Chapter 5
Ghostly goings-on

In the morning, i called the team together and was just about to give them an introductory chat, when Chief Superintendent Scargill arrived and took over.

“ As you are all aware Inspector Wainwright has been suspended whilst he is being investigated by Professional Standards. Until the matter is sorted out one way or the other, Sergeant Rowntree is being reinstated to her previous rank of Inspector, and will be in charge of all detective teams at the station. I am sure the you will all give her all the support she needs. I will leave her to brief you further.” and with that he left me to it.

“Right guys, that was the official version, and now for reality. You all know that Inspector Wainwright is under investigation as a result of possible evidence that I, and my other team that you refer to as “The Odd Squad, discovered. You have all worked with him for some time and I would expect you to have a lot of loyalty towards him and possible antagonism towards me. Although you could say that he and I are not the closest of friends and colleagues, I remind you that he is innocent until proven guilty, and also remind you that any contact with him is forbidden during the review and will be severely dealt with in accordance with standard disciplinary rules.

Secondly you are all aware of my personal details and background, but that is all past history and I expect you to treat me with respect and make no further reference to it to me after today.

My old team will still be independent from you all, but still answerable to me, and will be run by temporary Sergeant Terry, who will be confirmed in post subject to passing the Sergeant’s exams in the near future. Any cases where we are hitting a brick wall with conventional methods will be passed to her to see if a more unorthodox approach will fare any better.

For the rest of this morning my office is open for frank discussions on a one-to-one basis if any of you have any problems with the above or wish to discuss anything. If those problems cannot be resolved between us I am quite happy to recommend transfer to another station and team. This afternoon I will need a briefing on current cases from the two sergeants in the team. Thank you for listening, and despite this official lecture of a start, I look forward to working with you all. Right let’s get back to whatever you were working on.”

After settling in in my new office, and clearing away any personal stuff of Wainwrights, There was a knock on the door and my first of my mornings discussions started.

“ Good morning Ma’am, I’m Detective Constable Susan Haworth.”

“ Before we go any further Susan, it’s boss, or guv’nor, as you used to refer to Inspector Wainwright, or even Julie when we are not in a formal review meeting, I hate the term Ma’am, it makes me sound like the Queen, and please tell that to the others. What can I do for you?”

“ First, no names but some of the team were very close to Wainwright they have worked with him for years and may be difficult and not open with you about their cases. I am fairly new here and because I am young and a woman have never really been accepted into the lad’s culture of the team. Unless you particularly want to keep all of the few females on your new squad, I was wondering if you needed another detective to work with Sergeant Terry.

Second, just to let you know that I for one have no problems with you having become a woman, one of the guys I was at Uni with did exactly the same and we are still quite close friends.”

“ Thanks for the warning Susan. Depending on what anyone else has to say this morning, and what Sergeant Terry thinks about it, I am sure that we can arrange a transfer for you. I’ll let you know.”

The rest of the discussions with the others were rather neutral. Some of the team were big fans of Wainwright and thought that he was being unfairly treated, but were prepared to see how it all went and in the meantime were happy to stay in the squad. With others he was not so popular and was seen as an arrogant sarcastic bully, and they were glad to see him go. Not one was going to request a transfer, but I had my suspicions about how much of team players some of them would be.

I took Susan over to what was now Trudy’s office and left them to discuss how they could work together, they hit it off well and the Odd Squad was back in business.

I spent the next few days getting to grips with what my new team was working on, and other than passing some work to Trudy I left her to work on her own initiative.

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Trudy’s story

I sat down with Susan and went through how we operated differently to the main detective squad, and amused her with the tales of using our unofficial team of helpers. Mick, Josie, Jane and her friends. Some of the methods we used were unorthodox and could even be claimed by smooth-tongued lawyers as entrapment, but it had worked for us.

The first case Julie had given us was a death threat made to a famous soap-opera and television drama-series star who was performing at the Theatre Royal in the city. The second was a large apparent rise in drug use at the University. Both cases had hit brick walls and despite intense interviews and surveillance had not provided any leads, in both cases there was no cooperation or willingness to help from the other people involved or around.

