Sue by her first name, while he was still Murphy. He glanced over at Sue, meaning to ask her how she’d managed to weasel her way into the DI’s good books, but she was already busy on the phone. It would have to wait until later.
‘You ready, Murphy?’ Kate reappeared at her office door.
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Bill buttoned his jacket and accompanied her out of the office.
The Carnegie home was a ten minute drive from police headquarters, and Bill was soon pulling into the pavement outside the house. The iron gate was stiff, and squealed when he opened it.
The front door opened, and Diane peered out at them. ‘I heard you coming.’
Bill turned to pull the gate closed after him.
‘Don’t bother closing it,’ Diane said. ‘We never close it because it’s such a pain to open.’
‘Oh,’ Bill said, ‘I thought . . . ’
Diane shrugged. ‘It’s the paper delivery boy, he always closes it. I must remember to tell him not to.’
Bill and Kate followed Diane into the house.
He noted she seemed less agitated, and she hadn’t asked if they had found Jade which seemed out of character, and made him wonder what had happened to effect the change.
Diane gestured towards the sofa, and once they were settled, she said, ‘Can I get you a coffee or tea?’
‘No thanks,’ Kate said.
Bill shook his head.
Diane sat in an armchair, and at once her fingers started teasing at the piping on the edge of its arm. ‘You’ve found Jade,’ she said, in a matter of fact tone.
‘I’m sorry, but no.’ Kate’s voice was gentle.
‘Oh!’ The disappointment was evident in Diane’s voice. ‘I was sure that was why you’d come.’
‘We wanted to ask you about Jade’s necklace, and the green bead she sent you.’ Kate shifted in her seat. ‘DS Murphy, perhaps you would like to continue.’
Bill leaned forward. ‘You remember you showed me a green jade bead? Do you still have it?’
‘Of course. Jade sent it to me. I’ll always treasure it.’
‘Can we see it, please?’
Diane reached behind her neck and undid the clasp of her gold chain. ‘I threaded it onto the chain so I wouldn’t lose it,’ she said, handing it over.
‘You’re sure this was a bead from Jade’s necklace, it couldn’t be another bead from somewhere else.’
‘I’d know that bead anywhere. It’s unique. The necklace was passed down in my family from my great grandmother. She spent time in India when she was first married and brought it back with her. I gave it to Jade on her eleventh birthday. We didn’t have anything to pass on to Emma, so we bought her a coral necklace at the same time.’
Bill passed the bead to Kate. After looking at it, she said, ‘We’re going to have to take the bead in as evidence. We’ll give you a receipt for it though.’
Diane stood up, and tried to grab the bead back from Kate. ‘You can’t. It’s Jade’s. She sent it to me.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Kate said, ‘but we do have to take it.’
Tears slipped down Diane’s face. ‘You can’t.’
‘We’ll look after it, I promise you, and it will be returned when it’s no longer needed for evidence.’
Bill stood up and grasped Diane’s arms. He led her to the seat and gently pushed her into it.
‘It will be all right,’ he said. ‘I’ll make sure you get it back, but we do need to take it for the time being.’ He felt Kate looking at him and he released his hold on Diane and returned to his seat.
‘Tell me,’ he said. ‘Have you heard anything more from Jade?’
‘She came to me last night. I woke up and she was leaning over me. She told me not to worry about her, that she was safe, and I wasn’t to look for her. She would come to me when she was ready.’
‘You mean she was here?’
‘Yes.’ Diane smiled at him. ‘I always knew she would come back.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jenny Cartwright crossed the room and stood in front of Sue’s desk. She fidgeted from foot to foot while Sue continued to talk on the phone to Inspector Hargreaves of the Manchester force. The younger woman’s agitation was eroding Sue’s concentration and she gestured for her to sit down, pointing at the phone as she did so.
Sue scribbled on the pad in front of her. ‘Thank you, sir. I will ensure fingerprints and photographic evidence are sent in order for you to check this is the same John Gregson you’ve got on your radar, and it would be helpful if you could keep us informed of the progress of your enquiries.’ She replaced the phone in its cradle and looked up smiling. ‘Manchester police have been investigating a paedophile ring and John Gregson is one of the names they had on their list. We’re making progress.’
