CHAPTER 49
Kirsty was reviewing the pictures as I wrote down the number, and I heard what sounded like “Oof-four” from her as she saw the state of the kid. The phone was picked up on the third ring.

“Woods residence…”

“Naomi? Adam”

“Good afternoon, my dear, can I assume from your tone that you are at work?”

“Yes, my love, and I have a couple of favours to ask, one of them rather large”

I outlined the situation, describing Darren’s injuries and history, and she interrupted me.

“Darling Annie, I would guess that you will be after any local security camera footage we may have for that area. I do believe we have two or three. May I anticipate your next question by saying ‘yes’ in advance of it?”

“What did you think I was about to ask for?”

“My dear, a place of safety for your young chap. Albert would love a chap to do things with. He's missed that, especially after our boy ran off to Melbourne, and the chap we had next door sort of de-chapped herself”

I covered the phone and spoke to Polly. “They will take him”

“Who will?”

“Naomi and Albert Woods”

“Would they pass a CRB check?”

“Er, Detective Inspector and Detective Sergeant Woods, retired”

“Ah. I think that sort of answers my question. Fine, I will sort out the formalities later.”

I uncovered the phone. “Naomi, it’s agreed, but only if you are certain”

“Of course I am. Albert is already checking for coverage of the area, we just need the times. He will pick up the discs and bring them round to you, and I will be with you as soon as I can.”

“Naomi, you are a sweet woman”

“Annie, so are you”

I hung up, and turned to Polly. “She will pick him up shortly. I have an idea who might be involved with the ring, but I think once Kirsty is ready I need to pass this on to C.I.D. Can you source any spare clothing for him? Night clothes, anything like that, aye?”

“Will do. Adam, you are a sweet man. I wish I had more people like you to deal with. If you jot down Naomi’s details I will make the necessary arrangements, but for now I will say good bye to Darren, if you don’t mind, and head on back. Lots to do”

She came over and hugged me, with a little kiss on the cheek, and was off. A minute later Kirsty came up to me, grinning.

“Sarge, you’ve pulled! She wanted to know if you were single”

Oh shit. “What did you tell her?”

“That you were taken”

“Why say that?”

Kirsty folded her arms across her chest, which was an interesting exercise in its own way, and gave me a little smile. “Sarge, can I be straight with you?”

“Go on…”

“Well, that’s sort of the point, innit? Being straight…and you ain’t, is you? Sorry, Sarge, don’t mean to be cheeky, but I know you got the hots for my Den, like, I saw it when he first came down. No big deal for me, always fancied a gay bloke as a mate, sort of safe, yeah?”

I laughed. “Kirsty, butt, you are so wrong it is hilarious. One, I am straight, and two, I am very much spoken for, but that’s all outside work, and a bit private, aye?”

She actually blushed, my hard little mini-dragon, so I softened it. “Girl, I know you meant no offence, and none taken, aye? Let’s get Darren sorted, and then get this load up to CID. The woman coming to pick him up is ex-Job, and she and her husband run one of the largest local security firms.”

Her eyes lit up. “So they have…”

“Yes, cameras coming out of their ears, including inside the shops, so we don’t just have the street cams to work from”

She grinned. “You Sergeant, me PC, I can see why. Sarge, one night, how about you drag your lady out for a pint with us? Be cool, that!”

No, Kirsty, it wouldn’t but never mind, the thought was there. Naomi was as good as her word, and I arranged to have her car let into the yard so she could come straight into Custody. She was in full tweed mode, and as she hugged me hello, Jim stuck his head round the corner.

“Naomi bloody Woods!

“Jim you old fucker! How the hell are you my dear?”

It was surreal, and I had to keep reminding myself that she had been a frontline CID officer for decades, along with her husband. It just seemed strange to hear such phrases coming out of her, dressed as she was. Jim brought her up to speed, and then he took the two of us round to his office, where one of the leather jacket and hair gel boys was waiting.

“Naomi Woods, DC Richard Everett, CID.”

Everett looked at Jim. “Civilians, Inspector?”

The scorn dripped from his voice. Jim smiled brightly. “Sorry, DC Everett, Naomi Woods, Detective Inspector, no need to apologise”

Was that a very, very quiet ‘shitfuck’, or was I telepathic? Jim carried on.

“I‘ve filled Richard in on the story so far, Adam, and told him that you have arranged for the camera footage to be secured, as well as the Faygate Place files. Richard, Naomi here now runs a very large local security firm network. She has cameras in all sorts of places”

Everett perked up, his disdain gone in a flash. “Was it your stuff…the tranny jumper…”

I stepped in. “If you mean the poor girl who was murdered, that I helped shovel into a body bag, CONSTABLE, then please use her name”

“Sorry Sarge…”

Jim interrupted, still brightly, slipping me a wink as he did so. “We have a possible on the Fagin, Richard, but the one we also want to finger is the beater. Naomi’s husband Albert…Detective Sergeant Woods…is bringing in the discs from their cameras, PC Ellis has already secured the street CCTV recordings, and Miss Armitage of SS has undertaken to get us the files on the care home. Naomi, when will you be ready to take Darren?”

Everett interrupted. “DI Woods, not seeking to teach you how to suck eggs, but if we are going to use the kid as a witness, then perhaps we need to get his evidence tied down before he goes home with you, otherwise it might look a bit smelly, sorry”

I nodded. “Nice one, Richard, good call. Polly is due back shortly, Darren’s asleep, let’s wait, aye?”

I went for coffees, and Everett followed me.

“Sarge?”

“Yes?”

“Sorry about earlier, I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just…”

“Richard…look, butt, I remember every moment of that night, I see it in my dreams. Fuck knows how many cars hit her, she was fucking hamburger, but still human, aye? There was still enough of her left to see what those bastards had done to her before…before she died. I had to deal with ‘civilians’ who had just driven their cars over what had once been a real hero, yeah? Just, please, please think. I know this job does things to us, but try and remember why we do it and who we do it for, aye?”

He looked ashamed, and I almost regretted my anger.

“Look, mate, Jim, the skipper, aye? He said it. We had someone hunted down by a pack, killed for fucking sport, and it passed us by. We should be the ones to spot this, we are supposed to protect folk, and we fucked up. This is not a chance to put that right, but it’s a chance to do what we are supposed to do, protect the vulnerable, aye? Are you with me on this? Are we going to take out some fucking vermin today?”

He seemed to have recovered his confidence a bit, and I clearly heard Ginny in him when he replied “Fuck, yeah!”

Polly was back soon, followed by Albert, and we started the long process of filtering the data on the discs.

“Kirsty?”

“Yeah, Sarge?”

“This is going to take you over your shift, and you know we have no money for extra overtime, aye? Want to hand it on?”

She looked at me, and I saw that determination again. “Kids, Sarge. Kids. Get me a cuppa, if you have time, yeah?”

I did better, and as Kirsty and Richard worked through the video almost frame by frame, I arranged a sandwich run for them. As the PCSO brought the bags in, Kirsty muttered “You beauty…you FUCKING beauty!”

I was over, with Richard. “What you got, Kirst?”

She grinned. “Your Fagin, from months back….with James Petherick”

Fuck. She had just tied together the foul-mouthed grandmother I had custodised as I had Darren, and the manager of his care home.

“Ruth, I could marry you!”

“Yebbut, you got a woman, yeah? Let’s get this one done proper, OK?”