We arranged to go over to see the theatre director , Sean Marshall to get the background to the threats.

“ Good morning Mr Marshall, DS Terry and DC Haworth, Trudy and Susan if you prefer. We understand that our colleagues have been here already and have only managed to get vague details, and a bit of forensics, but that nobody seems to know anything, or someone is keeping back information. Tell us the story again please, and assume that we know nothing.”

“ We are rehearsing a production of ‘Ghost’ as a run-up to the Christmas Pantomime, ‘Cinderella’, with essentially the same cast. The lead actor on both productions, as Sam in Ghost and as Prince Charming in Cinderella, is Jack Cartwright who you may or may not recognise from a lot of television drama productions, a bit of a heartthrob to a lot of young women.

Two weeks ago when he got back to his dressing room after rehearsals there was a message scratched into the glass of his mirror, “ You will soon be able to play Sam for real when you are turned into a ghost, watch your back.” and a Ken doll with a knife stuck in it was left on his chair. Your guys came in, talked to the cast, nobody had heard or seen anything or knew of any reason for anyone to particularly dislike him.”

“Is he popular with the rest of the cast and team, when I have seen him on the chat shows he always seems a bit self-centred?” Susan asked despite my instructions to leave the questions to me and just sit and learn.

“Most of the well-known actors we get in our productions are very down-to-earth and get on well with all the cast and back-stage people. Jack is a bit of a Prima Donna, or more correctly Primo Uomo, and can get a bit full of himself, but nothing nasty just a bit intolerant of lesser mortals, but I don’t think that he has particularly upset or had a go at anybody since he has been here with us.”

“ Do you mind if we talk to everybody again, are they all in for rehearsals?”

We were interrupted by one of the team rushing in to the office.

“ We have a massive problem Sean, Carly has been rushed to hospital with severe stomach pains, probably appendicitis, and we don’t know how long she will be out of action for. This could upset the whole routine of rehearsals, she plays such a major part in a lot of the scenes. You need to sort out a replacement. to make it worse her understudy just had a row with Jack Cartwright and has flounced out.”

“ Calm down Kathy leave it with me, I will be with you in a few minutes to see what we can do when I am finished here.”

“ What was all that about?” I asked.

“That was Kathy Starling, my ASM, Assistant Stage Manager, she gets a bit stressed and carried away at times. Carly Jackson, is one of the lead cast members, she is playing Oda Mae Brown the psychic, you may remember Whoopi Goldberg played the part in the film. It’s a major role and I will have a big problem getting a replacement urgently at this point in the season, most well known actors are already booked up for the panto season. Are we going to be long, I need to get this sorted.”

“ This might seem like a daft idea, but I may be able to help and it will help us too. with our investigation” I suggested. “ There is someone who works with us who is a professionally trained actor, who could stand in for rehearsals and even for one or two shows if you think they are any good. Two problems, Mick is a man, and he is white, but while he is looking for more fulfilling work he does a drag act as Lola Luscious which I am told is very good, I am sure that he could play the part really over the top, just like Whoopi Goldberg. It would also allow us to have somebody close to the cast and crew, they might be told things that people are reluctant to tell the police. What do you think?”

“ It’s a bit different but it could work, but it would be only temporary until Carly is back with us. But I would have to see them first to make sure that they are capable of taking the role. I need to calm the cast and crew down at this moment, could you send Lola in to see me this afternoon.”

“ We will contact Mick to see if he is available, and we will drop him off at the stage door, but we won’t come in, we wouldn’t want him linked to the police. we will leave you now to sort out your problems.”

“ Mick, are you free to help us with an investigation, it is an acting role in the Theatre Royal, but you would be performing as Lola not as Mick, will you do it.”

“Tell me more, it could be the foot in the door I am looking for.”

