Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 15:16:08 +0100 (BST)
From: Steve Rose <cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Martin Roberts Investigate - Party Games 8

DISCLAIMER:

This is a story. None of the characters in the story exist and the events
that take place are purely imaginary.

WARNING:

Do not read this story if you are in any way offended by acts of a
homosexual nature.

Do not read this if you are under the legal age for
accessing adult sites.

Always indulge in safe sex.

Martin Roberts Investigates/ Party Games Chapter 8

In the Commissioner's office, Sir Thomas looked hard
at Martin and then asked again about the document
case. Martin explained what had happened and the
Commissioner was forced to accept that there were
reasons why he had not been informed about this
development. However, it was clear that Sir Thomas was
not best pleased at being kept in the dark. Martin
felt that the Commissioner's displeasure was also due
to the fact that the missing document case could
indicate robbery rather than a simple `gay bashing'.
This, the Commander, reasoned would be even more
embarrassing if, as he suspected, Sir Thomas had been
the anonymous source of Alan Birch's newspaper
article.

After an uncomfortable few minutes with the
Commissioner, Martin went back to his office and found
that Ron and Mark were still there waiting for him and
the two officers smiled with the relief when they saw
the Commander return unscathed. Martin explained that
he had agreed that the commissioner would be briefed
twice daily on the investigation's progress and would
appear at future press conferences when there were
major developments to report. As they sat together,
Mark suggested that he might get in touch with the
forensic laboratory to see whether they had anything
further to report and Martin signified with a nod that
he thought it would be a good idea. Twenty minutes
later a triumphant looking Mark returned and
announced,

"This just could be our lucky day! We knew yesterday
that the piping was used in the attack on Nick
Trafford but this morning we have a match to the
partial print left on it as well! It turns out the
print belongs to a man called Ed Grantham, who has a
record of `gay bashing' and violence against other
people. I've run a check on him and he has several
convictions for GBH and other violent crimes. He's got
a flat in Islington. What shall we do, go round
ourselves or get the local Police to arrest him?"

Martin thought for a moment and then said,

"I think we should go and arrest him and bring him
back here for an interview. At the moment the evidence
is circumstantial, but we might get a warrant to
search the flat and find some clothing with a speck of
blood on that matches that of Nick Trafford. Once we
have something more concrete that directly connects
this man to the scene or the victim then I'll let the
Commissioner know."

Mark nodded and then said,

"Do you want me to contact Islington and arrange for
some back up? It appears this guy is a difficult
customer and he could resist arrest."

Martin sounded rather reluctant when he agreed to
Mark's suggestion but the Commander realised that
there was little choice. If the record was to be
believed then Mr Grantham was a violent man who would
not come quietly and could try to escape. Having
obtained Martin's agreement, Mark went off to make the
arrangements and returned a short while later to
report back and then he and Martin left Scotland Yard
and drove speedily through the deserted early morning
streets to the address in Islington where Ed Grantham
lived. Close to the apartment block two Police vans
were parked discretely out of sight of the entrance
and Martin and Mark went over to them as soon as they
arrived at the scene. As the most senior officer,
Martin took charge and the other officers followed his
instructions. As soon as he was satisfied that all
angles had been covered, Martin gave the order and
officers entered the building. Taken by surprise and
still half asleep having been awakened from his bed,
Ed Grantham offered surprisingly little resistance and
was soon in custody. Mark had cautioned the arrested
suspect and then he had been bundled into the back of
a Police Car to be driven back to Scotland Yard.

It was not too long before Ed Grantham was installed
in an interview room with his solicitor, Gordon
Clifford. Mr Clifford was a well-known lawyer who
numbered amongst his clients many of the top gangsters
in London and was always regarded as being only just
out of reach of the Police. The two men were waiting
for the Commander and Mark Jamieson to begin the
interview. Martin had already alerted his other two
most trusted senior investigators, Mike Rickwood and
Aly Young and they had settled themselves into the
observation room to watch the proceedings. Mark led
the way into the interview room carrying a small box
and some papers and was closely followed by his
superior. The arrested man had a truculent look on his
face, which it would be difficult to describe as
anything other than unpleasant. Ed Grantham had a
small round face with threatening eyes and a small
nose and mouth that curled into an unpleasant leer. A
large diagonal scar that ran down one cheek added to
his menacing look. Finally, Martin noted that the man
that sat opposite him was well built and clearly very
strong and his large hands were covered in rings.
Before entering the room, Martin had printed off Ed
Grantham's long criminal record. This had contained
details of his many convictions and the Commander had
noted several had involved attacks on either gays or
immigrants. All in all, Mark and Martin had agreed
that they had seldom had to deal with a more
unpleasant thug.

