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JIM Kenneth Steele House is where I work. It’s the CID headquarters for Avon and Somerset Constabulary. It’s not a pretty building from the outside, and neither is its location. It’s on a strip of trade and industrial estates behind Temple Meads Station in St Philip’s Marsh. It’s a flat inner city area with an isolated, wasteland feel because there’s no housing in the vicinity, and its boundaries are the canal and the River Avon. There’s CCTV everywhere and a fair bit of barbed wire. I was at my desk by 08.05. I noticed the atmosphere straight away. There was none of the usual Monday morning chatter, only a tension about the place that you get when a big case is in. Mark Bennett – same rank as me but about a hundred years older – popped up from behind the partition that separated his desk from mine before I’d even turned on my PC. ‘Scotch Bonnet wants to see you,’ he said. ‘Soon as.’ Bennett had a bald shiny head, a thick fleshy neck and the eyes of a bull terrier. He looked like a bruiser. Truth was, he was anything but. We’d gone out for a drink once, when I first arrived in Avon and Somerset, and he told me that he’d never gone as far or as fast as he’d wanted to in CID. Then he told me that he thought his wife didn’t love him any more. I’d got out of there as fast as I could. You don’t want that mindset to infect you. ‘Scotch Bonnet’ was Bennett’s nickname for our DCI, Corinne Fraser. It was because she was Scottish, and female, and could be fiery. It wasn’t especially clever or funny. Nobody else used it. Fraser was in her office. ‘Jim,’ she said. ‘Close the door. Take a seat.’ She was immaculately turned out as usual in a sharp business suit. She was eccentric looking, with frizzy grey hair that didn’t suit her short fringe and puffed out over her ears, but she also had an attractive, delicate face, and implacable grey eyes that could look right through you, or pin you to a wall. I sat down opposite her. She didn’t waste time: ‘As of zero eight hundred hours this morning I’ve got an eight-year-old boy who has almost certainly been abducted from Leigh Woods. We’ve got multiple scenes already, the weather’s been against us, and we’ve lost more than twelve hours since he first disappeared. We’re going to have the press trying to crawl up our arses before lunchtime. I’m going to need a deputy SIO to take on a lot of responsibility. Are you up to it?’ ‘Yes, boss.’ I felt blood rush into my cheeks. It was what I’d hoped for: a high-profile case, a senior position. I’d been in CID in Avon and Somerset for three years, putting in the hours, proving myself, waiting for this moment. There were DIs above me in the pecking order, older, just as ambitious. Mark Bennett a case in point. They could have got the role, but it was my time, my chance. Did I think of turning it down? No. Did I think it was going to be a minefield? Maybe. But the words that were doing cartwheels in my head were these: bring it on. Bring. It. On. A big part of the thrill was getting to work with Fraser. She was tough and clever, one of the best. It was well known that she’d grown up on a shitty council estate in Glasgow. As soon as she could leave home, she’d moved as far away as possible so that she could train as a police officer and start a new life. Problem was, while she was a young DC she’d ended up married to a DCI from Scotland Yard who reeked so badly of corruption that even the Met had to get rid of him eventually. In his spare time he’d knocked her about. She’d ended up in the hospital once but her old man was never charged. The police looked after their own in those days, so long as they were white males. Her good fortune was that her husband had died before going to trial for corruption. He had a heart
attack at the pub. He was dead before he hit the floor. She’d responded by moving to Avon and Somerset as a DS and shooting up the ranks with a combination of astute political play and detective work that was respected for its thoroughness. She was the first woman ever to be made a DCI in Avon and Somerset, and must have been one of the first in England. She wasted no words and her authority was natural. It was the right of someone who’d survived her wilderness years and come out tougher and wiser. She didn’t tolerate whingeing and she didn’t tolerate bullying. ‘First job: interview the parents,’ Fraser said. ‘Yes, boss. Where are they?’ ‘At the scene.’ ‘Is uniform taking them home?’ ‘Not yet.’ She thought about it, tapped her pen on the desk. ‘We need to be sensitive, that’s paramount, Jim, but I’m inclined to bring them in here. Teas and coffees on our terms.’ I knew what she meant. When you interview people in their own homes they feel more relaxed, because it’s familiar, but they are also in control. ‘Use a rape suite,’ she said. It was a concession to sensitivity. Rape suites are nicer than interview rooms. ‘And anyway,’ she added, ‘we’ll need forensics to visit Mum’s home at least, assuming that’s where the kid spends most of his time, and Dad’s home if we think it’s worth it. They’re both potential scenes.’ She picked up the phone. It was my cue to leave. But then she put it down again. ‘One more thing,’ she said. ‘I was going to ask Annie Rookes to be FLO but she’s tied up. Any ideas?’ I don’t really know what made me say it so reflexively, but I did, and before I’d had a chance to think. ‘What about Emma Zhang?’ Fraser looked surprised. ‘Is she experienced enough? This one’s going to be tough whichever way it plays out.’ ‘I think so, boss. She’s very bright, and she’s done the training.’ It was too late to back down now, and anyway, I thought Emma deserved the chance, and I thought she’d be good at the job. It would be a real step up for her, and there was so much to learn from working with Fraser. ‘Zhang it is then,’ Fraser said, picking up the phone again. It was only once I’d left her office that I hoped I’d done the right thing, for Emma, and for the case too. The family liaison officer role is a crucial one. They’re there to look after the welfare of the victim’s family, but they’re detectives first and foremost. They watch, they listen, they offer support, but above all they keep an eye out for evidence and then they report back to the investigation. It’s a delicate line to tread. The FLO can make the difference between our success and our failure. We got an incident room set up, quick sharp. Kenneth Steele House is spot on because it’s been refurbished with CID needs in mind, so we’ve got the facilities we need to run as slick an operation as possible, as quickly as possible. The room we were allocated was spacious: two runs of tables down each side with monitors on them, room for the Receiver, Statement Reader and Action Allocator. There was an office set up for DCI Fraser just off the main area, so she could run the show from there, as well as an ‘intel’ room, a CCTV room, an exhibits office and a store. It was an arrangement that meant we could keep everything close; it was proven to work well. Straight off, we allocated actions to the officers we already had working, to confirm whereabouts of all the local sex offenders who were already known to us and to look through records for previous incidents relating to missing children or any peepers, flashers or attempted abductions in the area. We
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- Page 82 and 83: Author’s Note During the research
- Page 84 and 85: PROLOGUE NOVEMBER 2013 - ONE YEAR A
- Page 86 and 87: imaginary interview goes really wel
- Page 88 and 89: But whether I’ve been awake or as
- Page 90 and 91: BEFORE DAY 1 SUNDAY, 21 OCTOBER 201
- Page 92 and 93: eally honest, I hadn’t noticed it
- Page 94 and 95: ‘OK,’ and he was off, careering
- Page 96 and 97: as if the woodland was holding its
- Page 98 and 99: appeared on the path. Our progress
- Page 100 and 101: ‘That’s good news,’ she said.
- Page 102 and 103: FM: Do you think that expressing fe
- Page 104 and 105: JC: It was a promotion is what it w
- Page 106 and 107: suspect, is not going to be an easy
- Page 108 and 109: RACHEL John couldn’t stand the wa
- Page 110 and 111: It was the awkward twitch of Inspec
- Page 112 and 113: ‘Solid eight hours,’ I said. I
- Page 114 and 115: RACHEL Inspector Miller said that b
- Page 118 and 119: had four pairs of officers in place
- Page 120 and 121: at others. He was always watching m
- Page 122 and 123: JIM I was quite pleased with how th
- Page 124 and 125: his parents as well as his grandpar
- Page 126 and 127: ‘Expertise is on our side,’ she
- Page 128 and 129: RACHEL My sister Nicky was waiting
- Page 130 and 131: unstoppable. She told me that the w
- Page 132 and 133: the streetlights and the geometric
- Page 134 and 135: JIM Addendum to DI James Clemo’s
- Page 136 and 137: FM: So you recommended Emma for the
- Page 138 and 139: DAY 3 TUESDAY, 23 OCTOBER 2012 Be a
- Page 140 and 141: RACHEL In the car on the way to Ken