Just after lunch we picked Mick up at his flat, and I almost cried with laughter when I first saw him. He wasn’t quite in full drag make up and outrageous costume, but he was very over the top and although obviously a man in women’s clothes he was fit to be out in public. He was wearing an emerald green lurex sheath dress that finished mid-thigh with heavy padding underneath to give him, a bit of a figure, in fact a lot of a figure , knee-high wedge heel black leatherette boots, and big hair, a black wavy wig. I had been out with him a few times, but It was the first time I had seen him dressed as a woman, I wasn’t sure whether I was repulsed or attracted by the sight, but I thought that he definitely looked like he could play Oda Mae.
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Mick’s story

We took a taxi to the theatre and they dropped me at the stage door, I had decided to play it all very camp, strutted inside and marched up to the doorkeeper. “Lola Luscious to see Sean Marshall, be a sweetie and let him know I am here.”

On the way to the office, I smiled sweetly in response to all the questioning stares I was getting, and was soon in with Sean Marshall.

“Mr Marshall, can we just do this as Mick Metcalfe, or I can keep playing it camp as Lola if you prefer.”

“I think that you have proved your point, tell me about yourself and what you have done.”

“ I studied at RADA and graduated two years ago, but have struggled to break through into a theatre company. I have played supporting roles in serious and musical theatre, and keep the wolves from the door by acting as Lola Luscious at the local drag and gay club, and as ‘Mick the Mime’, the street entertainer.

I have recently worked on some undercover jobs with the police which have combined my acting skills along with a bit of a sense for the unusual. DS Terry has told me about your problem and I think that if I could join your cast for a while as Oda Mae Brown, I might be able to help to get to the bottom of this. Do you want me to do a stage audition to see what you think?”

I have forewarned the cast of your audition and although only ‘Sam’ and ‘Molly’ will have any say as to whether they want to work with you, you will probably have all the others watching in the background. Obviously you will not do it as a Whoopi Goldberg homage, just play it as you see fit. It should probably only be for rehearsals anyway to let the rest of the cast develop their roles. With a bit of luck Carly will be back for opening night, the punters pay to see names they recognise not understudies.”

I quickly read through the scene where Oda Mae realises that she can actually communicate with the ghost of Sam instead of the normal sham seances she took part in. I went on stage with Jack Cartwright as Sam, and played out the scene. Obviously I was not word perfect but we got through it all, with me really overacting Oda’s hysterics. When it was all over there was a stony silence, before Jack slapped me on the back and shook my hand, which started a round of applause from the others.

“ That’s fine with me, you will fit in for the rehearsals, and could even understudy for the show, what do you think Sean? The role is bit of a comedy role anyway, and a bit of drag won’t do it any harm.”

“Come back to the office Lola and we’ll talk through the details.” Sean said with a happy smile.

“ That went really well and you should be ok and be trusted to have a nosy around. If you are still around for the actual performances, I don’t want to bill you as Lola Luscious, you can either do it as Michael Metcalfe, or under any other stage name you prefer, and if you can tone down the drag Act a bit it would sit better in a serious production. Apart from that, you gave a polished performance out there and obviously know what you are doing, would you consider joining our staff repertory company.? Don’t give me an answer now, have a think about it. Go out and mix with the company, give them whatever background story you like, gay or straight, drag act or serious actor. Welcome to the team !”

I did as he said, cleaned off the extremes of the make-up and the long false lashes, changed into skinny jeans and a woollen top and went out to meet everyone. I Introduced myself as Michael rather than Lola and made it clear that I was just playing a part earlier and we got on with rehearsals. On stage I was in Oda Mae mode, but off stage talking to people I was just my usual self. I tried to mix in with everyone and after a while someone mentioned to me about the death threat which gave me an opening to discuss it with people.

The general reaction I got was that although Jack was a bit full of himself, he wasn’t too bad with people and nobody thought that he had done anything nasty enough to deserve a death threat. Because I was still wearing my wig and hadn’t totally cleaned off the makeup, the girls and women were happy to chat to me and give me the gossip on the rest of the cast and crew. The only name that kept coming up as having a dislike to Jack was Kathy Starling, the ASM, so I thought that I had better have a talk with her. We were on a break in rehearsals, so I got myself a coffee and went over to join her.