After brief introductions, Mark began the questioning,
which began gently enough with queries over whether
the arrested man knew and understood why he was being
interviewed and that her was doing so under caution.
In answer to this question Ed Grantham snarled
response that indicated that he did indeed understand.
Mark next turned to the arrested man's long and
violent criminal record and was interrupted by the
solicitor who raised objections to this line of
questioning. Mark shrugged and merely commented,

"I think, Mr Clifford, that your client's record
speaks for itself. He is a violent man who hates
immigrants and gay people. I wouldn't be wrong in
saying that now would I, Mr Grantham?"

Ed Grantham shrugged and said,

"I don't have anything to say except this. If they
don't bother me, I don't bother them."

Mark nodded and then said,

"Where were you on the night that Mr Nick Trafford,
the MP, was murdered?"

The prisoner looked indifferent as he spoke,

"Who was he? I never heard of him. You say he was
murdered. Well it was nothing to do with me."

Mark remained cool as he responded,

"You must have heard of the name, Mr Grantham, the
story's been all over the newspapers."

Again Ed Grantham started indifferently at the
Superintendent and replied,

"Don't read the papers that much, only the racing and
the football."

Mark smiled and said,

"So you've never met Mr Trafford and you don't know
who he is?"

The prisoner nodded and mumbled,

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."

At this point Mr Clifford intervened,

"This sounds very much like a fishing trip to me,
Superintendent. Have you any evidence linking my
client to the scene of the crime or are you arresting
all known and alleged perpetrators of violence in
London?"

Mark smiled broadly and opened the box that he had
carried into the room with him and took out the strip
of piping which had been wrapped in plastic sheeting
to preserve the evidence. The Superintendent then
said,

"For the benefit of the tape, I am showing the suspect
a piece of metal piping recovered from Hampstead Heath
in the past few days. Tell me, Mr Grantham, do you
recognise this piece of metal?"

If he had been surprised, Ed Grantham showed no signs
of it and replied with a grunt,

"No, never seen it before in my life."

"In that case", responded Mark smiling at his
prisoner, "can you explain how your fingerprints and
traces of Mr Nick Trafford's blood were found on this
piece of piping?"

Ed Grantham did not make any reply and Mark said,

"For the benefit of the tape, Mr Grantham has not
replied to this question. You may consult with your
legal advisor if you wish Mr Grantham. He will explain
the consequences of refusing to answer a question like
this. Do you wish to do so?"

Mr Clifford leaned forward and said,

"My client would like a brief consultation with me at
this point, Superintendent."

Mark nodded and said,

"In that case I will suspend the interview for fifteen
minutes."

Martin followed Mark out of the room and they joined
Aly and Mike and went off to the canteen for a coffee.
Aly Young spoke first when they had settled into their
table,

"Wasn't he repulsive?"

"Not the nicest fellow I've met", replied Mark and
then added, "and Mr Grantham's pretty awful too!!"

The other three laughed for a moment and then Martin
spoke,

"You're doing a great job there, Mark and you reeled
him in nicely. I want you to hit him with the
bloodstains as soon as you can and then I'll have a go
at him about the document case and what was in it."

Mike had not spoken up to this point but intervened at
this point,

"Even if he killed Nick Trafford, I don't think he
would know to steal the document or the case unless
someone told him to do it."

Martin nodded,

"I agree. He was probably there on someone's orders
and either told what to do next or else there was
someone else nearby and that person stepped in and
took the case after our Mr Grantham had knocked Nick
Trafford to the ground."

"Do you think the main motive was robbery and Nick
Trafford got killed by accident then, sir?" Aly Young
asked.

"I don't know yet, Aly", Martin replied honestly.
"It's possible that robbery was the main intention but
if Nick Trafford already had a document that someone
desperately wanted to obtain and that what it
contained was sensitive or dangerous then maybe
killing him was the best way of ensuring that it never
reached the light of day. Having a well-known `gay
basher' on hand is also very convenient because if
anything goes too far then there's a fall guy waiting
to be arrested and charged. On the other hand, if Nick
Trafford already had the document and it was that
explosive why go to see someone who might feel
endangered by its existence? If he had the document, I
think that he would certainly have kept a copy and
someone must have it and their life could be in
danger."

