Lying Ways, page 28
‘She’s a fucking copper!’
Doug looked at Kate. Several men were now feet away from her and she felt Nathan’s heartbeat, he was so close in front of her. A young man went to Doug and stood beside him. It was a singularly courageous act, which, at first, could have been taken as threatening towards the old man. But Doug put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. Another did the same, and another and another, until there was a standoff between those shielding Doug and those wanting the copper’s blood.
‘Don’t believe everything you see on TV, lads,’ Doug said.
‘She works at my school, with me,’ Nathan said. The English students in the room glanced at their teacher and knew he was lying, but it didn’t matter.
‘I’ve seen her with Mr Appleton before,’ one of them said.
‘Me too,’ said another.
‘I teach history,’ Kate said. Every man in the room turned to her and she emerged from behind Nathan, arms by her side.
‘I was considering offering a new course because Mr Appleton’s has gone so well. I chose a lousy day to come in and look around,’ she said. It lightened the mood.
‘Don’t believe the bitch,’ said Rickie. ‘We can use her to get what we want.’
Kate looked at him and kept eye contact, unafraid and holding her turf.
‘See?’ Rickie said. ‘A fucking teacher wouldn’t do that,’ he said. ‘She’s not scared of me, are you?’ His chest jutted out and he went to Kate and stood towering over her.
‘Let me talk to the police and I’ll prove to you that I am who I say I am.’
‘Why is it all over the news?’ Rickie asked. Kate looked at him.
‘I have no idea. Some clever shit playing around with my photo in his dark bedroom, acting like a keyboard warrior?’ she said.
Rickie shrugged. ‘The coppers dropped some phones. Who has one?’ he demanded. Doug kept quiet. But it rang, and he could no longer keep it a secret. He reached into his pocket, took it out, and held it aloft. Rickie smiled. He held out his hand and Doug passed it to him. Rickie answered.
‘Good afternoon. Rickie Burton. No, I have absolutely nothing to do with this shit shower or how it started. All I want is to communicate what the lads are saying, and also to get these two teachers to safety,’ he said.
No one in the room believed him.
* * *
Mike spoke deliberately and slowly. He knew who Rickie Burton was. But he wanted to know that Doug and Aaron were all right, and hadn’t been punished for speaking to the negotiating team. It happened. During hostage negotiations, they first had to establish who was in charge. This was proving difficult to do that because the prisoners were holed up in several areas of the building, the main location being the rotunda. His other priority was finding out if the prison officers trapped inside were doing okay, and as well as that, he was asking to speak to Nathan and Kate.
‘We were just having an interesting discussion about that. Is she a copper or a teacher?’ Rickie asked Mike. ‘I think she’s definitely a copper, she’s trying to negotiate with me. Does she think I was born yesterday?’ Rickie carried on. Mike could tell that the prisoner was enjoying the banter and attention. Cassandra nodded to him.
‘She’s definitely a teacher, Rickie. But I have more important information for you. Your son was arrested outside the prison just now, trying to talk to the press,’ Mike said. He waited.
Rickie squeezed the phone in his broad hand. All the weights he’d lifted and pumped above his head, all the dumb-bells he’d forced over his shoulders and up to his chest, all of that seemed so insignificant now, when he couldn’t muster the strength to crush a fucking police burner phone. His voice broke.
‘Ian?’
‘Yes, Rickie. He’s in custody, and his arrest is because the police suspect he was involved with the murders of Jack Bell and Dean Kirby,’ Mike said. Then he changed the subject, hoping to catch Rickie off guard. ‘I have to speak to the two civilians myself, so I can pass on to those who have the authority to grant your demands. Rickie? Are you there?’
Mike listened as a guttural wail escaped from the body of Rickie Burton. It was something that Mike thought he would only ever hear in films, when grown men cried for their very souls.
It was animalistic.
‘Rickie?’ Mike tried again.
The line went dead. Mike rubbed his eyes and looked at Cassandra and Kelly.