“ Are you on your own, I am still trying to get to know everybody, and they all seem to be collecting in their own little circles of friends? Have you been with the company long.?”

“ I’ve been here about a year, as ASM, as a way, hopefully, of getting a part in one of the productions, you must know how hard it is. It annoys me when you have a lot of jobbing actors trying to make a career, and TV so-called-stars just waltz in and take all the good roles, and I just get left behind. I have been heard to say that to people and that makes me not the most popular person around, but I get by.”

“ Are you talking generally, or about Jack Cartwright in particular?”

“ Mainly just in general, but he is a prime example of what I mean, he is not a great actor, but was just in the right place at the right time for the TV role and things have taken off from there. Any one of the crowd he hung around with could have played the part better.”

“ You sound like you knew him before.”

“ Er…no, not at all , I just know the type. Anyway we cannot sit here gossiping, break time is over, let’s get back to work.”

After we had finished, I took off the wig and cleaned my makeup and made myself presentable as Mick to go home, when I heard a loud cry for help from Jack’s dressing room. As I opened the door I was roughly pushed aside by someone rushing past, and looked in to see Jack sprawled on the floor.”

“ Are you ok, do you need a doctor?”

“ I will be fine, just give me a minute. It is lucky you arrived when you did, I had just come in and suddenly felt a blow on my shoulder, someone attacked me from behind with a wooden club, I shouted, you opened the door, and they rushed off.”

“ Did you recognise them? I’ve heard that you have received threats. Did they say anything to you? Do you want me to call the police, in their hast they may have left something which would let them be identified.”

Trying to remain undercover, rather than call Trudy directly I dialled the police non-emergency number,101, and asked to speak to the York detectives looking into threats at the Theatre Royal and was soon connected to Susan who came out to investigate with a forensic team. They found the wooden club and were able to get some decent fingerprints and DNA traces from it which were sent off for analysis. Susan took statements from Jack and me, drove Jack to his hotel and we went back to Julie and Trudy’s flat for a review of what I had found, rather than to the station so as not to link me to the police.

“ Are you ok Mick, you didn't get hurt did you?” asked a concerned Julie.

“ I am fine, just a bruise where my arm hit the door frame, and Jack Cartwright will maybe have a sore shoulder, but otherwise no harm done this time.”

“ I’m glad you are working with us on this Mick, it is useful having someone on the inside.”

“ It has been useful for me to, I have been asked to join the rep company, this could be the career break I have been looking for.”

“ That’s really good news, I’m pleased for you. Has it all been any use to our investigation?”

“I have found a few things which might interest you, Jack is a bit up himself, but is generally well liked, and he has been very pleasant with me, but the ASM Kathy Starling seems to dislike him and seemed a bit shifty when I asked why, you may want to look into her. She also seems to have a thing about ‘Stars’ jumping in and taking all the good roles.”

“ Trudy , Susan, do a check see what you can find out about her. Mick, see if you can get a bit closer to her and try to find out why. Good work for the first day Trudy, I am very busy getting to grips with the cases of the other team, so I will just leave you to run the show.”

Trudy took me home and stayed for a while, chatting over a glass of wine, or two. I was beginning to like her a lot, and if we could get over her doubts about me working in drag, which was now possibly going to be less of an occurrence with me having a straight acting job, we could possibly have a future together.

The next morning, I arrived at the theatre and everyone seemed to know about the attempted assault on Jack and wanted to congratulate me on turning up on time to save the day. If Jack had been unable to continue, with two of the three stars no longer available, the show and the whole season, would have been in doubt. Jack was particularly grateful and said that as well as supporting me joining the company, he would have a word with his agent to see what he could do in getting me a part in his next TV show.

We kept on with rehearsals, and it was late afternoon before I had a chance to have a chat alone with Kathy.

“ It was lucky for Jack that you turned up when you did, somebody has obviously got it in for him. However, if these things keep happening he might decide to leave the shows.”

“ That’s not you want surely, he seems to get on well with all the others, and will be a big draw for the audiences.”

