The room settled into a leaden silence; eventually Garfield spoke up.
This time of year is full of significant dates for the far-right. They were originally planning on marching on the seventh of July, the anniversary of the London bombings. I guess they figured they could try and make a link between the proposed new mosque and Islamic extremism. We blocked that as too provocative. Then they tried to march on the first of August. Obviously were wise to that and said no.
Warren evidently didnt hide his ignorance fully.
The first of August, written 1/8 represents the initials of Adolph Hitler. Its where Combat 18 get their name from.
I see.
So they suggested the next day. We almost let them have it, until we ran it through the computer the eightieth anniversary of Hitlers rise to Fuhrer. Finally, we settled on Saturday the nineteenth of July as comparatively harmless.
OK.
Warren didnt quite see what they were so concerned about, surely the issue had been fixed?
The problem is that whilst we could stop a march through town on the grounds that it was likely to cause a breach of the peace, theyre already calling for his funeral to be held on August the first.
Shit.
Exactly. Itll be a magnet for every right-winger in Europe. Hes already being eulogised as some sort of bloody martyr.
Can we block the funeral?
ACC Naseem snorted. Thatd be political dynamite. Can you imagine the reaction Police block grieving familys funeral? No, thats a decision well above the pay grade of anyone in this room.
Home Secretary? asked Grayson
Youd think, but were less than a year away from a general election, I wouldnt bet on a speedy decision. Nevertheless, Mrs May has let it be known that she is following events closely.
Warrens head spun. Hed known the repercussions of the previous days murder were likely to be significant but hed had no idea what was at stake. And he really wasnt happy about the Home Secretary taking an interest. That sort of interest could end an officers career pretty quickly.
So where does that leave us?
We need to know who was responsible for the murder as soon as possible to manage the fallout. If it was one of the protestors, itll be bad enough. If it turns out it was a member of the local Muslim community seizing an opportunity, the consequences dont bear thinking about. He paused. Without wanting to pre-empt DI Suttons briefing, are we treating the fire as arson?
From witness reports, its looking that way.
Great, thats all we need.
Naseem removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Warren watched him carefully over the top of his coffee cup.
At first glance it seemed strange that a small, first-response unit like Middlesbury would be taking the lead in such a politically sensitive operation, but it didnt surprise him. Ostensibly, Middlesbury was most suited to coordinate investigations on its own turf; the CID units intimate local knowledge made it ideal for dealing with crimes taking place at this end of the county, miles away from the Major Crime Units headquarters in Welwyn Garden City. But there was more to it. Yet more cutbacks to the policing budget were making Middlesbury CIDs special status harder and harder to justify. A successful resolution to such a big, high-profile case would do wonders for the units long-term future. The question was, were they being given an opportunity to prove themselves or handed enough rope to hang themselves?
Naseems face was unreadable. Beside him, Grayson looked similarly impassive, but his knuckles were slightly white as they gripped his coffee mug. Naseem turned to Grayson. Blank cheque, John. His mouth twisted in disgust. This needs sorting in the next ten days or were looking at the Brixton riots all over again.
So there it was: make or break time for Middlesbury CID and the career of John Grayson. Solve the murder quickly and efficiently and Grayson was one step closer to his next promotion; mess it up and it was the end of Middlesbury CIDs independence and perhaps John Grayson. And, quite possibly, Warren Jones.
Chapter 3
DI Tony Sutton dropped wearily into the comfy chair opposite Warrens desk.
The fire at the Islamic Centre is almost certainly arson; Ill be meeting the fire investigators later today.
Is there a final casualty count?
There were about thirty in the centre at the time, almost all women and children or older folk. They managed to get upstairs, where the fire service rescued them. A total of eight were treated for smoke inhalation, with two remaining in hospital. An eighty-nine-year-old woman already in poor health is in intensive care alongside a three-year-old boy.