Chapter 57
Cassandra spoke frantically to Gold Command in London, who wanted grab squads to go in. Kelly was busy on the phone, talking to Rob back at Eden House, who was updating her on usable financial evidence as per the financial crime parameters. After his arrest, Ian Burton had been driven back to Penrith and Rob had seen him signed in and placed under arrest. They had twenty-four hours to reach the threshold to satisfy the CPS in order to formally charge him.
‘His eyes were dead,’ Rob told his boss. ‘It’s doubtful he understood what is happening to him.’
‘Do we have a duty lawyer lined up?’ Kelly asked.
‘She’s on her way.’
‘Right, get a mental assessment as soon as you can. The last thing we need is him pleading insanity. We’ll find ourselves screwed if they play the PTSD card, because we knew that before apprehending him. Have you made sure his DNA has been sent straight off as an emergency? And who’s checking his fingerprints?’
‘I am. I already have a match for the signet ring. And yes, his DNA has been sent to Carlisle, marked as urgent.’
‘Throw money at it,’ Kelly said dryly.
‘Indeed, guv.’
‘Without forensic evidence, what have we got?’ Kelly asked him. She was pinning her hopes on an unrealistic desire to appeal to the best nature of the CPS. But she also knew the answer.
‘Not much, guv. We have the signet ring, but he could say that was stolen. We have the care home kit, but just because he signed it out doesn’t mean he used it. We have no evidence that he was ordered to do it by his father, and now zero chance of finding physical evidence at Highton. The financial evidence is good, but not watertight, because everything is in cash. We need more. How are things over there?’
‘The place is totalled.’ She told him about conditions inside the prison. ‘The negotiators had Rickie Burton on the phone and he’s basically passing himself off as the saviour of the penal system. That was until he was told that his son was in custody. I think they might have made contact again. Jesus,’ she broke off.
‘What?’ He asked.
‘Rob, I have to go, they’ve put Kate on the phone.’
Kelly spun around. Cassandra held her hand up to hush everybody in the room as the female copper’s voice filled the small command space. A collective sigh of relief physically eased the tension in the room. Kelly listened intently. She knew Kate’s voice so well, and in many different scenarios. She’d heard her professionally, socially, as a mother, as a dirty-joke-telling friend, tipsy, cheeky and scared.
This was the latter, and Kelly’s heart sank.
Mike spoke to her calmly.
‘Kate, are you hurt?’
‘No.’ It was assertive.
‘Are you under threat?’
‘No.’
‘Have you been mistreated?’
‘No.’
‘Thank you, Kate. Is Nathan Appleton able to come to the phone?’
There was a muffled sound and Nathan came to the phone. He said hello, and Mike asked him the same questions. His voice wavered and shook, as well it might. Kelly wanted to hear Kate again; in fact she never wanted to let her get off the phone, keeping her there as the minutes turned to hours, and the desperate prisoners became more and more disgruntled. She wanted to send in a one-woman tornado – herself – with a semi-automatic police-issued weapon, like the ones she’d trained with years ago, and blast Kate out of there, taking Rickie Burton down at the same time. The romantic vision soon dissipated as reality hit and she concentrated on what Mike was saying.
‘Are you going to get us out of here?’ Nathan asked.
‘Sit tight, Nathan. We are working our hardest to work out how we can get you out of there. You’re no use to the prisoners, and their demands are being discussed with the Home Office.’
‘Should I tell them that?’
They heard a gruff voice near Nathan ask what he should be asking and to whom.
‘No, the most important thing is you do not put yourself in danger, is that understood?’
‘Okay,’ Nathan said, helpless and afraid.
‘I’ll talk to Rickie again, now, Nathan, thank you, if he is able? Have you got water?’
‘No.’
The phone was passed back to Rickie Burton.
‘What are you trying to get him to do? I’m not fucking stupid!’ Burton’s voice had more control than earlier, but he was still audibly rattled.
Kelly flinched at the anger in his voice. She knew he was scared for his son, and desperate to regain control. Maybe that would work to their advantage, or maybe it would result in him losing all sense of reason and acting recklessly. In other words: the lives of the officers, and Nathan and Kate, were in the hands of this man, and Kelly had to bite her tongue.