Mark thought for a moment and then said,

"What if he was meeting a potential witness or a
source of information because he knew there was
something missing, a vital document, say? He'd need
something to carry the documents in after he's got
them. If some unknown party set him up and lured him
into a trap he'd want to ensure that he was dead
because he wouldn't want Nick Trafford investigating
the matter any further."

Again the Commander nodded and said,

"That's my dilemma. Anyway I think time's up for Mr
Grantham. Let's go and see what he says when we
confront him with the evidence we already have."

The quartet left the canteen and separated as before
with Aly and Mike in the observation room and Martin
and Mark going in to resume the interview. As he sat
down Mark looked enquiringly at the solicitor and Mr
Clifford cleared his throat and said,

"My client sometimes works as a plumber's mate. He had
been working in a house quite recently and it is
possible that he handled the piece of metal piping you
showed us in the course of that work. My client cannot
remember every bit of raw material he handled all the
time. What he is prepared to say is that he might have
touched it when he took the unused material to the
skip. However, I'm sure you would agree anyone could
have removed it from there. I don't think that you can
directly link my client to the scene of the crime and
you have no evidence, no witness who saw my client
attack this MP."

Mark smiled and said,

"I have to accept that you have a point Mr Clifford.
However if your client is innocent he will be able to
tell us where he was and what he was wearing at the
time of the murder and provide witnesses to support
his story."

Mark reminded the prisoner of the date and time of the
murder and Ed Grantham told the Superintendent that he
had been wearing a short weather proof jacket and blue
jeans on the night that nick Trafford was killed. The
prisoner then went on to supply an alibi for the time
of the killing,

"I was on my way to a pub in the East End where I met
some friends. I got to the pub at about nine o'clock
but I had been travelling for some time before that on
the tube. You know what they're like these days, not
very reliable."

Mark again smiled,

"And presumably your friends will back you up on
this?"

Ed Grantham gave a slight smile as he said
confidently,

"Of course."

Mark nodded,

"Perhaps you can give me their names and we will go an
check your story. While we are doing that I am going
to ask that you be remanded in custody. Oh and while
you're waiting, you will have no objection if we go
back to your flat and examine the clothes you say you
were wearing on the night in question, will you?"

A slight frown came over Ed Grantham's face but he
eventually nodded in agreement. The solicitor spoke at
this point,

"I must protest that you have little or no evidence
against my client and I shall be seeking bail at the
earliest opportunity."

Martin spoke in the interview room for the first time,

"That is your client's right, Mr Clifford, but given
the nature of the crime, the record of your client and
the fact that our enquiries are not yet complete, I do
not think that you stand much chance of success. I
promise you that we will not keep your client in
custody longer than is necessary, unless, of course,
we decide to charge him. Finally, I would add that you
may attend the search of his property if he and you so
wish."

Mark stood up and led the prisoner back to the custody
suite where he was handed over to the Custody Sergeant
and held in the cells to await further interrogation.
Martin had gone straight back to his Office and sat
there waiting for his friend to return from the cell
area where prisoners on remand were held. It had been
a long night for the Commander and he was beginning to
feel quite tired and guessed that Mark would also be
happy with what he was about to suggest. As soon as
the Superintendent had returned, Martin asked him,
Mike and Aly to come to his office and once they had
all assembled he said,

"I must confess that I am feeling a little tired and I
expect Mark is as well. What I'd like to do is for me
and Mark to go home for an hour or two to get some
rest and wait for the forensic results following the
search of Mr Grantham's home and the examination of
his clothing. In the meanwhile, I'd like you, Mike, to
go on examining Nick Trafford's remaining case files
and Aly, I want you to take charge of the search of
the suspect's property. However before we disperse I'd
like to hear what you thought of Mr Grantham's
performance during the interview."

Mike spoke first in response to the Commander's last
invitation,

"I think you got him rattled, especially when you said
you wanted to search the house. I'd lay money on him
being the one who carried out the attack, but I don't
think he's got the brains to have done it all on his
own."

Aly, who had been observing the interview with Mike
added her comment,

"Yes, I got the impression he was a habitual criminal
who would deny everything even if they were guilty. I
thought the Superintendent was brilliant at leading
him on and then going in for the kill, but one thing
puzzles me, why didn't you ask about the document
case?"

Martin smiled at Mark and said quietly,

"Will you explain that to Aly, Mark?"

