CHAPTER 34
Back to the nick in a convoy of marked and unmarked vehicles, recovery on the way to pick up the Transit for forensics, Blake on the radio to organise a tow for the other two vehicles. I called the radio room on my mobile.

“Hi Jan, Inspector Powell here. Can you call the duty Super out? I’ll need a word. And the on-call CID Inspector”

“Soon as I hang up, Ma’am. That boy going to be OK? We were getting a bit edge-of-seat here, innit”

“He should be, Jan. At least, well, he should be. We’ll be straight out, doors to kick, once this lot are in, but if you can detail someone to relieve the detail at the hospital?”

She laughed. “You won’t believe this, but we’ve got people in off their rest days wanting to help. They’re arguing over who gets to kick Bob’s door in. Hang on; got duty Super at the door. You hang up; he’ll ring you”

I hung up, and the phone rang five seconds later. “Elaine Powell”

“Bev Williams here, Inspector. I couldn’t stay away, I’m afraid. This operation has got the whole team, the whole force praying for a good result. Your young friend, Chris?”

“Chris O’Connor, sir”

“Yes. He has made a huge impression on everyone here. Add in Sergeant Gould’s involvement, and this case has become intensely personal for our little family. Now I believe you were after me for some reason”

“Aye, sir. It’s about family. You will be aware of my connections to two of the persons arrested”

“I am so far only aware of Hansen and Evans”

“Dai Pritchard and Bob Evans were with them”

“Fuck! Sorry. Unprofessional. I follow your logic, but you weren’t actually involved with their arrests, not so?”

“There was another one there, boss. You will have heard about my sister”

“Your sister? The transsexual—oh, please. Not him?”

“Indeed. Joe Evans. You can see my concerns, sir”

“Absolutely right. Jan tells me you have called out the duty CID man. Well done. You will remain on hand to brief and assist as necessary, but—did you carry out the formal part of the arrest yourself?”

“Yes sir”

“Then after the initial statements at Custody you remove yourself to your incident room. You brief the CID man, you make sure that the search teams are properly organised, you leave this case packaged for a handover, and you go home and stay there until recalled. Understood?”

“Yes sir”

“And Elaine? Brilliant work. I can think of no better words just now, but please take some time to thank your boys and girls before you go home”

“Thank you sir”

Arse. I knew he was right, but it felt like I was deserting those same boys and girls. We rolled into the yard, three of the vans staying sealed as Hansen was first to the desk, Jamie Evans waiting in the little room with the posters. We worked through the ritual, Hansen looking terrified as he clearly saw his future, which didn’t involve getting off this particular sexual offence.

Jamie Evans, who it seemed was the recipient of my backhand at the van door. He decided to be a twat.

“I want her done! Hit me in the fucking face, the bitch!”

The very, very big uniformed lad who had his arm was almost the size of Steve, and I saw the same smile as he bent down to rumble a quiet warning under Section Five. He gave just a little twist to the cuffs, and Evans saw the light. Two down.

Bob Evans said nothing he wasn’t asked to, and then it was Pritchard’s turn, and he also knew better. I had saved the best for last, and it didn’t disappoint.

“Listen to the account of this Officer, Mr Evans. Inspector Powell…”

“You mentioned your sister…”

Careful, Lainey. “Yes. Sarah. I believe you have met, but that’s not relevant just now”

“Oh shit!”

He was trembling now. I turned away from the turd and began my account. “While maintaining observation on a Ford Transit van, licence plate number…”

Belts and shoes were off, doors slammed after our guests were first stripped for a search before the quack gave them a once over. I had a quick word with the Custody man.

“Not happy with a couple of these lads, Neil. Best to have cameras on. Not that I’m teaching you to suck eggs, butt, just I don’t want any easy ways out for these people. I have to step back, aye?”

“That bit about your sister? What’s that then?”

