Condemned, R.C. Bridgestock [most romantic novels TXT] 📗

cell to face the charge. Charley leaned her head back on the cold stone wall of the stairwell to the lower floor, where the cells were. ‘I told you who did it. Why don’t you morons listen? I’m not fucking guilty!’ he shouted at the Custody Sergeant Percy Shaw. Charley watched as he was taken back to his cell.

The old building had now been flattened to the ground, and as she approached Crownest, Charley was shocked to see how much the landscape had opened up to show views of the town and surrounding countryside. An old four-wheeled-drive red pick-up truck with a broken number plate filled with stone was at the old gateway to the house. The police officer in her stopped to watch an old man, with some young children helping him, throw more stones in the van. She drove slowly forwards. Finn, the young Irish worker she’d met previously, came into view, kicking the hard ground around a small fire that was burning the last of the debris. She stopped the car alongside him and got out.

The old man looked at the smartly dressed lady who wore an official badge on her lapel, with fear and suspicion etched on his face. He called the children over to him. ‘It’s the copper I told you about, Da,’ Finn shouted. ‘She’s cool!’

Nevertheless, the old man ushered the kids into the van. ‘I haven’t done anything wrong, missus, honest I haven’t,’ he said in his strong Irish accent ‘You ask our Finn. He’s asked his gaffer if I could ’ave this stone. He’s a good lad, our Finn, he looks after his da,’ and without so much as a by-your-leave, he climbed into the driving seat and Charley watched him drive off as fast as the vehicle would allow him. Billowing smoke poured out of the exhaust. The van coughed and spluttered as it disappeared over the hill to the valley below.

‘Shit scared of you lot, is mi’ Da,’ Finn laughed. ‘He’s had his collar felt so many times for wrongdoing, when in fact he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Swears he’s framed.’

Charley laughed. ‘A little bit of fear never harmed anyone, my dad used to say.’

‘Exactly, but he never seems to learn! I can’t count how many times a copper has brought him home drunk rather than put him in a cell, much to mi Ma’s horror.’

‘I’ll bet she probably refuses to open the door, told ’em to take him back, and bring him back sober? Am I right?’

Finn chuckled. ‘That sounds about right.’

Charley glanced down at the fire. ‘Tell me there aren’t bones in there, are there?’

‘No,’ he laughed. ‘The demolition team have gone, and we’re moving on to a new site on Monday. I’m just cleaning up the last bits of rubbish,’ Finn looked around him. ‘I can’t say I’m sorry to see the back of this job,’ he said.

Charley scanned the site. ‘Is the boss around?’

Finn nodded in the direction of a portacabin, just in time to see Joe Greenwood coming out of his office. Joe raised his hand in Charley’s direction and headed briskly towards her, and had started a conversation with her long before he reached her. ‘The foundations will be in and the outer shells up before you know it, once the builders start. Any news on the identity of the bodies?’

‘We’re getting there slowly; it’s surprising what you can get from fragments of bone. Thank you for calling it in,’ she said sincerely. ‘I know it caused you a lot of sleepless nights, and aggro, but you did the right thing. You’ll be pleased to know we have one person charged with murder, and a couple of others yet to speak to, so keep watching the news.’

Joe sighed deeply. ‘Yes, well, in the end they are each somebody’s relative, and whoever they are, they deserve a proper burial.’ All of a sudden his eyes lit up. ‘While you’re here, give me a minute, I’ve got something for you.’

‘Really? Did one of team leave something behind?’

When Joe returned from inside the cabin, he was carrying something wrapped in a dirty old piece of hessian cloth. He was out of breath from rushing. ‘A present,’ he said unwrapping it. A dark oak wood sign, the size of a letterbox, had the words ‘Crownest’ carved into it. Charley was touched. ‘Young Finn ’ere saved it from the fire,’ he said. ‘We thought maybe you’d like it.’

‘Thank you,’ she said taking hold of the sign. ‘I’ll keep it in the Incident Room. Have you seen any more of James Thomas? Happier these days now the buildings down, I’m sure?’

‘No, I haven’t. Rumour has it that he’s sold the land to another builder. That’s how he makes his money apparently, buying and selling.’ Joe raised an eyebrow. ‘I understand he has his fingers in a lot of pies.’

On arrival back at the station, Charley immediately headed for the movable boards in the Incident Room, which held the pictures of those involved in the case, important facts and dates. These boards acted as a visual aid of vital information which was readily available for all the team members.

‘I want to discuss the arrest of Jonathan Raglan, for murder and money laundering,’ she said to Mike. She was thoughtful for a moment. ‘Whilst we’re at it, let’s get James Thomas locked up at the same time, then there’s no chance of their contacting each other, if they have something to hide.

‘I wonder whose arse will drop out first?’ said Wilkie.

Mike didn’t take long to consider the question. ‘If what Dixon told us is true, I think Thomas will sing like a canary.’

‘No doubt they’ll have already heard through the media about Brittany’s death, what with the headlines, and also about Brad’s arrest,’ said Ricky-Lee.

‘Yes, and who knows, that might make them feel safer,’ asked Charley.

‘Both their addresses have already been assessed for the lock-up and the searching thereafter, boss,’ Wilkie told her. ‘Jonathan