- Page 142 and 143: ‘If you are the person who is wit
- Page 144 and 145: ‘This way,’ she said. She swept
- Page 146 and 147: ‘It’s a soft alibi.’ Fraser w
- Page 148 and 149: trace of dignity or vulnerability,
- Page 150 and 151: missing”, and that everybody is l
- Page 152 and 153: looking woman too: nicely dressed,
- Page 154 and 155: ‘Were there signs that the arm wa
- Page 156 and 157: accident. But we’ll check it out
- Page 158 and 159: To the insultingly practical: Don
- Page 160 and 161: JIM Addendum to DI James Clemo’s
- Page 162 and 163: FM: So apart from the negative pres
- Page 164 and 165: they’re focused on the job? FM: Y
attack at the pub. He was dead before he hit the floor. She’d responded by moving to Avon and<br />
Somerset as a DS and shooting up the ranks with a combination of astute political play and detective<br />
work that was respected for its thoroughness. She was the first woman ever to be made a DCI in Avon<br />
and Somerset, and must have been one of the first in England. She wasted no words and her authority<br />
was natural. It was the right of someone who’d survived her wilderness years and come out tougher<br />
and wiser. She didn’t tolerate whingeing and she didn’t tolerate bullying.<br />
‘First job: interview the parents,’ Fraser said.<br />
‘Yes, boss. Where are they?’<br />
‘At the scene.’<br />
‘Is uniform taking them home?’<br />
‘Not yet.’ She thought about it, tapped her pen on the desk. ‘We need to be sensitive, that’s<br />
paramount, Jim, but I’m inclined to bring them in here. Teas and coffees on our terms.’<br />
I knew what she meant. When you interview people in their own homes they feel more relaxed,<br />
because it’s familiar, but they are also in control.<br />
‘Use a rape suite,’ she said. It was a concession to sensitivity. Rape suites are nicer than interview<br />
rooms. ‘And anyway,’ she added, ‘we’ll need forensics to visit Mum’s home at least, assuming that’s<br />
where the kid spends most of his time, and Dad’s home if we think it’s worth it. They’re both<br />
potential scenes.’<br />
She picked up the phone. It was my cue to leave. But then she put it down again.<br />
‘One more thing,’ she said. ‘I was going to ask Annie Rookes to be FLO but she’s tied up. Any<br />
ideas?’<br />
I don’t really know what made me say it so reflexively, but I did, and before I’d had a chance to<br />
think. ‘What about Emma Zhang?’<br />
Fraser looked surprised. ‘Is she experienced enough? This one’s going to be tough whichever way<br />
it plays out.’<br />
‘I think so, boss. She’s very bright, and she’s done the training.’ It was too late to back down now,<br />
and anyway, I thought Emma deserved the chance, and I thought she’d be good at the job. It would be<br />
a real step up for her, and there was so much to learn from working with Fraser.<br />
‘Zhang it is then,’ Fraser said, picking up the phone again.<br />
It was only once I’d left her office that I hoped I’d done the right thing, for Emma, and for the case<br />
too. The family liaison officer role is a crucial one. They’re there to look after the welfare of the<br />
victim’s family, but they’re detectives first and foremost. They watch, they listen, they offer support,<br />
but above all they keep an eye out for evidence and then they report back to the investigation. It’s a<br />
delicate line to tread. The FLO can make the difference between our success and our failure.<br />
We got an incident room set up, quick sharp. Kenneth Steele House is spot on because it’s been<br />
refurbished with CID needs in mind, so we’ve got the facilities we need to run as slick an operation<br />
as possible, as quickly as possible. The room we were allocated was spacious: two runs of tables<br />
down each side with monitors on them, room for the Receiver, Statement Reader and Action<br />
Allocator. There was an office set up for DCI Fraser just off the main area, so she could run the show<br />
from there, as well as an ‘intel’ room, a CCTV room, an exhibits office and a store. It was an<br />
arrangement that meant we could keep everything close; it was proven to work well.<br />
Straight off, we allocated actions to the officers we already had working, to confirm whereabouts<br />
of all the local sex offenders who were already known to us and to look through records for previous<br />
incidents relating to missing children or any peepers, flashers or attempted abductions in the area. We