“Joe Evans there, he beat the shit out of her some years ago. That compromises me, aye, so I’ll hand over to another skipper”

“Your sister: that be the trans…sexual out to Swansea? Got a load of compo from your lot”

I sighed. This was getting repetitive. “Yes, that one”

A sharp nod. “He gets treated exactly by the Codes, then. Super denied intimation before you arrived, by the way, so I will assume I may expect some other customers”

“Depends on who’s home, aye? Now, I’m off to do a handover and say thank you to the team. Then I am off home to see the missus, though that might be after a quick stop at the hospital, see how the boy is”

"We heard, Ma’am. Well done. Enjoy your time off, be one less worry, innit?”

I made my way to the ops room, where what was left of the team was waiting, tea already brewed. The CID bod was Samir Patel, who seemed sharp and quick to pick up the gist of our case.

“The Super gave me a very full briefing, Elaine. You are absolutely right to be stepping away from this one. Any hint of bias would get the jury all sideways, perk up any bigots, innit”

“Aye, Sammy. Now, I’ll wait until we get any search results in, and then it’s hospital and home”

“You get hurt?”

“No, Chris. He got a beating, went off in an ambulance”

“Ah. I’ve detailed some of your lot on a chip run, so settle down and we’ll get this signed over”

“Chip run? That was Chris’ game”

“So your people told me. Right…”

We worked steadily in near silence, my pocket book filling with my account of events that I was recording while they were still fresh in my memory, your honour, and the calls came back from the house searches one by one. I don’t know what it said about their Manly Pride, but the only one who didn’t live alone was Hansen, and his beloved was now in Swansea main nick for throwing a teapot at a Dyfed-Powys girl as well as for possession with intent to supply of some nasty powder or other.

I really couldn’t care less, for I was tired, feeling the down side of the earlier adrenalin excesses, wanting to cuddle up to my wife and worried sick about Chris. In twos and threes they came back, as uniforms and SOCO took over the drudgery, and bags of doughnuts and cakes materialised.

Blake and Diane stepped up to the middle of the room, and as Blake held up both hands for silence, Diane began to speak.

“Boys and girls!”

That got a laugh, and I suddenly asked myself how many times I had used that phrase to them. She continued.

“Boys and girls, this has been a real team effort. Some of us have come out of it with a few lumps, but nothing like poor Chris has ended up getting. So let’s give some credit where it’s due. There are five utter shits locked up downstairs, another in Swansea—Abertawe for those who speak in funny ways”

More laughter. I felt my face growing warm.

“Someone came here, with Chris, and shook the tree. She let the light in and showed us what was going on and being bloody well ignored. If she hadn’t come along, we might be looking at one or more murders, so let’s show our gratitude. Inspector Powell!”

Applause, shouting, banging on desks. I stood up, looking round the room, picking out at least two black eyes. I sought the words.

“Boys and girls…”

Pause for the laughter.

“Some years ago, my little sister met a man she thought was a good one, but she was wrong. When he found out something personal about her, when she went to tell him that she was finished with him, he put her into hospital. That man had an uncle, and he was a policeman, and with another copper they went to see my Sarah and it was like an old-fashioned rape case”

I deliberately kept my eyes away from Diane at that one. “All three of the bastards are now downstairs. While I am properly grateful to Providence that I was allowed to lock the fuckers up---sorry, Diane did say I talk funny, so pardon my French. While I am glad I got to nick them, it leaves me vulnerable to accusations, it leaves the case open to mudslinging by their defence. Samir here, Inspector Patel, is taking over lead. Everything is signed over, and I am stepping down. I won’t be out of touch, but I won’t be at work here. I’ll probably head back to Gaerfyrddin.

“It has been an honour and a pleasure to work with you all. You have made me proud. This job is about protecting our people, and every one of you has gone above and beyond. Thank you all. If any of you are ever down west, you WILL stop by, aye? AYE?”

There was a roar back of “Aye” and I bowed.

“Now, I am off home to see the missus and relax, but first I want to stop by and see how Chris is!”

Blake laughed, along with several others, and pointed past me. I turned, and Chris was there, a paramedic pushing him in a chair.

“Needed some photos taken for the file. Couple of bites, my darlings, and two cracked ribs, and they want me back in for concussion watch, but, here I am. Typical! How can you eat chips without bread and butter? I go away for five minutes and the whole place goes to ratshit!”

He was crying, though, and so was I, and, well, so were most of us.

Once again, that night, without words being needed, Siân understood.