“ I didn’t say that I wanted him to quit, but somebody obviously does, and if they get their way, i won’t be sorry to see him go. While his career has taken off he has stepped on a lot of toes on the way, and there are many people who would like to see him taken down a peg or two.”

”You sound like you are one of them, has he done something to annoy you personally?”

“ Ask me again another time Mick, let’s leave it there, I have probably said too much.”

Over the next few days, my sitting down for a coffee break with Kathy became a regular thing, but she didn’t open up any more about why she didn’t like Jack Cartwright.

“ Mick, can you do us a favour” Trudy called and asked, “Can you get us a coffee cup or some hair or something from Kathy so that we can do a DNA check? Her records are very hazy and we would like to see if we can trace her another way.”

I managed to get her coffee cup after one of our chats, and put it in a plastic bag, and that evening I met up with Trudy to pass it over.

“ What’s the problem with Kathy, Trudy?”

“ She just appeared about two years ago, we can’t find any record of her before that and suspect that she is not who she says she is, but we are still looking. If we can get some DNA off the cup we might be able to get a match from the database.”

“What about the club, did you manage to get anything off that?”

“ We got a good DNA sample, but there was no match on the database, but that just means they have no criminal record. The only thing we can get is that it is a male, which is not a lot of help.”

“ I have been talking with Kathy and she definitely has a big dislike for Jack Cartwright, and it seems more personal than just being about a ‘star’ getting the best roles. Is there any link between her and Jack?”

“ We’re still looking, but as I said, her background is a bit of a mystery.”

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Trudy’s story

Two days later we had a breakthrough and we brought Kathy Starling in for questioning.

“ Thanks for coming in Kathy, at this stage you are not under arrest and do not have to answer questions, but it may be in your interest to help us.

“We have been looking into your background and before two years ago there are no records of your birth, school or college attendance, and no medical history, it is all a mystery to us, can you explain please?”

“ It is all very personal, and I would rather not. I changed my name at that time and the person who I was before no longer exists, I am legally Katherine Starling now, but normally go as Kathy.”

“ Ok, we’ll try another way, can you explain the fact that your DNA matches that which we found on the club that was used on the attack on Jack Cartwright.”

“ No comment !”

“ And the fact that the DNA sample indicates that you are in fact male.”

That was the trigger, Kathy broke down in tears.After she calmed down and had a coffee, she requested a lawyer before answering any more questions. An hour later after cautioning her of her rights, we resumed the interview with a duty lawyer present.”

“Firstly we need to establish you legal name and status, can you confirm the fact that you are genetically male?”

“ You don’t have to answer that, it is irrelevant to the investigation.” interrupted the solicitor

“ It’s ok, it is time I was honest. I am, or at least I was, a male, I am now physically female after surgery abroad, I did not go through the National Health Service process as I was in a rush.”

“ I take it that was 2 years ago when you suddenly appeared on the scene as Kathy Starling, what was your previous name, so we can do further checks on your background?”

“ I was Kevin Swift, but as well as changing my gender I had all new records made, claiming I was a distant cousin born in British Columbia in Canada with English grandparents and claimed citizenship as Katherine Starling that way. Somehow, any checks must have got confused between here and Vancouver and did not pick up on the truth and I was given a full set of documents in my new identity.”

Susan left to do a background check on Kevin Swift and came back in a few minutes with a nod to confirm that she had traced him. I let her continue .

“ Kevin Swift disappeared off the radar at the same time as you appeared, so that seems tie up. Kevin was an actor and it seems that he was in a few minor productions with Jack Cartwright before he got his big break, so you knew him before he came to the Theatre Royal.”

“ We went through drama school together, and appeared in a few low-key roles at provincial theatres. We both went for interview for the role in the soap and he won it. He became obnoxious and arrogant and was rubbing my face in it, I finally snapped and thumped him on stage one night during a performance. After that I got a reputation as a difficult person to work with and soon opportunities dried up. I was on the breadline, had no work and was running out of money and staying with a good friend, also an actor. She suggested that if nobody wanted to employ Kevin, that I might be able to get a role as a woman, we had both recently watched ‘Tootsie’ and it worked for Dustin Hoffman, and she felt that because of my slight build that it could work for me too.