Cassandra was back on the phone again to London. Kelly closed her eyes. She didn’t want them to rush it. A snatch and grab mission could go badly wrong so quickly, and Kate and Nathan’s safety had to be prioritised. Rickie had told them that at the moment, everybody he was aware of was crowded into the central rotunda. But she knew he’d lied. Rushing in now would be a big mistake. She looked at Cassandra, who put her elbows on the desk in front of her, hunched over and closed her eyes. The final tactical decision was hers. Decisions like this could make or break a career, and worse, burn one’s name into the public record via The Sun and the Daily Mail.
All communications were suddenly cut and it was reported by an armed response team outside that a large group of prisoners was leaving the prison with their hands up. The dilemma over Rickie Burton was put on hold as all eyes went to the huge monitors. Cassandra flicked the relevant camera control, and they watched and listened as it happened before their eyes. Kelly did a rough head count; she reckoned over a hundred blokes had left, no doubt having had enough of the initial adrenaline rush, realising quickly that it wasn’t worth hanging about to see what happened when they were left with no electricity, no toilet facilities, no clean water and a trashed home. As Kelly had suspected, Rickie Burton wasn’t among those who’d left.
Waiting was excruciating. Kelly approached Cassandra and waited until there was a break in proceedings. She perched on the desk next to her.
‘I have experience in snatch and grab,’ Kelly said. She referred to several courses she’d attended when she worked for the Met. In London, body armour and confined space combat often had to be utilised because many of the places that murderers hid away in were small residential flats. They were a rabbit warren of human delinquency and one had to have a nose for it, as well as the stomach.
‘Forget it,’ Cassandra said.
‘I thought you’d say that. I’ll offer my services to the ARU commander in charge. I know him, and last time I looked, he doesn’t work for the prison service.’
‘He still takes his orders from Silver Command in this scenario, and you know that, DI Porter.’
‘Fuck’s sake,’ Kelly whispered under her breath.
‘I heard that,’ Cassandra said. ‘I know she’s not just your second in command. I’m seeing she’s your friend. I saw how much she means to the chief constable too. But she’s not the only one in there. I’ll make the decision to move when I’m happy I’ve got the best chance of success, I can guarantee you that. Why don’t you take a breather and go interview your suspect?’
Kelly looked at the computer screens. She heard Mike’s voice again. He was speaking to the old guy, Doug. She closed her eyes hard and wiped away the tears that trickled from them, turning away from Cassandra.
‘No, I’m staying,’ Kelly said. ‘But I’ll go and get some air,’ she added.
She grabbed her coat and bag and went to leave. Cassandra grabbed her arm.
‘I’ll get her out,’ she said. Kelly wiped her cheek and walked out.
Chapter 58
Outside, Kelly breathed cold air and called Rob again, taking solace in his voice. None of her team would ever guess how much she relied on them for her sanity and emotional wellness. She listened as he passed on the news that Kate was unhurt and she heard the cheer over the phone. She’d read the mood in Eden House as solemn, but now she’d given them some great news. She ended the call and went to the back of the ugly building and found a rock to sit on. It was jutting up from the moor on its own and Kelly sat there, looking at the grey sky, wishing she could do something to save Kate. The black cloud overhead opened again and Kelly looked to the distance, where the cameras and TV crews were waiting for some juicy headlines. Rob called her back.
‘I’ve been talking to the Financial Conduct Authority and they’ve committed to a full investigation of the various bank accounts linked to Rickie Burton, as well as those of his current wife, several cousins and his son, Ian Burton. I gave them enough to piece together the financing of various well-known family-run businesses across the UK known for their interests in gambling and beauty salons, as well as prostitution and drugs. It’s a mighty web, and the information has led to several constabularies sharing information and fitting missing pieces together going back decades.’
‘You star,’ Kelly said. She allowed herself to half-smile. But her heart wasn’t in it.