Mark smiled back at his friend and then turned to Aly,

"The answer is this. We have not yet established
beyond doubt that Ed Grantham committed the crime. We
all are certain that he was the culprit and we have
some circumstantial evidence to link him to the murder
weapon, but until we can physically place him at the
crime scene I don't think we have enough. Is for the
document case, I don't want to lose the element of
surprise. I agree with what Mike said. If Ed Grantham
took the document case he did so because he was told
to do so. The other possibility is that Ed was not
alone and that someone else was with him and that he
or she is the person that wanted the document case or
what was inside it. If we can get Mr Grantham tied in
to the scene of the murder and make him see how
hopeless his cause is then he might spill the beans on
who else was involved."

Martin nodded,

"I agree with that tactic. Don't let them know what we
know until we have to. It's a kind of game. I've had
another thought as well. I'd like someone to go round
and talk to Mrs Powell again. See if she saw anyone
leaving the entrance to Hampstead Heath as she was
walking towards it. It's just a long shot but might be
worth a try. Get Sergeant Hassan to call on her and
ask. He looks as though he could do with some tea and
cakes!"

Mark was about to leave to make the arrangements when
Mike said,

"It's OK, sir, I'll make the arrangements. I think you
and the Commander ought to get some rest. I'll look
after the shop here and we'll call you if and when
there are developments."

The Superintendent looked as though he was about to
respond but Martin looked at him and shook his head,
indicating that he agreed with Mike. It was rather
reluctantly that Mark agreed but he did recognise that
he was quite tired and needed to rest before resuming
the interrogation of the prisoner.

Tom was delighted when he heard the key turn in the
lock and looked with anticipation at the face of his
lover but was disappointed to note that Martin looked
tired and by no means triumphant. After a few
comforting words and a hug, the younger man left his
partner alone and allowed him to retire to the bedroom
to rest. Martin lay back on the bed and tried to sleep
but he found this impossible as too many options and
thoughts were buzzing through his brain. The Commander
was also anxious to get on with the case and was
concerned that the Commissioner would not think highly
of him if he let another opportunity to resolve the
matter quickly slip through his fingers. On the other
hand, Martin was also conscious of the fact that too
many things had slipped so easily into place and not
all of them accorded with other information that had
been gathered during the investigation. This was not
unusual but one of the key pints of the investigation
had not been explained and that was the document case
and its potential contents. This suggested very
clearly to the Commander that while the hand that did
the murder was in all likelihood that of Ed Grantham,
the mind that planned the crime was someone else.
Martin's train of thought was interrupted when Tom
appeared at the bedroom door and asked,

"Coffee? Something to eat?"

Martin nodded, suddenly aware that he was really
hungry and welcoming the opportunity not only to eat
but also to express his thoughts to his most trusted
partner. The older man got up from the bed slowly and,
as he had not bothered to undress, followed Tom into
the kitchen. On the table there was a spread of cold
meats and cheese as well as bread and two steaming
cups of coffee. Martin smiled gratefully at his lover
and said,

"Thanks for doing all this, Tom. It's gestures like
this that make me love you so much!"

Tom smiled back, pleased that his efforts were so
appreciated and replied,

"I do it because I care. Do you want to talk about the
case?"

Martin filled his lover in on all the details so far
and his concerns that there was more to the case than
met the eye. Tom could see at once what the problem
was and tried to respond sympathetically,

"I see the problem, Marty. You're worried that as soon
as you charge this Grantham fellow the Commissioner
will say `case closed' and you'll know that it isn't.
You're going to have to tell him about the document
case as soon as you can."

Martin looked up from his plate and said,

"I know, Tom, but I'm not relishing it. Sir Thomas
wants a quick result and so does the Home Secretary.
They are not going to like it if I say we have the
killer but not a motive."

Tom nodded and said,

"Won't they go down the `gay bashing' route?"

Martin nodded,

"I'm pretty certain that they will, but I know in my
bones there's more to it than that!"

"I think you are probably right, Marty, but you have
to take the Commissioner along with you", Tom said
quietly but firmly.

Martin knew that his lover was right but was still
concerned that if he did tell Sir Thomas news of the
loose end would get into the press. Despite his
reservations, the Commander was satisfied that he had
no other course of action other than to inform the
Commissioner of what they had been told by the young
barman the day before. At about the same time that he
made this decision and had told Tom what he had
decided the telephone rang and Martin was requested to
return to Scotland Yard immediately as there had been
a few developments. Martin asked if Mark had also been
informed and was told that he had and would be round
to pick up the Commander in a short while. Tom had
been listening to his lover's end of the conversation
and knew that Martin would have to return to Scotland
Yard but concealed his disappointment that they would
not have much more time to spend together.