Jenny shifted in her seat. Her eyes sparkled behind her spectacles. ‘I’ve been digging into the computer and I’ve found a snippet of chat between Gregson and Jade12. It was an arrangement to meet at the Overgate Centre, in Dundee, on Friday. It looks as if Jade12 is the person we’re looking for.’
‘Good work, Jenny.’
‘That’s not all. I traced the IP address and got onto the ISP responsible and,’ she waved a piece of paper under Sue’s nose, ‘I’ve got a name and address for the person posting as Jade12.’
‘How on earth did you manage that?’ Jenny was prone to use computer talk in her speech, but at least Sue knew what an ISP was. ‘I thought you needed a court order to pry names and addresses out of them,’ Sue said.
Jenny’s face reddened. ‘I conned them into giving it to me. I said they’d be charged with aiding and abetting a murder if they didn’t. Did I do wrong?’
‘No, you did OK.’ Sue smiled at her. She stood up. ‘Anyone know when the DI will be back?’
There was no response, apart from a few shakes of the head and shrugs of the shoulders.
‘OK, Jenny,’ Sue said. ‘You’d better write this up, you know what the DI is like for paperwork, and you don’t need to mention the conning bit, just say you acquired the name and address from the ISP.’
Sue gathered up the files she’d been working on and locked them in the filing cabinet. This was an exciting development and it needed to be followed up, but she wasn’t sure how the DI would respond if she went out without consulting her. If Andy had still been in charge, there would have been no problem, he liked the team to act on their own initiative. But from what she had already seen, DI Rawlings liked things done by the book. She might not take kindly to Sue diving off and doing her own thing. However, it seemed fairly certain Jade12 was the person they were seeking, so if they had an address the only option was to raid it.
Decision made, she lifted the phone. ‘I need officers for a raid,’ she said into the receiver. ‘At least six . . . well I suppose four will have to do. I’ll be downstairs immediately, have them ready.’ Clattering the phone down, she looked round the room. ‘Blair, Jenny, Sid. Grab your jackets.’
‘What’s up?’ Blair had one arm in the sleeve of his jacket and was struggling to find the other sleeve.
‘We’ve got an address for Jade, thanks to Jenny. We’ll need to bring the occupants in for questioning, and confiscate any computer equipment. I’ve acquired four uniforms to go out with us in case we run into trouble.’
It didn’t take them long to get to the Derby Street multis. Two massive buildings, Butterburn Court and Bucklemaker Court, rising above the surrounding houses like sentinels watching over them. They drove into the parking area at the rear and tucked the vehicles, two cars and two police vans behind the entry ramp wall of Bucklemaker Court, which was high enough to mask them from view. Sue checked the address again, it was on the third floor. They wouldn’t have to go all the way to the top.
Sue steadied her breathing. Raids always gave her an adrenalin rush and she was never sure if the buzz she got was out of fear or pleasure. Turning to Jenny, who was sitting beside her, she said, ‘Let the uniforms go in first and you follow on behind. Your job is to locate the computer equipment and instruct them what to take.’
Jenny nodded. If anything, her eyes looked even bigger behind her spectacles and Sue wondered if she was anxious.
‘OK, let’s go.’ Sue got out of the car and strode to where the uniformed officers were gathered. ‘Everyone ready? The flat’s on the third floor, and we’ll try to gain entry before using the bull bar. It’ll save a lot of hassle if we don’t need it.’
The constable carrying the bull bar shifted it from one shoulder to the other, and Sue couldn’t help noticing the look of disappointment on his face.
They turned the corner and hurried up the concrete ramp to the back entrance of the building. Two elderly ladies, one with a zimmer frame, stopped in their slow progress down the ramp and looked at them with startled eyes. The officers streamed past them and Sue nodded to Blair, he was good with older people. He would reassure them.
The entry hall was empty. Sue pinged the lift button and prayed they weren’t out of order. The wait seemed interminable but she could hear the groaning and clanking of the lift as it descended, and when the lift doors creaked open they all crammed in; four detectives, four constables and one bull bar. Luckily, when the Dundee multis were built they ensured the lifts were large enough to take a coffin, so eight living bodies was no problem.