Fortunately, lunchtime prayers had finished a couple of hours before and it wasnt a Friday. Karen and I will be visiting the imam in charge later, but hes already said that ironically they were in there because of the trouble brewing in town. The centre has invested heavily in security in recent years.
Speaking of security, do we have any CCTV?
Sutton smiled humourlessly. Its funny you should ask that. The CCTV at the front of the building wasnt working.
Warren sat up slightly straighter. Really? Can I guess what happened?
Be my guest.
It was broken by a brick on Thursday evening.
Half right, Wednesday evening.
* * *
Tommy Meegans body had been found almost eighteen hours ago, but this was Warrens first opportunity to visit the crime scene. Even in a small, specialist CID unit like Middlesbury, with its unique role as a first responder to local crimes, most of the legwork was performed by those with the rank of Inspector or below. Warrens immediate superior, DSI Grayson, seemed to only leave his office to play golf or schmooze with the senior ranks at the forces headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.
At Warrens last appraisal, it had been suggested that he needed to practise delegating more. His wife, Susan, had certainly been pleased; Warrens first few cases at Middlesbury had placed him and his loved ones directly in the firing line and she had questioned on more than one occasion why he needed to be so hands-on.
The problem was that Warren missed the excitement that came with solving a case. When hed moved to Middlesbury three years previously, it had been to further his career. There were precious few DCI opportunities on the horizon in the West Midlands Police and the sudden vacancy at Middlesbury had seemed too good to be true. Hed applied and then accepted the post immediately.
The units unusual position would provide Warren with a perfect mix of both smaller, community-style policing and management, with the safety net of a senior officer directly above him. A couple of years in that sort of environment and he would be ready to move on.
It hadnt quite worked that way. Even assuming he hadnt permanently blotted his copybook after the Delmarno case two years ago, hed realised that he liked Middlesbury. His predecessor, Gavin Sheehy, had once described leading the unit as the best job hed ever had. Warren had disagreed with Sheehy over much but he was being won over on that score.
It hadnt quite worked that way. Even assuming he hadnt permanently blotted his copybook after the Delmarno case two years ago, hed realised that he liked Middlesbury. His predecessor, Gavin Sheehy, had once described leading the unit as the best job hed ever had. Warren had disagreed with Sheehy over much but he was being won over on that score.
It had been made clear that solving the death of Tommy Meegan was to be Warrens number one priority and he had interpreted that to mean leave the office and get your hands dirty.
But not literally. The body might have been removed, but the alleyway was still an active crime scene and Warren wasnt getting a close look without appropriate precautions. The CSIs were still looking for trace evidence and so gloves and booties werent enough, particularly when TV camera crews with zoom lenses were in attendance. The last thing they needed was for some defence solicitor to claim evidence gathering procedures werent properly followed and use TV footage to demand that key exhibits be declared inadmissible.
The plastic-coated paper suits were far from ideal attire on a hot July day. The face mask trapped the heat from his breath and within moments he was licking sweat off his top lip. Suddenly his air-conditioned office seemed a lot more attractive
Stepping out from the police van that hed changed in, Warren glanced towards the gathered news crews. Thankfully, nobody seemed to have registered his presence. Warren was hardly a celebrity but a few of the local hacks would recognise him and he had no particular desire to have his face splashed all over the Middlesbury Reporters online edition, with the attendant excuse to rehash old stories from years ago. Perhaps the face mask had its uses after all.
DCI Jones, what brings you out here on such a fine day?
As always, the jollity of Crime Scene Manager Andy Harrison conflicted with the sombre nature of his job. But given what he saw on a daily basis, Warren figured it was probably a survival mechanism. Naturally, the burly Yorkshireman didnt offer to shake his hand.
Im here to make sure you arent cutting any corners, Andy.
To Warrens surprise, the mans eyes the only part of him visible above his mask narrowed slightly.
Its not us whos cutting corners, sir.
Warren paused before realising what the man was referring to.
DetectIt Forensic Services?