It was not long before Martin was sitting in his
office and he and Superintendent waited for the first
of a series of reports to be given as a result of the
various initiatives that had been undertaken during
the day. The Commander had begun by informing Mark
that he intended to report to the Commissioner the
evidence from the eye-witness concerning the document
case that Nick Trafford had been carrying just before
he died. The Superintendent indicated with a nod that
he agreed with his commanding officer's decision but
said nothing else, not least because there was a knock
on the door indicating that Sergeant Hassan had
returned from his visit to Mrs Powell and was ready to
report back the results. As Martin had suspected Mrs
Powell had not seen anyone leaving Hampstead Heath as
she made her way with the dog towards the entrance to
the footpath and her subsequent grim discovery. The
Commander had always regarded the possibility that Mrs
Powell would have seen anything as something of a long
shot and was neither surprised nor disappointed at
what Sergeant Hassan had told him.

Two other reports that day were, however, more
positive. The first was that Mike Rickwood had finally
completed his review of all Nick Trafford's
investigations and was able to report that there was
one complete file missing from the ones seized at his
office in Parliament. Mike had a file number from the
checklist but no corresponding file to match it.
Martin agreed with his Chief Inspector that this was
probably the file that the dead MP was carrying on the
night he was murdered, although it was also possible
that the file was in the earliest stages of
preparation. The Commander asked Mike to check with
the late MP's researcher, Diana Robinson, to make sure
that she had not got the file in her possession.
Before he left, Martin also added that the Chief
Inspector should also check whether the researcher
knew what the case was about, even if the file was not
in her possession. Mike Rickwood nodded and
disappeared off to find Ms Robinson.

It was some time before Mike tracked Diana Robinson
down as the processes of Parliament had meant that the
researcher had moved out of the dead MP's office and
now had a different location to work from. Once he had
established what he wanted to know, Ms Robinson, after
some initial resistance, told the Chief Inspector that
she did not have the file in her possession but knew
that some papers did exist. The researcher seemed
genuinely shocked that her former employer might have
been killed because of the existence of these papers.
Mike was reasonably satisfied that Ms Robinson was
telling the truth when she said that she did not know
what was in the papers or the details of the case, but
the researcher was able to supply the senior police
officer with sufficient information for him to access
the official transcript of the case himself. Mike
hurried back to Scotland Yard to report to his
Commanding Officer and get the necessary authorisation
to obtain the papers that were concerned with the
potential miscarriage of justice.

By the time Mike arrived back at Scotland Yard, the
Commander was no longer in his office but was acting
on the third piece of information he had received that
day. This had come from the forensic laboratories that
had managed to find evidence supporting the fact that
Ed Grantham had recently been on Hampstead Heath. Bits
of mud that had been found on the detained man's shoes
matched soil samples taken from the area where Nick
Trafford had been murdered. Aly Young had been very
excited when she had telephoned this news back to the
Commander who expressed his great pleasure in
receiving this piece of information. The icing on the
cake came a few moments later when the young Inspector
called for a second time to report that the forensic
team had found a small speck of blood on the suspect's
trousers and that it matched that of the dead MP.
Although this information merely confirmed what the
investigation team already suspected, Martin was
delighted to have this degree of confirmation and to
be able to link Ed Grantham so firmly to the scene of
the murder and to the dead man. The Commander asked
Aly to thank the forensic team and to return to
Scotland Yard with the written report as soon as she
could. Immediately he had ended his conversation with
the Inspector, Martin had informed his colleague, Mark
Jamieson, of the latest development and they had
agreed with him that he would make the necessary
arrangements to resume the interview with Ed Grantham
as soon as the detainee's lawyer could be present.

Superintendent Jamieson had enjoyed making the call to
Gordon Clifford informing the solicitor that new
forensic evidence had been found and that he and the
Commander wished to resume the interview with Mr
Grantham as soon as possible. The lawyer had indicated
that it would be a short while before he could return
to Scotland Yard but neither Mark nor Martin were all
that surprised to learn that he had arrived within ten
minutes of the Superintendent's call. Gordon Clifford
asked for details of the forensic evidence that had
been discovered and Martin had great delight in
informing the solicitor of what had been found. At
this point Mr Clifford, looking somewhat ashen asked
for and was granted a short while to confer alone with
his client. It was not long, however, before the
lawyer re-emerged to indicate that his client was now
ready for interview. Watched by Aly Young from the
observation room next door, Mark and Martin went into
the interview room and joined the prisoner and his
lawyer. Mark switched on the tape and Martin began the
interview,

"I assume, Mr Grantham, that your legal representative
had informed you of the forensic evidence that we have
obtained that links you clearly to the murder scene
and to the victim. I hope that he has explained to you
that this evidence is overwhelming and you can only
benefit yourself by making a full and frank statement
about what happened."