The third floor corridor had seen better days, grubby walls, graffiti, and a floor that hadn’t seen a brush for many years. The front door to the flat wasn’t any better, the original brown paintwork, dingy and peeling.
Sue rang the bell and pounded on the door with the side of her fist. The detectives and constables stood at the ready at each side, and the constable with the bull bar gave the impression he was itching to use it.
‘Who is it?’
‘Police!’ Sue said. ‘Open up.’
The sound of a key turned in the lock and the door opened a crack, obviously on a door chain.
‘You got identification?’
Sue held her warrant card up to the opening, and gestured for one of the uniformed constables to step forward.
‘Wait a minute.’
The door closed and opened again. ‘Can’t be too careful,’ the woman said. ‘There’s a lot of yobbos round here. What d’you want anyway?’
‘I think it would be better if we discussed this inside.’ Sue appraised the woman in front of her. She looked in her early thirties, dressed in jeans and a red sweatshirt, her hair short with red streaks through it. However, she was too tall and well built to be the person in the CCTV video.
The woman nodded and held the door open.
‘Wait here,’ Sue instructed the constables. ‘Blair, Sid, Jenny, come with me.’ The four detectives entered the flat.
‘Who is it Bren?’ Another woman appeared at the inner door. She was of similar age, but had long fair hair that brushed her shoulders.
‘It’s the police.’
‘What do they want? And why are there so many of them?’ She had a cultured voice, out of keeping with where they were living.
This was unlike any raid Sue had been on. The women seemed mystified as to why they were there, and they didn’t seem to be the type that would have had much dealings with the police in the past. But this was where Jade had been working from. They must know something.
‘We need you to help with our enquiries,’ Sue said in a formal voice. ‘You are Brenda Sinclair, I assume.’
‘Yes.’
‘And you are?’
‘Julie Baird.’
‘Ms Sinclair, your name has been supplied to us by your ISP.’
‘What’s an ISP?’
‘Don’t be daft, Bren. They’re the ones who provide our broadband. I told you not to download those films.’
A look of panic crossed Bren’s face. ‘I didn’t think I was doing any harm.’
‘Depending on the films, downloading them could be illegal, but that’s not why we’ve come.’ Sue felt as if she’d entered some parallel universe, they all seemed to be talking at cross purposes. ‘We’re here because Jade Carnegie has been contacting people from your IP address.’
‘Who is Jade Carnegie?’ Julie’s voice cut in. ‘Have you been seeing someone else, Bren?’
‘I don’t know any Jade Carnegie.’ Bren’s voice sounded desperate. ‘You know there’s no one else, Jules.’
‘Are you saying neither of you know Jade Carnegie, or someone claiming to be Jade Carnegie?’
‘I’ve never heard of her.’
‘Me neither.’
Sue was feeling more uncertain than ever, mainly because neither of these two women matched the figure they’d all watched on CCTV, both of them were too tall. The person they were looking for was small and slim. ‘But you must know her because she’s been using your wireless connection.’
‘We’re the only ones here.’ Bren’s face had a look of confusion that seemed genuine.
‘And there’s no one else,’ Jules interjected. ‘The folk round here aren’t friendly.’
‘It’s possible their wireless connection has been compromised.’ Jenny’s voice cut into the discussion, ‘but I won’t be able to tell unless I have a look at their computers.’
‘Right.’ Sue turned back to the two women. ‘In order to eliminate you from our enquiries we’ll need to examine your computers. Now you can give us permission to take them, or we can go and get a court order. If we do the latter I’ll have to take you in for questioning until the court order comes through.’
‘How long before we get them back?’
‘That depends on what we find and whether they need to be kept as evidence.’
‘I don’t think we have an option, Bren. They’re going to take them anyway so better now than later.’
‘OK, the desktop is in the bedroom and the laptop’s on the kitchen table.’
Sue opened the door and beckoned a policeman in. ‘Jenny, show him what to take and then you get the laptop.’
‘Remember, we need them back again.’ Bren’s voice echoed behind them as they left the flat.