She helped me adapt to life as female, helping me with clothes, makeup, and lessons on deportment ad mannerisms, and I found myself getting more and more work and was soon living and working full-time completely as a woman. I became more and more comfortable and natural as a woman and decided that was how I wanted to continue, had surgery and treatment, and was living happily in my new life. That was until Jack Cartwright suddenly turned up at the theatre and came back into my life and reminded me how I had got to this stage.”

“ Were you really threatening his life or were you just trying to scare him to make him leave?”

“ I just wanted him to get out of my life and thought that if I could frighten him off, that he would leave the shows and I could get back to how things were. I did hit him with the club, but it was just meant to hurt and frighten him, I did not intend to go much further.”

Before we went any further, I decided to talk it through with Julie, as although Kathy had threatened violence and carried out a minor assault, I could understand Kathy’s reasons, and felt that it was a one-off event and that she was not really likely to re-offend, and filled Julie in on what we had found out.

“ Julie, I would like to talk to Jack Cartwright to try to get him to drop charges, it will waste a lot of our time and court procedures to take this to trial and there will be no real benefits to society in general. What do you think?”

“ I’m probably not the best one to make that decision , I know how traumatic it is to be transgender and some of the problems it gives. Speak to Jack, explain it all, and see what he says. If however he does want to prosecute, we haven’t got any choice.”

Susan and I went to the theatre and found a room to have a private chat with Jack, and after asking him to treat what we said as confidential, we filled him on Kathy’s story.”

“ You’re joking, I remember Kevin and can’t believe what has happened to him. I know that I upset him, but didn’t think that it would have that big an impact. I understand that you would like me to drop any charges, but before I do, I would like to speak to him….her.”

“At the moment she is in custody down at the station, it may be more discreet if you came down there with us to discuss it with her, rather than bringing her to the theatre.”

As a matter of policy I sat in on the conversation in case anything came up that would change the options open to us.

“ Jack, I’m sorry that I got you worried and hope that I didn’t hurt you too much with the club. I was just so upset when you came back into my life.”

“Ok, I know that I got the job that you wanted, but there was no need to thump me on stage, it was so unprofessional, and I am sorry that it totally changed your life, although I do think that you make a better Kathy than you were as Kevin. Until you recently started being bit cold towards me I thought you were a pleasant, good-looking, hard-working ASM, and hoped that you would graduate to getting stage roles. Do you now think that you can get over this and work with me without any problems?”

“ I’ve got it out of my system now, I have been bottling up my hatred for what you did, and it all just bubbled over, but that’s it, I have come to terms with it, and in many ways it has changed my life for the better, I am very comfortable and happy as a woman, and for that I should be grateful.”

“ Sergeant Terry, can we drop charges and forget all about this. Kathy has suffered enough?”

“ If that’s what you want, it is fine with me. However Kathy it will go on record as a caution, and will be brought up again if there is any repeat of violent behaviour.’

Kathy and Jack went off to a bar to catch up on old times and seemed happy enough. They had decided that nobody at the theatre would be told anything further, other than that the case had been dropped and there would be no further problems.

I met up with Mick later and he told me that when Jack got back to the theatre he put on on a bit of a dramatic performance, of “ Oh, it was all so traumatic, but it is over now, and I don’t want to talk about it.” It turned out that the chat Jack and Kathy had really broke the ice between them and they were now happy to work together.

It was my first case where I was in charge, it worked out really well, and I even got a few congratulations from some of Julie’s detective team.

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Postscript

A fortnight later the show opened, and Mick covered for the first three performances as Oda Mae, until Carly Jackson was fully recovered. Julie and I went to the opening night and had a really enjoyable time, the show was amazing and Mick really went down well as Oda Mae, playing the part as an outrageous comedy role, similar to Whoopi Goldberg’s take on it, and he stayed as understudy to Carly for the rest of the season including as the stepmother in Cinderella.

To be continued