The Opal Pendant (A Little Crazy)

Chapter Nineteen

Rupert placed the two reports side by side on his desk. Joan Dickson to the left and April Thompson to the right. He stared at the faded photographs. "You'll never know how much I need you to talk to me. This is useless. There's no evidence to point the finger at anyone. These two women left home to visit a vicar who wasn't there and was never seen again. They were escaping a situation or decided to start a new life elsewhere.

The adage of being between a rock and a hard place came to mind. "I'm going mad in my old age," he muttered. "Blackwell's records are in the room in front of me. All I have to do is find them."

Maggie saw him leaving his office and strolled towards him. "Is there a problem, sir."

"Where are Blackwell's police station records? I need to check out their missing person files."

She gave Rupert a glance. He was well-spoken, and she was only half listening. "Did you say the Blackwell station files?"

"I did."

"I'll bring them to your office."

"That will not be necessary. I need to understand how the system works. After all, you'll disappear into the sunset when you're an inspector."

She shrugged. "That'll be the day, sir."

"Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Poor sod died in a plane crash.

"Believe it or not, I've heard of them. Anyway, follow me. The Blackwell records are on the right-hand side and first. As the county's central station, we made it number one. All other stations follow in alphabetic order. She stopped at the start of a long row of shelving. We have loads to do, but we will find your person missing files under PM".

Rupert stared at her. "You do know being a missing person is not a crime. The police help find missing persons. It becomes a crime depending on the circumstances of their disappearance."

Maggie smiled. "A long time ago, I read an information pack on missing persons." She checked out various box files from a pile on the bottom shelf. "Eureka, we have persons missing. What decade do you want?"

Rupert gave the question a moment's thought. "The last. I can then work backwards."

Her forehead creased. "Do you want a hand?"

"When I find what I'm looking for, I will give you a shout. These are disgusting. Where did they keep them?"

"In the boiler room. It appears they considered it a dry, secure place."

"Bloody fire hazard if you ask me. Still, this," he pointed at the shelving, "will change record-keeping forever. And ten out of ten for your filing system. It works."

Maggie grabbed the four filthy files and carried them into Rupert's office. "I'm wearing a coverall. What would Joyce say if you arrived home covered in crap."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time I remember chasing a villain along the river in Hoxton as a newbie constable. It was raining, and my foot found a rabbit hole. Seconds later, I was in the river. Struggling to decide which way was up or down. Two strong arms grabbed me and dragged me to the bank. Guess who, the villain I'd been chasing. He made sure I was okay, the buggered off. Never did see him again."

"How's Joyce coping with her promotion?"

"Not sure. "Rupert rubbed his chin. "She loved being an inspector chasing the bad guy. Most hated domestic violence problems, but she has a way with people. Especially those less fortunate. Anyway, thanks for finding these. I'd better start reading."

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, but call it a gut feeling. I'll know when I find it."

"Best of luck. My gut feelings are usually something different."

Rupert laughed as he watched her leave. He cleared his desk and opened the first box. His Eyes scanned the top sheet. Barbara Long, date of birth, and an address in Stonewell. Went missing on a warm summer day in 1987. Turning the page, it appeared she ran away and cohabited with an older man in Newcastle. From what he read, using her credit card gave away her location. The local plod did the business, but no one had closed the file. No one bothered until it became lost in the file. Missing persons rarely floated to the top unless they were VIPs or front page news. He grimaced. Cold cases were where someone took notice. Searching in his right-hand drawer, he found the correct stamp and added FILE CLOSED at the top of every page.

***

Joyce sat at her desk and stared at her in tray. It was not that she bemoaned her promotion. After all, she had worked hard to overcome the age-old prejudice of promoting women. She missed the cut and thrust of the incident room, the banter, and having a laugh. Now, paperwork appeared to take priority.

She stared at the phone on her desk, wishing it would ring. The downside was if it rang, it would mean someone was in trouble.

She jumped as its soft tone dragged her into the moment. "Chief Inspector Parsons."

"Hi Joyce. Have you a few minutes spare in your busy schedule?"

"Harry, If you're about to give me good news, I'm listening."

"Depends how you look at it. I took Sergeant Pete Roden out for a beer when he finished his shift yesterday afternoon."

"You're not exactly friends. How did you persuade him?"

A dirty laugh rattled the telephone. "Told him if he wanted to retire with a full pension, my advice was gold dust. At first, he looked at me as if I was mad until I mentioned his antagonist, Inspector Talbot.

When we met in the pub, I bought the beer. Roden appeared at ease when he arrived until I mentioned Talbot. The blood drained from his face when I told him rapist Talbot would soon be in court on two counts of rape."

He almost choked on his beer. "He did say I was talking rubbish until I produced my copy of the activity sheet."

"What do you think he might do?"

"When I mentioned DNA evidence, a copy of the carpenter's receipt to fix the door. The blood drained from his face, and he went quiet. I asked him why he covered for Talbot. A few years back, it seems Talbot found him and a female sergeant having sex in an empty cell.

Talbot, the bastard, assured Roden he never saw a thing. As far as he was concerned, it never happened. Payback arrived when he planned to rape a member of the course he instructed. He gave precise instructions to a terrified Roden. I checked the nights Roden was on duty, and it matched our two known rapes. Once word gets out, a few other female police officers will come out of the woodwork.

"That's what we are hoping. Talbot believes he's bulletproof, but we have enough to blow him into orbit.

"Roden knows Talbot will drag him into his defence and asked me if there was a way he could salvage his pension. I made him buy another round. I told him to make an appointment to see Samantha Harman. I gave him her telephone number. But to save his skin, he must hand over the fake incident log."

"Do you think he'll contact her?"

"Guaranteed. The pension is all he has. More than ever, if his wife learned about his extra sexual activities, she would take him to the cleaners. Have you ever met her? She makes the villain Rosa Klebb, in the Bond film From Russia with Love, look like a pussycat."

"Thank you for your help, Harry. When this shit hits the fan, duck."

"Don't worry about me. I'm being sent to another nick up north.

"More rotten apples?"

"One or two, I believe.