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“Sean, can you tell everyone I’ll be there in a few minutes? I want to talk to Gary.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Gardener intercepted the young PC and asked if he had a minute and somewhere they could talk. They ended up sitting in a couple of old armchairs in an area where Gary and Cragg spent much of their time on the night duty.
“Are you sure you want to be here, Gary?” Gardener asked.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“I know about your mum. Cragg mentioned a problem, and Armitage told me a little more. Sean and I have just been to see the pathologist, and he told us of the severity of her condition. I’m truly sorry to hear about it, which is why I asked if you are sure you want to be here.”
Gary stared at Gardener as if he had misunderstood.
“I don’t know where I want to be, sir.”
“I understand. I also realise that being here may in some way help you to cope. Is this the first time she’s been hospitalised during the course of her illness?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How have you managed until now?”
“Over the last few weeks my aunty has looked after her while I’ve been at work. Now she’s...” Gary almost struggled to say the word, but he regained his composure. “Things will be a little easier. But I just couldn’t sit there, watching her. There’s nothing I can do.”
Gardener leaned forward. “Going into hospital doesn’t mean that she isn’t going to come out. It probably means that she needs more specialist care to help her get over her latest setback. I don’t want you to think that you’re failing in your duty towards your mother because this has happened.”
“I know what you mean, sir.”
“But I do want you to promise me that if things get any worse, you’ll tell me. Please don’t keep it to yourself. I can’t help you if you do.”
From Gary’s expression, Gardener felt that he had gained the officer’s trust, which was exactly what he
wanted. All his team knew that in spite of being the senior officer, he was also their friend, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for any of them should they find themselves in a difficult position.
“Don’t take the whole weight of this on your own shoulders. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one. My wife died in my arms on the streets of Leeds. I still blame myself for what happened, although I am aware that nothing I could have done would have prevented it. And it was only through the help of my friends and close family that I got through it. We’re all here for you.”
Gardener stood up to leave. “I have to get back to the incident room. I simply wanted you to know that I know about your unfortunate circumstances, and I may have to mention it during the meeting.”
Gary Close stood up as well and offered his hand. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”
Gardener shook it and smiled. “Before we go in there, Dr Fitzgerald, my home office pathologist, tells me that doctors Sinclair and Ross are on the case. You know them well?”
“Yes, sir. Sinclair sorted out my leg when I broke it in a rugby match about three months ago.”
Gardener decided to leave it there. “Okay, let’s go and discuss what we’ve all found out today.”
As he and Close entered the incident room, his team was still deep in conversation. He noticed that the ANACAPA chart had grown during his absence, which meant Maurice Cragg was taking his duty seriously. The desk sergeant was another member of staff that he wanted to have a talk with; he was concerned about the hours Cragg was putting in. But for all that, he seemed as fresh as a daisy. In a room full of people, however, the most amusing scene was his sergeant, Sean Reilly, with a coffee in one hand, a wrap in the other, and a cake of some description on a plate to one side of him. God only knew how he stayed so slim.
Gardener grabbed a cup and had a sip of tea before addressing them.
“Okay, lads, if we can have a bit of hush, please? It’s been a long and tiring day, and I suspect when I tell you what Sean and I have discovered, it isn’t about to get any better.
“Colin, Dave, let’s start with the shop. What have you found?”
As the senior of the two officers, Colin Sharp opened the folder in front of him and consulted his notes.
“Well, it’s been hard going, sir, but we’re getting there. Most of the paperwork has been put into some sort of order, and the HOLMES lads are starting to pass back the results. Six customers have shown up as having bought padlocks and had extra keys cut. We’ve managed to speak to all of them. The padlocks they purchased are basic, nothing like the one we found on the trapdoor. They’re mostly for sheds and oil tanks. None of them have been bought by locksmiths.”
Rawson took over. “We do have a list of the locksmiths, but we haven’t spoken to all of them. We’ve identified the top ten customers, and none of them have bought padlocks, or anything else connected to what you found in the cellar. The last customer in the shop was a man called Phillip Hammond. Recently married, he bought everything he was likely to need to do up his new home for his wife and their expected child.”