The bravado and resistance of the day before had all
but crumbled and, urged on by his solicitor, Ed
Grantham made his response,

"All Right, yes, I killed the queer! He come on to me
and I found it disgusting and so I hit him! I was
protecting myself from his unwanted attention," Ed
Grantham glared across at the Commander and added
vehemently, "I hate queers!!"

"Yes, I know that," Martin answered quietly, "your
record clearly indicates a liking for `queer bashing'.
However, I am not inclined to believe your story. Why
would Mr Trafford `come on' to you? Why were you on
Hampstead Heath in the first place, but not only that
but in a well known gay cruising area?"

The detained man looked back angrily and said,

"I was going to meet some friends for a drink. I went
the quickest way and it's not a crime to walk on a
public space, well not yet anyway but when he
approached me, then I hit him. It was self defence!"

The Commander absorbed the reply and then said,

 "So nobody told you to go up onto Hampstead Heath,
wait for a particular person to come by and then
attack them?"

Ed Grantham's face was contorted with loathing as he
replied,

"No. He approached me that's why I hit him!"

Mark joined in at this point asking sharply,

"So why did you steal his document case and its
contents?"

A look that seemed to be a cross between amazement and
disbelief crossed the face of the arrested man and he
struggled to respond,

"What document case? I didn't see a document case and
I certainly didn't steal one!"

The Superintendent ignored the denial and asked again,

"If you didn't take it, do you know who did?"

Ed Grantham was even more confused now and said,

"I just told you, I didn't see a document case. I
admit I hit him but I didn't take anything from him."

Mark again ignored the suspect's comment and asked a
third time,

"If you didn't take the document case, who else did?
Was there someone else there with you?"

The arrested man looked at his lawyer hopelessly and
then said,

"I don't know who took it. I didn't know that he had a
document case with him, I told you. What I do know is
that when I met him he was alone and so was I. Maybe
he threw the case away or left it for someone to
collect somewhere on the route. What I do know is that
I didn't take it!! I've admitted that assault, why
should I lie about this?"

Mark was about to follow up when the Commander
indicated that he should pause. Martin looked across
at the suspect's lawyer and said quietly,

"Mr Clifford, we have a written statement from an eye
witness who says that he saw the victim carrying a
document case only a few moments before he was killed.
Your client has admitted hitting Mr Trafford, a blow
that we know killed him. As a result of this admission
Mr Grantham is in serious trouble, I suggest you try
to talk some sense into him and get him to tell us
everything. Would you like a few minutes to consult
with your client?"

Gordon Clifford inclined his head slightly and
indicated that he would accept the Commander's offer
and Martin and Mark left the room for a few moments.
Aly Young, who had come down from her observation
point, joined the two senior investigators outside the
interview room and the young Inspector looked
quizzically at them and said,

"Why did you let him off the hook like that?"

Martin smiled and said,

"We weren't getting anywhere and Ed Grantham is no
grass so he has to persuaded to tell the truth. If, as
we all suspect, he has been put up to this job by a
third party, I'd like to give him a chance to tell us
in his own words. He may not tell us everything we
want to know but at least this way we'll know we're on
the right lines."

The Inspector still looked uncertain but any further
comment was prevented by the emergence of Gordon
Clifford from the interview room. The solicitor
indicated that after due consideration his client now
wished to make a full statement. Mark and Martin
followed the lawyer back into the room and the
Superintendent switched on the recorder as the murder
suspect made his statement. Ed Grantham, faced with
the growing evidence against him, told the
investigators that he had met Nick Trafford and had
attacked him as he had already said. However, the
suspect added that he had been a member of an extreme
right-wing organisation that had long campaigned to
rid the British isles of all immigrants and that he
had told by an anonymous caller where a leading black
politician, who was also a gay, would be that evening.
The arrested man did not admit that he had been told
to steal anything and reasserted that he had not seen
or taken the document case. Unable to shake Ed
Grantham's story, Martin and Mark were forced to
accept this version of events and, having charged the
prisoner with murder, arranged for him to be taken
back to the cells to await a Court appearance the
following day.

