Condemned by R.C. Bridgestock (love books to read TXT) 📕

‘Raglan collapsed in his cell,’

‘He has?’

‘When you were in the meeting with the Divisional Commander.’

‘And?’

‘He was taken to hospital but they turned him around, after checking his vital signs. They put the episode down to possible withdrawal. He’s been given medication for the custody staff to administer until such time as he goes to prison.’

‘And the good news, Mike?’

‘Thomas’s interview about the discovery of the firearm, ma’am. On being told he was also under arrest for possession of a firearm and ammunition, I thought he was going to collapse, but he somehow gathered his composure, and remained silent throughout our questioning. He certainly didn’t expect us to find it.’

‘I think Mr Thomas is going to realise very quickly that he is now in a very different world. He knows he has slipped up, now the inevitable will begin to sink in, namely that he is going to be locked up for perhaps a long time.’ Charley looked up at the clock above her door. ‘We’re running out of time on those custody clocks – let’s get James Thomas charged with murder, and the remand files ready for Court tomorrow morning. CPS haven’t responded to me, so I’ve made the decision and I’ll give them a courtesy call to let them know the brief details of them attending the Magistrates Court tomorrow for a remand in custody.’

Mike closed the door behind him as he left Charley’s office, just as her phone began to ring. She picked it up.

‘DI John Harris, National Crime Agency,’ said the man at the other end of the line. ‘Sorry for the delay, we’ve had a live incident to deal with. How can I help you with your enquiry? I heard you’ve been trying to get hold of me.’

‘DI Charley Mann, Peel Street, CID. I’ve just sent you information about a man called James Thomas which I think may be of interest to you.’

‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘Funnily enough, that name has cropped up on the periphery in regards to drug distribution recently where firearms have been involved.’

‘Do you also know the name of Faisal Hussain? He is the victim in one of our local murder enquiries,’ probed Charley.

‘Indeed, I do!’ DI Harris seemed surprised. ‘I for one won’t lose any sleep over his demise. As they say, he lived by the sword, and he died by the sword, or in his case, the gun.’

‘It’s being suggested to us that a weapon Hussain was carrying was imitation. Is that likely from the intelligence you have? We haven’t recovered an imitation firearm, but recently we have recovered a firearm during the searches of premises of one of the suspects.’

DI Harris laughed out loud. ‘The likes of Faisal Hussain carry a toy gun? Christ, no, absolutely not! Even the idea would make him a laughing stock. I suggest someone is shovelling you a load of bullshit, like they do. He’d have been taken out years ago by the opposition if he carried imitation firearms.’

‘Exactly my thoughts; that’s all I needed to know,’ Charley said. ‘I’ll get our intelligence cell to send you our current info on Hussain’s murder, and the details of those charged, along with further details of the recently recovered weapon I mentioned, once Forensics and Ballistics get back to me.’

‘Yeah, that would be good.’

Charley’s next call was to the Crown Prosecution Service who apologised for not returning her call earlier. She informed them that the custody clock was against her, and couldn’t delay charging the men any longer, explaining that they had now been charged with murder, and Thomas with possession of a firearm and ammunition. The relationship between the police and the CPS was about assessing the evidence independently for the Crown Prosecution Service. The last thing anyone wanted was to have to withdraw a charge of murder, or be reprimanded at a later trial, by the judge, if there was insufficient evidence. Charley outlined the evidence against the offenders and the CPS were in full agreement with her decision to charge. The SIO breathed a sigh of relief, although she had never been in doubt about the substantial evidence in the case.

She then sat for a moment reflecting on the enquiry so far. A derelict house had revealed the remains of two humans. As a result, they now had one armed robber shot dead by the police, three people charged with murder and related offences, and two firearms had been removed from circulation. Who would believe that all this had come from her stopping on a whim at Crownest that cold frosty morning?

Her mind quickly wandered to thinking about why James Thomas would keep a firearm in his locker; could it be the one that was missing, the one that belonged to Hussain? Hopeful Forensics would be able to confirm this, and it would negate some of Brad Dixon’s story of how things had happened and the supposed disposal of the imitation weapon in the sea.

Her phone rang, breaking her train of thought.

‘Charley, Tim Watson, Firearms Tac Advisor.’

‘Please tell me we haven’t another job running at the moment, Tim?’ Charley heard the desperation in her voice, and wondered if Tim did, too.

Tim chuckled. ‘Keep calm, it’s just a heads-up about the independent enquiry into the shooting of Brittany Dixon. The outcome has confirmed that she was killed lawfully. Obviously, this won’t be in the public domain for at least another week, but I thought you’d like to know immediately.’

‘Yes, thanks Tim, that’s great news for all concerned. Although we were never in doubt, it is nice to have that conclusion endorsed by an independent enquiry.’

As Charley put the phone down, she knew with satisfaction that the incident was closed with a positive result. There were lots of loose ends to tie up; Forensics were still due to get back to her, and there was a vast amount of paperwork to be done, but one murder was in her view now