A Room Full of Killers, Michael Wood [best books for students to read txt] 📗

my force is looking into an open-and-shut case that was solved years ago.’

‘Ah,’ Matilda said, looking at the floor.

‘Ah? Is that all you have to say? How would you like it if someone started investigating a case you’d solved?’

‘Ma’am, I’m simply—’

‘You know the scrutiny South Yorkshire Police is under right now,’ Valerie interrupted. ‘We’ve got the aftermath of the Hillsborough Inquiry. The magnitude of the sexual abuse scandal in Rotherham is still being felt. Add to the mix the racial unrest at Page Hall and the tabloid press writing features about there being no-go areas for white British members of the public; we’re hardly presenting ourselves in a positive light, are we?’

‘I was … ’

‘And this little nugget being released hasn’t helped.’ She picked up the copy of Carl and slammed it down on the desk. Its booming echo could be heard out in the corridor. ‘Who do you think this all comes back to? Not you. Certainly not the Chief Constable. It’s me that’ll get the chop. I’ll be the fall guy in all this.’

Matilda couldn’t take her eyes off Carl. His smile was haunting – emblazoned on her memory. ‘May I sit down?’

‘Please do. I’m eager to hear your explanation.’ Valerie sat back in her seat and tried to relax but it was impossible. The fury she felt was coursing through her veins like an out-of-control juggernaut on a motorway.

‘I interviewed Thomas Hartley at Starling House. The second I saw him I knew he didn’t belong there. You should have seen him, ma’am. He’s empty, broken, there’s nothing there at all.’

‘Guilt,’ Valerie offered in an off the cuff way.

‘No. It went deeper than that. His entire life has been ruined. He has no idea who did it and he’s petrified.’

‘He’s a good actor.’

‘No. Nobody could fake that. I believe he’s innocent. I honestly do.’ Valerie remained silent. ‘I’ve not reopened the case – it’s not mine to reopen anyway – all I’m doing is looking at it. I may be wrong.’ She shrugged. ‘But I need to satisfy myself.’

‘Is that why you’ve got Pat Campbell running between Sheffield and Manchester like she’s Miss Marple?’

‘Pat’s son works in Manchester. He worked on the original investigation. I asked Pat to have a quiet word with her son. It’s obviously got out. I’m sorry about that.’

‘I can’t condone this, Matilda. I cannot have you upsetting other forces and acting like a one-woman police force.’

Matilda took a deep breath. She needed her boss on her side. ‘Give me a few days’ grace. Let me and Pat look into it, informally, and see what we come up with. It could be nothing, but it could be something. There could be an innocent boy in Starling House. How good would that look for South Yorkshire Police if we were able to free an innocent teenager?’ She looked at Valerie whose face was expressionless. ‘One force sends an innocent boy to prison and we get him out.’

Valerie stood firm. ‘No. I’m sorry, Matilda. No. I cannot have a member of my force trying to overturn a solid conviction on the grounds of a feeling.’

‘It’s not a feeling,’ she protested.

‘Do you have evidence of Thomas Hartley’s innocence?’

As much as she wanted to lie, she couldn’t. ‘No,’ she replied, barely a whisper.

‘Then forget it. As far as Manchester are concerned they have their killer. That’s the end of it.’

No it is not.

‘Now, tell me what the hell is going on at Starling House.’

Matilda took a deep breath. The subject of Thomas Hartley was obviously over as far as Valerie Masterson was concerned. However, Matilda was more convinced than ever to carry on and find evidence of his innocence. Inside, Matilda was seething. She could feel a rage bubbling up inside her. She needed to calm down.

‘Jacob Brown disappeared last night. It seems he’s escaped. Personally, I think he was helped.’

‘Who by?’

‘I’ve no idea. But whoever did it also killed Ryan Asher, I’m certain.’

‘You’re sure it wasn’t a fellow inmate?’

‘Positive. They were all locked up. The cell doors cannot be unlocked from the inside. Besides, the more we look into Starling House the more we realize what a complete shambles it is. Kate Moloney’s falling apart before our eyes, and the staff should be locked up themselves.’

‘So what’s the next step?’

‘As soon as the flood water recedes, I’m having a search team go in to find Jacob Brown. Christian, Rory, and Scott are already on-site and will begin as soon as possible. I’m also having all the inmates and staff brought here so they can be interviewed under formal conditions.’

‘Logistically, that sounds like a massive task.’

‘It is but it’ll be worth it. We need to get the staff and the inmates out of their comfort zone.’

‘I really hope you know what you’re doing, Matilda.’

You’re not the only one.

FORTY-EIGHT

Matilda needed to get out of the police station. She had been blasted for allowing an inmate to escape while officers from South Yorkshire Police were supposedly guarding Starling House, but managed to come out of it with very few bruises. However, when it came to the Thomas Hartley case, she was skating on thin ice with heated blades.

She could feel the walls closing in as she made her way down the stairs and towards the back of the building where she was parked. She hoped nobody would stop her and try to talk. The message from Sian that Belinda Asher had been in touch was racing around her head. She should really call her back, but she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do so. One hour. All she wanted was an hour to herself.

Turning left out of the car park, she passed the pack of rain-drenched journalists from all over the country who were eager to find out what was going on in Starling House.

Let someone else deal with it.

There were plenty of people within HQ who were more than capable of handling questions from the press: the ACC could release another statement, or DS Sian Mills