I caught one of them using a box of out-of-date saline swabs to take blood samples from the patch next to the body.
How can a saline swab be out-of-date?
Thats exactly what he said. And of course hes right, but any defence counsel worth his salt would move to have that evidence ruled inadmissible.
Warren shuddered. What happened?
Fortunately, the victim bled like a stuck pig so there was plenty of blood to go around and the lad hadnt started taking samples from some of the tiny specks we found further up the alleyway. I got him to fetch a fresh box and retake the swab.
Shit. Warren lowered his voice. Is this going to be a problem, Andy?
The veteran CSI sighed. At the scene I can keep an eye on the newbies and were whipping them into shape, but God only knows what happens when the samples go off to the lab. The Forensic Science Service might not have been perfect, but at least we knew who was doing the testing. Some of these new private companies didnt even exist eighteen months ago. Their only qualification seems to be that theyre cheap.
Warren felt a tightening in his gut. The thought that such a high-stakes case could be scuppered by a cut-rate CSI with a box of out-of-date swabs wasnt worth contemplating.
Thanks for the heads up, Andy. In the meantime, talk me through what youve got.
The victim was probably standing close to those bins when he was stabbed. Theres some spatter consistent with arterial spurt and from the blade when it was pulled out. He picked up a tablet computer with a removable plastic coating and started scrolling through images on its screen.
See this picture of that bin over there? The angle of the droplets suggests they were probably flicked off the tip of the blade when it was withdrawn. The droplets then continue in that direction he pointed down the alleyway in the opposite direction to the shop front, where a series of numbered markers had been placed on the tarmac with a pattern consistent with dripping he turned a half-circle on the spot, gesturing back towards the main road and our victim appears to have crawled in that direction, presumably away from his attacker. He didnt get far; that big patch of blood behind that bin is where we found the body.
The blood smears were no more than three metres in length and thick. Warren pictured the victim dragging himself away from the person whod just stabbed him. Another few metres and hed have been visible to passers-by in the high street. Could he have survived if somebody had found him and called for help? Without realising, hed asked the question out loud.
Thats the sort of question that can only be answered by a pathologist, sir. But if I had to speculate its doubtful. I think its a miracle he got as far as he did.
Warren felt a brief flash of sympathy. Tommy Meegan had been a deeply unpleasant individual, but in those last few moments he was nothing more than a human being facing death and probably terrified. Did he feel any remorse for the life hed led? Warren shook off the feeling and turned to point back at the waste container with the blood spatter.
Is that where you think the murder weapon is?
Harrison nodded. Weve finished sweeping the area around it for trace and were about to get in and start looking for it. Unfortunately, somebody from the nail bar dumped a load of rubbish in there shortly before the owners of the chippy discovered the victim behind their own bin. If the weapon was dumped in there it will be buried under half a ton of hair clippings and fake nails.
Warren sighed.
Great, that screws the hair and fibre analysis.
Visiting the scene probably hadnt told him anything that he didnt already know, and the high-resolution photographs that Harrison promised to send him would tell him far more than his eyes ever could, but it gave him a sense of what had taken place.
What about clothing?
It was an arterial cut and he would have been pumping blood under high pressure, so I doubt the killer got away without at least some transfer. Well be looking for any discarded clothing. Failing that, find me a suspect and give me access to his laundry bin and shoe collection. Well find something.
Chapter 4
Imam Danyal Mehmuds eyes were bloodshot and the shaking of his hands attested to the adrenaline he was running on. Karen Hardwick and Tony Sutton were seated in the imams living room, two streets over from the remains of the community centre. The air in the street still smelled of smoke. The house was a two-bedroom affair with a modest front room whose walls were covered in a mixture of family pictures and framed scripture.
Is that the Frozen fan? Sutton nodded towards a picture of a smiling infant in a light summer dress. She hadnt been smiling ten minutes ago when her father had switched the cartoon off and sent her upstairs so they could speak in peace.