CHAPTER 32
I looked at him, and there were no indications as to which way he was jumping. Police, professional, woman.

“I can personally tell you more about him than I would like to know, sir, but I can’t break confidence on what my team are doing”

“Not even on my direct order?”

Breathe, Calm. "No sir. Not even on your direct order, not without the authority of the people who may or may not own the information”

He suddenly grinned, turning to Elaine.

“When I said you had inculcated a ‘no shame’ attitude in your team, I see you picked the right people. Thank you”

Turning back to me, he smiled in a much warmer way.

“Absolutely correct, Diane. If I may call you that, and within these walls I am Iwan. This particular investigation goes beyond common criminality, and into very personal territory. Absolutely correct of you to maintain confidence, and I will be approaching Bevan---Bevan Williams, your own Super, that is; I will be approaching him directly. Before that, if you feel you can, please talk us through your own experiences. I know the general details, just as I believe I am aware of the reasons there was no prosecution at the time”

The last three words leapt out at me. Could he mean…?

I talked them through that night, with frequent pauses, and by the end of it all, Elaine had moved over to lay her arm over my shoulders as a comfort, and the little pack of tissues I kept in my handbag was almost exhausted.

“When he finished, when I was lying on the ground, he pis---urinated on me”

Iwan smiled again, and there was something behind it that made me want to trust him, to open up my wounds again.

“You can say ‘pissed’, Diane. I think we will all have heard a lot worse”

“Pissed, then. All over my back. He said it was the way to get all the spoodge out”

Elaine twitched at that.

“Same word my sister says Joe Evans used. Family thing, obviously. Omar described much the same thing. Omar Mohammed, Iwan, our breakthrough assault”

“Ah yes. Do you feel up to more, Diane?”

I considered that for a little while, and realised that for the first time, telling that story was actually doing me good, cleansing those wounds I had reopened.

“Yes, and thank you both. I need to get this out so we can finish this job”

The Super nodded. “Thank you. I understand… No. No, I do not understand what you have been through. I have never been there, never been raped. But I can do my best to do what I should have done about it years ago. Elaine, your sister Sarah, yes? Visited in hospital by Robert Evans and Dai Pritchard?”

“Yes indeed, and much the same treatment as Diane got”

I looked up. “Shut your mouth, go home, we know where you live, be grateful we don’t arrest you now?”

Elaine smiled, nastily. “Yes indeed, girl. They didn’t even know whose sister she was till I had a couple of words with them”

Iwan laughed out loud, and this time it was happily.

“Oh yes indeed! In the men’s toilet, wasn’t it? I am told she scared nine particular shades of excrement out of them. She has that effect on some people, I am informed”

I laughed in my turn. “Oh, absolutely. You should have seen her when we stopped that van!”

He buzzed his PA. “Could we have some more coffee, for three, please?”

He turned his eyes on Elaine. “That is indeed what your sister received from that fine pair, wasn’t it? Before they stupidly went to the local press for money?”

Elaine nodded. “Diane, please bear with me here. You know how my sister began life, aye?”

“She’s a transsexual, isn’t she?”

“She’s a happily married woman with a wonderful husband and a fine son, butt. Boy’s her husband’s, obviously, but to him she is his mother, his Mam. She’s a contented woman, Di, but before she got there, she was dead in the water, dead behind her eyes. That family screwed her over and stole a decade of her life. Thank god for her friends, and thank god for the man she married. He is a real life-saver. They did much the same to you, I would guess. You and your parents?”

I wanted to spit. “Yes indeed. Their daughter the whore, margarine legs, keep your lads away from them, never know where she’s been, or who or what with. I needed the Job, innit? Gave me something to pull myself back up with”

I looked back at Elaine.

“They never gave up on me, though, never believed all the crap people were saying. I think it nearly broke them, but they never turned against me, never lost faith”

She nodded. “Like my parents, our parents, aye?”

I took her hand, gave it a squeeze.

“Just one thing that’s been bothering me. Well, a lot of it’s been bothering me, but you know what I mean. Mam kept a load of clippings, on me and Sarah’s cases. She says the two of them were sacked”

Iwan smiled tightly. “Not exactly. They were convicted of drink-driving, and in accordance with normal disciplinary arrangements, they were encouraged to seek early retirement on medical grounds”

I nodded again, like a stupid toy dog. “Yeah, but sacked, in essence. Mam doesn’t differentiate on that one. Gone, and good riddance, she says. No, what I am confused by, or perhaps intrigued, concerned, disturbed, yeah? All better words. What the hell were those two shits doing in South Wales territory? Not their turf, not their bloody job!”

Iwan reached behind him for a slim file of papers that was lying on his desk.

“That is something that concerned both Bev and myself, and we made enquiries. Those enquiries have been underway ever since we first heard of the involvement of the two, and we are particularly examining who was on duty in the control rooms at Swansea and Cardiff on those evenings. If they don’t turn out to be related or otherwise connected, I will be rather astonished. I will also be looking at charges relating to perverting the course of justice, conspiracy and so on. I do believe it is time for some bloody spring cleaning!”

He dragged over a spider phone and dialled a number.

“Yes? Superintendent Elias here, Dyfed-Powys. Would it be possible to speak to Bevan Williams? Yes, that’s the one”

He muted the handset and turned to me, eyebrows raised in query. His meaning was obvious, so I just smiled and nodded in consent.

“Bev? Iwan Elias here. I have a favour to ask. Would you mind if we went to speaker? I have some colleagues here? Yes? Wait one”

He fiddled with the machine, muttering under his breath until Elaine reached past to hit the right buttons, and my boss’ voice came though clearly.

“Can you all hear me?”

“Yes” from all of us.

“Is that Elaine I can hear? How are you?”

“Fine, Bev. We’ve got DC Owens here, Diane”

“From Serious Crimes?”

“That’s the one. Been giving me an update on the rape and assault investigation”

“Thank you, DC Owens. How may I help?”

Iwan took the lead. “Bev, it is a matter of confidentiality and information sharing. You will be aware of Diane’s previous encounters with persons of interest in this case?”

Superintendent Williams roared with laughter. “You always were one for calling a spade a soil rearrangement device, Iwan? Persons of interest? Arseholes up to their necks in it, I would say. Diane?”

“Yes, boss?”

“I am aware of your previous dealings with three of the men we are investigating and yes. I am being kept fully up to speed on how things are proceeding with Ashley Evans. Your friend’s brother has filed an application under section 41 of POCA. Er, sorry, Diane. Not your field as such. HMRC are looking to obtain a restraint order under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Freeze Ashley Evans’ assets, in short. See how influential he and his family can be without readies”

“Thank you, boss”

“Don’t mention it. Iwan, how can I help?”

2Hopefully that will be quite simple. I am looking to open a perversion and conspiracy to pervert case, and I believe that it will also involve a cold case thingy in regard to another rape, some years ago”

“Whose?”

“Diane’s”

He looked across at me for assent once more, and I gave it.

“Raped by Ashley Evans, when she was only sixteen, Bevan”

I heard his breath hiss, and then, after a few seconds, he replied, his voice flat, dangerous.

“What do you need, then? Diane, I ask you this as a concerned manager, and, I think, a friend rather than a colleague. Are you up for this? I do not wish you to be hurt again”

Elaine’s hand in mine, Iwan’s on my shoulder. No more fucking victim from me.

“Absolutely, boss. Long overdue, innit?”

“OK, then. Iwan? You will have all assistance we can give you, and naturally it will be a two-way street. I will ring Sammy Patel once I hang up here”

He paused again.

“If necessary, we’ll lock up the whole fucking family”