Later, when they had returned to his office, Martin
looked at Mark and said,

"I think he was set up by someone pretending to be a
member of his extremist group and they wanted and get
whatever was in the document case, don't you?"

Mark nodded,

"I think you're right, but proving it is going to be
very difficult. In addition, we're going to be under
pressure to close the case because we have arrested
the man who killed Nick Trafford."
Martin agreed and said solemnly,

"Yes, we are, unless Mike comes up with something from
his enquiries and we find out what those papers were."

Mike Rickwood was unaware of the urgency of his
enquiry but he was making progress. He had already
traced the particular case and had, after some
difficulty, found Diana Robinson, who had told him
that she did not have the papers but suggested that he
contact various places where he could obtain a copy of
the trial transcript. As the interview with Ed
Grantham was just coming to an end, Mike Rickwood was
standing looking at a thick document that contained
the detailed transcript of the case that Nick Trafford
had been investigating when he was killed. The Chief
Inspector opened the document and did not have to read
far. A name with which he was very familiar leapt at
him from the opening page. The name was Digby Jackson,
who was the main Opposition spokesman on Home Affairs
in the House of Commons. Unable to contain his
excitement, Mike ran from the building and, as soon as
he could, called in with this new piece of information
and alerted his fellow investigators to this latest
twist.

Martin was not in his Office when the call came
through. The Commander was reporting the latest
developments to the Commissioner. Sir Thomas seemed
pleased with the progress that had been made and told
Martin that he would be reporting the events of the
day to the Home Secretary and would expect a written
account of the investigation to follow before the end
of the day. Sir Thomas gave a half smile as he said,

"You and your team have done well. You've identified
the murderer and done so with exemplary speed. I think
we can say that the case is closed."

Martin was prepared for this approach and said,

"There are still a number of loose ends, sir. We need
to find out what happened to the document case for a
start."

The Commissioner's eyes narrowed and he responded
coldly,

"Do we? Are you sure that the witness wasn't just
mistaken or was looking for publicity?"

The Commander did not flinch,

"No sir. We have independent corroborative evidence
and I believe these documents may have a bearing on
the case. If I make a report tonight it will be
incomplete and the case will not be closed
satisfactorily. I have a man out there at the moment
investigating this whole matter. I hope to know more
by the end of today. May I have 48 hours more to
complete my investigation?"

The Commissioner did not change his expression but
made a small concession,

"You can have 24 hours, but I will still want an
interim report by tonight so that I can brief the Home
Secretary."

Martin recognised that he had won a small victory and
accepted it gracefully,

"Thank you sir! I'll let you have my final report by
tomorrow night."

Sir Thomas could not resist a parting shot,

"Indeed you will, Commander, whether or not all the
loose ends are tied together!"

Martin returned to his office in a somewhat despondent
mood and was rather relieved to see Mark and Mike
Jamieson standing waiting for him. The Superintendent
ushered his two most trusted and senior colleagues
into his room and shut the door and then he spoke,

"Sir Thomas is, as we speak, briefing the Home
Secretary on the case which he sees as having been
completed satisfactorily. I have persuaded him to give
us just over another day to try to tie up the loose
ends. I hope that the fact that you are here, Mike,
means that you something useful and helpful to tell
me!"

The chief inspector smiled slightly as he replied,

"I hope so, sir. I've tracked down the detail of the
last case and it involves Digby Jackson, the
Opposition Shadow Home Secretary. He was the
prosecuting counsel in the case that Nick Trafford was
investigating. I've been going through the transcript
and I can't find too much wrong with the case but
there may be something I'm missing. I wanted to know
if we could go and interview Mr Jackson as soon as
possible."

Martin looked at his watch and said,

"I don't see why not. It's early afternoon now, the
House will be in session and there's a debate later on
the Government's proposal to guillotine the Police
Bill, but he should be able to see us if we hurry.
Mike, could you ring his office and set it up. We can
be there in fifteen minutes."

Mike left the room and Martin and Mark continued to
chat briefly about the case while they waited for the
Chief Inspector to return. Less than a minute later,
Mike was back and the three senior officers left for
their meeting with at the House of Commons.