‘Did I do good? Does that deserve a pint paid for by my boss?’ he asked. She laughed and it felt good, though short-lived. She wanted to buy Kate a pint too.
‘Emma’s been studying the CCTV from the garage, sent over by Kate before she went into Highton this morning. They had several stills and full frames of Ian Burton at the cash point and inside on visiting days.’
Kelly knew that he was trying to distract her and she was cheered a little by his efforts.
‘Anything else?’ she asked.
‘The coroner came back to us and confirmed that the burns on Jack Bell were consistent with the remedial lamp used by the care home where Ian worked. We’ve also found an abandoned transit van, reported in Workington, and we’re having the tyres tested.’
‘Right. Good work. Tell everybody to keep going. Now we’ve got him in custody, we need to put together a plan to trip him up and it needs to be watertight. I suspect he’s not the type to confess, but I’m hoping to catch him out. Who’s the lawyer?’
‘She’s new.’
‘Great. That could go either way. Can’t we get someone reliable?’
‘Too late, boss, she volunteered apparently. Do you want him warmed up for you? Me and Dan could kick off proceedings.’
‘No. I want to wait. Get all the exhibits prepared for the lawyer and email them to me as soon as you can. I need something to tie it all together, which we don’t have at the moment. I also want to know how the hell he was employed by a care home, given his military career. Look, Rob, they’re talking about sending tornado snatch and grab teams in. I think it’s a mistake and too soon, but it’s out of my hands.’ Her voice wavered.
‘Boss, do you want somebody to drive over there? Keep you company?’ he asked.
She was touched.
‘It’s too crowded here as it is,’ she said. ‘But thank you. I’ll let you know when I know anything else. Keep grafting on this, Rob. Thank you.’
‘Wait a minute, boss, Emma’s telling me something,’ Rob halted her. ‘I’ll put you on speaker phone,’ he said. Emma and Dan were only just back from Waberthwaite. ‘Boss, Ian Burton was let go from security work after he was caught tying up a high-profile client’s daughter,’ Emma said.
‘What?’
‘I spoke to somebody he worked with in Jordan. This was just before he was found a position back in the UK, in 2017. They were working in close protection for a high-profile principal in Amman. He said that Burton was an odd character who he found volatile and rogue, that was the phrase he used. He said the incident wasn’t the first time suspicion fell on him and he embarrassed the company.’
‘Do you know any more details?’
‘Apparently, the daughter later accused Burton of other things,’ Emma said.
‘Other things?’ Kelly asked.
‘Apparently it was a game they played, until she got scared and told her mother, and that’s when he was sacked and removed. It was all hushed up to protect the daughter’s identity.’
‘A game?’
‘The tying up. It was of a sexual nature, and the girl only told in the end because they were discovered. She was terrified of him.’
‘Can we track her down? How old was she?’
‘She was thirteen, boss. She committed suicide last year, at the age of sixteen.’
‘Jesus Christ. Will the family talk now?’
‘I’m trying to find out,’ Emma said.
‘Well done, thank you. We’ll speak later. I’m hoping that Kate will be out soon,’ Kelly said.
‘How did the press find out she was in there?’ Emma asked.
‘I have no idea, but when I find out, I’ll go for the bastards,’ Kelly said.
Chapter 59
‘Aaron, Doug,’ Kate whispered. The old man and young offender paid attention, and so did Nathan.
‘I reckon they’ll send in tornado teams soon,’ she said.
‘What’s that?’ Nathan asked.
‘It’s bastards in riot kit.’ Doug surprised them with his venomous tone, but Kate reckoned he’d seen enough during his time inside to evaluate the efficacy of full riot kit against offenders desperate to be treated like human beings. Kate made a grimace that kind of agreed with the sentiment.
They huddled in.
They were being escorted along the corridor towards the main prison rotunda. Kate tried to ignore her nerves. Her whole soul screamed with terror and her body wanted her to run for the hills. But she couldn’t. They could hear the voices of scores of men, newly intoxicated with their quasi-freedom, and Kate’s pulse elevated even higher. The prison was a disaster zone. Nathan took her hand.