Digby Jackson was a large man with greying hair and
had a permanent look of bemusement on his face but he
smiled warmly as Martin and his colleagues were shown
into his spacious office deep in the Palace of
Westminster and leapt from his chair to shake them
warmly by the hand as martin introduced his colleagues
in turn. Having invited his guests to sit down, the MP
spoke warmly to Martin,

"I'm delighted to meet you, Commander, and your
colleagues, of course. I'm sorry that we have failed
to persuade the Government to change the Bill that you
so dislike, but at least we forced them to introduce a
guillotine motion, but there is still the Lords, who
might amend it as well. However, I gather you want to
talk to me about the death of Nick Trafford. I can't
understand why, I hardly knew the chap and what little
I did know about him, it struck me he wasn't my type
at all!"

Martin smiled back and said courteously,

"Thank you for your efforts, Mr Jackson, but you are
correct, we have come about the murder of Nick
Trafford. Can you think of any reason why he was
investigating a case that you were involved in a few
years ago at the Old Bailey involving a black man
accused of rape?"

The MP looked taken aback for a moment but recovered
quickly and said,

"Yes I remember it very well. It was my last case
before I entered Parliament. But why would Nick
Trafford have an interest in that case?"

Mike Rickwood intervened at this point,

"Well, sir, Mr Trafford had a large file of cases
where he believed there had been a miscarriage of
justice and this case was on his list. However, the
papers from the file were missing and we only just
traced the case and have just acquired the transcript.
Can you remember anything unusual about the case,
sir?"

Digby Jackson looked straight back at his inquisitor
and replied, firmly,

"Absolutely nothing, Chief Inspector, it was an open
and shut case. The victim identified the culprit, we
had forensic evidence and I had no doubt that the man
was guilty. The judge gave a fair and balance -- too
balanced if you ask me -- summing up and the jury found
the defendant guilty and he got life imprisonment. I
repeat it was an open and shut case and we didn't
withhold anything or get up to any tricks and neither
did the Police, I might add!"

Martin leaned forward and said,

"So, it's a mystery to you why Mr Trafford had started
to look into the case?"

The MP nodded emphatically,

"Yes, it is! Read the transcript. I defy you to find
any flaw in the case or the trial!"

Digby Jackson looked at his watch and Martin took the
hint and said,

"Well, thank you, Mr Jackson, I expect that this
matter will remain a mystery. I hope we will not have
to trouble you again. We certainly will have to study
the transcript but I'm sure everything will be in
order. Maybe Mr Trafford was just fishing. Thank you
for your time and I hope that you do well in the
guillotine debate tonight."

Digby Jackson thanked the Commander and ushered his
guests out of his room and back towards the Central
Lobby and the exit from the Palace of Westminster.
Once outside, Martin turned to his colleague and
looked enquiringly at them,

"Well, what did you make of that?"

Mike Rickwood spoke first in reply,

"He's a politician, sir. He didn't tell us anything.
However, the clearly is something about the case that
wasn't quite right. The more I learn about Nick
Trafford, the more I respect his nose for trouble."

Mark Jamieson nodded and said,

"I agree with Mike. Although Mr Jackson did not tell
us anything, I believe there is something about the
case that we need to discover and it will unlock the
case."

Martin smiled at his two colleagues and said grimly,

"Well, gentlemen, I think we are in for a long night.
I am in unison with you about Nick Trafford's nose for
a miscarriage of justice, but I have to say that I
thought Mr Jackson was telling the truth. If there is
something about the case, then I suggest we look
elsewhere. I'd like you two, and Aly Young, to go
through the trial documentation ands see if you can
come up with anything. We've only got until five
o'clock tomorrow afternoon. I think I'd better
telephone home and tell Tom and the boys not to expect
me until late, if at all, tonight. I expect you'll
want to tell Ruth much the same thing won't you,
Mark?"

The Superintendent nodded to indicate that he would
let his wife know about the arrangements for that
night. As they approached the entrance to Scotland
Yard, Martin said,

"OK, you two, if one of you could find Aly and then
all three of you get to work on the documents that
would be great. While you're doing that I'm going to
see if I can find out anything from one of my most
reliable sources of information."

Mike and Mark exchanged a glance which showed that
they understood that Martin intended to talk to Freddy
Eversley who was often able to find out or supply
information that seemed to elude other people. The two
most trusted colleagues went off towards the area
where they expected to find Aly Young and Martin went
into his office. As the Commander closed the door he
called out to his colleagues,

"Let's have a break for sandwiches and a drink after a
couple of hours, or earlier if any of us comes up with
anything."

Mark and Mike raised a hand in acknowledgement and the
senior investigators began a long night of feverish
activity.

If you liked the story, please let me know cutrose40@yahoo.co.uk